Should You Iron Fabric Before Cutting It When Sewing?

I know! It’s so tedious and time-consuming to take all those yards of fabric and iron them. It would be so much easier to cut out the sewing pattern pieces first and then iron them, wouldn’t it? I’ve tried doing that in the past, but unfortunately, it did not work the way I wanted it to.

As a general rule, you should iron your fabric before cutting out any sewing pattern pieces. This will prevent the fabric from warping out of shape when you iron the pattern piece later, and it will help you cut two identical pieces when cutting through two layers of fabric.

However, as with everything in sewing, there are nuances to this rule. I’d be lying if I said I always iron my fabric, no matter what. For example, many fabrics are wrinkle-resistant and I don’t see a need to iron them. In the end, you’ll need to use your best judgment to decide whether the fabric for your current projects needs a good ironing before you jump in and get started.

Is it okay to iron your fabric after cutting the pattern pieces (instead of before)?

Always iron your lengths of fabric before cutting out the pieces of your pattern. I completely understand the desire to save time by cutting the pieces out first and then ironing them. However, this is going to give you pattern pieces that are skewed in shape and size. The pattern pieces won’t match up correctly, and in the worst cases, they will be completely unusable.

Good sewing is all in the preparation. So even steps like this that seem tedious and unnecessary are quite important to make a professional and high-quality end product that you can be proud of.

Why you should always iron your fabric before cutting

I haven’t convinced you yet? I get it, I was the same way when I first started sewing. Let’s look at the main reasons I’ve found that make pre-ironing your fabric useful. You can decide for yourself whether you think these are worth it for the time it takes to iron so many yards of fabric.

1. Ironing first keeps the pattern shape from warping. This is the main reason I highly recommend ironing your fabric first. So a test if you don’t believe me. Cut your piece out of wrinkled fabric then iron it. Compare that piece to the original pattern. You’ll find that the shape is different, and they don’t match up at all. This can skew your entire pattern, and make your finished garment look awkward.
2. Ironing helps the fabric layers stay together. Ironing fabric can create a little bit of friction that creates a bit of static electricity, keeping the layers of fabric together. It’s not something that works for all types, but if you’re working with slippery synthetic fabric, this small amount can help quite a lot.
3. Ironing first allows you to test iron settings on the fabric. Have you ever created a burn mark or a shiny melted mark on your fabric because you had your iron settings too hot (I have!)? You can take the time to experiment with finding the perfect ironing temperature without worrying about messing up the actual fabric piece. If you do happen to burn or melt a small section, you can simply avoid it when cutting out your pattern pieces.
4. It’s difficult to true the grain with wrinkled fabric. Cutting pattern pieces on the grainline is important for keeping the final garment straight and structured. Sometimes, however, the fabric isn’t straight when it’s cut from the bolt. You always have to check for yourself and adjust the fabric as necessary. This is so much more difficult to do if you’re not working with ironed material.

When is it okay to skip ironing before cutting fabric?

Did I say you should always pre-iron your fabric before cutting out your pattern pieces? Well here’s the secret. I’m a little bit of a hypocrite. I do usually iron my fabric first, but sometimes I get a little bit lazy too. These are some of the scenarios that I’ve decided are not quite worth the extra time it takes to iron all those yards of fabrics before starting on my project:

1. When your fabric is wrinkle-resistant. Some fabrics simply do not wrinkle very easily. For example, synthetic fabrics are much less likely to wrinkle than natural fabrics, and knit fabrics tend to be more wrinkle-resistant than woven fabrics. If you’re looking at your length of fabric and it just doesn’t have a significant amount of wrinkles, I say it’s okay to skip the ironing.
2. When your fabric has a crinkle texture. Sometimes you want your fabric to have a crinkled texture to it. In this case, you want to avoid ironing out those intentional wrinkles and crinkles and should probably not iron the fabric.
3. When you don’t need precise cuts. Sometimes, you’re just making a casual project that doesn’t need to be exact. I don’t think I would ever iron something like a petticoat that uses many flouncing layers of tulle. I’ll also be less exact with things I can correct as I go. Something like a simple pillowcase that uses plain rectangles can easily be trimmed as needed later on.
4. When using stretch fabric. Stretch fabric is kind of tricky because ironing it right before you cut it can stretch out the fabric, causing you to cut it before the fabric has time to relax. The good news is, these fabrics tend to be more wrinkle-resistant and don’t always need to be ironed. If they do have significant wrinkles, consider steaming the fabric instead of ironing it.