Best Press Practices and Tips

It’s essential to press your project while sewing it. Why? There are many reasons for pressing while sewing. Because the pattern says to and blind obedience are not the reasons why.  Pressing (not ironing) will help your sewing to be accurate and well made. It’s easier to pin pieces together if they are flat and much easier to match seams together when joining pieces, in both quilting and clothing construction.

There is a difference between ironing and pressing as well. Ironing you seams will not be helpful, but pressing them is extremely helpful.

What’s the difference?

Ironing is when you glide your iron across the fabric and smooth out the wrinkles and creases. This will stretch the fibers and weave of the fabric. It will also distort the fabric or shape of the fabric pieces.

Pressing is when you press down on one spot of your fabric or project, lift the iron off your fabric and put it back down on another (usually right next to the spot you just pressed). It’s more like stamping then it is gliding. Pressing flattens without stretching or distorting the fabric and project.

So press when sewing , and save your ironing for finished garments and napkins.

Press the fabric (and pattern if needed).

Make sure your fabric is free of wrinkles and creases before you pin your pattern pieces down and cut into your fabric. This will help you cut your fabric pieces more accurately and fit together as they were drafted.

How to press when sewing:

Set your seams.

Before pressing seams open or to one side, set your seam. This will help your sewing to be more accurate and good looking–it smooths out any puckering and is supposed to lock those stitches in place, joining them together in such a friendly way.

To set a seam, just press the stitching line you’ve sewn. Leave it just as it was when your were sewing it, put it on your ironing board, and press the seam (press on the stitches). Let the iron do the work–don’t move the iron around. Lift the iron to move to a new spot, until the whole row of stitches have been set.

Press those seam allowances open.

After setting the seam, the pattern may tell you to press the seam allowances open.  Open up the fabric  like this, so the seam allowances are facing up and seam is on the pressing surface.

Use your finger to separate the seam allowances, and press the iron down onto one spot, pushing the seam allowances apart and flat. Press down and lift up to move to a new spot along the seam. Do this until the seam allowances are flattened.

Then flip your project over to the right side and press the seam again.

See how nice and flat it looks 🙂 This step is essential for preparing to top stitch, as well.

Press  seam allowances to one side.

Same thing as pressing seam allowances open, but you will move the seam allowances to one side instead of separating them.

Remember to press down and lift it up to move to a new spot, and then press down again–just like stamping.

Be sure to also press any special things, such as darts and pleats, before moving to the next step in your pattern.

Pressing Tips

Don’t use steam.

I use a dry iron. After pressing, you may want to use starch or Mary Ellen’s Best Press to help keep things stable. But remember press, don’t iron the starch. Unless steam is needed to avoid crushing results, like with napped fabrics.

Use a ham.

For curved areas, a tailor’s ham or sleeve roll helps pressing these areas flat.

Don’t set the heat too high.

Check you heat setting and decide based on your fabric. It should not scald. That would be bad. Use a scrap of the same fabric and test press, before pressing your project.

Use a pressing cloth.

I know several seamstresses who always use a pressing cloth. No matter what. I am not in that camp, but I do use it when there’s any doubt of possibly scorching things.  It’s better to not mess up the project. I have a see-through pressing cloth, so I can still see what I’m doing. Muslin works great as a pressing cloth, too.

A pressing cloth will also prevent shine to your project. I see the wisdom in that.

If it has nap, take care.

Fabrics with nap, like corduroy, have special needs. Less pressing is best when working with a napped fabric. You don’t want flatten or crush the pile of the fabric. Heavy pressing can crush the nap forever.

✿ Placing a towel on the ironing surface (under your project) will help protect the pile. You may need to fluff your towel between pressings. Pop it in the dryer for a bit between presses.

✿ Steam is good here. Steam it just above the fabric, especially if you need to get wrinkles or creases out before cutting into it.

✿  Just get the tip of the iron on the seam to set the seam and press lightly on the wrong side of fabric with just the tip of the iron to press seams open or to one side.  Try to only press the seam. If you press the raw edges of the seam allowance, you may leave an imprint of those seam allowances on the right side of your project.

✿ Don’t press on the right side of the fabric as you would for quilting cotton and other regular woven fabrics.

✿ Finger pressing is a good option as well. Use your fingers to press seam allowances open.

✿ Press with the tip of the iron in the direction of the nap. Don’t go against it, go with the flow.

A little help.

One thing I am trying out is adding aluminum foil to my board. I’ve heard this many, many times: It reflects the heat back to the project, making pressing faster and allows you to turn the heat down on the iron. Cover the metal frame with aluminum foil. Then place the pad and cover on top. I wonder if it makes a difference.

Remember pressing is just like stamping, straight down and straight up, all across your seam or fabric area. Pressing as you sew, will give you much better end results.