The Clover Mini-Iron rules!

I have started setting a timer for one hour while I'm sewing, because otherwise I would become so engrossed in it, I would do nothing else. Since I have two concerts coming up, I have to spend at least some time in the evening practicing my music. I enjoy that too, but I don't get as wrapped up in it.

So the sewing hour this evening was spent tackling the facings on my spring blouse. Remember my rants about slippery fabric? Yeah, it's all slithery and hard to cut correctly. Well, that particular demon came back to haunt me today. The facings didn't really match-up on the neckline. Lucky for me, I cut them a bit wider and longer to me "fudge" room. But it also meant I spent a lot of time lining them up so that the neckline seam wouldn't pucker and doing some creative trimming and marking.

There's a saying goes that pressing is sewing. Pressing is kind of like ironing, except you move the iron up and down rather than sliding it across the fabric. Unless you are me, in which I "iron" my fabric. You need to be a sew-er to get it. During sewing, you/I are pressing/ironing the seams so that they lay flat and in the right direction. Side seams and shoulder seams are pressed the back. Center seams are press right or left (I usually do them to the left). darts are also pressed, usually towards the sides of the garment.

What I am going into all of this? Because unlike making muslins and linigs and such, I am a HUGE fan and proponent of pressing my work as I go along. The #1 reason why I like it so is that it makes sewing the project much easier. Seams lie flat (and when they cross, like at a crotch or a sewing in a sleeve, I don't have to worry about the seams interfering with each other). A pressed seam is ten times easier to edgestitch (along with a stich-in-the-ditch presser foot). I press my hems prior to stitching them down...and my hems are more accurate for it. When rolling a facing (a fancy phrase for making sure the facing stays on the inside of the garment), I use the iron to keep the roll in place. I could go on and on...but that would be boring.

And the best thing to come along in pressing since the actual invention of the iron (aside from sewing machines themselves) ...is the Clover Mini Iron. This little thing ROCKS. I got it about 2 years ago at Christmas (by my request) and it's been in constant use ever since. It is perfect for little spaces like collars and sleeves where a full-sized iron would just be too big and bulky. In fact, I use it for nearly every seam/dart except the long seams in pants. It's little nose is very precise. If I need moisture, I use a sponge-tipe paintbrush and dab water right where I need it.
Oh, they joys of the mini-iron.

I was going to go on about how I used my mini-iron while sewing the facings, but my clock is reading nearly midnight and I'm about to turn into a pumpking. So I will continue this post...later.