I had to wrap up my posts on quilt backs with a quick mention on how I press my seams. This is so important. And maybe a wee bit boring so I’ll keep that part short.
Fortunately, thinking of ironing reminded me of something much more interesting: an independent documentary film called “I Always Do My Collars First”. My friend Susan brought this DVD to our American Sewing Guild meeting several months ago. We all huddled around a laptop for this beautiful and humor-filled look at the ritual of ironing. Be sure to follow the link for a preview clip. Here’s the description from the website:
A documentary that delivers an artful and unexpectedly entertaining look at what is often ignored as a mundane chore. The story follows four dynamic Cajun women in French Louisiana as they go about their daily lives demonstrating how the simple ritual of ironing weaves its way throughout the fabric of family life and their sense of identity.
Now more about my iron and those seams on the back of the quilt. Step 1 (first photo above): set the seam by pressing it as it was sewn. Remember, pressing is moving the iron up and down on the seam, not ironing which is moving the iron back and forth. A very non-technical description of setting a seam: it warms up the threads and ‘lays’ them into the fabric.
Step 2: Press the seam open:
Step 3: Flip over and press the seam from the right side of the fabric. This is what it looks like before it is pressed:
This is what the seam looks like after it’s pressed:
Ahhh, much better. Yes, I’m obsessive about pressing my seams. I like using a 1/2″ seam on the backs because I think they end up pressing out flatter. I LOVE lots of steam. I’m not too keen on my brand of iron these days so don’t even ask. I’m on my 3rd or 4th iron since my ‘greatest Rowenta of all time’ went kaput after 8 years on the job, any and ALL suggestions welcome!
That is a gorgeous and straight seam. I’m glad I’m not the obsessive seam presser!!! I have a great iron, its a shark! I got it for Christmas two years ago and its nice! It shuts off by itself, which is perfect for me because I’m usually up and down sewing. I sew around 10+ hours a day so it’s CONSTANTLY being used and I’m happy as a clam with it! Do you use starch? I sometimes think starch can really make seams look nicer and fabric lay a lot flatter!
I grew up ironing my dad’s work shirts – always the collar first
memories can come at any moment! I like to press open that way too – being a garment sewer first, it has been instilled in me that way. I even posted about it recently too 
I have loved all your wonderful tutorials for piecing the backs..and I loved my Rowenta too. Unfortunately mine was not that old but got dropped too many times and started to leak and not steam at all
so now I have a cheap one.
My wonderful package of fabric arrived today and my daughter saw the “Pink Chalk Fabric” sticker and said “Oh, I always love her fabrics”
It started with my father’s handkerchiefs when I was about 6 years old, and then I graduated to ironing his shirts. Collars first, cuffs next. Sleeves, back and then the fronts. Thinking about it brings back that hot cotton smell and the soothing elemental pleasure of smoothing out all the wrinkles. Well, at least most of them! I still love to iron. I think that’s why I wash all my fabrics when they come in the door and then iron them before they go on the shelves! Thank you for a lovely moment of remembering.
Fantastic! And thanks for the visual. It will make it a lot easier for me to “follow the rules” when it comes to pressing seams when I can recall how fantastic the after looked compared to the before.
I do agree, it does make such a big difference when you press them properly.
I also use a rowenta and I LOVE it! I have the one with the extra pointy tip. It makes ironing small pieces easier. Whatever you do, don’t drop it on the floor as the tip will bend
If I have the choice between ironing and window-cleaning I chose the first. I also started with handkerchiefs (this must have been in the early ’60s). I hope Rowenta will never stop producing their fantastic irons, because I think they are the best (and I compare to the german brands like Siemens or Braun). I found out, that it is very important that you use 50% demineralized water with your tap water and then the iron does not leak anymore. Also have the steam button closed when you heat the iron and only open it after the iron is heated. Close the steam button before you pull the plug.
I trained myself (I had to…) to always put the iron on the floor when I leave the ironing board.
Lovely ironing! I like my steam and beautifully ironed seams. However, I am in iron hell at the moment. You’ll have to read here – http://loftcreations.blogspot.com/2009/04/sensitive-subject.html – to see how several of us have posted about it and then read the comments. We need some manufacturer to help us! — Michele
Irons seems to be a problem. I just did a post asking for iron suggestions. I got 50+ responses. Two love the Euro Steam and a couple of people mentioned the Oliso (new to me). Here’s the link if you’re interested in the comments I received.
http://loftcreations.blogspot.com/2009/04/sensitive-subject.html
Didn’t see that Michele has already given the link. Sorry to be redundant.
Wow, such lovely and very neat ironing, (love the fabric too…)
Jodie
x
My mom always told me collars first. The only ironing or pressing I do these days are quilts! So much more fun!
I have a Black & Decker iron that I have been pretty happy with. It is 2 years old and it puts out a lot of steam and doesn’t really have any leaking problems. Except when I overfill it with water. Oops.
I did some research before I purchased mine and it seemed like just about everyone was unhappy with their’s. I figured I might as well buy a less expensive but still decently reviewed one. It seems to have been a good purchase so far. Here’s the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-D2020-Digital-Advantage/dp/B0000AFQ5U/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1239117380&sr=8-5
Good luck!
Oh I iron my seams like that too! And oh the steam, don’t you just love the smell of steam while ironing?
I was *just* researching Rowenta irons on Amazon and was so surprised to read all the bad reviews, what on earth has happened to that company? For now I’ll stick with my piece of crap iron until I can find a really good one to invest in that won’t give me issues.
