Care and Feeding of a UtiliKilt

[Pleater]

Different dryers must have different ferocities - mine is a UK bought Bosch and it just put what looks like a large bite from a reptile across the front of a good white cotton tee. :sad:

It is not usually so detructive - but it is obviously fiercer than the average dryer.

I have a separate spin dryer which I use when dyeing cloth and yarn, and I have used that on the heavier cotton kilts.

With so much dosh being shelled out for the kilts perhaps a separate spinner would be an advantage. As long as the spin time is limited to less than a couple of minutes and the kilt is carefully folded and laid around the drum I would think the process would not harm a delicate kilt - though a really old and heavy wool I would fold, slide into a pillow case or wrap in a cloth and then roll before spinning.

Excess water spins out of wool quickly - cotton requires longer.

Wool actually feels dry when it is still holding a lot of water - and it goes warm when it is wet - I don't know how, but I do know it swells up and absorbs the dampness. I have natural untreated wool jerseys which I wear/wore when walking or sailing and when dry they let the air through, when wet they are windproof. By untreated I mean they would shrink if not washed carefully, moths would happily raise their young in them, and they are a sort of sheepish light cream rather than white.

Sorry to go on but it is my 'thing' - natural fibres that is.

I have been processing cloth and yarn for a very long time now - four decades maybe, though this kilt thing has only bitten recently - I am losing weight, so I thought 'I know, I can make a kilt - it is only a wrap around skirt after all' (sigh, little did I know) and now I have two new ones to wear and two to rework and at least four lots of material waiting to be made up.

I will have to do what I can on the sewing machine and wait a while to do more hand sewing - I have kilt sewer's thumb - I wonder if I can adapt a metal guitar pick....

Pleater

[Riverkilt]

Think its so simple its comfusing.

I own 13 of them UK puppies. If you get a good one, its bulletproof.

Main thing, when you get it inspect it well, cause sometimes they don't/didn't at UKHQ. Check the inside of the snaps, check ALL seams.

If you're good to go then go ahead and machine wash it. I use gentle cycle, cold water, and wash the UK alone.

When its done I hang it on plastic WalMart hangers with about five clips to the hanger. Seems weird to some, but what works well for me is attaching weighted clips to the bottom of each seam while the kilt air drys.

Weighted clips are just the extra clips WalMart sells by the hangers with half ounce fishing weights duct taped to each side of the clip. If you could find them and afford them could also use clip on tablecloth weights that they sell to keep tablecloth's down in the wind on picnics.

When I use those weighted clips I never have to iron when the UK is dry. At first I put a clip on each inside and outside pleat. Now, just I just make sure the inside pleat is straight with a quick pull and put the weighted clips on the outside pleats. Put a pic of the weighted clips back in my gallery. Think its on page 9...maybe 8.

Never had a UK in the dryer, so trust others on that idea.

If you get a workman's do what I did and follow the advice of the board and wash it about six times in a row with unscented Downy to soften it up a bit. After that, just normal wear will break it in well.

Ron

[GMan]

I wash mine in cold water gentle cycle (they are kilts you know). If I feel that I need humidity in the air, I hang them up to dry (I live in an arid area) and hand press them, while the kilt is drying.

[arrogcow]

I usually wash then two at a time (balances the washing machine a little better). I usually hang, and straighten the pleats at that time. However, if I am in a hurry, I will toss in the dryer with no damage. They just aren't as crisp out of the dryer.

Adam

[Hamish]

Much has already been said here, but I thought I might as well thrown in my sixpennyworth - just to confuse everything!!

I've eleven Utilikilts and have only once put any of them in the washing machine. They all get hand-washed as and when necessary. I forget now which one went into the machine as it was some years ago, but it took me an age to get it into a wearable state afterwards - it was probably my 2000 Caramel Workman's, Standard model (now archived). The problem was more than likely due to the fact that none of the washing machines I have ever possessed has had a 'cold wash' setting, so I would have used a warm wash. Nor have I ever owned a drier (environmently unfriendly things, they are)!

The Utilikilts are always hang-dried, outdoors in Summer, and receive a thorough ironing when almost dry. To preserve a crisp appearance, I invariably iron the pleats again, after every wearing.

The only one to escape this loving care, is the 2005 Caramel Workman's, Neo-Trad model which is reserved for gardening work, car washing, decorating, etc., etc.

[furrycelt]

I got my UK yesterday! [insert happy dance here]

I inspected it carefully as Ron suggested. It looks great. It is slightly bigger in the waist than I would like. I was brutally honest with my measurements, and I know I haven't lost any weight this past week. Oh well, I would rather it be on the bigger side than the tighter side.

I wore it for the rest of the day. We hung out at my best friend's place that evening. I went with him to the grocery store and to a Chinese place to get take out ("take away" for you non-Americans ). I figured I would get looks, but I honestly never noticed. My friend said that people were staring hard. Cool. They need to be exposed to kilts anyway.

I wanted so bad to wear it again today, but sadly I can't wear a kilt at work.

Last night, I machine washed the UK by itself. I used warm water and a hot drier hoping to get it to shrink a bit. It didn't shrink at all, but came out softer and less than crisp. Yet, it doesn't look bad at all; not even worth the trouble of hauling out an iron.

As it was being washed I found myself online planning my next kilt purchase!!! AAAAHHHhhh!! I know I can't afford it, what am I thinking? I have no control!

SELF: Hi, my name 'Ian', and I am addicted to kilts.
GROUP RESPONSE: Hi, Ian.

I was looking at Stillwater, I love the look of the NightStalker, and the prices are super. But, bob-saget!, I hate that they only make one length. And that length is 5 inches too long for my short legs. So now I am eye-balling a Philabeg from USA Kilts.

Thanks guys for all the advice.

-ian

[bubba]

Ian, stillwaters are pretty easy to hem up. It would look fine.

[mudd]

So now I am eye-balling a Philabeg from USA Kilts.

I think you'll like that one. :-)

[GMan]

CONGRATULATIONS Ian, you now have the bug. Great feeling isn't it?

[furrycelt]

Ian, stillwaters are pretty easy to hem up. It would look fine.

For the time being in my life, I am very cost conscious. I have no way (no good way) of hemming up a kilt myself; so I would have to pay to have it done. Stillwater Kilts plus tailoring would cost more than a USA Kilt that would be ready to wear.

CONGRATULATIONS Ian, you now have the bug. Great feeling isn't it?

Well, I have always had the bug I guess. I have always had kilts starting at about age 4 or 5. It is just that my kilt wearing has been restricted. Prior to my UK, I only had historical repro's or my expensive tank. The historical kilts are way to impractical for daily modern life, and the tank is a nice one from Scotland that my parents gave to me as a wedding gift (Gunn Modern), so I dare not risk exposing it to daily modern life as well.

Now I have the freedom and convenience of a UK!! My goal is to wear kilts 24/7/365. I also want a tartan kilt that I can treat like my UK. Later on down the road, I see myself getting a UK "Survival", perhaps another UK "Original" or two, a "Semi-Traditional" USA Kilt, and I really would like a Pittsburgh Kilt with the flannel lining.... oh and a tank of the Boyd tartan would be great... and a PV kilt of Boyd (though I don't think that tartan is available in Boyd)... and so on...

-ian