Pressing Bag

Rowena__.

greetings all! The pressing bag serves the same purposes as the brick--holding seams flat while the steam works into the seams--but has the advantage of being moldable to curves so it is perfect for use with the pressing ham. You can make yours any size--mine is about 6" by 10". You will need:

1--a piece of heavy muslin for the inner bag.

2--a piece of wool for the outer bag

3--about 5 pounds of buckshot from the gunsmith shop.

A: lay the wool wrong side up--lay the muslin on top of it. Fold the two together to the size of your choice, so that the wool is on the outside and the muslin is inside.

B: stitch around with a serger or sewing machine set at a short satin stitch, leaving on side open. Fill the bag with buckshot, shake it toward the stitched end, and sew the remaining side closed. The way I use the bag is with a dry iron--I put a bit of water on a pressing cloth and put it just where I want steam (I try to only steam the parts that need it). I press, then I take the pressing cloth off and put the bag on the seam or dart or whatever. I leave until cool.