Ironing and Ironing Accessories pt. II

Boards and Hams and Pressing Aids, Oh My!

Pressing hams are the best!  They come in two basic types (although there are all manner of shapes to be had) - a ham loaf-y looking thing with one end bigger than the other (hence the name, I suppose!); and a thinner log shape.  If you were saying to yourself "But Noelle, how do I press open curved seams?" in the last post, well, this is your answer.  There is almost no curve in the ham loaf-y thing that will not fit a curved seam with a little fiddling.  But next, one might say "But Noelle!  What about narrow items that I can't press open seams without squishing the rest of my thing?!" (narrow things like sleeves)....for that you have a ham.......log?  (Just googled it.  I guess it's called a seam roll?  I like 'Ham Log' better, personally.)

For longer seams that I can't just throw over my ironing board (things like pants legs), I use a mini ironing pad....thing.  There are specialty ironing boards for such things, but I find my simple little pad does a great job.

And then, there are the ever-vexing corners and points - how in the world does one press those seams?  Well, enter a point presser!  I happened to find mine jumbled in with wooden decor items at my local thrift store (they obvs. didn't know what it was!), and purchased it for a whopping $0.50.  It does look like it is hand made, rather than purchased, and I'm pretty sure it's not a hardwood, but for fifty cents, who am I to argue?

The other side of the point presser is called a 'clapper', and aids in setting seams - just steam a seam open, and use the base to hold (really, really press down!) open the seam until cooled, setting in the seam or crease.  (This is super helpful for bulky seams that just don't want to stay open.)

Now, on to the ever-familiar ironing board!  The most important thing here is to keep the cover clean.  Ironing board covers are really easy to make, too!  There are a ton of tutorials out there - just make sure you pre-wash, the fabric is color-fast, and can hold up to a lot of abuse.


One of my favorite things in my sewing room is my pressing board....a vast expanse of ironable surface!  (Here's how I made it)  You can use the same principle to make any size or shape of portable ironing board....pretty sweet!

On a side-note, a few layers of towels can be used in a pinch as a portable ironing board...just be sure that you're not scorching whatever surface it is resting on!

Another nifty little gadget is this finger protector thing I picked up at some point from a quilting shop.  It comes in really handy when doing fiddly little ironing bits.  (It kind of looks like a knitted finger balaclava...)

And speaking of fiddly little ironing bits, a couple of things that are handy to have (although by no means are necessary) are mini irons.  My favorite is a clover brand crafting iron - the little iron-shaped head is super helpful for pressing corners, and the ball and wand shapes are fantasic for partlets and other shaped things.

The little electric mini iron (of course it's lavender!) is great for getting into tiny spaces that a regular iron couldn't dream of...

Ironing and Ironing Accessories pt. I

It has to be said, I'm kind of a junkie for sewing gadgets and gizmos.  One of my most used types of sewing room gadget is anything to do with ironing.  (Since it's kind of my.....thing)

 It's kind of a disease! (an enjoyable one, but a disease nonetheless)

Spray starch in a can is a total rip-off, and way too expensive!  So, what are the alternatives?  (That one itty bitty bottle of Best Press was $6.95!!)

I like to use liquid starch (Sta-Flo, to be exact), and make up my own in a spray bottle.  It's nice to be able to formulate different strengths and not have to go buy a new can every time!  I've found a good balance is just a little less than a 1:1 ratio.  (This is the same stuff I've used to soak partlets and petticoats, and anything that needs a stiffer starch set)






Starch is amazeballs, but when you need a nice press set, without all the starchiness (for example, pleats in silk; a spray bottle of about 1/2 white vinegar, 1/2 water totally does the trick.  I've not had it stain or spot anything (yet), and it gives a nice crease and set to things without the crunchiness of starch.  (Don't worry, the vinegar smell dissipates quickly - you won't be walking around smelling of pickles!)  Kind of works the same as Mary Ellen's, but way cheaper, though not as nice-smelling.  (and in some respects, works better, I think!)

Pressing cloths are amazing - use them, love them.  If you don't have any yet, I would suggest starting to collect some out of scraps or stash - at least 1 canvas/duck, 1 muslin, and 1 silk organza.  White is the best - no fear of colors bleeding.  Making a pressing cloth is the easiest thing in the world - just cut out a piece of fabric (about 12"x12" or so) and zip around the edge with a serger or zig-zag.  (Here is a great list of the uses for different types of pressing cloths)

Inbetween starch and pressing cloths is something called a 'Rajah Press Cloth'.  It's supposed to set in/take out creases in poly and poly blend fabrics.  I don't use mine very often, as I don't use poly very often at all....but just so you know, it's out there....

A neat trick is to slightly dampen the press cloth (with straight water, or water/vinegar) - it gives kind of the same effect of using steam from the iron, but is a lot more gentle.

Get to know your iron!

Learn to love your iron, and it will love you back

Seriously.  Iron EVERYTHING.  Iron pattern pieces so they're not all wrinkly and wonky.  Iron fabric before cutting it out.  Steam seams after sewing.  Press open/over every seam.  Seriously.  Do it.

I know it sounds like a ton of overkill, (Especially to a beginner.  I know, I resisted too!) but when I finally learned to give in and use my iron at every step, my sewing pretty much instantly looked better, with no new skill other than taking the time to use the iron.  Don't fall into the trap of "oh, I'll press that seam open later"....it will never be as easy to press it now, before it's sewn into other seams.  I promise!  And that underarm gusset??  The best time to give it a good pressing is before it becomes an underarm.

Along with making friends with an iron, here are a few tips I've collected over the years:  DISCLAIMER: This is what I have found to work well with my iron.  I've never owned a teflon iron, so I do not know if any of the below will work.  (obvs. the abrasive stuff is right out).  So, proceed with caution. 

• Keep your iron cleaned (inside).  Nothing sucks worse than a big 'ole rust or hard water deposit spitting demon.  
• Empty out the water reservoir at the end of the day.  Don't let it sit!
• Use distilled water!  A gallon jug in the corner of the sewing room doesn't take up that much room....
• If hard water deposits have built up, your iron won't steam properly, and can make a total mess.  To remove deposits, fill up the reservoir most of the way (I do about 3/4) with white vinegar, and the rest with hot water.  Heat up the iron and just steam into a folded towel for a while until all the deposits are gone.  Repeat as necessary.  If its really bad, you can use a wooden skewer/toothpick/chopstick to break up some of the stalagmites.  An old toothbrush/sewing machine lint brush (mine is actually an automatic razor cleaner thingy I stole from Hubs!) help too.
• (Extra bonus: white vinegar also works to descale teakettles...I do this about 3 or 4 times a year on mine!)
• Keep your iron cleaned (outside).  It happens - a yucky poly blend something melts to the footplate, a years' worth of scraping plastic pin heads, starch and all manner of sticky gluey gunk gets built up on the footplate.  (That's the bit that is hot)  There are commercial iron cleaners out there, but my package I bought years back has never been opened!  
• The best way to deal with yucky gunk is to wipe it off immediately with a damp cloth - before it becomes a major problem.  But if you're like me, you'll leave it 'until tomorrow'....until it just gets too bad to deal with any more! 
• Really crusty gunk can be scrubbed off with salt.  Dampen a rag, and liberally sprinkle salt over it, and run the iron back and forth over the damp, salty rag.  For really yucky stuff, you (and by 'you', I mean 'I') may need to turn the iron over and really get in there with the rag-and-salt.  
• A magic eraser can help for stubborn spots.  For really REALLY bad spots, I have been known to use a very fine steel wool....but I would use this option sparingly, and with great caution!

Coming soon:  Ironing and Ironing Accessories