Impressions of my dry cleaner...

[budd4766]

Well, I've done the "hang and weight" thing before, and I've ironed before. Don't mind doing either, but, I just figured I'd let somebody else deal with it this time.

I don't mind the "pipes" question, it's not unexpected...you just don't see kilts everyday around here...what struck me more was, when she found out I didn't play, she wasn't interested in carrying the conversation any further... Like she was thinking, "...you wear a kilt, but don't play bagpipes...so, you must just be weird..."

[BroosterB1]

Thanks for reminding me! My PC and Argyle are in the back of my car and I need to take em to the cleaners. I almost forgot!

I just got an inquiry for a wedding with all the 9 yards of ceremonies (pinning tartan, Family sword, broach, honor guard) so I'll need to be nice and proper. ith:

[lethearen]

When I got an off-the-rack kilt a year or so ago, I took it to my cleaner to have the hem raised a couple inches. The girl at the counter checking it in couldn't figure out what to call it. After finally settling on "garment" she called the actual tailor to take a look and give me an estimate. The look on his face was priceless as he pulled back the apron... and a length of hem... and another length of hem... and another... and another. Half way through, he started cracking up at the sheer magnitude of the task I put before him.

A week later, I picked it up and saw that he'd done a fantastic job setting the hem and repressing the pleats. If I ever do dry-clean instead of hand washing, I'm definitely taking my kilts to him.

[jForrester]

When I got an off-the-rack kilt a year or so ago, I took it to my cleaner to have the hem raised a couple inches. The girl at the counter checking it in couldn't figure out what to call it. After finally settling on "garment" she called the actual tailor to take a look and give me an estimate. The look on his face was priceless as he pulled back the apron... and a length of hem... and another length of hem... and another... and another. Half way through, he started cracking up at the sheer magnitude of the task I put before him.

A week later, I picked it up and saw that he'd done a fantastic job setting the hem and repressing the pleats. If I ever do dry-clean instead of hand washing, I'm definitely taking my kilts to him.

"Hem"? On a kilt? It is my understanding that the bottom is the selvage. A hem would affect the lay of the pleats.

[Chas]

"Hem"? On a kilt? It is my understanding that the bottom is the selvage. A hem would affect the lay of the pleats.

In an ideal world, yes, the selvedge is the bottom, but hemming a kilt is a well established practise. Many boy's kilts are sold with a large hem (up to 4") to accommodate the frequent growth spurts. A boy can grow 4" in height and gain barely an inch on waist or chest.

If the kilt is hemmed properly, the hem cannot be discerned. I wear a MacLeod with a hem - no one would know unless I told them.

There is also the pendulum effect - more weight is added to the swinging end of the pendulum arm, causing more swish!

Regards

Chas

[jForrester]

In an ideal world, yes, the selvedge is the bottom, but hemming a kilt is a well established practise. Many boy's kilts are sold with a large hem (up to 4") to accommodate the frequent growth spurts. A boy can grow 4" in height and gain barely an inch on waist or chest.

If the kilt is hemmed properly, the hem cannot be discerned. I wear a MacLeod with a hem - no one would know unless I told them.

There is also the pendulum effect - more weight is added to the swinging end of the pendulum arm, causing more swish!

Regards

Chas

If you say so. My kiltmaker says absolutely a selvage at the bottom, or it won't swing right. A hem stiffens it. Of course, both my kilts were made 25+ years ago, so maybe.........

[Chas]

If you say so. My kiltmaker says absolutely a selvage at the bottom, or it won't swing right. A hem stiffens it. Of course, both my kilts were made 25+ years ago, so maybe.........

I am not a kiltmaker - the best advice is to speak to Barb T, who is. All I know is that we have had many threads about how to do it and of course my own kilt which is hemmed.

Regards

Chas

[fluter]

Many boy's kilts are sold with a large hem (up to 4") to accommodate the frequent growth spurts. A boy can grow 4" in height and gain barely an inch on waist or chest.

Many band kilts are hemmed, for the same reason. Either the current wearer is shorter than the last, or one wants to allow for the next wearer being taller!

For the horizontal component of growth, there is the "hidden pleat," i.e. extra fabric under the left edge of the apron. It's also used when there's just a bit extra fabric that doesn't fit what we mean to do with the pleats.

In an ideal world the selvedge would be good, in just the part of the sett that we'd like for esthetic reasons; both ends of the cut fabric would just make the apron facings (with none left over); and the bits in between would fold themselves perfectly into our desired pleating with just the correct amount of deep pleat and reverse pleat (and none left over). I'd like to live in that world for a couple of weeks, just to try making that Platonic ideal of a kilt.

Oh, and codgers' kilts would not shrink in the closet!

[lethearen]

"Hem"? On a kilt? It is my understanding that the bottom is the selvage. A hem would affect the lay of the pleats.

Well, it wasn't wool, it was quasi-PV. Poly-acrylic, I believe? Anyway, the fabric didn't have a kilting selvedge. Thus it was hemmed from the factory and sold in stock length (24"). I'm short, hence needing the hem raised

My tailor did a remarkable job so the pleats don't lay awkwardly at all. And the swing is still rather comparable to my properly selvedged 8x16 woolie.

[jForrester]

Well, it wasn't wool, it was quasi-PV. Poly-acrylic, I believe? Anyway, the fabric didn't have a kilting selvedge. Thus it was hemmed from the factory and sold in stock length (24"). I'm short, hence needing the hem raised

My tailor did a remarkable job so the pleats don't lay awkwardly at all. And the swing is still rather comparable to my properly selvedged 8x16 woolie.

Oops, my bad. I didn't notice that it wasn't a traditional woolen kilt.

But the other comments are interesting. Just proves that after 27+ years of wearing the kilt, I can still learn something.