CoudreMODE » Tools

When is a Ham Not a Ham? When It’s a Stitch Nerd Custom Ham

coudremode — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 21:09:02 +0000

Isn't she a beauty?

As soon as I read Pam‘s blog post about the custom pressing hams made at Stitch Nerd I had to have one! The item I really wanted was a contour ham, this is a sewing/pressing tool I’ve craved for years ( I kid you not - years) and while I had searched high and low, I never found a conotured ham that met my standards., the reason being is that I have a vintage June Taylor regular ham from the 70′s that my mother gave me and so I knew how a proper pressing ham should be made:

It has one cotton side and one wool side (100% wool and 100% cotton only thank you)
The outer surface is really a cover and there is an inner form filled with sawdust
It’s must be heavy and solid to withstand hard use with a heavy iron and steam

Oh sure, Dritz still sells pressing hams, but it’s kind of like the difference between a self-stable canned ham sitting in nasty, salty jelly on a supermarket shelf and an artisan ham made from free range pigs lovingly smoked in a barn by someone who makes only a couple hundred a year instead of millions - there is just no comparison.

The most fun thing about Stitch Nerd products is each customer chooses their own fabric combination of wool and cotton and the choices are really great. I actually go over to the web site just to play with the different fabric combinations. Mine has a Tudor black-and-white floral on the cotton side and a very 70′s London Punk pink & black plaid on the wool side. Sonia puts a lot of love into each order, notice she centered the floral motif on the cotton side so it would be as pretty as possible. I LOVE THAT. I have to say too I’m really impressed that the wool plaid is perfectly square over a complex three dimensional surface. Stitch Nerd sells two sizes of contoured ham sizes, I have the large one. I really recommend the larger one.

After your make your fabric choice Sonia lovingly crafts each ham and sleeve roll by hand. She packs each order well enough to surive a trip to Mars in tissue paper and pink bubble wrap, which was a big hit with my teenage daughters. As an added bonus the sawdust filling has a light and fragrant smell of cut wood – kind of the sewing equivalent of new car smell and just as appealing.

In addtion to hams and sleeve rolls also available is a ham holder; a very handy wooden stand that props up the ham. Ann has one of these; I didn’t order one only because I have a vintage plastic June Taylor ham stand that my mother gave me but I have to say that if you buy a Stitch Nerd ham try to include the ham stand as well because in order to use your ham to the fullest it needs a stand for stability.

So what exactly does a pressing ham do? Several things…

The concave side is used to press things such as a a facing on a sleeveless blouse
The convex side is used for pressing princess seams and the like
They are really great for steaming a shirt collar into a round shape
I like to use them to pin embellishment when I mock up ideas (the sawdust filling is perfectly pinnable)

Stitch Nerd products really fulfill the “form follows function” mantra and in addition to its usefulness of my contour ham I just like looking at in my sewing room. There is value in beautiful tools because it helps us create beautiful garments.

Jewel Tool: A Perfect Rhinestone Setter

coudremode — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:09:56 +0000

Click!

A while ago I found the Rivet-In on Ebay and it’s one of the best rivet setters out there. The merchant was Sue’s Sweet Beads and she asked me to review the Jewel Tool a rhinestone setter that she also sells. This tool sets prong set rhinestones and it’s very similar to the Rivet-In, the main difference is that this sets rhinestones face down from the wrong side and the Rivet-In sets face up on right side of the fabric. Does it work? You bet! Sue’s video below illustrates the process perfectly. The Jewel Tool has a major advantage over a hot-fix wand because it will set rhinestones on things like velvet and leather. As you know hot-fix crystals will not adhere to napped fabrics and leather. Hot-fix is also not very durable, they eventually fall off in the wash and/or fall off when placed on any area of a garment that gets a lot of wear, such as the back pockets of jeans, or on garments that need to stretch such as dance costumes. I decided to test the Jewel Tool on a mock up of Em’s costume and it worked perfectly. The fabric is a stretch velvet heavily embellished with glitter and hot-fix will absolutely not stick to this fabri, however the Jewel Tool set rhinestones with ease and trust me they will not come off. I have to say too this tool is much faster to use than a hot-fix wand.

Even if you have a hot-fix wand the Jewel Tool is worth owning as well, especially for napped fabrics, leather and any project where hot-fix won’t hold up. Like the Rivet-In, Sue is the only source for this item as these were manufactured over 40 years ago and she has all of the the remaining inventory. When they’re gone they are gone for good!

Product Review Disclaimer

I am not affiliated with any of the merchants or products mentioned on my blog. I am not paid for my reviews. Products reviewed on this blog are samples sent by brands, publishers and merchants. I make no promises regarding reviews or the nature of my reviews when accepting samples. Just because I am sent a product for review does NOT mean I will feature it or review it favorably. The items I choose to post are products I want to write about and my reviews are my 100% honest opinion.

