Press, press, press, then press some more.  It seems like sewing involves more use of the iron than the sewing machine, doesn’t it? I don’t know, some people love using the iron while others skip the pressing steps and wear the finished garment anyway. I remember as a child, my grandmother would set up an ironing board for me.  I don’t know if ironing boards still do this, but somehow it was short so I could iron easily.  She would set the iron on the lowest setting and I ironed my grandpa’s handkerchiefs all day long.  I loved it.  Then as I learned to sew she pressed the issue further.  “Skipping pressing makes clothes look homemade!”  Heaven forbid someone find out she made my clothing. lol

I am a firm believer in pressing as you go. It makes such a difference in how the finished product looks and wears. Seriously, I press so hard you cannot tell there is a seam.  My goal when pressing is to make it look like the dress just “happened” pressing is the trick. Megan Nielson is a fan of pressing too.  She actually presses her fabric before cutting.  I never thought of doing that.  But, guess who’s going to start doing it now.  Then there are the suggestions of never pressing over pins.  Great point!  They melt and then I cry!  But, I have learned buying pins with glass heads prevents this problem.[envira-gallery id=”1237″]

I learned that pressing is not the same as ironing.  Ironing is a method used when moving the iron back and forth over the cloth to remove wrinkles.  Pressing is entirely different.  to press you must, pick up the iron and then set it down on a different part of the cloth, applying heat to the cloth with pressure. If the fabric is delicate and may scorch, it’s best to use a pressing cloth. Really, any piece of light weight woven fabric will do for this.  Most of all, no matter how much you dislike pressing, ENJOY!