Our ironing tips to improve your game

If you don’t already use an iron when sewing, you will after reading this. Pressing makes all the difference between amateur level sewing and professional-looking sewing. Turning a creased garment into a crisp, flat, garment can take your sewing to the next level. We have a tip or two to share, so here are our ironing tips for sewing:

• Firstly, you’ll want to test your iron on scrap fabric to ensure you have the appropriate heat level. Fabric easily burns or can even melt, so testing is an essential step. So before you start, test out different heat and steam levels to get it just right.
• Secondly, use a press cloth on delicate fabrics. A press cloth is a fabric (such as a tea towel, spare cloth or silk organza) you lay on top of the fabric you wish to iron. This protects the intended fabric from burning by creating a barrier between your project and the iron. This is easily achieved by laying your project on an ironing board, placing the press cloth on top and then ironing away.
• Thirdly, remember to press each seam after sewing when working with woven fabrics. Pressing seams flat will help it fit better with the next part of the garment. If you don’t press the seams you risk wrinkling and bubbling when it’s stitched to another piece of fabric.

There are other things to bear in mind, such as being gentle with your pressing. Fabric is easily warped or stretched when pressing takes place due to the heat. The description “pressing” is somewhat misleading. No additional force should be placed on the iron. The natural weight of it is sufficient. You can also lift the iron off and place it elsewhere if it is pulling on the fabric.

If you sew regularly, you can upgrade from an ordinary iron to some helpful pressing tools. The ‘tailor’s ham’ is a rounded cushion used in the place of an ironing board for curved seams, which come in a variety of sizes. A sleeve ironing board is a smaller than usual board made for, you guessed it, pressing sleeves, but can be used for so much more. Finally, a ‘clapper’ is a tool for fabrics that are too sensitive to heat. This is essentially a wooden block that replaces the iron after a quick iron to maintain the press. This stops the fabric from burning.

The more you sew and spend time reading helpful blogs, the more knowledge you will acquire. For anything else contact Sewingtime for shopping or advice.