pleat crisping?

[seamus]

okay, silly title, but apt. so i think one of my pleats on my lovely new gordon semi-formal from macleod's in ontario got mussed in shipping, or something. now, what should i do? would anyone advise *against* me getting it pressed at the cleaners or something to that effect? any other suggestions? thanks lads.

also, does anyone know where i could look at clan crest tattoo designs? im thinkin about getting the gordon when i'm 18.

[Phil Wright]

If the basting stitches are still in the pleats I'd say OK, but from experience, the cleaners, even saying they regularly deal with pleats, did not line up the tartan elements completely so I got a slight flare. It is also very difficult to re-press when the mistake was as close to the intended line.From other threads on here I have also seen that dry-cleaning should not be done too often as the chemicals can affect the wool and make it shine.
Phil

[Blu (Ontario)]

It's a little unclear what you mean by "mussed"? Could you elaborate on that a bit. Better yet, take a photo and post it.
As far as cleaners are concerned, I would not take a kilt to one unless I was supremely confident that they were capable of pressing it correctly.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Don't be afraid to try pressing the pleat down yourself. Despite the best intentions of kiltmakers everywhere, sometimes pleats do get a little mussed in the shipping process. If you want to get it repressed at a dry cleaners, you can -- but be sure to tell them you just want it pressed, not cleaned. (No need to clean a never-worn garment).

But I'd try it yourself first. What's the worst that could happen... you mess up the pleat even worse and then have to take it in to get it pressed anyway?

Just use a standard iron and ironing board. Set the iron to the wool setting and make sure you've got water in it for the steam. Lay the kilt on the board so that just the pleat you are working on is there in your work area. I'm not sure how messed up your pleat it, but fold it as best you can along the line that it *should* follow and just iron that fold in, flattening out any wayward creases or wrinkles as you go. That's all there it to it!

Matt

[Mike n NC]

My one go round with dry cleaners taught me this: Don't use them unless you absolutly have to and then only for cleaning! Even if they claim to be able to handle pressing pleats, kilts are a whole nother story. I spent most of several days reworking the pleats in the one kilt I had pressed and I still have a couple of lines where they did not match up with the exixting pleats. What a steam table press does is difficult to fix with a steam iron.
I'm guessing that unless a cleaner handles kilts regularly they don't understand 1)the value of the garment, 2)how a misplaced crease(s) affects the look and 3)that it's not just another pair of trou**** that can easly be re-pressed.
I did find a nifty little thing by Black and Decker called a "Gizmo" travel steamer and iron. It has an opening bottom plate that allows you to "pinch" the pleat between two heated surfaces and draw the crease straight. Got mine at Wal Mart but have seen them in other places. They're great for spot touch-ups and may be just the thing for what you are concerned about.

Mike

[Uncle Ricky]

If and when you really need a press or a cleaning, the safe thing to do is take the kilt to a kilt store that makes or rents kilts and give the job to them. They will baste the pleats properly, and give it to a cleaner that knows what is required. It costs a few dollars, but it's worth it.

Cheers

[chacbalam]

...take the kilt to a kilt store that makes or rents kilts and give the job to them.

I second this advice. I am lucky enough to live in an area with an established kilt shop. They recomend that I bring the kilt to them for rebasting and then take it to a cleaner that they use.

I don't knoew what you would do if you don't have access to a kilt maker or shop. Maybe one of the makers or sellers on this board would be interested in starting up a side business. Ship them your kilt, have them clean it and ship it back. It maybe morfe expensive than taking your kilt to a local cleaner, but it is cheaper than ruining a good tank.

[Kilted Kit]

I lay my kilts out on a flat surface,inside up,and use a floor steamer (with a clean pad of course) . I prefer the pleats to have a soft,natural look.