tailor's ham

A tailor's ham is a densely packed fabric pillow, roughly ham-shaped, used as an anvil when pressing curved seams and edges on garments. Unlike a flat pressing surface, its three-dimensional contours support the natural curves of armholes, sleeve caps, princess seams, and hip areas without flattening them. The garment section sits over the curved surface while steam and a hot iron press from above, allowing you to hold shape through the fabric rather than obliterating it.

The traditional tailor's ham measures about 7 to 9 inches long, 4 to 5 inches wide, and weighs 2 to 3 pounds when properly stuffed. The interior fill is typically a mixture of sawdust and sand, packed tightly so the whole form stays rigid under heat and pressure. The outer cover is normally made from heavyweight cotton or linen; many professional versions feature a blue cotton cover on one side and a wool cover on the other, since wool tolerates higher temperatures and won't show shine marks from the iron. The wool side is used for final pressing of finished fabrics, while the cotton side handles intermediate work.

The name comes directly from its shape: it resembles a ham shank in cross-section, bulbous at one end and tapering at the other. A working tailor or alteration shop will keep multiple hams on the pressing table because different garment sections call for different curve radii. A tight armhole needs a ham with sharper curvature; a gentle hip curve needs a gentler swell.

Core uses and limitations

Pressing a sleeve cap properly demands a ham. Setting a sleeve cap flat with a standard pressing board creates a crease across the crown and kills the structured height needed for a quality jacket. The ham holds the fabric in its relaxed curve, allowing steam to set the fibers while the iron holds the shape. Similarly, pressing a dart into a curved seam (such as a princess seam on a fitted bodice) requires the ham to support the underside of the curve; without it, you flatten the garment or create an unwanted hard crease. The technique involves rotating the garment as you work, pressing the seam from inside the curve first, then outside, rather than doing it flat.

A damaged ham loses its rigidity and becomes useless. If the fill settles unevenly, spills out, or the cover tears and allows moisture in, the whole block becomes soft and warped. Professional pressers expect to replace a ham after two to five years of daily use. Home sewers and tailors may not need to replace them for a decade if they press infrequently. Keeping a ham in a cool, dry place away from direct heat when not in use extends its life; storing it damp or against a hot radiator will cause the fill to absorb moisture and the cover to warp.