Basting the pleats for pressing with USAK Casual?

**Zardoz** · 19th March 12, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by eclarkhb

ok, thought I'd post a followup here. I ended up putting 2 large thick beach towels down on a table & laying the kilt out flat. I set the iron on the lowest setting that had steam & I pressed it & sprayed some steam on it. When I was done it looked great, I left it in place on the table to let the pleats set. I wore it out Saturday & it looked great - sorry didn't get any pictures of the pleats

This is the hot set-up, I lay my PV kilts out flat like that after I wash them, take a few minutes to get everything flat and straight, and little to no pressing is needed.

**Riverkilt** · 10th March 12, 04:56 PM

I've owned a bunch a USA Casuals and never took an iron to any of them. Use a hand steamer available at any big box store and the wrinkles in the pleats steam right out leaving the pleats perfectly in place. Quick, easy, and no wrestling with the kilt on the ironing board.

If you insist on ironing then put the kilt on the floor to iron it. No wrestling. Ham taught us that.

**seanachie** · 10th March 12, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by Riverkilt

I
If you insist on ironing then put the kilt on the floor to iron it. No wrestling. Ham taught us that.

....and fron Ron I got the idea to use clothes pin for weight, although I don't attach the fishing weights that he has mentioned. I just hang on the shower rod with clothes pins attached to the edge of the pleats after hand arranging them.

**Riverkilt** · 10th March 12, 09:43 PM

Aye, someone taught me the hang dry with weights on the pleats and it works like a charm. A few years ago someone challenged me that hanging a weight of some sort from each pleat took a lot of time.

So, I timed myself and found it took less than two minutes to hang a clipped weight of some sort (weighted clip, clothes pin, clip weight for a picnic tablecloth) to each pleat. That's less time than it takes me to set up the ironing board and once you've tried to press kilt pleats on an ironing board you're up for any other option.

With the small weight on the bottom of the pleat as the fabric dries - gravity pulls the pleat into line so the pleats dry straight.

Nice thing about steaming the pleats of PV kilts is that it cleans the fabric too.

I currently use the E Steam from Jiffy Steam in Tennessee. Cost a bit more but I've had two from the Big Box stores that burned out after a wee bit of use. This thing is bulletproof.