Acrylic Black Watch After Washing

[Kaw-Liga]

Just a question from a curious person.

Would it help to baste BEFORE washing ??

Thinking that if basted before washing, it could be damp dried and hung to finish drying the pleats would be deformed less.

Is there any reason that this should NOT be done??

Going to have to baste it sometime before ironing, why not before washing??

Kaw-Liga

[Bugbear]

Just a question from a curious person.

Would it help to baste BEFORE washing ??

Thinking that if basted before washing, it could be damp dried and hung to finish drying the pleats would be deformed less.

Is there any reason that this should NOT be done??

Going to have to baste it sometime before ironing, why not before washing??

Kaw-Liga

He was washing it in a washing machine... I can see how basting stitches might cause major problems in that situation by getting caught on things.

Handwashing a kilt, it's probably a good idea to baste before washing, unless, as I have read, the kilt is very dirty.

The only kilt I put in the washer is a cotton canvas with sewn edge pleats, so I can't say for sure on the acrylic.

* still having to log back in every time I post.

[Whidbey78]

Arcrylics do fine on a gentle setting in cold water. I'll do warm if it's really wrinkled before going in. It won't actually absorb water, just holds it in the weave. I always hang dry, as even on a no-heat cycle my dryer is warm enough to pretty much remove pleats--they're still there and you can see them but they lose all their edge and crisp look. Light steam and the weight of the water pulls the mild wrinkles out as long as you pinch it at the pleat too so that stays. I've steamed my SWK's with some success, just be careful. If it gets warm and you tug too hard you can actually distort the fabric. I had to hem the inside apron on one I'm wearing right now because after doing this it poked out right between my knees. You can actually see the distortion in the tartan...glad it's not visible.

And I can tell you from experience that basting before washing is a bad idea in a washing machine. I got away with it a few times, and then a relatively new kilt turned into a yard work kilt. Some of the holes were big enough to pass a pencil through.

With wool...hand wash, hang dry, and if you're good with an iron touch up here and there and I think you will be good. Wool is easy to take care of if you know what not to do to it.

Just my two cents.

[Ryan Ross]

Handwashing a kilt, it's probably a good idea to baste before washing, unless, as I have read, the kilt is very dirty.

I've washed an awful lot of traditional worsted kilts, and I would strongly advise against going through this time consuming, possibly detrimental, and likely unnecessary step, even on a non-wool kilt. When you add water to fabric, it will weigh down, stretch, etc... and dry in whatever shape you leave it.

Basting stitches, believe it or not, can do some very strange things to fabric, as well as preserve it.

I feel like re-basting a kilt to press it is unnecessary, under all but the most jacked-up of pleat circumstances. That's only my oppinion, and I'm not a kilt maker, just one who wears them a lot and hand washes them a lot.