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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