I do so enjoy your tutorials, you are always so inspiring. I was wondering, do you press your seams open when quilting then and if not what is the best way to iron the seam to one side? Wishing you well!
Melanie: I do a combination when I quilt. I like pressing to one side when it helps with the construction. For example, when doing a simple 4 patch or 9 patch block, I press the seams for each ‘row’ in opposite directions making it easier for the intersecting seams to ‘lock’ in with each other and line up when the rows are sewn together.
I will press my seams open when it helps the block lay more flat. I especially like to press seams open when I’m piecing sections of Kona solids where it’s the same color. Pressing the seam open makes it all blend together better because you don’t get a shadow from the ‘pressed to one side’ seam.
You can also use the pressing to one side thing to add dimension to areas you want to highlight.
For both methods, I always do an initial setting of the seam that I demonstrate in the first photo above. This helps the seam allowance lay more flat whether it is then pressed open or pressed to one side. To press to one side I like to then flip one side of the fabric over and press that seam from the right side after setting the seam. This gives me a clean, flat surface. I’ve noticed if I try and do this from the wrong side I end up with a speed bump on the seam line.
Hi Kathy, like you, I am obsessed with my seams and ironing! As a teenager I ironed for our picky neighbors in Edmonds in their basement! If she didn’t like the collars on her husbands dress shirts I would have to iron them all over again – and not get paid! So there my obsession began!
I’ve tried many irons, and my new favorite is the Oliso with the automatic lift system. At Sew Expo this year I stopped by their booth – praised them on their customer service and the iron itself and offered some feedback on the iron…..the auto shut-off is annoying for us quilters and the pointed end could be sharper. She thanked me, then pulled out a prototype from under the counter! She said they had been listening to many other comments such as those and in October will have a new iron (yellow, no less) that has a sharper point and no auto shut off with quilters in mind!!! This is truly and wonderful iron and well worth the price!
Cheers!
I enjoy ironing… most times. And I too have a Rowenta… actually just got another one after many years (around 11-12) with the last one. I figure if an iron is going to last that long… then I best buy the same type to replace it! I used to iron for people! You would be surprised how many people either don’t own an iron or don’t know how to iron.
Anyway, I went thru a lot of the cheap ones in the process, then went to making wedding dresses and found that my Rowenta’s work about the best I’ve found. Before, I was lucky to get an entire year out of one…. when I ironed for people that is. Just wore them out!
I’ve gone through so many irons and my mom gave me an T-Fal she had around. It’s an ultraglide turbo and is working just as well as when I received it 3 years ago! She probably bought it at the local market. Highly recommended!
I iron to the side on some construction and open on others.
I begged my mother to show me how to iron clothes when I was 10. Now I hardly ever iron anything but fabric or quilt fabrics. I’ve known so many people that have had problems with Rowenta irons that I’ll never buy one. For several years I had a Panasonic iron, but I wanted more steam and a heavier iron. I recently got a top-of-the-line T-Fal and love it. Lots of steam and irons great.
I am having iron issues as well. I just read in the back of Heather Ross’ new book that there is a Classic Black & Decker that is not expensive that can be purchased through one of the sources in the back of her book. $30 ish. I’m tempted to try it. I guess that it is not easy to come by.
Cristie: I actually have one of those irons. Bought it several years ago. I have to admit the one thing about it I don’t like is the design of the holes on the sole plate. They invariably catch the corners of my seams when pressing small pieces for quilt blocks during construction. I love the weight of it and the steam function. It does a great job on clothes and larger sewing projects.
I followed Nichole’s link and ordered a Black & Decker 2030 (one model newer). Based on the reviews I figured it was worth a $30 try! It should be here next week and I’ll definitely report back.
I do find it so much easier to work with something when the seams are all laid flat. I made an apron this week (posted on my blog) but only went with a 1/4″ seam allowance. It was harder to iron. I’ll use the 1/2″ from now on. Thanks for the tip. Beautiful closeup pics by the way. What camera do you use? I’m always on the lookout for a better one.
I, and most of my sewing friends, are thrilled with our Black & Decker Digital Advantage irons. It’s affordable, easy to find, heats well, gives good steam, and has a little weight to it. It has a couple of features that I don’t care for (my model doesn’t have a button where you can shut off the steam), but it’s positives outweigh any negatives by a long shot. It is my first digital iron and I love knowing when it is heated up and ready to go and being sure which setting I’m on.
Kris: I have a Canon 40D, I’ve had it for a couple of years now. I’ve owned a Canon camera since 1990 and started off in the digital world with a Rebel. I can honestly say I don’t think the pictures between the Rebel and 40D are any different! I do like some of the fancy features on the 40D but if it hadn’t been a gift I’m not sure I would say they are worth the additional cost.
I have a very nice collection of lenses which I think make the difference on image quality. My favorite is a fixed length 50mm 1.4 lens. I’ve had it forever and use it all the time because it does so well with indoor lighting and no flash.
Kathy – thank you for adding me as your friend. Am wondering, what is directional patterns? But I think the best way for piecing the back is your second method since most of the time, the fold is down the middle.
I love ironing and I also use a Black and Decker. The iron is light and easy to use, never leaks and it’s cheap, even here in Canada, around 30.00.
I love ironing and also Iron the collars first. I also spritz to make sure it is smooth and easy.
Love your pressing instructions as always.
Collar first…. I grew up with 3 brothers and did all the ironing for the family. Vividly remember before Permanent Press shirts and pants were invented. But yes always and to this day collars first. I taught my son to iron and he always does collar first too….
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