GC Home | Register | Shop | Learn | Business | Around Town | Info

Pressing For Professional Results
By Glenda Sparling, Sure-Fit Designs^TM

What makes the difference between the look of the home sewn garment and the professional touch?  Pressing during consrruction is an essential process that will help you to achieve that professional look.

What is the difference between pressing and ironing?  The action of pressing lifts the iron up and sets it down in a specific location.   Ironing slides the iron along the fabric.

Pressing needs to happen while you are sewing.  Unfortunately, you can't go back and create well-defined corners or special contours after the fact.  

Generally pressing is done on the wrong side of the fabric in order to achieveflatter seams and avoid a shiny look on the right side.  Do not press over pins as this marrs the fabric.

Always press horizontal darts downward and vertical darts are pressed toward center front or center back.

Aids to Good Pressing:

1.    An ironing board, with a well padded cover; adjustable to your desired height.

2.    Iron - generally choose one to obtain optional steam and one that is reliable for accurate temperature            settings

3.    Iron Safe - a teflon bace plate in the shape of the iron, fits over iron sole plate to protect fabric from scorching or sticking to the iron.

4.    Seam Roll - short, about 12" long, and round, like a sausage, the seam roll is used for pressing seams in those hard to get at areas. Because it is rounded, it allows you to press only the seam and not the surrounding fabric.

5.    Tailors Ham - shaped like a ham, it allows you to press darts, sleeve seams, shoulders, and hip seams or any area that requires a rounded, curved shape.

6.    Press Cloth - to avoid a shiny finish, place a press cloth between the right side of the fabric and the iron.  Cheese cloth or a well-used diaper make excellent press cloths.

7.    Press Mitt - put your hamd inside this versatile, padded mitt and prss those hard-to-tackle areas.

8.    Point Presser - press flat, thin facing edges, sharp pointed collars. Press seams open with no ridges on the right side.

9.    Sleeve Board - is a double-sided board that looks like a small ironing board.  Press hard-to-get-at areas particularly sleeve seams.

10.    Needle Board - specially made with a bed of angled needles.  A must for pressing velvet or velveteen or other pile fabrics. Fabric fibres fall between the needles preventing crushing or matting

More information on Sure-Fit Designs^TM

Back to the Get Creative! Conference Center

Back to Meet the Get Creative! Experts