A while back I was given a “Tailor’s Clapper”…..
As my mouth said “thank you”, my mind wondered “what do I do with THAT?”
So it was time to do some research. This is what I found…..
A clapper is a wooden tool for flattening seams!!
Okay…that is easy enough.
Typically, the clapper is placed on top of a seam that has just been steamed and pressed. The clapper traps in the heat and moisture and the weight of the wood flattens the seam further.
But does it work??? I did a test.
While working on my 10-minute scrap quilt, I will often piece a row of squares before I press…..
I then press them all at the same time, and all going in one direction…..
Then, I place the clapper on top of the strip for a few seconds…..
…..and look how flat those seams are…..
But let’s give it a better test.
What if I sew two strips together….
….and place the clapper on the pressed seam…..
That looks good…..
But to truly test, let’s compare it with one that was pressed without the clapper….
I was AMAZED at how much flatter the “clappered” one was (on the right if you can’t tell).
The instructions say to leave the clapper in place for 3 to 6 seconds and that timing works well when I am pressing seams.
The only problem is that I might need a second one to further streamline the process.
And, for your useless fact of the day….. When the clapper is slapped on a hard surface, it produces a clapping sound, hence the name.
If you are interested, I purchased mine at Amazon.
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Nice to see the testing you put it through. May need to try this.
Hey Frances! This tool and technique are ancient methods for garment sewing, particularly a flat felled seam or a French seam. Flat is the keyword in “felled seaming”. Your experiment provides us with the visual proof of the flatter seams using this tailor’s tool. Now, imagine if you were sewing thicker, heavier fabrics like those needed for a winter coat: wools. The steaming and clapping [aka, beating the seam down with a flat surface: the tailor’s tool] of the felled seam of a jacket is only achieved by using a tool, such as this. When combined with a tailor’s ham, you can also flatten sewn darts. So much usefulness in just a piece of wood! Both of my tailor’s tools, one long, one short, sit on my ironing mat. Thank you for bringing this tool to our attention and sharing your results.
Hi Dan. Thanks for the history. I was never a garment sewer (at least not a GOOD one) so had never heard of them! Now I need to buy another one so that one can be “clapping” while I am ironing the next one! I hear your new studio is coming along!
What a noticeable difference. I need to be using mine more as well. Thanks for the reminder.
Frances, I have seen square block clappers on Amazon and Etsy. 😉
I have often wondered how useful they are. Thank you for the test.
You are welcome Karen. How are you doing??