Orlinth

Good Morning Everyone

I am doing something wrong when I press my fabric before I start to cut and when I press my cut fabric before sewing.

I'm finding that when I press, it makes the fabric "move" so to speak...example when I cut a strip to sew onto a triangle, the strip is bent and curved from pressing, no longer straight.

Do I need to use some starch or best press before I iron? Am I not getting enough steam so the iron is pushing the fabric?

I'm new to this, sorry if this is a silly question LOL

Onebyone

I don't press my cut fabric. I usually saturate fabric with starch, iron the devil out of it, then cut my pieces. I figure get all the skew out before cutting. I like my fabric to be flat and stiff. Never move a hot piece of cut fabric after pressing the seams. It should be cool.

Jeanne S

Are you pressing, not ironing? Press by moving the iron up and down, not sliding it around on the fabric that can distort it. Also is your ironing surface hard and flat? If it is too soft you can stretch small pieces.

Tartan

​Set the seam with the iron(press along the stitching line) before opening it up to press. Press the seam allowances to one side gently and don't push with the iron.

bearisgray

I iron/press with the grain lines - not "kitty-cornered/on the bias" -

dunster

There are number of videos that demonstrate how to press - here is one: https://video.search.yahoo.com/searc...b3&action=view

tessagin

I usually press/iron the wrong side. If I have an accident it will show mostly on the wrong side of the fabric. When I prep my fabric, I usually iron it early or day or night before and loosely hang it on a rod. Got a piece of pvc about 1-1/2 inches x 24" and hang on back of closet door. Can also lay in open area to rest for fabric to rest after hitting it with the iron.

ManiacQuilter2

You may be ironing your fabric pieces like one irons a shirt. Pressing works better. You limit the moving of the iron on the fabric. I caught on watching F&P TV show on PBS and it has made a difference with the accuracy of my blocks.

Onebyone

I use a Steady Betty and it has really improved my pressing block pieces. I also use a clapper to remove the heat in seconds. My blocks are flat.

joe'smom

It made a huge difference when I started using Best Press when pressing my fabric before cutting. Always press along the length of grain, which has the least amount of stretch. You have to be careful not to push when pressing seams during block construction. It is so easy to distort fabric if you press with a heavy hand.