Free Sewing Pattern -Tailor's Ham
Pressing your corset properly is one of the most important steps that will completely improve your sewing! The only problem is pressing the curves and straps on a corset can be difficult.
Commercially available Tailor’s Hams aren’t always suitable for corsets!
Luckily, you can make your own Corset Tailor’s Hams instead, read on for the 5-step fool proof instructions & grab your free Pattern below!
Instructions
Download the PDF Pattern for US Letter Printing and print at 100%. Tape the edges together so that the mushroom icon lines up!
Cut out your pattern and transfer to a preshrunk non-stretch cotton, 100% wool, or canvas fabric. Add a 1/4” seam allowance.
Cut out the pattern pieces and stitch good sides facing good sides, leaving a 3 inch gap open for stuffing.
Ironically, this will be the most difficult step if you do not have a tailor’s ham already! Press your seam allowance open, and clip the curves. You can put a wool dryer ball in the larger ham, and a wooden dowel in the smaller one to help with this.
Turn the ham right side out and fill with your stuffing! The best stuffing for tailor’s hams are wood chips shavings, or sawdust. You need to use a stuffing that won’t compress over time and leave your ham floppy! So don’t use a cotton stuffing or scrap fabrics. You can visit a local hardware store with a plastic bag and ask them nicely to give you some sawdust. If you don’t have access to sawdust, you can purchase wood shavings from a pet supply store (like rodent bedding) and blend it to be finer.
Firmly compress as much stuffing as possible into the ham until it is filled out completely and solid.
To help with this you can insert an empty toilet paper roll in the opening of your ham to transfer the shavings or sawdust without mess!
Once it’s solid and filled, handstitch the opening closed.
Finished!
That’s it, that’s all you need to make a totally functional Tailor’s Ham for corset sewing.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and find the free digital pattern to be useful!
Please share it with your friends.
If you found any of the terms mentioned in the instructions above difficult, consider reading my free Basic Sewing Terms and Techniques PDF!
Tag me in any social posts so I can see how your projects turn out! @livmori.atelier
