Use of pressing hams
- When knotting Paracord I often sit one on my knee with pins through the cords
- pin, shape and steam rosettes for Balmorals on them.
- paper weight
- lots of other stuff
- Uhmmmm..... Don't throw them (they kinda hurt, event if the person deserved it)
Steve, I received my ham today (photo attatched), but where exactly do i use it? Do I press the pleats and parts of the aprons first on a flat surface and then finish off by using the ham at the edge of the top apron from waist to fell around where the apron wraps around my hip or do I use some other method?
I'm a bit stumped here and would really welcome you advise 20160228_174050.jpg
Last edited by Sean Wilson; 28th February 16 at 11:21 AM.
When you press the pleats you first baste them parallel and press them flat.
I use a 3ft x 5ft flat table.
You must lift the Fell 'cause it's tapered.
Here is Barb Pressing pleats on an ironing board. She lets the Fell area droop over the end of the ironing board which accomplishes the same thing a lifting the Fell like I do.
But when you press the Fell area and the aprons you want to work some shape into the wool.
Here is the Fell of a recent kilt. You can see how much shape the pressing will put into the pleats.
The bulge under the Fell area is the Ham.
Once you press shape into your kilt it will no longer lay flat.
Last edited by The Wizard of BC; 29th February 16 at 06:37 PM.
Steve Ashton www.freedomkilts.com Skype (webcam enabled) thewizardofbc
I wear the kilt because: Swish + Swagger = Swoon.
The facings of the aprons and where the deep and/or reverse pleat are - are the areas that are pressed using a ham. These areas need shape to go over the hip bones. These are the only area of a kilt that have small darts. There is a small dart inside the kilt to let the facings & deep/reverse pleat fabric up at the waistbanding to have shape.
Please see pages 89 and 98 of ToAK for details of these small darts.
Shaping by pressing over a ham is what takes out the bubbles or ripples cause by forcing the wool fabric to take a three dimensional shape. Pressing relaxes the wool and all of the bubbles sort of magically disappear. So use a ham anywhere there are ripples or bubbles and anywhere you need the kilt to have shape. To have a flat piece of fabric to take a three dimensional shape.
Basically I press the pleats below the Fell flat. Everywhere else I press over a ham.
Last edited by The Wizard of BC; 1st March 16 at 06:42 PM.
Steve Ashton www.freedomkilts.com Skype (webcam enabled) thewizardofbc
I wear the kilt because: Swish + Swagger = Swoon.
Wow thank you very much. It makes sense now you explain but I never would have thought of using the ham so much. I tried it under the apron with darted areas and like magic the small wrinkles disappeared. AMAZING!
Originally Posted by Lady Grey
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