A tailor's ham or dressmaker's ham is a tightly stuffed pillow used as a curved mold when pressing curved areas of clothing, such as darts, sleeves, cuffs, collars, or waistlines. Pressing on a curved form allows a garment better to fit body contours. To accommodate tapering or garments of different sizes, it has roughly the shape of a ham.[1][2][3][4]
It is possible to make a tailor's ham using a heavy weight fabric such as cotton canvas; a tailor's ham may be filled with sawdust or pieces of scrap fabric.
- ^ Clayton, Marie (2008). The ultimate A to Z companion to 1,001 needlecraft terms: appliqué, crochet, embroidery, knitting, quilting, sewing. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-37777-9.
- ^ Elissa Meyrich (2002). Sew fast sew easy: all you need to know when you start to sew. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-26909-9.
- ^ Wills, Lydia (2000). Complete Idiot's Guide to Sewing. Indianapolis, Ind: Alpha Books. ISBN 0-02-863891-3.
- ^ Jolynn Gower (2000). Notions: Over 50 Great Gadgets You Can't Live Without. Taunton. ISBN 1-56158-415-0.