Make a Sleeve Board Cover

coudremode — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:53:12 +0000

The Cover Pattern Traced Off

Finished Sleeve Board Covers - One wool side, one cotton side

A good sleeve board is something every sewer can use; I find them a bit more useful than a sleeve roll. The small one below I’ve had for years and it was okay but not really long enough, strong enough and it was not well padded. Ann went to New York this week and brought me back the type of sleeve board used in sample rooms and on Project Runway – isn’t it great? These are made by Newhouse Specialty Co. and are sold on their web site. The boards are cut from MDO plywood connected with an aluminum bracket, padded on both sides and each has a muslin cover. The cover is sewn to fit tightly over the open end. On the bracket end a casing with a string pulls it tight. The boards are two different widths, one is for shirts and the other is for jackets. I know from experience that these covers don’t last forever because they scorch from the heat and eventually fall apart. So I made new covers to go over the muslin ones. I made a smooth cotton cover for the shirt board and the jacket side has a wool tweed cover. Pressing tools like hams, sleeve boards and seam rolls have two fabric sides for different situations. The cotton side is used for cottons, lines and blends while the wool side is used with wool, silk and heavy steaming because the wool side absorbs moisture and the pressed fabric dries faster. There is no rule that says one side has to be wool and the other cotton really that’s up to you.

Making a cover like this is easy, just remove the original muslin, rip all the stiches out, press it flat and trace it off to make a pattern. Ripping won’t take long because the original cover made at the factory is sewn with really long stiches and it goes fast. Press the muslin cover flat and connect the dots from the original needle holes to mark the seams. The traced off pattern will look like the example at the right.

Padding - it's just taped down

Don’t throw out the original muslin cover! After the pattern is made you’ll stitch it back together and put it back on the board. The fashion fabric cover goes over the original muslin covers.

Materials:

Seam ripper

Cotton string, 20 inches per cover

Fashion Fabric: two 27 x 12 inch remnants of fashion fabric is all you need for each cover and a cross grain or selvage grain layout is fine it doesn’t make any difference. I chose these two fabrics because they look nice together, one is a silk-wool tweed and the other a stretch cotton. The new cover is made exactly like the original the only change is that the center back seam for the fashion fabric cover should be reduced to 5/8 from the original ¾; this little bit of ease will make it easier to pull the fashion fabric cover over the muslin one. Also use a small stitch length on both the fashion fabric cover and the re-sewn muslin.

The process of ripping apart the original cover will pretty much reveal how it goes back together, the steps are these:

Cut out the fashion fabric and clip the four notches as noted on the pattern. The space between the notches is the opening that fits around the aluminum bracket. The area above the notches on the big round end forms the casing for the string. The area below the notches is the t-shaped seam that end fits over the small end of the board.
Fold under the area between the notches to clean finish the bracket opening. Starting at the bottom notch stitch all the way around the big round end folding it to make a casing for the string. Come all the way around to the lowest notch on the other side. Yes, sew from one bottom notch all the way around to the other bottom notch. It’s ok to sew across the top notches as long as you leave enough room to insert the string.
Run the string only through the top notches near the big round end to form the casing.
Fold the fabric rights sides together. Sew the center back seam from the small round end to the first notch. Press this seam open.
Align the rounded cut edges and sew the end seam. Clip this seam to ¼ inch.
Turn the cover to the right side and put both covers, muslin and the fashion fabric, back on the boards. The muslin goes first and the fashion fabric last.

A few hints:

This is not fine sewing and I didn’t bother (and neither did the factory) to finish the edges of the muslin for the bracket opening and the string casing, however the wool tweed was ravelly so I serged those edges before sewing the casing. I didn’t serge any of the edges for the t-shaped seam because that end of the cover fits so tightly to the board there’s no reason to do that.

The final assembly: Pull the covers onto the boards one at a time, muslin first and fashion fabric next. Pull the casing string to tighten it around the wide end of the board. Tie several strong knots and clip any extra string. Steam the fashion fabric at both ends of the board so it’s nice and smooth over the padding. Save the traced off patterns to use again when it’s time to replace the covers after they get scorched and stained from pressing; The length of time they last depends on how much you sew, mine last about 2 years.

Enjoy your fab new sleeve board covers!

A Great Tool: Rivet-In

coudremode — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:51:16 +0000

Right now I’m finishing up a vest from Simplicity 2556 for Abby and she wants nailhead embellishments on the leather collar. The most secure way to attach studs or nailheads is with a bench setter, but they are way more expensive than what I need for an occasional project like this. Hot-Fix nailheads are not really an option as they fall off after a few weeks when applied to leather. Over the years I’ve experimented with various hand held setters and each and every one of them has been a disappointment.

