Pressing systems

**sydnie7** · 22nd July 10, 08:45 AM

Barb's right, as usual -- must have been some other "tailor" product I had in mind, that I had searched for online and not found/not easily found. Forgive the senior moment!

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon note: you'll see a similar tank system in use during the Kinloch Anderson video in this thread.

**longhuntr74** · 22nd July 10, 10:21 AM

Barb...I'm approaching the pressing stage on that kilt I started...what was it...like 3 months ago...maybe 4?? Great timing on this thread!!! Can you show a picture of a pressing ham? I seem to recall you saying you can buy them at Joann Fabrics...I hope so...haven't been to look yet.

Also...I'm even closer to the hair canvas stage...any revised list of vendors for that?

**Barb T** · 22nd July 10, 11:24 AM

Here's a pressing ham at Joann fabrics:

http://www.joann.com/joann/search/se..._requestid=947

Doesn't say online only, so maybe the stores have them.

B Black and Son is my favorite source for canvas:

http://www.bblackandsons.com/sewing-...-68_80_92.html

Just be sure to get the heavy weight.

BTW - when are you going to come down for a vist from that place in the North Country (which I still think of as Camp Drum, because that's what it was called while I was growig up)? You should come down to the Great American Irish Festival this weekend at the Herkimer County Fair Grounds:

http://www.gaif.us/

**longhuntr74** · 22nd July 10, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by Barb T.

Here's a pressing ham at Joann fabrics:

http://www.joann.com/joann/search/se..._requestid=947

Doesn't say online only, so maybe the stores have them.

B Black and Son is my favorite source for canvas:

http://www.bblackandsons.com/sewing-...-68_80_92.html

Just be sure to get the heavy weight.

BTW - when are you going to come down for a vist from that place in the North Country (which I still think of as Camp Drum, because that's what it was called while I was growig up)? You should come down to the Great American Irish Festival this weekend at the Herkimer County Fair Grounds:

http://www.gaif.us/

Maybe I should ask you when you're gonna quit going on vacations to Iceland and such!!! LOL. I know you were there for work, but I gotta say that your overseas work locations are significantly nicer than mine!!!

Unfortunately, my wife has planned a party for Saturday...is the festival just Saturday or both Saturday and Sunday? I'm hoping I don't have to go to work on Sunday. If not this weekend, I'll plan a trip in the next month or so...I'll hit you on email for your contact info so I can coordinate it with you! Thanks for the answers to my questions...you're so helpful...as always!!!

**fluter** · 22nd July 10, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Barb T.

Here's a pressing ham at Joann fabrics...
Doesn't say online only, so maybe the stores have them.

My local one did. For a good time, take a pressing ham to the register, and see whether the clerk knows what it is.

Black also has pressing supplies

The clapper is supposed to apply pressure and speed cooling. Sydnie's flat-irons do the same thing: there's plenty of thermal mass there. In fact did we not discuss using a brick covered with heavy duty aluminum foil? Then the clapper supposedly pulls out the humidity, too, thus speeding cooling.

I press on a table, which also is my sewing table. To press the pleats, I let the fell drape off the end. A steam iron, spray bottle, and pressing cloth works for me. However Barb is right about the moisture in the kilt afterward.

Thanks to Barb and Steve for a look at the professional rigs.

**Dixiecat** · 26th July 10, 08:09 AM

In fact did we not discuss using a brick covered with heavy duty aluminum foil?

Bricks are good, but I don't like the aluminum foil idea unless you cover that with a thick wool. It would get hot and wet if you didn't.

My pressing tools consist of a sleeve roll made from a thick dowel rolled in wool and covered with muslin, June Tailor clapper, hardwood clapper, tailors ham and a 2x10 wool tube filled with buckshot. And of course my Rowenta steam generator iron:
http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/p...zprd_08577603a

**The Wizard of BC** · 22nd July 10, 11:49 AM

To help with Barb's explanation of these pressing systems.

Here is one of our pressing stations showing the complete system.

The tank up on the shelf is where the water is heated. This allows the sole plate of the iron to be set to the correct temperature of the fabric we are working on. P/V, Poly/cottons, 100% Cottons and Wool all use different temperatures.

With these systems the plate of the iron is not used to create the steam so you can set the temperature of the sole plate just right without scorching the fabric.

There is a blue button near the handle of the iron. This is the steam button. These irons can shoot a jet of steam half way across the room. As it is the steam and the pressure that does the work having control over the steam in these systems is the real secret.

Also in this photo you can see the Teflon sole plate that eliminates the need for a pressing cloth. It is held to the iron with the spring.

Here is a shot from a different angle showing the pressing table.

Note that we do not use an ironing board. They are great for Barb because she moves around a lot. Here in my shop we use these tables. They are made from a set of folding legs bought at Home Depot, a piece of melamine board and covered with a pad and a heat resistant Ironing board cover. Each table is set for the height of the kiltmaker. Each table is 3' X 5' so an entire Kilt can be pressed at one time.

So how is it used?

Here is how we press the pleats on a Wool Kilt.
We first heat the fabric using the steam from the system. The great thing about steam is that it is very predictable. The temperature of steam is enough to soften the fibers of the kilt but not hot enough to scorch the fabric itself.
Please notice that we pre-press our pleats before basting. This is different than Barb.

If you just can't get around the idea of not using a pressing cloth note that often we use one too.

Heat the fabric with the steam then press it down HARD with the clapper.
Pick up the iron and move along the pleat and heat the next section.
Then move like this along the entire pleat.

The Steam does the work of softening the fibers and leaning on the clapper puts the pressure on the pleat edge to set it.

Just a note for those who think this way of pressing pleats a bit strange.
If you look down the edge of the pleats already pressed you will see that the taper is already in the pleat. This must be measured and marked before pressing.
We do it this way because we machine sew our Fell.

There is one other way that we use our irons.
We make our non-wool kilts with edge stitching down the in and out pleats.

If the pleats are top stitched you do not need to re-press the pleats after washing.
Here is how we iron the pleats of a Cotton Kilt.
We use a scrap of Formica or Arborite. Slide it into the pleat and iron. Use lots of shots of steam.

You can also see in this photo how we lift the Fell section of the Kilt up to allow the pleats to remain perfectly straight and parallel.

Here is a shot of the what the pleats look like. Sort of a before and after thing.

I can iron an entire Kilt in under 5 min this way.

**Barb T** · 22nd July 10, 12:13 PM

I use an ironing board, rather than a flat table, because I find that, in order to press the pleats straight once the kilt is basted, I have to hang the fell off the narrow end of the ironing board because the pleats taper from the bottom of the fell to the waist, and the waist is smaller than the hips in most kilts. If I tried to press the kilt on a big flat surface, I wouldn't be able to do a good job, because the kilt wouldn't lie flat - the bottom end of the basted pleats would want to splay open, and the top end at the bottom of the fell would be puckered up a bit. If I hang the fell off the end of the board, no problem.