Pressing Fusible Applique

I learned a new trick for pressing fusible appliqué pieces. I have one off those presses that looks like two mini ironing boards that go together when you pull the handle down. It’s really great for fusing things. The only drawback is that the upper board, which is the iron, doesn’t raise up very far in the back. I’m always getting little burns on my knuckles when trying to spread things out on the board. I tried gloves, but it’s hard to work with the appliqué pieces wearing gloves. It occurred to me to lay things out on my Teflon pressing sheet and then carry that to the press. I can hold the sides of the Teflon sheet while sliding it onto the board and under the iron. Then it’s easy to gently hold the fabric near the front of the board with one hand while sliding the Teflon sheet out from under the fabric with the other hand. Sometimes it still needs a little smoothing, but not enough that I’m likely to get my fingers burned.

Another thing I learned about pressing fusible appliqué is not to use the Teflon sheet over the appliqué when pressing with the big press. For some reason, it makes everything ripple. Parchment paper works much better to keep any little melts of fusible off the iron.