Okuzeka
Fashion & Textiles vocabulary · Sewing & Construction

Tailor's ham

Meaning in fashion & textiles, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In fashion & textiles, tailor's ham means: Rounded firm pressing cushion used to shape curved garment areas.

In Turkish: terzi ütü yastığı

How it is used

Used under curved seams and darts; choose an area of the cushion matching the shape being pressed.

Example sentences

  1. She pressed the bust dart over a tailor’s ham to preserve its curve.

    A shaped support avoids forcing a curved area onto a flat surface.

  2. The tailor’s ham supported the sleeve cap while steam shaped the wool.

    The cushion helps retain volume during three-dimensional pressing.

Common collocations

  • press over a tailor’s ham
  • firm tailor’s ham
  • dartA narrow, pointed fold of fabric stitched on the inside of a garment to shape it around curves such as the bust, waist or hips.
  • finishingTreatments given to fabric after weaving, knitting or dyeing to improve its look, feel or performance, such as softening, brushing or anti-shrink processes.

More terms: Sewing & Construction

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: