Pressing advice
09-08-2016, 05:30 PM
#1
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Pressing advice
Hi everyone,
i have been quilting for quite a few years and feel like I have gotten to a comfortable point in my quilting skills - not in a good way. I feel like I have come to accept my quilting competence and have not been striving to get better. If you've read "Moonwalking with Einstein" by Jonathon Foer (I just did!), I'm talking about the "ok plateau" - the point your brain reaches when it has become comfortable performing a task. You will not be able to advance from this plateau without focused practice, examining mistakes and analyzing what you did in the past and how you could do it better in the future. This kind of practice needs to be hard, you have to think about it, not just repeat the same action mindlessly.
i am trying to apply this to my quilting. I don't want to do it to enter shows or to quilt professionally, I just want my quilts to look better. One area I have been looking at is pressing. I am never satisfied with mine! I have read a lot about it. First I set the seam, then I press to one side, first on the back, then from the front. I seem to get a little wrinkle on the front pretty often. For a long time I didn't use steam, but lately sometimes I do.
does anyone know a good tutorial for me? Anyone have an iron that changed their life (mine seems like it might be too light)? How important is the board you use - I've read that the surface should be pretty firm, which I think mine is, but the board feels a little wobbly (my room is carpeted) . Does anyone use one of those clapper things (I think that's what they're called) on a regular basis? It seems like an awful lot of work for every seam, but lately I've been having the urge to use one, because my seam will lay flat after it is freshly pressed, but as it cools, it gradually floats up.
sorry for the super long post - I'm hoping there are some ironing enthusiasts out there who would like to give some advice.
Thanks, if you've read this far!
Pat
i have been quilting for quite a few years and feel like I have gotten to a comfortable point in my quilting skills - not in a good way. I feel like I have come to accept my quilting competence and have not been striving to get better. If you've read "Moonwalking with Einstein" by Jonathon Foer (I just did!), I'm talking about the "ok plateau" - the point your brain reaches when it has become comfortable performing a task. You will not be able to advance from this plateau without focused practice, examining mistakes and analyzing what you did in the past and how you could do it better in the future. This kind of practice needs to be hard, you have to think about it, not just repeat the same action mindlessly.
i am trying to apply this to my quilting. I don't want to do it to enter shows or to quilt professionally, I just want my quilts to look better. One area I have been looking at is pressing. I am never satisfied with mine! I have read a lot about it. First I set the seam, then I press to one side, first on the back, then from the front. I seem to get a little wrinkle on the front pretty often. For a long time I didn't use steam, but lately sometimes I do.
does anyone know a good tutorial for me? Anyone have an iron that changed their life (mine seems like it might be too light)? How important is the board you use - I've read that the surface should be pretty firm, which I think mine is, but the board feels a little wobbly (my room is carpeted) . Does anyone use one of those clapper things (I think that's what they're called) on a regular basis? It seems like an awful lot of work for every seam, but lately I've been having the urge to use one, because my seam will lay flat after it is freshly pressed, but as it cools, it gradually floats up.
sorry for the super long post - I'm hoping there are some ironing enthusiasts out there who would like to give some advice.
Thanks, if you've read this far!
Pat
09-08-2016, 05:51 PM
#2
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Elsinore, CA
Posts: 15,141
I have recently become a fan of Strip Sticks for pressing seams. I bought 3 sizes and have used all of them on different projects. They're great at pressing strip sets, and also good for when your seams are really close together.
I really like my Reliable V100 Digital Velocity iron - best steam I've ever had in an iron, and it can't leak. I bought mine refurbished. I seldom use steam - I go in spells of using it or not - but I still like the weight and shape of this iron, and the fact that it can be put into a mode where it doesn't shut itself off.
I know what you mean about getting into a rut with quilting habits. I'm trying to shake things up too, but it's hard changing your patterns.
I really like my Reliable V100 Digital Velocity iron - best steam I've ever had in an iron, and it can't leak. I bought mine refurbished. I seldom use steam - I go in spells of using it or not - but I still like the weight and shape of this iron, and the fact that it can be put into a mode where it doesn't shut itself off.
I know what you mean about getting into a rut with quilting habits. I'm trying to shake things up too, but it's hard changing your patterns.
09-08-2016, 06:17 PM
#3
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: PA
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Thanks for the reply dunster- it's funny, a while back I had made a note of this model iron as one I would like to own, because I had heard great things about it. But when it came time to buy a new one, I ended up with a cheap Panasonic - don't ask me why! I'm ready to replace it, I'm not happy with it. I've never heard of strip sticks, I will look into them.
i recently participated in a Halloween quiltalong on Instagram, simply because I loved the color palette the organizer used. It ended up being very paper piecing and epp heavy, techniques I have no experience with. My color palette ended up completely different than the one I loved. But it is a long time since I felt so challenged and creative at the same time. It was so fun!
i recently participated in a Halloween quiltalong on Instagram, simply because I loved the color palette the organizer used. It ended up being very paper piecing and epp heavy, techniques I have no experience with. My color palette ended up completely different than the one I loved. But it is a long time since I felt so challenged and creative at the same time. It was so fun!
09-08-2016, 09:07 PM
#5
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Chula Vista CA
Posts: 7,329
I have watched several quilters on You-Tube and Jenny Doan from MSQC, when they press the pieces they have sewn, the press from the top. The put the piece down with the light side down and then press pushing the dark side over and the seam. So this is how I usually do it unless I want an open seam then the only way to do that is pressing from the back side.
