I am a sewing goody-two-shoes and I definitely don’t cut corners when it comes to pressing. This one element of the sewing process can take your sewing from a hot mess to “wow, did you make that?”. Having your “pressing station” well equipped is yet another way to make sewing faster and more pleasant. Here are the 5 pressing tools that will up your sewing game.

A good iron is a pressing matter!

You don’t have to pay a lot to get a reliable iron and “good” is up to you to define. I, in fact, didn’t even buy this one.  It was my husband’s before we got together. I use it as a dry iron, now. A little squirt from my trusty spray bottle (see below) does the trick and I don’t have to keep loading up the tank on my iron or worry about it sputtering everywhere.

I know some people say that using a steam iron as a dry iron can make it dirty, but I have never experienced that. I might look for a heavy dry iron when I do need to purchase a new one, but this thing has done the trick so far! There are Cadillac irons out there if that is an investment you’d like to make, but a hand-me-down, garage sale or thrifted iron could work great, too!

the Spray bottle: An essential pressing tool

Mister-style spray bottles are one of the most essential pressing tools. I do not like putting water in my iron. My particular iron doesn’t have a big enough tank. Moreover, I like the control of these spray bottle, as well. A lot of irons seem to sputter water and steam when you don’t want them to. These are so inexpensive and so useful, I haven’t sewn without one in at least a decade.

Seriously up your sewing game with a Hem gauge

These come in lots of shapes and sizes. My particular favourites are the kind that are like a ruler you wrap the fabric around and on which you iron directly, like this. You don’t have to mark anything and go directly to the step of pressing up the hem.  I have had metal hem gauge in the past, but these new ones that are felt-like do not burn your hands or sputter hot water if you spray a little too much and then iron over it. These deliver near-perfect hems every-time!  

the Weirdest OF pressing tools? The Sleeve board

I grew up with a sleeve board in my house and my grandmother’s house. I thought these were normal household items until visitors to my home asked me what it was. Not only do they make ironing shirt sleeves and smaller parts of garments a breeze, they can help you in the sewing room with so many tasks.

Ironing the sleeve head of a shirt over the end of the sleeve board helps set the sleeve. You can use it to hem smaller openings like on children’s clothes or sleeves of all sizes. A non-ironing bonus is it can help you cut continuous bias binding by looping your sewn-together fabric over the sleeve board and cutting on the marked lines while you pull the fabric around and around. 

the Pressing cloth

It doesn’t have to be fancy but if you are ever going to use fusible interfacing and fusible hem-tape you are going to need a pressing cloth. They can also protect your fabric, whether delicate or not, from scorching, burning, becoming shiny due-to the direct heat of the iron, as well as marks from pressing and water spots. 

My favourite pressing cloth is an old linen tea towel. If you’re feeling fancy, you can use a square of 100% silk organza as a pressing cloth. They even sell them packaged as pressing cloths. 

the Ironing board: The most essential of pressing tools?

Maybe I should have led with this item, but I actually think the other items are more necessary than an ironing board if you have a good substitute already. Notwithstanding, an ironing board is super nice because you can set the height to protect your back and posture. You can use it as an extra work surface when pinning or clipping fabric together. 

However, when it is not in use, you can fold it away and tuck it behind larger pieces of furniture. Similarly, it’s highly moveable and you can take it to other rooms to do work when you can’t be where you sew most often. 

I would advise getting a very sturdy one and a good cover, but older ones tend to be better built so thrifting and garage-saleing an ironing board is a great option. Just give it a good shake before you buy.

Pressing Tools that take you From hot-mess to “profesh”

Having the right tools can help you achieve a more professional look on your finished garment. I would invest in these tools as you go and as your sewing practice develops. You will see which items you might need for the kind of sewing you do. There are even more tools than these but these are the 5 pressing tools that will up your sewing game instantly. What pressing tools do you use? What have I forgotten, in your opinion?