Why Pressing Is So Important in Any Home Sewing Project
Pressing is an integral step in any home sewing project.
The type of home sewing fabric and the area being pressed determine the appropriate tools as well as the correct pressing techniques.
The most important pressing tool is a steam iron.
Try to select one with a range of adjustable heat settings, a good source of steam, and, if available, a non-stick bottom.
This feature allows the iron to glide easily over the garment and prevents any residue from sticking.
A sturdy, well padded, adjustable ironing board is also a must; adjust the height for your comfort.
Whether you believe me or not, once you have found the right pressing iron that suits your needs you usually never have to replace this iron.
Even the full-size ironing boards are hard to come by these days, and believe me, a full size ironing board is kind of essential when you are working with larger projects such as full curtains, bedding or any such thing in that line.
However, along with the iron and ironing board, a wide variety of pressing tools are available to the consumer.
Each tool or accessory has a specific purpose that allows you to achieve the best results.
Some tools have dual purposes that combine the features of several tools.
Select the pressing tools that will be the most versatile and the most helpful to your home sewing needs.
A good cushioned tool is covered with wool on one side to hold the steam when pressing woolens, and with heavy cotton on the other for all fabrics, especially those requiring high temperatures.
A sleeve board usually provides two board sizes; each is collapsible and has a silicone cover.
Slip the sleeve over the desired board size or use the curved end for sleeve caps or a neckline.
A tailor's ham is especially useful for areas such as darts and curved seams; press shaped areas over the ham's firmly packed, rounded surfaces.
Mold and shape woolens when tailoring.
Even though a tailor's ham and a contour tailor's ham are similar and only one is essential, you will find that the contour ham has more curved surfaces than the regular tailor's ham for pressing large and small garment areas.
A press mitt or a padded mitt is used over your hand when pressing areas (without steam) when the tailor's ham cannot reach.
When pressing with steam, slip the mitt over the sleeve board instead of the hand.
A seam roll (firmly packed cylindrical cushion) is used when pressing seams on tubular pieces such as a sleeve or pant leg.
The roll design allows pressed seams without leaving an impression of seam allowances on the right side.
The purpose of using presscloths is to prevent iron shine.
(To me, there is no greater sin a home seamstress can make than to have shiny seams!) Cotton twill cloth treated with silicone helps the iron glide smoothly.
Sheer cloth enables you to see the area when you are pressing.
Always use a spray water bottle for any additional steam when pressing wool.
This takes away any reason for having those shiny seams that never should be on any garment! I use a clapper (hardwood contoured block with gripping grooves, also known as a pounding block) for flattening thick garment edges; penetrate areas with steam and pound or push the clapper down against the moist area until the area is cooled.
So, even if you want to use your clapper over someone's head at certain times, without the heat of your steam iron, you may be wasting your time and only venting your anger! Another useful tool is the point presser and clapper which is a hardwood tool which has one end pointed for tight corners such as collar points and the other squared for wider corners such as flaps and cuffs.
A tailor's board is another hardwood tool which has three surfaces, each with various contours and shapes.
Select the surface and shape based on the garment section to be pressed.
Add padded covers for soft shaping.
A needle board is essential when pressing pile fabrics.
The pressing surface is made of short steel wires mounted on a heavy canvas backing; also called a velvet board.
Place pile fabrics face down over the board to prevent crushing pile.
Another essential tool is a tailor's brush when you are working with napped fabrics.
A natural bristle brush is essential to restore the surfaces on napped fabrics after the fabric has been lightly pressed.
Typing paper (a thing of the past in our world today) or strips of paper from brown bags can be placed under the seam allowances when pressing to prevent impressions on the right sides of the garment.
· Always remember to place your iron over the area to be pressed and hold with light pressure while the steam is released, lift the iron and move to a new area.
· To iron, move the iron along the fabric in the direction of the grainline.
· Allow fabric to cool before shifting on the ironing board.
· Keep the home sewing fabric as flat as possible around the area being pressed.
· Before cutting your home sewing fabric, be sure the center fold can be pressed out.
· Press any and all wrinkles out of your fabric before cutting.
· Always press after each seam is stitched and to avoid impressions, do not press over pins or bastings.
Whether or not you want to believe this, pressing is very essential to the finished garment.
Check some of your completed garments to see if the seams were pressed and you will quickly be able to understand the reason that pressing of seams is so important.
