"Flipping" pleat

[Bryan]

Hello all. It's been a few months since I've posted, but I just noticed something. The first pleat to the left of the top apron (the first pleat just over your left leg) has a tendency to flip up a bit on all of my kilts. Does that happen to anyone else? Is there a way around it or is that normal? It's odd that I never noticed it before.

[Canuck]

A couple of things. If your hip strap is too tight this may be the problem. Loosen it off a notch
Try adjusting the kilt so that the pleat is a touch more to the back, you may have the kilt not centred properly. It doesn't take much, just a half inch or so.

[Bugbear]

Bryan, you need to tell us which kind of kilts you have; whether they are hand sewn traditional kilts, custom, or off the rac.

[cavscout]

Also, some utility style kilts have a tendency for pleat curl. There hasn't been a lot of talk about it in a long time but it was a huge topic a few years ago. Search for pleat curl and you will probably pull up several threads about it.

[Barb T]

Sometimes it's how the kilt is made, and sometimes it's the body of the wearer. As Robert says, wear the second strap loose. That can help. Also, the apron edge should be pressed on a flare from the bottom of the fell, and, if the apron edge is pressed parallel to a tartan stripe, you can steam out the original crease and press in a new one on a smooth flare.

Having said all that, if you have muscular or chubby thighs, you'll likely just have to live with it. A kilt is made assuming that the biggest dimension around is at the buttocks. If you have muscular thighs (or fat on the outside of your thigh tops, if you're a woman), the kilt won't be quite big enough to go around the front and/or sides of your thighs, and the first pleat opens up a little. Nothing you can really do about it, frankly. Voice of experience here - I have chubby thighs, and the first pleat (first two, actually) on my kilt always flips open (see photo below):

[Rex_Tremende]

Voice of experience here - I have chubby thighs, and the first pleat (first two, actually) on my kilt always flips open (see photo below):

Rubenesque, perhaps, but every body is a work of art.

What, exactly, are you doing here?

Regards,
Rex.

[Pleater]

When making my own kilts I need to lift the inner edge of the under apron pleats, so a triangle of double fabric is visible above the edge of the apron and under apron before the waistband is attached. It is something to do with the flare of my hipbones I suspect.

Without that 'tweek' the pleats roll outwards.

There might be some fitting trick which could control that errant pleat and make it hang more correctly, but there are limits to what can be achieved when folding fabric around a three dimensional shape.

Anne the Pleater

[Bryan]

Thank you for all the replies. To answer your question Ted, they are hand-sewn traditional kilts.

[Bryan]

What, exactly, are you doing here?

Looks like she's tuning one of the drones.

[Canuck]

Rubenesque, perhaps, but every body is a work of art.
What, exactly, are you doing here?

Regards,
Rex.

Wishing she had a step stool......