Straightening wool pleats

[yoippari]

I haven't had my wool kilt long but the back center pleat ond one other already have creases in them. How do I get them out?

I did a search and found a post by I think Bubba saying to use a towel between the iron and the wool, use lots of steam, and put a large flat weighted thing (plywood with weights) on top while it cools off. Well, I don't have the extra surface space for the plywood press right now and at least for now extra sharp creases arent needed, just straight ones.

Bubba, did that thin heat resistant cutting board thing work out? Because we have one of those and it might make things easier.

So pretty much it is lay out the pleats (our ironing board isnt wide nough to support all the pleats either way so I will have to either do a few pleats at a time or do them all but only the top 75% first then the bottom 25%). So lay out the pleats, use a lot of steam with a thin cloth between the iron and wool, and just iron them. Then let the pleats dry and cool, possibly using a pot to pull heat quicker.

Is this right?

There really should be a sticky or an article about this somewhere.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Just about all irons you'll encounter today have a wool setting, and a steam function. So I wouldn't worry about putting a towel in between the iron and the kilt. That's more of a concern to moderate the temperature on older irons.

I'd just use your regular ironing board and work a few pleats at a time. The original crease lines for the pleats should be there for you to work with. If you grab the bottom of the pleat and tug on it gently while you press, it will help give some tension and keep the pleat straight.

Just use lots of steam, a little bit of pressure, and there you go!

M

[M. A. C. Newsome]

BTW, as an aside to this, I know some men who wear their kilts all the time and never have to re-press the pleats. I know others who wear their kilts only occasionally and seem to have to repress the pleats each time. The only factor I can figure coming into play is how the men sit in their kilts differently.

If you take care to smooth the pleats out underneath of you when you sit, you can avoid putting wrinkles into the pleats. If you tend to just plop down in your seat, you can wrinkle the cloth, and your weight as you sit effectively "presses" in the wrinkles. So, in other words, the more care you take when you sit, the less you should have to fuss with irons and ironing boards. :-) I'd search the archives on this board about how to sit in a kilt for advice.

M

[Barb T]

The only thing I'd add is that, if you have a dark-colored tartan, putting the iron directly on the wool can leave a spot that is slightly shiny. That's the main reason for putting a cloth between the iron and the wool. It's not much of a problem with dress tartans, although there you can get into trouble if you have the least bit of residue on the bottom of the iron that can get transferred to the white part of the tartan.

If you're going to use a towel, I wouldn't use a terry towel. Too thick to give a good press. The best thing I've found is an old pillow case split up the side. You want the heat and steam from the iron, but you don't want to risk a shiny spot. A nice thin press cloth is the ticket. And think _press_, not iron. Ironing is a sliding motion, and what you want is a heavy up and down motion. I set the ironing board low so that I can really get my back into it.

The wood part is just to force the steam into the wool and to cool it quickly. So, you just steam and then press a chunk of wood on the pleat (a 10" length of 2x4 is fine and about the right size). You only leave it on for a few seconds and then go on to the next part. I can't see any advantage in leaving the kilt with a huge weight of wood on it. Once the steam has dissipated and the pleat isn't too hot to touch, more pressure doesn't do much. It wouldn't dry in any case, if you left stuff on it!

Cheers,

Barb

[bubba]

Using the press is only helpful when making a kilt and pressing in the pleats for the first time. There are two good ways to take care of the pleats. One is lay it out on a table or the floor and use a steam iron and press cloth and pressing as Barb said. Two is hang the kilt and use a garment steamer. I've found in most cases freshening the pleats the steamer works very nicely.

[yoippari]

When I got the kilt the pleats weren't very crisp. Now with wrinkling (which I think came from sitting in the car, something I need to work on) some of the pleats are just slightly curled at the bottom. So I think I should repress them. I might do it to my SWK while I'm at it.