Pressing Woollen Fabrics

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 100, Issue 5, 16 May 1960, Page 499

Pressing Woollen Fabrics

By

MAUD B. STRAIN,

Home Science Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin

CAREFUL pressing of each section of a garment as it is being made helps to give it a smooth professional look and pressing at frequent intervals during wear will keep it in shape and retain its original spick-and-span appearance. Woollen fabrics are perhaps the most difficult to press, but the work can be made considerably easier by the use of a few simple aids which if not readily available, are not difficult to make at home.

TODAY an ironing board is usually regarded as an essential piece of laundry equipment and most of them have a sleeve board, either attached or as an extra. These are the basic needs for good pressing, but there are a few extras, not difficult to make at home, that make pressing easier and assure a more professional result. These are a seam board, tailor’s cushion, tailor’s clapper, and for those who still rely on an ironing blanket on the kitchen table, a sleeve board, once it has been mastered, will greatly simplify pressing problems in making frocks and coats at home. Sleeve Board A sleeve board is excellent for pressing sleeves and those other small parts which will not fit over an ordinary ironing board. If you do not have a seam board, the sleeve board can also be used for pressing seams open, but thick brown paper should be slipped under the edge of the seam allowance so that no impression is left on the right side of the material. The narrow end of the sleeve board is handy for shrinking the sleeve cap. To make a sleeve board you need a piece of board 1 in. thick by 24 in. long cut to taper in width from 6 in. at one end to 3 in. at the other and the corners and edges should be rounded off. A piece of board 5 or 6 in. wide and 1 in. thick and almost as long as the first board is needed as a base. The sleeve board is mounted on the base by fixing a block of wood 2 in. wide x 3 in. long x 4 in. thick between the two 3 to 4 in. from the wider end. All surfaces of the wood must be sandpapered smooth so that delicate fabrics will not catch on it. Old blanket or thick. soft felt glued to the board is suitable for padding, but nothing coloured should be used in case the dye comes out when something damp is being pressed. It must be firmly fixed so that it will not move or wrinkle in use. Over the padding there should be a removable, washable cover. It can be fitted to slip over the narrow end and be tied with tapes under the wider end. Any strong white or unbleached fabric in a plain weave can be used,

but if it is new, it should be well washed to remove any sizing or traces of oil. Press Cloths A press cloth should be used even with a steam iron, at least on the right side of the fabric. Woollen materials scorch easily and a press cloth prevents scorching or shininess. Any medium-weight white or well washed unbleached cotton cloth in a plain weave is suitable and flour bags that have been opened out and washed often enough to have lost all traces of coloured printing are good. If unbleached calico or sheeting is used, it should first be washed several times to remove all traces of oiliness which will scorch and discolour the fabric being pressed and stick to the iron. When pressing woollen fabrics use a damp cotton cloth over a dry woollen one for a better finish.

Seam Board

When a seam board is used to press seams open the imprint of the seam allowance is not left on the right side of the garment as when they are pressed on a flat surface. A wooden rolling pin sawn in

half lengthwise and padded and covered makes a good seam board, or one can be made from a piece of wood 18 in. long x 2| in. wide x 2J in. thick planed off to form a half cylinder. The top of the curve should be slightly flattened and the board should be lightly padded and smoothly covered with sheeting or, better still for woollen fabrics, with woollen material.

Tailor's Cushion

A tailor’s cushion is a great help for pressing into shape curved parts such as front and back shoulder darts, for shaping the collar, and for shrinking out any slight fullness at the top of the sleeve. It should be oval, about 12 in. long, and 8 in. wide tapered to 4 in. at the smaller end. To make the cushion, you need two ovals of strong white material about 13 to 13 J in. long and about 9 to 9| in. wide at the bigger end tapering to 5 in. at the other. Stitch the two pieces together with two rows of stitching | in. apart and J in. from the edge, leaving about 4 in. open. Turn right side out and stuff very firmly with dampened clippings from scraps of woollen material. It must be very firm when filled, and the 4 in. opening must be sewn up securely. It is a good idea to have one side of the cushion covered with woollen cloth. . Tailor's Clapper A smooth finish without shine can be achieved with a tailor’s clapper or beater. It is particularly useful for

pressing thick parts of heavy woollen garments where it is difficult to get a sharp; finished edge. Such parts are buttonholes, lapels, hems, and pleats which all need pressing on the right - de ' . nrwwd .^f ce . the material 0 naHripd Sld e U P on a s ° f t> i+b P drv ironing board, cover first with a dry

woollen cloth, then a wet press cloth, and press with a hot iron to generate steam in the material. When the steam rises lift the iron and bang the clapper down in its place. Hold it there until the steam has left the fabric. The weight of the clapper against the soft padding embeds the heavy areas, giving a flat,, smooth top layer and the fabric is pressed without being overpressed. Repeat the process until the whole area has been pressed. To make the clapper use a board 10 in. long x 4 in. wide x 2 in. deep and have it sanded to smooth the rough edges and to round off the corners. If grooves are put in the long edges, the clapper is easier to hold. Pre-shrinkage of Woollen Fabrics Woollen materials should always be shrunk before they are made up. Often this is done during the manufacture of the fabric, but if it is not, it should be done at home. Unless the fabric is pre-shrunk, the garment may shrink when it is wet in a shower of rain, when it is washed, has something spilt on it, or at the seams when it is pressed. To Shrink Wool Place the material face down on the ironing table, cover with a wet cloth, and press with a hot iron, steaming the whole of the fabric and ensuring that the lengthwise and crosswise threads stay at right angles. Hang the material over a clothes line or over an open door to dry and air. It is important to understand that there are two types of shrinkage in woollen materialsrelaxation shrinkage and true shrinkage. Shrinkage of new material before it is made up is merely a relaxation of the tension put on the wool during weaving and it allows the fibres to return to their original size. Moisture alone will cause the fibres to relax, but pressing is necessary to restore the surface texture of the material. True shrinkage is when the fibres interlock and become matted together

