Sewing Material

What better time to take stock of your pressing equipment than during winter? Performing a yearly inventory allows me to repair, replace or upgrade my equipment as needed.

I can't stress enough how important it is to press as you sew and to use the right tools for pressing. Fabric preparation and pressing can save you lots of actual sewing time. Remember to preshrink your fabric and press before cutting to remove wrinkles. During the sewing process, seams are pressed open or together to one side. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but using the concept of press-as-you-go will give you a professionally finished sewn project.

Pressing as you go is made easier if you have the right tools. Following is a list of pressing tools that I keep in my sewing room:

IRONING BOARD

An ironing board may sound like an obvious choice in a sewing room, but be sure to get a sturdy ironing board with adjustable heights for your sewing projects. For weekly ironing, I keep my board in the upmost position. For sewing, I move the ironing board next to my machine in a lower position. This increases my work surface, allows me to swivel in my chair when I need to press as I sew and gives my cat a safe perch away from my fabric and machine.

Look for an ironing-board cover that has a grid surface design. Though the markings may stretch and distort over time, I find it helpful for quick yardage measurements and for determining whether fabrics are printed on-or of-grain.

Periodically check your pad. Over time, the padding can become "smashed." When this happens, I invest in an additional pad or cut up wool to add additional resilience. Why is this important? Adequate padding prevents seam allowance show-through on the face of the garment or project.

IRON SOLEPLATE

I've used an iron soleplate for years. An iron soleplate (shoe or safe) is an attachment for the iron that has a Teflon coating on the pressing side. The Teflon helps the iron slide over fabric. The soleplate is perforated so that the steam can go through the soleplate.

The soleplate has two other great features. First, it helps to control the distribution of heat from the iron by acting like a press cloth. This will help to eliminate fabric scorching and helps prevent the iron from leaving those shiny iron marks. Second, the Teflon on the soleplate helps to reduce the likelihood of fusible interfacing sticking to the soleplate. I always say "reduces," because I'm the one person I know who can fuse interfacing to the soleplate. Cleanup is easy. Throw the soleplate out, or use an iron cleaner on the soleplate. The soleplate can be immersed in water, ensuring that the iron cleaner is totally removed before pressing.

PRESS CLOTHS

You've come a long way baby when you look at today's press cloths. In the past, old muslin or sheeting was used. I've even used Handi Wipes because they hold moisture and are a good size to work with.

Today's press cloths are generations ahead of old muslin. Clotilde (Clotilde.com) carries my favorite press cloth. It's a Teflon appliqué press sheet that protects your ironing board or iron. Because it's see-through, you always know where your fabric is. It's also extra thick and twice the size of other Teflon sheets at 18 x 23 inches.

POINT PRESSER & TAILOR'S BOARD

A point presser is a wooden tool used to press open seam allowances, especially in hard-to-reach areas, such as collars and lapel points.

The wooden bottom of the point presser is great for shaping wool pant creases. After edge-finishing the pant leg, steam the crease. Use the bottom of point presser to set the crease.

A tailor's board is similar to the point presser, except that it combines the point and flat surface of the point presser with various curves and extensions for hard-to-reach places.

SEAM ROLL

A seam roll is useful for pressing open seams in sleeves. Because the seam roll is rounded, the seam allowance is prevented from making an impression on the right side of the garment.

You can also use a long cardboard tube available from the fabric store for pressing seams open on pants.

TAILOR'S HAM & HAM HOLDER

The funny-shaped ham is a great pressing tool for curved seams, darts and curved areas of garments. Using the curved surface of the tailor's ham for pressing helps build shape into the garment.

The problem with the tailor's ham is that it can be difficult to stabilize the ham with the draped garment on it on the flat surface of the ironing board. Try stabilizing the tailor's ham with a ham holder. It is an all-wood holder that will secure the ham in any position, keeping your hands free for maneuvering the iron as you shape the garment.

Today there are so many iron accessories available for you to choose from. I hope these accessories give you a steamy affair with your iron. Look for these products at your local fabric store or machine dealer, or try Clotilde.com.