In this blog, I post stories about creativity, techniques, tools of the trade, and lots more about the wonderful art of quilting. If you are enjoying these posts, please subscribe to be notified of each new blog as it becomes available.
I had been thinking about getting a different iron for my sewing machine ironing station. It was just a bit crowded with the full size iron….
Then, this happened……
….meaning that my trusty, much loved, Black & Decker iron had blown a gasket!!
The next day I was traveling to QuiltCon so I decided to check out the Oliso irons while I was there.
And not only did I check them out……I bought one!! Isn’t she pretty?
This is the Oliso M3Pro Mini Project Iron!!
I have been using it for 2 weeks now and have decided that I really like it.
Let me tell you why….
The water well is super easy to fill, with the fill lines easy to see….
YES…..I am a steamer!!!
The steam buttons are on each side of the handle. When you press one side, the steam comes from the bottom and the other side, from the top. And when it says a SHOT of steam, it isn’t kidding…..
The sharp point on the sole-plate makes pressing seams so very easy….
One of my favorite perks of this iron is the light…..
It is at the perfect angle to illuminate what you are ironing.
It can be left in the upright position or laid down on the provided base, and will stay on for 30-minutes in the upright or 10-minutes in the horizontal position.
It heats up quickly and gets plenty hot.
AND, when you are ready to travel, you slip the iron in the other side of the base and it is ready to go…..
So, those are the good things about the iron….let me tell you a few concerns.
It doesn’t produce a whole lot of steam. Having said that, the seams that I am pressing are laying flat and look good, so maybe the amount of steam is fine but just different from what I was used to.
When I first plugged it in, I couldn’t get the steam burst to work and was ready to send it back. But, I kept pushing the buttons to prime the steamer and it finally started working. So…be patient!
Overall, I think that I am going to really like this iron.
I am not going to blow smoke here…..it was expensive and I am hoping that it will last for many, many years!!
If you are interested, you can check them out on Amazon HERE
Do you use an Oliso? What has been your experience?
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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.
Several months ago I posted about using “Turtle Wax” to shine the bed of my sewing machine, making it easy for the fabric to glide across it as I free motioned quilted…….
Like many people, I designate the month of January as a time to get organized. I plan to do some drawer cleaning in my studio and some closet/shelf cleaning in my house.
One of the things that I am not happy with is my quilting book organization. I have made a good start but it needs some refinement.
