Quilters Clappers
03-13-2026, 04:38 AM
#2
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 10,670
I've used a tailor's clapper (which I think is the same as the quilter's clapper) to flatter seams with lots of intersections to get rid of the bumps. I guess you could use it to keep 1/4" seams open. I've never tried.
Edit: I just went and looked. WAWAK seems to have a good price on them.
Edit: I just went and looked. WAWAK seems to have a good price on them.
Last edited by cashs_mom; 03-13-2026 at 04:40 AM.
03-13-2026, 05:00 AM
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Northern KY
Posts: 2,041
Love how flat seams are when I use my clapper. I got a lovely one off Etsy with my name carved on it so it doesn't get lost at retreats. Another quilter at one of our retreats had a 12 inch square clapper (very heavy) so she can flatten an entire block at once. It was wonderful.
03-13-2026, 05:26 AM
#4
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Portage, Michigan
Posts: 9,461
I had a set of Unit Blocks, often found in preschool and kindergarten classrooms, that I had picked up at an auction and gave to my grandchildren. They are made of hardwood and last FOREVER! I grabbed three of the 5x2.5x1.5 blocks and use them as clappers. They absorb the heat and are heavy enough to do the trick and in this case free. And the sound of the blocks being stacked away for the day brings back sweet memories of my days as a preschool teacher and director. Great tools can always be used in more than one way. Blocks = clappers!
The hubby of one of my quilting friends made some but in my opinion they are not heavy enough, only about 1/2 inch thick and don't do the job as expected.
The hubby of one of my quilting friends made some but in my opinion they are not heavy enough, only about 1/2 inch thick and don't do the job as expected.
03-13-2026, 06:06 AM
#5
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 17,810
My experience with clappers is weight with heat absorption is the key. I bought a heavy oak cutting board. It is two inches thick about 15-inch square. I attached two cabinet handles to it. It's my must have for flat quilt blocks. I have the June Taylor clapper I have had for years. I bought the wool pressing bar with clapper to press open seams. Both are good products.
My friend uses an old sad iron for a clapper and I have a cast iron flat smooth bacon press I never used so it stays in my sewing room. I've used it from time to time as a clapper, ruler weight, etc. I've seen fancy wood clappers at quilt shows that are beautiful with wood patterns inlays.
My friend uses an old sad iron for a clapper and I have a cast iron flat smooth bacon press I never used so it stays in my sewing room. I've used it from time to time as a clapper, ruler weight, etc. I've seen fancy wood clappers at quilt shows that are beautiful with wood patterns inlays.
Last edited by Onebyone; 03-13-2026 at 06:09 AM.
03-13-2026, 07:55 AM
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,152
I had to Google what it was and how to use it (which wasn't intuitively obvious).
There are a lot of pretty, custom-made ones out there, but I imagine you'd want a dense wood (heavy for its size) and for the underside that contacts the fabric to be unfinished wood so it could absorb moisture.
There are a lot of pretty, custom-made ones out there, but I imagine you'd want a dense wood (heavy for its size) and for the underside that contacts the fabric to be unfinished wood so it could absorb moisture.
03-14-2026, 05:23 AM
#10
Super Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,520
I had a set of Unit Blocks, often found in preschool and kindergarten classrooms, that I had picked up at an auction and gave to my grandchildren. They are made of hardwood and last FOREVER! I grabbed three of the 5x2.5x1.5 blocks and use them as clappers. They absorb the heat and are heavy enough to do the trick and in this case free. And the sound of the blocks being stacked away for the day brings back sweet memories of my days as a preschool teacher and director. Great tools can always be used in more than one way. Blocks = clappers!
The hubby of one of my quilting friends made some but in my opinion they are not heavy enough, only about 1/2 inch thick and don't do the job as expected.
The hubby of one of my quilting friends made some but in my opinion they are not heavy enough, only about 1/2 inch thick and don't do the job as expected.
