Next to my sewing machine, my iron is probably the most-used tool in my sewing room.
My mom was a stickler for ironing EVERY-thing and I guess it rubbed off on me in spite of my total disinterest and avoidance growing up.
Back when I was new to sewing, I went on a frustrating quest to find a steam iron that didn’t spit and leak. I bought cheap and expensive, used distilled water and tap water. All to no avail.
Then we purchased a Keurig coffee maker and had trouble with the K-cups not working properly. I started reading and found that Keurigs don’t like soft water. We switched to bottled drinking water and no more problems. That revelation brought me back to my iron. And wonder of wonders! It works! Every iron I’ve had since has given me steam with no spitting.
Of the two irons I have, this little guy is my favorite. It’s slightly smaller—approx. 2” shorter and 1” narrower than most irons. More important, it weighs only 2 lbs. A big difference when ironing countless HSTs open. Its 1200 watts gives off plenty of heat and steam for piecing and other small jobs.
For the big stuff, I use my Rowenta. When it comes to sewing rows together, pressing backing, or making totes and bags, I need a little more heft and at 4 lbs. this baby is just right. It is very quick to heat up and the reservoir is so easy to fill.
Most importantly, both these irons give me really good steam. Steam helps remove wrinkles and gives me nice flat seams quickly.
There are some good blog posts and YouTube videos on ironing/pressing. One I would recommend is https://geekybobbin.com/pressing/.
Sew Sincerely,
Mary