Sweeping the Pleats Video

[DannyBoy2k]

Novice Highland piper here still learning the nuances of wearing the kilt. As most things have been local, I haven't had to worry much about traveling far whilst kilted, but I had a longer trip this past weekend and I had a bit of a time figuring out how to get into the car without wrinkling everything up. A quick search has produced lots of advice and a few videos, but there is a specific video in particular that keeps getting referenced, Hamish's Sweeping the Pleats video, that I'd really like to see.

Unfortunately, the link in that thread leads to a Photobucket page indicating I need a password to access the album. I didn't see a reference to a password in that thread, so I suspect this is a relatively new development? I would have posted this in that thread, but it is locked. Is that video hosted anywhere else?

Cheers,
Dan

[BCAC]

Novice Highland piper here still learning the nuances of wearing the kilt. As most things have been local, I haven't had to worry much about traveling far whilst kilted, but I had a longer trip this past weekend and I had a bit of a time figuring out how to get into the car without wrinkling everything up. A quick search has produced lots of advice and a few videos, but there is a specific video in particular that keeps getting referenced, Hamish's Sweeping the Pleats video, that I'd really like to see.

Unfortunately, the link in that thread leads to a Photobucket page indicating I need a password to access the album. I didn't see a reference to a password in that thread, so I suspect this is a relatively new development? I would have posted this in that thread, but it is locked. Is that video hosted anywhere else?

Cheers,
Dan

Unfortunately, Dan, this is NOT a new developpement. I've already posted a request similar to yours in the past and have had no answer. Don't hold your breath!

[Chas]

There really is no mystique about pleat sweeping, you know. There is no requirement for a special handshake or password.

The technique is not hard to master - five minutes practice and you are an expert.

1. Put your kilt on (we are talking about the standard kilt here, made from wool or PV or acrylic, not a contemporary, Kingussie or any of the other various pleating styles),
2. Find a kitchen type chair (smooth seat (wood, leather, vinyl), not velour, not a stool nor a bar stool - you know what a chair looks like),
3. If you can find a decent sized mirror - great, but not necessary. You will know when you are doing it right, you don't have to see it,
4. Now, numerous things are going to happen, all at the same time,
5. Stand in front of the chair, with your back to it (the right distance allows your left hand to hold on to the corner of the seat as you sit)
6. With your right hand (palm to bum) slide across bum and hold pleats flat,
7. Bend with your knees (keep them together) and start to lower yourself. Aim for the middle of your cheeks to hit the front lip of the seat (should be just above where your hand is),
8. Holding on to the seat with left hand, slide backwards till you meet the chair back,
9. At the same time remove right hand. The job is done - you are sat on flat pleats. If it feels bunched, you have failed one of the stages - go back to 4 and start again.
10. Variation time - either keep your knees together and carry on with sitting OR spread your legs and at the same time push your sporran between your legs.

It is really easier to do than to describe. The real trick is the bending and lowering and sliding, that is what holds the pleats flat.
A few notes: You don't have to hold on to the chair with your left hand, but there could be a danger that you push it back rather than slide on it. Be wary of fabric covered seats - they can grip your woollen kilt and not let it slide. Be weary of any seat that is too low (stools and the like), you really don't want to be knees up in the air!

But like all things in life - practice, practice, practice.

Regards

Chas

[Cecil]

There is a nice video on Youtube on how to sweep the pleats. Also on how to use the can while kilted.

[DannyBoy2k]

Thanks all! I'll keep these tips in mind and keep practicing.

Cheers,
Dan

[MacMillans son]

Practice, in a safe environment, builds confidence. I would add to Chas' post the vehicle entrance. Enter the vehicle cheek first (left side drivers, right cheek first) while sweeping the right side pleats as you slide in. Pick up your feet and swing into the vehicle while sweeping under on the left side. If there is a small bit of bunching, raise up and sweep again or reach between and pull the offending pleats to the front.

If I will be driving a long distance,+/-3 hours, and want to be sure that everything is tidy when I arrive, I have been known to wear shorts for the trip and put my kilt on over them in a parking lot and drop them away under the kilt when covered up. Or, wear trousers and change in a restroom close to the event. Lots of situations and lots of solutions.

[Tobus]

I would add to Chas' post the vehicle entrance. Enter the vehicle cheek first (left side drivers, right cheek first) while sweeping the right side pleats as you slide in. Pick up your feet and swing into the vehicle while sweeping under on the left side. If there is a small bit of bunching, raise up and sweep again or reach between and pull the offending pleats to the front.

If I will be driving a long distance,+/-3 hours, and want to be sure that everything is tidy when I arrive, I have been known to wear shorts for the trip and put my kilt on over them in a parking lot and drop them away under the kilt when covered up. Or, wear trousers and change in a restroom close to the event. Lots of situations and lots of solutions.

I do it a little differently when getting into a car. I turn so that my back is to the seat, put both hands under my rear end, and slide them down so that I'm pulling my pleats snugly to the backs of my thighs (just below my buttocks). Then I sit on the edge of the seat whilst still holding my pleats, slide back a little so I'm well into the seat, lift my legs, and swing them into the car. At this point, I'm still sort of sitting on my hands. Next step is to rotate/reposition my rear end and torso until they're square behind the wheel, with my hands all the while acting as a buffer between my pleats and the seat. Then I slide my hands out from under me, in a smooth forward motion so that the pleats are assuredly flat under me. If anything goes awry, I do the same "lift and sweep" motion you describe.

This seems to work well for me, even on 3+ hour trips. Never had any problems with pleats getting out of whack.

There's also the "beach towel" method that some folks use with great success, where you wrap a beach towel around your entire kilt before getting in. It supposedly keeps everything snug and in-place during the sitting/rotating manoeuvres. I think Ron (Riverkilt) prefers this method.

[BCAC]

I do it a little differently when getting into a car. I turn so that my back is to the seat, put both hands under my rear end, and slide them down so that I'm pulling my pleats snugly to the backs of my thighs (just below my buttocks). Then I sit on the edge of the seat whilst still holding my pleats, slide back a little so I'm well into the seat, lift my legs, and swing them into the car. At this point, I'm still sort of sitting on my hands. Next step is to rotate/reposition my rear end and torso until they're square behind the wheel, with my hands all the while acting as a buffer between my pleats and the seat. Then I slide my hands out from under me, in a smooth forward motion so that the pleats are assuredly flat under me. If anything goes awry, I do the same "lift and sweep" motion you describe.

This seems to work well for me, even on 3+ hour trips. Never had any problems with pleats getting out of whack.

There's also the "beach towel" method that some folks use with great success, where you wrap a beach towel around your entire kilt before getting in. It supposedly keeps everything snug and in-place during the sitting/rotating manoeuvres. I think Ron (Riverkilt) prefers this method.

There's a video on youtube somewhere showing a similar system for getting into a car using a belt instead of your hands and sliding the belt out after everything's in place. Apparently you can use a towel to the same effect, also.

[EagleJCS]

There's also the "beach towel" method that some folks use with great success, where you wrap a beach towel around your entire kilt before getting in. It supposedly keeps everything snug and in-place during the sitting/rotating manoeuvres. I think Ron (Riverkilt) prefers this method.

The towel method can also be helpful with leather/vinyl seats (as opposed to cloth-covered) on hot/sunny days.