Military Kilt repairs

[Hamish]

Steve, I really take my hat off to you, as I would to any kiltmaker or anyone attempting to make their own kilt (not the same thing!), for having taken this one on in the first place. That you have made such fine progress is to be applauded and, I believe, indicates that a competent engineer is undertaking this restoration. Very well done!

I still cannot get my head around the washing, in water, of a traditional, woollen kilt - Woolite or no Woolite! Maybe it is because neither of the washing machines I have ever owned has had a cold, or even cool, wash setting. Obviously it can be done, but I would never risk it.

Cannot wait to see your finished handiwork.

Take care,
Ham.

[The Wizard of BC]

Ah Hamish, this kilt was not washed in a machine but in my bathtub.
I would NEVER put a wool garment in a machine.

I simply put about 4 inches of water in the tub and mixed in the Woolite. Then dropped the kilt in and let it soak for about 15 to 30 min.
A gentle squeezing to work the fabric and watch the dirt come out.

Then pull the plug and let the water drain as you gently squeeze the excess water from the kilt and re-fill the tub with rinse water.

When the water no longer shows signs of dirt I drain the tub and leave the kilt laying in the bottom to drain for a few minutes. Then roll it in a towel and gently step on it to remove as much water as I can.

I them hang the kilt on as many hangers as will fit and onto a line it goes. In the summer I find a kilt will drip dry in about six hours.

With a kilt like this that no longer has any pleat creases or if the creases are badly pressed there is no need to baste prior to washing.
In fact in this case basting would have prevented the accumulated dirt deep in the pleats from being worked out of all the nooks and crannies.

[Hamish]

Ah Hamish, this kilt was not washed in a machine but in my bathtub.
I would NEVER put a wool garment in a machine.

I simply put about 4 inches of water in the tub and mixed in the Woolite. Then dropped the kilt in and let it soak for about 15 to 30 min.
A gentle squeezing to work the fabric and watch the dirt come out.

Then pull the plug and let the water drain as you gently squeeze the excess water from the kilt and re-fill the tub with rinse water.

When the water no longer shows signs of dirt I drain the tub and leave the kilt laying in the bottom to drain for a few minutes. Then roll it in a towel and gently step on it to remove as much water as I can.

I them hang the kilt on as many hangers as will fit and onto a line it goes. In the summer I find a kilt will drip dry in about six hours.

With a kilt like this that no longer has any pleat creases or if the creases are badly pressed there is no need to baste prior to washing.
In fact in this case basting would have prevented the accumulated dirt deep in the pleats from being worked out of all the nooks and crannies.

Steve,

Thank you SO much for explaining the process. As I said, it can very obviously be done but, even with your clear instructions to hand, I really do not think I could ever risk washing any of my woollen kilts - I would be too afraid of shrinkage! When I think of all the lambswool sweaters and pure wool hose that I have hand washed across the years, I feel confident in stating that, almost without exception, every item has shrunk, even if only slightly, after a number of washings. For that reason, I do not wear 100% wool nowadays, apart from my kilts (!), opting instead for wool + man-made fibre blends.

How fortunate that everyone takes differing views on matters such as this.

Good Luck, and thank you again.

Take care,
Ham.

[The Wizard of BC]

You are absolutely correct Hamish. All garments shrink over time. It is the agitation that does it. And Wool is the worse. In days past, before washing machines were such a large part of our households you could find sock stretchers, sweater blocks, and scarf rollers in every laundry room.
The secret to washing Wool is COLD water and little to no agitation. I simply squeeze the fabric.
The surface of a wool fiber when looked at under magnification looks very similar to a pine cone. The application of heat softens and opens the plates. Agitation such as that in a washing machine or dryer then pushes the the plates into each other shortening the length of the fiber and making it thicker. This is known as 'Fulling'. The mats in cat fur and dreadlocks are formed in a similar process of locking the microscopic scales together.
This is also how felt is produced.
Once 'Fulled' Wool fibers are permanently shortened and thickened.

But we have washed clothes for as long as clothing has been around and with proper care a Wool Kilt will survive repeated hand washing. There are some who only hand wash Wool Kilts. It is thought that the chemicals used in Dry Cleaning will, over time, remove the lanolin from the Wool.

[Hamish]

You are absolutely correct Hamish. All garments shrink over time. It is the agitation that does it. And Wool is the worse. In days past, before washing machines were such a large part of our households you could find sock stretchers, sweater blocks, and scarf rollers in every laundry room.
The secret to washing Wool is COLD water and little to no agitation. I simply squeeze the fabric.
The surface of a wool fiber when looked at under magnification looks very similar to a pine cone. The application of heat softens and opens the plates. Agitation such as that in a washing machine or dryer then pushes the the plates into each other shortening the length of the fiber and making it thicker. This is known as 'Fulling'. The mats in cat fur and dreadlocks are formed in a similar process of locking the microscopic scales together.
This is also how felt is produced.
Once 'Fulled' Wool fibers are permanently shortened and thickened.

But we have washed clothes for as long as clothing has been around and with proper care a Wool Kilt will survive repeated hand washing. There are some who only hand wash Wool Kilts. It is thought that the chemicals used in Dry Cleaning will, over time, remove the lanolin from the Wool.

Thanks again Steve. I well remember the sock stretchers and sweater blocks from not so many years ago!

Somewhere, deep in the archives of my Kollection, I still have the only pair of hand-knitted tartan hose I have ever owned. They saw me through several years of dance demonstrations in the 1960s and 70s, but I had to stop wearing them because they shrank so much - even with stretching. They also became rather 'felted' and, I daresay, would only fit a young teenager now because of the shrinking!

Of course, there is a passion nowadays for washing and cleaning, often when it is not necessary. I believe that, with proper care and attention, a woollen kilt should not require cleaning more often than possibly every six/eight years, or longer. Many of mine have never been cleaned, but when they do, I will probably still take them to the dry cleaners.

It's true what They say: You cannot teach an old dog new tricks!!!

Take care,
Ham.

[Friday]

I still cannot get my head around the washing, in water, of a traditional, woollen kilt - Woolite or no Woolite! Maybe it is because neither of the washing machines I have ever owned has had a cold, or even cool, wash setting. Obviously it can be done, but I would never risk it.

Ham if I read Steve's fist post correctly he washed the kilt in water but not in the washing machine, but in the bath tub. Using the bath tub allows for very gentle agitation of the water.

Drain the water and gently squeeze the water out and then refill the tub until the water comes out clean

I hope I have not misread Steve's post.

[Barb T]

And, having been handed dirty kilts to alter, I completely sympathize with Steve for having washed it before doing anything else. The sheer stench of a dirty kilt that hasn't been well taken care of is, shall we say, off-putting....

[Hamish]

Ham if I read Steve's fist post correctly he washed the kilt in water but not in the washing machine, but in the bath tub. Using the bath tub allows for very gentle agitation of the water.

Drain the water and gently squeeze the water out and then refill the tub until the water comes out clean

I hope I have not misread Steve's post.

You are quite right, Friday; Steve made no mention of a washing machine. I am afraid I assumed that he had used one because, over the years here at X Marks, folks have often referred to setting their machines to a cold wash cycle when washing kilts - a facility that, as I stated, neither of the washing machines I have ever owned, have had, and I've never used a drier.

Thanks all the same for your contribution.

Take care,
Ham.