Cotton Sateen/Ironing

[Rob Bruno]

Hello,
I have a couple questions that I know the folks here can answer.

I am using cotton sateen to line a frock coat.  Does cotton sateen have a right/wrong side?  I have just lined the tail pocket flaps so have not gone to far that I would have to un-do a bunch if that is the case.  I looked at it and looked at it in the sunlight, regular light and I am having a hard time seeing a difference.

When it comes to ironing, when I ironed some of the fabric (the same cotton sateen), my iron left makes from the ironing board on the fabric.  Is my iron to hot?  My ironing pad to worn out and flat? Did I iron the wrong side of the fabric?  I get this sometimes when I iron my dress shirts for work.  I look kind of dumb with criss cross marks on my shirts....

What do people use for an ironing press inbetween nice fabrics and the iron?  Is this something that is specially made for ironing or a spare piece of fabric that people use from a precious project?

Thanks,
Rob

[E L Watkins-Morris]

Rob,
Yes, Sateen has right/wrong side.  What I choose to use as the wrong side is more "ribby". Use your best judgement and literally chalk up the wrong side so you don't get mixed up.

Iron Marks:
-Get a new pad for your ironing board or slap a very clean old terry towel down. A couple layers of cotton sheeting can help too.  Just safety pin them in place under the board.
-check your iron temperature
-clean your soleplate if you haven't

Press cloth: mine are white cotton scraps about 12/12 or larger.  I have several lying next to the ironing station so I can replace them as they get funky or lost in the confusion.

Hope this helps,

Liz W.

[Jim_Ruley]

Hi Rob,

I just made a "tailor's jack" or lap ironing board following a turn-of-the-century pattern in Jason Maclochlainn's "The Victorian Tailor".  I started with a length of poplar 1x8 from the local lumberyard, cut it down to 32" length, and tapered both ends.  Following his instructions I made a cover out of a double layer of melton for the top side, and cotton for the underside (actually I used some leftover Hainsworth overcoating and some linen).  I put the finished board inside the resulting "pocket" and sewed it closed, then wet it down to shrink the cover.

A board like this is smooth and stiff, so there is no structure to show through.  The wool fabric absorbs moisture, which helps wick it away from seams while pressing.  While it's much smaller than a standard ironing board, it can be used anywhere, either on a table, between two chairs, or in your lap if you are brave enough.

As Liz said, use a press cloth.  I stole a linen dishtowel while Kay wasn't looking...

Hope this helps,

Jim R.

[Rob Bruno]

Thanks Jim and Liz.

Liz, when I went home and look I could see a side that had more of a ribbed look.  I did mark it up to make it easier.

Jim, good idea on making an ironing board.   I have plenty of wood from my other hobby (like I need another) of furniture making so I should have a couple pieces to make something up.
Thanks,
Rob