If you are talking about ironing the entire quilt before layering it to quilt, then I iron from the back side first, then flip it over to iron it a second time to make sure there are no pleats or wrinkles. And for those difficult seams that just seem to want to go the wrong way I have been known to use a glue stick to keep them in place.
If you are talking about ironing the entire quilt before layering it to quilt, then I iron from the back side first, then flip it over to iron it a second time to make sure there are no pleats or wrinkles. And for those difficult seams that just seem to want to go the wrong way I have been known to use a glue stick to keep them in place.
09-09-2016, 03:17 AM
#7
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Central NJ
Posts: 5,570
I was raised with the adage of 'always use a heavy iron - let it do the work for you'. I've been using Rowentas for many years now and not had the issues most here have so I'll stick with them.
I also press almost all of my seams open. So I (like you) set the seam first then press the seam open from the back and finally press the unit from the front. I also use steam religiously. All this probably stems from my early sewing of garments vs anything else. I will sometimes get that little pleat on the front as well but then just press the heck out of it. I don't use a clapper but have thought sometimes a ham might be a handy tool to own but have not been so compelled to actually buy one yet.
Do you use starch? I use the liquid starch (usually sta-flo) that you can mix to varying strengths. I usually do a 50/50 mix and find it works well. I believe it helps with not only cutting, but pressing as well. I will also admit to 'ironing' vs 'pressing' frequently. Between that and steam, if my unit/block gets a little distorted, I will trim to the correct size before moving on.
All of the above are very tedious processes but I do believe it makes for a better quilt (or any other sewing project for that matter). And yes, I do it for each and every seam I sew. I am a far cry from a perfectionist. I do find that it makes the next step in my project easier to manage.
I also press almost all of my seams open. So I (like you) set the seam first then press the seam open from the back and finally press the unit from the front. I also use steam religiously. All this probably stems from my early sewing of garments vs anything else. I will sometimes get that little pleat on the front as well but then just press the heck out of it. I don't use a clapper but have thought sometimes a ham might be a handy tool to own but have not been so compelled to actually buy one yet.
Do you use starch? I use the liquid starch (usually sta-flo) that you can mix to varying strengths. I usually do a 50/50 mix and find it works well. I believe it helps with not only cutting, but pressing as well. I will also admit to 'ironing' vs 'pressing' frequently. Between that and steam, if my unit/block gets a little distorted, I will trim to the correct size before moving on.
All of the above are very tedious processes but I do believe it makes for a better quilt (or any other sewing project for that matter). And yes, I do it for each and every seam I sew. I am a far cry from a perfectionist. I do find that it makes the next step in my project easier to manage.
09-09-2016, 04:53 AM
#8
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 57
Hi NJ Quilter, thanks for the great advice. I started as (a not so great) garment sewer too. I agree pressing open creates a flatter result - but I do love nesting my seams! I have a couple hundred 4 patches to press so I guess I will do some experimenting. I definitely need to get a new iron (although like anything else, it's only as good as its operator!) and now I remember why I ended up with the cheap one. As I research the expensive ones, I hear they do not last very long. How come the cheap ones last forever? - I think it has something to do with more sophicated equipment has more components to break. I'm torn between the Rowentaa (which I hear leaks),and the Reliable.
i do use starch sporadically on yardage- just the spray can from the grocery store though.
i think I need to embrace the zen of ironing - instead of rushing to get through!
i do use starch sporadically on yardage- just the spray can from the grocery store though.
i think I need to embrace the zen of ironing - instead of rushing to get through!
09-09-2016, 04:59 AM
#9
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 11,276
I know it's not very exciting, but you have to take your time. I also set my seam, then press from the front. I tend to assembly line sew, so then I assembly line press. I figure out which way I want the seam to be pressed, and lay out a row of sewn units with the fabric that the seam will be pressed toward on the top. I set the seam on all the units, then I flip the top fabric over and lightly finger press the first unit (so I'm pressing from the front, while the fabric is still a bit warm). I put the iron down on that unit & finger press the next one, then move the iron to that one, moving across the units that I have laid out. This allows the iron to just sit on the seam for a few seconds while I'm finger pressing the next one. I try & let the units cool before moving them from the board. I pre wash, often starch & usually use steam, but as a previous poster mentioned, let the iron do the work for you. Heavier is better, so even if I don't use steam, I make sure the iron is filled with water.
I do the same for joining rows, moving across the row: set the seam, all across the length of the board, flip to the right side, finger press a few inches (about the length of the iron), set the iron down, finger press the next section etc.
Usually this results in flat seams. Sometimes a fabric doesn't want to play nicely, so I do use a clapper. I also have a Steady Betty which I really like for complex blocks with lots of bias.
"Let the iron do the work for you" was one of my mother's mantra's, another was "let the item cool before you move it"
I do the same for joining rows, moving across the row: set the seam, all across the length of the board, flip to the right side, finger press a few inches (about the length of the iron), set the iron down, finger press the next section etc.
Usually this results in flat seams. Sometimes a fabric doesn't want to play nicely, so I do use a clapper. I also have a Steady Betty which I really like for complex blocks with lots of bias.
"Let the iron do the work for you" was one of my mother's mantra's, another was "let the item cool before you move it"
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