The owner is going ashore in forty minutes and wants the navy linen jacket, a white poplin shirt and grey wool trousers. Three garments, three different heat settings, two different techniques, and one iron. Get the order and the temperature wrong and you will be explaining a shiny sleeve to a very unhappy principal.
Ironing versus pressing versus steaming
- Ironing — the soleplate glides across the fabric. Good for flat woven cotton and linen.
- Pressing — the iron is lifted, placed, held, and lifted again. No sliding. This is what you do on wool, tailoring and anything that can stretch or shine.
- Steaming — no contact at all; steam relaxes the fibres while the garment hangs. The default for silk, knitwear, embellished pieces and structured jackets.
Temperature matrix
| Fibre | Dot setting | Approx. soleplate temp | Steam | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linen | 3 dots | 200-230 C | Heavy steam, damp | Iron damp; both sides; can iron on the face |
| Cotton | 3 dots | 180-210 C | Steam | Iron slightly damp; face-side for a crisp finish |
| Viscose / rayon | 2 dots | 140-150 C | Light | Reverse side, dry-ish — water spots it |
| Wool / cashmere | 2 dots | 140-160 C | Steam through a pressing cloth | Press, do not glide. Shines instantly if you slide |
| Silk | 1-2 dots | 110-140 C | Dry, no steam | Reverse side, slightly damp cloth. Water drops leave rings |
| Polyester / nylon | 1-2 dots | 110-150 C | Light | Reverse side. Too hot = melt and glaze, irreversible |
| Acetate / elastane blends | 1 dot | 100-110 C | None | Reverse; acetate melts very easily |
| Velvet / pile / sequins | — | — | Vertical steam only | Never put an iron on the face |
The pressing cloth — a clean piece of white cotton, muslin or silk organza — goes between the soleplate and the garment on wool, silk, dark colours and anything with a nap. It prevents shine (crushed, polished fibre surface) and scorch. Shine on a dark wool jacket is fibre damage, not dirt; it cannot be washed out.
Rule: always work up in temperature, never down. Start with the coolest garment in the batch and let the iron climb.
Order of work
Shirt: collar (reverse, then face) → cuffs (reverse, then face) → sleeves → yoke/back → the two front panels, buttons last. Hang immediately on a shaped hanger; do not fold it hot.
Trousers: pockets and waistband first → inside out on the seams → right side out, align the two legs by the inside seams → press the crease from hem to crotch with a cloth → hang from the cuffs.
Jacket: steam, do not iron. Sleeves over a sleeve board or roll, shoulders over a tailors ham, lapels rolled — never pressed flat. Never press the roll line of a lapel out of a bespoke jacket.
Knitwear — blocking: lay damp, reshape to its measured dimensions, pin or ease to shape, hover the steam above it, dry flat. Never press a rib flat.
Onboard Notes
- The soleplate is a hazard to everything you own. Wipe it, and descale the iron with RO/distilled water only; marina water will scale a boiler in weeks and then spit brown water onto white shirts.
- Let hot garments cool on the hanger before they go into the wardrobe. Warm fabric hung and closed in creases as it cools.
- Test the iron on a scrap or a hidden hem after every temperature change. One second on a silk hem is cheaper than one second on a silk lapel.
- Never leave a hot iron face-down or unattended.