Wednesday, June 5, 2013

A word about Ironing

Every kind of set you buy comes with ironing paper.  I do like the paper that comes with the sets, but they have creases in them that sometimes show up on your finished project depending on how you iron them.

I have heard that wax paper is a disaster to use, but we haven't tried too use it.  Instead we have used parchment paper which is right by the wax paper at the store.  I don't use the parchment paper often, but Id does and doesn't seem to have a problem with it.  If you're used to using the papers that come with it and switch to parchment paper, just be aware that they are a little different and you may need to keep the iron on a little longer.

Id has started to tape his projects before ironing.  This is helpful with larger projects to prevent beads from getting messed up before they have an opportunity to be ironed.  The projects aren't ironed on the pegboards, so you don't have to worry about them becoming warped over time.  Sometimes when you take it off the pegboard a couple beads are left on the pegboard because they are a little smaller than the other beads and didn't stick to the tape.  No biggie, just slide the bead in its intended spot and you'll never notice the difference.  (FYI- you don't iron over the tape, you still use the paper.  The tape is just to keep all the beads in place.)
At first Id used painters tape, but had a couple mishaps with it.  Now he uses a wide masking tape and has it down pretty well. The projects come out a lot flatter than when he ironed the large ones on the pegboards (this could be because we have gotten better at ironing).

The more you iron projects, the better you should become at it.  Luckily it seems to be a short learning curve.  Each iron is different too, so if you do get a new iron, you will probably have to modify your ironing technique a little.  No single technique is better, it's just what works the best for you.

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