Inthisworkshop,
SimplySewing's
TechnicalEditorRoisin
sharesherfavouritetips
andtoolsforgarment
pressingtoachieve
a professional finish.Pressingcanfixa multitudeofsewingproblemsandisanessential
skill for dressmakers. Master perfect pressing with our handy guide!
PRESSING GARMENTS
H
ighqualitypressingis thesecretto
a professional-looking,perfectly
finishedgarment,andpressingasyou
sewis thekey.Therearedifferences
betweenironingandpressing– and
whenyou’resewing,it’spressingthat
youneed!Ironingis theprocessofslidingthe
ironbackandforthacrossyourfabric,whereas
pressingis placingyourirononthefabricand
pressingdownwithsomeforce, often applying
steam at the same time.WHYTOPRESS
Pressingis a stepthatcanbeeasilymissed
whenyou’resewingasit slowstheprocess
down,butit is essential.Withsomeprojectsyou
mayspendalmostasmuchtimepressingas
sewing.Youshouldalwayspressasyousew,
theneachstageofthestitchingprocesswillbe
neat and flat before you move onto the next.HOWTOPRESS
It’sbesttosetupyourironandironingboard
nearyoursewingareareadytousesoyoucan
stitchandpressconveniently.Setyourirontoa
temperaturesuitableforyourfabric– if you’re
unsure,startoffata lowtemperaturethenwork
up.Alwaystesttheirontemperatureona scrap
offabricfirsttomakesureyou don’t melt, mark
orscorchyourproject.
Mostpressingis doneonthewrongsideof
thefabricsoyoudon’tmarktherightside,butif
youdoneedtopressontherightsideit’sbest
tousea pressingcloth.Thesearemadefrom
muslinorsilkorganzaandprotectthefabricas
wellasbeingsee-throughsoyoucanseewhat
you’redoing.Youcanpurchasepressingcloths
ormakeyourownfromthinfabric.Alwaystake
carenottopressoverpinsasthiscanmeltthe
plasticheadsorleaveimpressionsin the fabric
that can be difficult to remove.PRESSINGNAPPEDFABRICS
Napped fabrics have a ‘pile’, such as velvet,workshop
whichwillbeflattenedandmaybemarkedif
pressedintheusualway.Wheneveryoucan,
steamthesefabricsbyholdingtheironover
yourfabricfora fewsecondsratherthan
pressing.However,if youreallyneedtopress
thefabric,thenpadyourironingboardwitha
softtoweltohelp prevent crushing the delicate
fabric pile.USINGWATERORSTEAM
Somefabricsneedtobepressedwitha dryiron
whereasotherfabricspressbetterwithwateror
steam.Useyouriron’ssteamsettingorsteam
fabricwitha dampenedclothplacedontop,
thenpress.Certainfabrics,likecotton,are best
pressed when they are slightly damp.ESSENTIALEQUIPMENT
Therearemanypressingtoolsavailabletohelp
giveyourfinishedgarmenta crisp,neatfinish.
A goodqualityiron(preferablysteam)and
ironingboardareobviouslythebasicandmost
importantpiecesofequipmentyou’llneed,but
whenyouwanttopressseamallowances,
corners,andcurvesthenotherspecialitypieces
of pressing equipment come into their own.EXTRATOOLS
Therearemanyextrapressingspecifictools
availabletohelpyouachievea perfectly
pressedseam.Ourfavouritesincludethehandy
IronFingerandPrecisionStilettobyClover
which are shown on the opposite page.A goodqualityironwillspeedupthe
pressingprocess.Howeverthereis no
needtospenda fortune!Lookforaniron
withsteamfunction,a nonstick plate and
multiple heat settings.