Does the above-noted information change your attitude about pressing your seams in your completed garments that were sewn on your home sewing machine?
The type of home sewing fabric and the area being pressed determine the appropriate tools as well as the correct pressing techniques.
The most important pressing tool is a steam iron.
Try to select one with a range of adjustable heat settings, a good source of steam, and, if available, a non-stick bottom.
This feature allows the iron to glide easily over the garment and prevents any residue from sticking.
A sturdy, well padded, adjustable ironing board is also a must; adjust the height for your comfort.
Whether you believe me or not, once you have found the right pressing iron that suits your needs you usually never have to replace this iron.
Even the full-size ironing boards are hard to come by these days, and believe me, a full size ironing board is kind of essential when you are working with larger projects such as full curtains, bedding or any such thing in that line.
However, along with the iron and ironing board, a wide variety of pressing tools are available to the consumer.
Each tool or accessory has a specific purpose that allows you to achieve the best results.
Some tools have dual purposes that combine the features of several tools.
Select the pressing tools that will be the most versatile and the most helpful to your home sewing needs.
A good cushioned tool is covered with wool on one side to hold the steam when pressing woolens, and with heavy cotton on the other for all fabrics, especially those requiring high temperatures.
A sleeve board usually provides two board sizes; each is collapsible and has a silicone cover.
Slip the sleeve over the desired board size or use the curved end for sleeve caps or a neckline.
A tailor's ham is especially useful for areas such as darts and curved seams; press shaped areas over the ham's firmly packed, rounded surfaces.
Mold and shape woolens when tailoring.
Even though a tailor's ham and a contour tailor's ham are similar and only one is essential, you will find that the contour ham has more curved surfaces than the regular tailor's ham for pressing large and small garment areas.
A press mitt or a padded mitt is used over your hand when pressing areas (without steam) when the tailor's ham cannot reach.
When pressing with steam, slip the mitt over the sleeve board instead of the hand.
A seam roll (firmly packed cylindrical cushion) is used when pressing seams on tubular pieces such as a sleeve or pant leg.
The roll design allows pressed seams without leaving an impression of seam allowances on the right side.
The purpose of using presscloths is to prevent iron shine.
(To me, there is no greater sin a home seamstress can make than to have shiny seams!) Cotton twill cloth treated with silicone helps the iron glide smoothly.
Sheer cloth enables you to see the area when you are pressing.
Always use a spray water bottle for any additional steam when pressing wool.
This takes away any reason for having those shiny seams that never should be on any garment! I use a clapper (hardwood contoured block with gripping grooves, also known as a pounding block) for flattening thick garment edges; penetrate areas with steam and pound or push the clapper down against the moist area until the area is cooled.
So, even if you want to use your clapper over someone's head at certain times, without the heat of your steam iron, you may be wasting your time and only venting your anger! Another useful tool is the point presser and clapper which is a hardwood tool which has one end pointed for tight corners such as collar points and the other squared for wider corners such as flaps and cuffs.
A tailor's board is another hardwood tool which has three surfaces, each with various contours and shapes.
Select the surface and shape based on the garment section to be pressed.
Add padded covers for soft shaping.
A needle board is essential when pressing pile fabrics.
The pressing surface is made of short steel wires mounted on a heavy canvas backing; also called a velvet board.
Place pile fabrics face down over the board to prevent crushing pile.
Another essential tool is a tailor's brush when you are working with napped fabrics.
A natural bristle brush is essential to restore the surfaces on napped fabrics after the fabric has been lightly pressed.
Typing paper (a thing of the past in our world today) or strips of paper from brown bags can be placed under the seam allowances when pressing to prevent impressions on the right sides of the garment.
· Always remember to place your iron over the area to be pressed and hold with light pressure while the steam is released, lift the iron and move to a new area.
· To iron, move the iron along the fabric in the direction of the grainline.
· Allow fabric to cool before shifting on the ironing board.
· Keep the home sewing fabric as flat as possible around the area being pressed.
· Before cutting your home sewing fabric, be sure the center fold can be pressed out.
· Press any and all wrinkles out of your fabric before cutting.
· Always press after each seam is stitched and to avoid impressions, do not press over pins or bastings.
Whether or not you want to believe this, pressing is very essential to the finished garment.
Check some of your completed garments to see if the seams were pressed and you will quickly be able to understand the reason that pressing of seams is so important.
Does the above-noted information change your attitude about pressing your seams in your completed garments that were sewn on your home sewing machine?
