If the pleats have become distorted you might need to flatten the fabric and start again.
I use a cloth which is quite a bit wetter than for normal pressing, spread out the fabric as high up as can be done without pulling on the stitching and reduce the creases carefully.
After hanging the kilt to dry off, I carefully tack each pleat downwards from where it is sewn in down to the bottom edge, sewing maybe half an inch away from the outer fold. The pleats are still loose, and the tacking thread is not secured, just left in the fabric. When the pleats are all straightened, I press them individually by laying them on a board covered on a couple of folds of fabric, or on a sleeve board, working on a table so the weight of the kilt is supported.
Then I baste the pleats so they are the same measurement top and bottom, making a solid piece of folded fabric where nothing can move out of place. As I go across I pull the tacking threads out to below the level I am basting.
The narrowed end of an ironing board is for working on shaped skirts, and once the kilt is basted it should be possible to lie it fairly flat on an ironing board for pressing. Kilts should not lie entirely flat because they are shaped to wrap around a body and trying to get them flat is counter productive.
When the pleats are still basted you should check the fit - put it on and fasten the buckles - if the hips are too loose the shape is wrong for you and the fell is too / \ for a good fit. Unfortunately all the tailoring of the kilt is designed to keep the / \ stable so there might be a lot of work involved in undoing that. If the kilt was made with a heat activated glued on stabiliser then it might be almost impossible to remove.
Anne the Pleater :ootd:
Originally Posted by Pleater
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