Set the iron for your fibre and test on a scrap. Press each seam flat first — as sewn — to set the stitches into the fabric, then press it open or to one side. Use a pressing cloth on wool and anything synthetic, because a shine mark on a synthetic is permanent. This is the single habit that most distinguishes a garment that looks made from one that looks sewn, and it costs nothing but the discipline of getting up from the machine.
Questions people actually ask
What is the difference exactly?
Ironing slides the iron along the fabric. Pressing lifts it, places it, holds it, and lifts it again. Sliding stretches every bias edge it crosses, which is why an ironed armhole comes out wavy and a pressed one does not.
How often should I press?
Every seam, as you sew it, before you cross it with another. A seam pressed after being crossed can never be fully opened again.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11