Once a Polyester has been heated under tension or pressure it is permanently altered - it is simply the nature of the fibre.

You might find that all wool or all cotton kilts are easier to work with, particularly if the material has a hard, smooth finish. Polyester tends to be 'fluffy' and the surface soon starts to look tired, even faded or polished and threadbare.

I have a number of all cotton kilts which are simply pleated onto a waistband, and they can be washed and hung to dry, ironed and then lightly pressed - to get them looking smart they can even be starched.
They are lighter than denim and more flowing, even when starched, so they swing like a proper kilt.

Wool can be easily washable. There are treatments which mean it can be machine washed - but I have never seen any information about whether or not the wool used by the mills is treated to be 'Suoerwash' or not.

If it is 'Superwash' then hand washing in warm water is a better option than drycleaning.

I have found that hanging the kilts to dry is helpful in reducing the amount of work with an iron required.

I only hang them when they are damp, after being left flat to lose water after washing. I use two hangers and turn the kilt several times to speed up the drying and also to preen the pleats into place.

When pressing I use a board - anything that will resist heat and steam long enough to lay the pleat on, and a thin cotton pressing cloth so that the iron is not in direct contact with the kilt.

Pressing a kilt is not difficult but it can be very time consuming at first. The hanging to dry and experience will reduce the time needed, but the fabric of the kilt is quite an important factor.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: