Hey everyone. Today we're talking about pressing, and why I wouldn't skip pressing seams as I sew.
I know why it tempts you. I really do. The machine is right there. The next seam is calling your name. Getting up to the iron feels like losing time. So you tell yourself you will press it all at the end. One big pressing session. Done and done. Folks, that shortcut costs you more time than it saves.
Here is the plain truth. Pressing is not the finish line. Pressing is part of sewing. Each seam sets the shape for the next one. A 5/8 inch seam allowance that sits bubbly and twisted does not suddenly lie flat because you hit it hard at the end. By then, you have already sewn over it. You have built bulk on top of bulk. And no final iron can fully fix that.
The story
I learned this watching a simple shirt fight back. Good cotton. Easy pattern. Careful stitching. The sewing was not the problem. The pressing was missing.
The side seams went in unpressed. Then the sleeves went in on top of them. Those seam allowances were still puffy. They would not sit where they belonged. So the sleeve seam wandered a little. Just a little. Then the collar went on over an unpressed neckline seam. Now nothing wanted to lie flat. The front bubbled at every crossing. The hem rolled where it should have rested.
At the end, that shirt got a long, hard press. It helped. It did not fix it. The bubbles eased, but they did not leave. The intersections stayed lumpy. You could see right where each seam had been skipped. Oh my goodness, y'all. I was the joke there, not the iron. The iron cannot go back in time. It can only set what you give it, when you give it.
I have seen the same thing in quilt blocks. One unpressed seam makes the next seam sit crooked. Points stop matching. Then we blame the cutting. Most times, it was the pressing we skipped.
What I do instead
First, I set the seam. Right after I sew it, I lay it flat, just as it came off the machine. I press right along the stitching line for a few seconds. That melts the thread into the fabric. The stitches settle in. The seam stops puffing up on its own. This step takes ten seconds. It changes everything after it.
Second, I press it the way the pattern directs. Open, or to one side. Not whichever way it falls. If the pattern says open, I open those allowances with my fingers first. Then I press them flat, one side at a time. If it says to one side, I press both layers together toward the darker fabric, or toward the back piece, just like the directions say. A garment seam is usually 5/8 inch. A quilt seam is usually 1/4 inch. Either way, flat is flat.
Third, I press, I do not iron. That matters, folks. Ironing slides back and forth. That sliding can stretch a seam, especially on a curve or a bias edge. Pressing is up and down. Set the iron down. Hold it. Lift it straight up. Move to the next spot. Here we go. Just like that. Your seam keeps its shape that way.
Fourth, I let it cool where it lies. Warm fabric is still deciding its shape. If I pick it up hot, it cools wrinkled. So I leave it flat for a moment. On a thick seam, I set a clapper on it while it cools. The seam comes out really, really flat. Then I sew the next seam on a clean, flat base.
Fifth, I use the right helper for curved seams. A dart or an armhole does not belong flat on a big board. I press those over a ham or a seam roll. The curve stays a curve. The seam still gets flat. Some folks finger-press first. Some use a seam roller. My preference is set it, press it, let it cool. But completely up to you.
Now hear me on this part. It doesn't have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic here. One seam pressed a hair off is not a ruined garment. Take your time. It's not a race. We're not reinventing the wheel here. Sew a seam. Press a seam. That is the whole rhythm. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
This post is part of my What I Wouldn't Do as a Sewist series, where I share the lessons I learned the hard way so you don't have to.
Don't take my word for it — Sewing Support's "How to Press As You Sew" walks through the same habit: press the seam flat first to set the stitches, then press the allowances open or to one side, and use a press cloth on the right side.
Shop the Hardwood Tailors Clapper 12in at Linda's Electric Quilters.
Thanks for hanging out with me today, folks. Keep the iron close. Press as you go. Then sew the next seam with confidence. We'll see you next time. Bye.
— Corey, Chief Quilter, Linda's Electric Quilters
