In a word, YES. People that aren’t sewers or quilters usually use the terms ironing and pressing interchangeably, but there is a difference. Now let me tell you the difference and why it is so important to press and not iron.
Ironing is the back-and-forth motion that we traditionally recognize as ironing. Pressing is placing the iron on a piece of fabric and holding it there, then picking up the iron and moving it to the next area of your fabric. Picking up the iron and moving it instead of sliding it across the fabric will prevent distorting the grain of the fabric. Distorting the grain will result in your blocks not being the correct size and your seams not matching up when you are piecing your quilt. Pressing helps in setting your seams and giving your finished project a polished look. I’ve always said the difference between pressing and not pressing your seams as you are creating your project is the difference between your project looking homemade and handmade.
Why Press, then Cut
It is so important to press your fabric first before you even think about cutting it. The reason being if you cut wrinkled fabric and press it afterwards you will end up with a different sized piece once it is pressed. If you want a three-inch square and cut it from wrinkled fabric you could end up with a four inch by five in square, or anything in between that. It is possible, but extremely unlikely that you will end up with a three-inch square once the fabric is pressed.
Which Iron do I Need?
You need an iron, but there are so many options. Looking at all the options online or even in one of the big box stores could be so overwhelming and confusing. This could lead to more questions that you don’t have answers to. How do you determine which one is right for your needs?
For quilting the important features are:
- The weight of the iron.
- The number of watts the iron has.
- Steam and the number of steam holes.
- The various setting the iron has.
You want the iron to weigh between 3 and 4 pounds. If it weighs less than that you will need to apply a lot of pressure to get your seams flat. If it weighs more than that your arm will probably get tired. For quilting purposes, an iron that weighs 3-4 pounds is recommended.
You want an iron that has at least 1600 watts of power. Anything less than that and the iron just doesn’t heat up well enough for quilting purposes. The more watts the iron has, the quicker it heats up and the more watts it has the more efficiently it delivers steam. You want an iron that has at least 300 steam holes for the most efficient delivery of steam to your fabric.
Steam or no steam? That is the question, and it is a huge debate in the quilting world. Some quilters think you shouldn’t use steam because the moisture could shrink your fabric. Other quilters think you should use steam because that is the best way to get your seam allowances as flat as possible. I use steam to press my fabric before it is cut, but I don’t use steam to press my seams once the fabric is sewn together. My thought is once the seams are sewn, I don’t want to risk shrinking the fabric and possibly ending up with seams that don’t match up in my finished quilt.
Most irons come with various heat settings and fabric settings. You want to make sure that the fabric settings are readable on the dial. The fabric settings correlate to the temperature setting, and these are preset within the iron.
There are many brands of irons and there is a huge range in quality and price. The two top brands of irons are Oliso and Rowenta. These two brands are considered the best, but they are also expensive. You can get a mid-priced iron that will work perfectly for quilting purposes. For many years I used a sunbeam iron that I bought at one of the big box discount stores for less than $20. It finally died so a few years ago I bought a new one. I got a Chi iron for about $50 and it is a great iron. The bottom line is do your research and follow the simple rules of the weight of the iron, and the number of watts and the number of steam holes.
For quilting purposes, you don’t need a high-end iron, but you do want one that weighs between three and four pounds, has at least a few different fabric settings, and has steam with numerous steam holes. Your iron needs some weight to it in order to press seams flat and needs different fabric settings to give you the temperature you will need.
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