How to Press As You Sew - Pressing Tips for Sewing

Pressing is an essential part of sewing. If you’re a beginner, expect to spend about as much time at your ironing
board as you do at your sewing machine.

And pressing isn’t done all at once after you've completed your item. You need to “press as you sew,” pressing
each seam after it’s sewn, and always before crossing it with another seam.

Pressing as you sew will give your item that professional look you want. Not pressing as you sew will guarantee
ending up with an item that looks very “homemade.”

And pressing is different from ironing. Ironing involves sliding your iron back and forth to remove wrinkles from
fabric. Pressing involves applying pressure with your iron, mostly in an up and down motion, with the goal of
shaping, creasing, or smoothing fabric. Another reason to press instead of iron is to avoid stretching your fabric,
which ironing can cause.

To press, you need at least a steam iron and a sturdy ironing board. And there are lots of other helpful tools
that can aid in pressing – especially with pressing shaped seams. See Pressing Tools for a list.

General Pressing Tips

Set up your iron and ironing board near your sewing area. It can be convenient to just leave

your iron

during a sewing session instead of turning it on every time you need to press a

seam.

Use an iron temperature appropriate for your fabric. Refer to your fabric’s care instructions, or

see

Fabric

Fibers

for pressing recommendations for various fabrics. In addition, you can refer to

the fabric

guides

many irons come labeled with on their temperature dials.

onsider testing your iron on a

swatch of your fabric first to make sure the temperature is

correct. An iron

temperature that’s too low

won’t press you fabric sufficiently. An iron

temperature that’s too high can

scorch, melt, discolor, or

flatten the surface of your fabric.

Do most of your pressing on the wrong side of your fabric. For pressing the right side of your

fabric,

use a

press cloth

on top to prevent shine.

Be careful not to press over pins or basting. You could melt the plastic heads of your pins or

make

impressions in your fabric that may be difficult to remove.

How to press a straight seam

After sewing your seam, lay your fabric piece on your ironing board and press the seam flat.

Then turn

your

piece over and press the seam on the other side. This will set your stitches into

your fabric and

smooth the

seam.

Next, you have two options:

You can press your seam allowances open. To do this, lay your fabric piece on your ironing

board

wrong

side up and spread the seam allowances apart with your fingers. Then press the

seam

allowances flat with

your iron. Turn your fabric piece over and press the seam on the

right side

(preferably with a press cloth on

top). You may want to drape your seam over a

seam

roll

(see

Pressing Tools

) instead of placing it directly

on your ironing board. Sometimes,

especially with thicker

fabric, the edges of seam allowances can press

ridges into the right side

of fabric. The curved surface

of a seam roll can prevent this.

Or you can press your seam allowances to one side. Choose this option if your guide sheet

instructs

you to

or if you plan to serge or overcast the seam allowances together. Place your

fabric piece on

your ironing

board wrong side up, spread the two sides of your piece open, and

press the seam

allowances to one side.

Then turn your fabric piece over and press the seam on

the right side

(preferably with a press cloth on top).

How to press a curved seam

Examples of curved seams: necklines, armholes, hip seams.

After sewing your seam, place your fabric piece on your ironing board and press the seam flat

on both

sides as you did with your straight seam.

If you plan to press your seam allowances open, you may need to clip them first to make them

lie flat.

you plan to press your seam allowances to one side, you may need to trim them first

to make them

lie flat

once your item is turned.

After trimming or clipping your seam allowances, with your fabric wrong side up, spread the

sides of

your

piece apart and lay the seam across a

tailor’s ham

(see Pressing Tools). Then turn

your piece

over, draping

the seam across the tailor’s ham again, and press it on the right side

(preferably with a

press cloth on top).

How to press a pointed seam

To press pointed seams, such as the points of a shirt collar, use a

point presser

tailor’s board

(see

Pressing Tools

). After pressing the seam flat and trimming and clipping the seam

allowances as

needed, slip

the pointed seam over one of the tools’ pointed surfaces and press.

How to press darts

First, lay the dart flat on your ironing board. Press the dart seam and the dart fold flat on both

sides.

Then,

with the wrong side up, spread the layers of your fabric piece apart and drape the

dart over a

tailor’s ham

(see

Pressing Tools

). Press vertical darts (like those in a skirt) toward

the center of the

garment. Press

horizontal darts (like bust darts) downward. Use the tip of

your iron to press the dart,

pressing just up to

the dart point. If you’re working with a bulky

fabric or if your dart is very wide, cut

the dart open and press

the sides flat. For a wide dart,

trim the seam allowance first, then press it

open. Turn your fabric piece over

and press the dart

seam on the right side (preferably with a press

cloth on top).

How to press a seam that will be enclosed

If a seam will be enclosed, like the seam in a waistband, cuff, or collar, grade and clip the seam

needed,

then press the seam open. Turn your item right side out, then press the seam

allowances

together. You’ll

get a flatter, nicer looking seam this way.

How to press napped fabrics

Whenever you can, steam napped fabrics like velvet instead of pressing them. Do this by just

holding

your

iron over your fabric for a few seconds. If you must press your napped fabric, use

needle board

velvet

board

to keep from crushing the pile. To use, place your fabric face down

on the needle board

and lightly

press the fabric on the wrong side. As an alternative to a

needle board, you can press

some napped fabrics

face down on a thick terrycloth towel. You

can also use a thick terrycloth towel

to press other textured or

embroidered fabrics.

Applying moisture

While s

ome fabrics ne

ed to be pressed with a dry iron

other fabrics press better with moisture.

You can steam fabric by using the steam setting of your iron or you can steam fabric with a

dampened

press cloth. You may find that using a dampened press cloth gives you more control

over how much

steam

is generated. You might also want to use a press cloth if you have a

problem with your iron

spitting water.

Use a spray bottle to dampen the cloth, place it on top of

your fabric piece, then press.

Some fabrics, like cotton, are best pressed when slightly damp. You can spray your fabric lightly

with

water

before pressing it (test first on a scrap to make sure the fabric won’t water spot), or

you can

dampen small

areas of your fabric using a brush or a

dauber

. To make a dauber, take a

small length of

wool or cotton

fabric, roll it up, and secure it with a rubber band. Dip your brush

or dauber in water

and dab it onto the

area you want dampened.

When to finger press

When you

finger press,

you use the tips of your fingers to press your fabric instead of your iron.

You

may

want to finger press a seam open before pressing it with your iron to make the task

easier. Or

you may

choose to finger press a delicate or napped fabric that may be damaged if

pressed with an

iron.

Sewing Information, Advice, How-to

How to Press