This is almost a week late – my apologies!  Life has been getting in the way this week, as they say.  I have really enjoyed reading what other people’s trade secrets are – lots of fantastic tips!  My trade secret – ironing and pressing.

You HAVE to have the iron on and do lots of pressing when you’re sewing, whether it be sewing clothes or bags.  You need lots of steam.  You need a good pressing cloth.  You also need a good ironing board with padding that still allows the steam to pass through and a snug cover (my cover is a Fitz Like A Glove cover, and the pressing cloth and board padding also come from Interface Australia – I highly recommend their service and products, and no, I have no affiliation other than being a happy customer!).  A spray bottle of water can also be handy, as are pressing tools like tailors hams for getting into those tricky areas.  I also have a mini ironing board.

Dad made this one for me.  It is incredibly handy for pressing children’s clothes and getting into other awkward small places when sewing.

Looking at these photos I realise that I need a new ironing board cover!  I have been a little naughty and have fused fabrics without putting another cloth down first, so this one is a bit grubby.  Another trade secret – make sure that you cover your ironing board with a second cover when you are using anything fusible!  I drooled over a super duper ironing board and iron combination at the Quilt & Craft Fair recently – maybe when I have a spare $2K I might consider buying one …