as happens when a woollen garment is rubbed against itself when wet. You get the same effect when pressure and friction are applied by a hot iron being moved about on the material while it is damp. Shrinking out Slight Fullness In fitted woollen garments it is desirable to have smooth seams without gathers caused by easing on one section to another, as in fitting the sleeve into the armhole. When shrinking out this fullness the aim is to cause interlocking of the wool fibres so that they take a definite shape to fit over curved parts of the figure. Shrinking out fullness is not a reversible processonce it has been done, it cannot be undone, so it is advisable to practise on a sample before it is attempted on a garment. Put the part of the garment to be shrunk over the end of the sleeve board or over the tailor’s cushion, whichever reproduces best the body curve it is designed to fit. Press with a damp cloth and move the iron about, keeping it pressed down hard, but be very careful to treat only the area where the shrinkage is wanted. The simultaneous heat pressure, moisture, and movement causes the shrinkage. As in other forms of pressing, the material must not be pressed until it is dry. There should be some steam left in the fabric, and it should be left on the shaped surface until it is completely dry. In this way the shape is built in. Pressing In pressing, as distinct from ironing, the iron has practically no motion and the wool fabric is dampened with steam generated by the hot iron on a wet cloth. Place the iron on the part to be pressed, hold it there while steam from the damp press cloth is forced through the material, then lift it and put it down on an adjacent part of the material until it has all been pressed. At this stage the pressed area can be ironed very lightly to remove any outlines of the edge of the iron. The iron should not be left on the material until it is dry, as this would flatten the surface and make it shiny and harsh. Move the iron to another area while there is still steam in the cloth. When the garment is completely pressed hang it up until it is thoroughly dry. Wherever possible woollen fabric should be pressed in single thickness only and on the wrong side. A press cloth should always be used because wool scorches easily. A steam iron can be used successfully without a cloth when pressing on the wrong side, but even with a steam iron a cloth should be used on the right side. When pressing woollen fabrics on the right side with a dry iron use two press cloths; one a woollen one, preferably of the same material, next to the fabric, and the other a damp one

over the woollen one. This is the most satisfactory method of retaining the original surface texture, _ especially with fabrics that have a distinct nap. To raise a nap that has been flattened use a press cloth of the same material with the nap surfaces facing each other. Put a wet, but not dripping, cotton press cloth over this. Place a hot iron on the wet press cloth, hold it there to generate steam, lift it off, then while the fabric is steaming, pull the press cloth up quickly. The friction between the two napped surfaces raises the nap. Always press with the straight grain of the fabric. This is especially important when pressing bias edges, necklines, and large areas such as a skirt.

Take care not to stretch edges, and when making the garment up do not let one seam be crossed by another before the first one has been pressed. Press darts and tucks before sewing the seams. Pressing over tacking is frequently necessary along edges with enclosed seams, pleats, or hems. Press lightly with the tacking in place, then clip and remove it without disturbing the fabric, and complete the pressing. Never leave pins in fabric while it is being pressed. When pressing a complete garment start with the smaller areas and finish with the larger, less intricate parts. In this way no fresh wrinkles are made in parts already pressed.

Liver Paste

TRY this home-made liver paste to ring the changes in a cut lunch. Liver paste is a nutritious savoury spread especially popular with men. Use it plain in sandwiches and on cracker biscuits, or add finely chopped parsley, chives, onion, or walnuts for extra flavour. The recipe can be doubled for a large quantity and the paste will keep for some time in the refrigerator provided it is well covered. 1 lb of calf liver 14 teaspoons of salt i lb of pork fat 4 teaspoon of pepper 1 oz of butter 4 an onion 1 oz of flour J teaspoon of allspice 1 cup of milk 2 tablespoons of dry 2 eggs sherry Wash the liver, cut it into small pieces, and mince twice with the fat and the onion. Make a white sauce using the butter, flour, milk, salt, and pepper. Add the minced liver to the hot sauce and allow to cool. Mix in the eggs one at a time and season with the allspice and the sherry. Place the mixture in a well

greased basin and stand it in a pan of water to bake. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 to lj hours. Force the hot paste through a coarse sieve and keep it in covered jars in the refrigerator. The sherry and allspice may be omitted for children, though these ingredients give a characteristic flavour to the paste. Liver and Walnut Balls Add 1 dessertspoon of mayonnaise or cream and 2 tablespoons of chopped chives to 4 oz of liver paste and blend well. Roll the mixture into small balls and coat with finely chopped walnuts. Place each ball on a toothpick and serve on a bed of crisp lettuce.

—NAOMI F. BANKS,

Home Science Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Auckland