Still last week I thought I’d check Ebay one more time and Lo! I found a listing by Susan’s Sweet Beads for the Rivet-In, an inexpensive, fast, easy to use and accurate way to set studs and nailheads. The Rivet-In is a solid metal, 4″ long, spring-loaded tool for setting metal studs onto fabric. It works best on denim and solid fabrics but can handle lace to thin leather. It also sets rhinestones with rimmed prong settings. There is a story behind this too: In the 60′s an aircraft parts manufacturer in Culver City, Calif. was commissioned to make this tool for a company, once it was approved they made about 2,000. The company bought 1 ,000 and then went out of business. Susan had been buying them100 at a time from the manufacturer till he retired in 2002 and then she bought the remaining inventory. There are a just couple hundred left and if you think you’d find this useful get one because they they’re gone they are gone for good. Susan has a video in her Ebay store that she has allowed me to use on CoudreMode and it perfectly illustrates how to use this handy tool. No more hammers and clamping tools! YAY! Susan fulfills orders with lightening speed and a joy to deal with.

Postcards from Kyoto – Misuyabari and Hakotou, for lovers of sewing and handcrafts

coudremode — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:19:26 +0000

Used with permission of Just Hungry

Two blogs I read all the time are Just Bento (about that very subject) and her sister blog Just Hungry (about Japanese food and culture generally.) Both are written by Maki, Japanese woman with a finely tuned palate and a deep love of food and culture. If you really want the down low on what Japan is like from the inside follow her blogs. She was recently back home and did a blog tour of the country, and in Kyoto took us to many places off the beaten track such as tiny little stores that sell artisan sewing notions like these animal pins, which are the essence of kawaii (a Japanese love of cuteness that lasts long after childhood. ) The link to her blog post has many more wonderful photos as well as an examination of hand sewing needles that reads like treatise on samurai swords, and I say without a trace of irony. I want to go to Japan!

A Great Beauty Tool

coudremode — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:42:39 +0000

I have to say my hair is something I really can’t complain about, it’s always been easy to care for and looks pretty good 90% of time. Still, I was unhappy with every blow-dryer I’ve ever owned and I’ve owned at lot of them; they just seem to have a limited life span and they never produce the same results at a professional salon dryer. My ideal blow-dryer has the features of those used in salons but was not $75+. I can understand why salons need the heavy duty dryers because the darn things are going for hours as a time, but for home use that’s a bit pricey. But I still wanted salon dryer features and found it in this Revlon 1875 Ionic Ceramic Dryer. It has 1875 watts, a hot-warm-cool temp setting, high-low speed settings, a cold shot button and an ion feature. That means 8 different temp-speed combinations and ion works with all of them. The hot setting is not so hot it will toast your scalp and the cool setting at high speed is great for taming frizz and setting a style. Its light weight, the handle is well balanced and it’s easy to control with one hand. About $30 at Target stores and only $23 at Amazon.

Gravity Feed Gymnastics

coudremode — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:35:22 +0000

I love my gravity feed iron but I had to figure out a way to keep the cord and tubing out of the way when I use it. The problem is the tubing goes up to the water jug suspended from the ceiling and the cord goes down to the wall outlet. My Silver Star came from Zipperstop and it came with two plastic s-hooks. The first hook keeps the cord and tubing aligned and the second is rigged with string looped to the ceiling hook. Even if your iron didn’t come with these handy s-hooks just go to Loews or Home Depot and get three small s-hooks and some chain. The s-hooks should fit snuggly onto the cord and tubing. Attach one end of the chain to an s-hook and attach a second s-hook to the ceiling hook that suspends your water jug. The third s-hook is used to keep the tubing and cord parallel. The chain should be long enough to allow the iron to extend comfortably to the end of your board. The whole contraption will look this this; the small white object is s-hook #1 and s-hook #2 attaches to the string.

Click for a Closer View

M’am, Step Away From the Serger and No One Will Get Hurt

coudremode — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:04:07 +0000

What is it about the zeitgeist of the 70′s ? Was the entire decade was due to the failure of radical politics combined with cheap recreational drugs? If I hadn’t lived through it to prove it really happened I could totally see how a person could be come a 1970′s denier. Some of you have seen this in email, but – well – it’s a classic!

A Great Sewing Tool – Yardage Calc for iPhone/iTouch

coudremode — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:25:24 +0000

Click for a Closer View

A few months ago I was on Pattern Review and noted on an iPhone/iTouch thread that the available sewing related apps applied only to quilting. I was surprised that someone hadn’t written an app that recalculates yardages for garment patterns. Well, this morning I got an email from an iPhone developer named Mark Guleno who has written just such an app! Its called Yardage Calc and it recalculates from one yardage to another based on the fabric width. There is also a conversion function for metric. The screen shot explains it perfectly. So I went over to the iTunes App Store and downloaded it this morning; it works just great!

Okay Back to Sewing

coudremode — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:45:11 +0000

This little PC desk came from IKEA and it was easy to put together; the size is perfect as a base for my Touch n’ Sew buttonhole station. The white bins are IKEA as well; I have eight of them in various sizes. One interesting thing about their stuff is that its all designed to fit together, the space on the right is normally where the PC tower would stand. The keyboard tray pulls out and has been pressed into service as a place to stash my collection of scissors and hemostats. A piece of non-skid shelf liner has been added to keep things from sliding around.