Which shape tailors ham is the best?

When choosing your tailors ham you will find that there are a lot of different versions but which shape is best? The wagen hand tailors ham or egg is the most well known. Beside these there are the bean or kidney shaped hams and the body/pear shaped and other shapes on a foot of without a foot. The egg or oval shaped tailors ham is the one most people are familiar with.  Of the brand Wagen or Prym. We sell the Wagen tailors hams and seamrolls, seampress and professional hams. Professional tailors hams are oval shaped like the large oval egg or kidney or bean shaped. The beans are also large hams. The bean and egg are sold in different sizes, small, medium and large.  Than the tailors ham on a foot. These have a wooden foot that stands firmly on the ironing board or a table. Hams on a foot also have different shapes and sizes just like the tailors hams without a foot. 

But which shape of tailors ham is best?

There are a few criteria you can use to make the correct choice.

1. Shape of the tailors ham
2. Size of the tailors ham
3. Choose one with or without foot
4. Space in your sewing room
5. Cork or straw filling in the tailors ham

Shape of the tailors ham

The shape of the ham is important. Some tailors hams are straight and others have a lot of curves. And which shape is the best? Ladies with a larger size often have a bigger bosom and more curves than ladies with a smaller dress size. For plus size fashion we recommend a pear or body shaped tailors ham on a foot. The advantage of this one is the great curves it possesses and the the top of the pear (where the stalk wood be) is narrower than the bottom where you would find the pears crown.   Therefore it’s an allround tailors ham on foot, especially for round seams. Will you use the ham mainly for straight seams, try the straight tailors ham on foot. That one is about 73cm long and 23cm wide. A good go between is the bean or kidney shaped and the oval or egg shaped tailors ham. Where the egg has only outward curves the kidneyshape has inward curves as well. Wether you use that is up to you. Are you not sure? The bean has outward curves as well so that one provides more possibilities.  These two large tailors hams are available with a foot and without a foot.

Size of the tailors ham

Which shape is the best? That depends on what kind of clothing you make and the dress size of these items. If you sew a lot of plus size clothing a larger ham is indispensable. With a small one you have to move the fabric a lot. The more you have to move it, the longer it takes before you are done! Is your dress size smal and do you make a lot of clothing for yourself? Choose a smaller tailors ham.

An example of the different sizes:

You may see the difference in the sizes on the pictures. The smallest is a little pointier than the largest one, it is also rounder. You can compare it with people. The smallest ham is a thin lady with a small dress size and little fat on her bones. The average tailors ham is an average person with an average dress size and the largest bean is the plus size woman…

Should I choose one with or without foot?

The advantage of the ham on a foot are mainly stability. It stand on the surface firmly. It is higher than a normal ham. So please check if it is handy to have the extra height on the ironing board. Most ironing boards are adjustable but let’s be real: you do not want to adjust it every time. What does work is using the table you usually sit behind shen you sew. The height of that table with the ham on it is about the same as the cutting table. (where you stand to cut fabrics)  A tailors ham without a foot has the advantage that you can insert it inside the garment. The hand tailors ham is used in sleeve heads for example. That would not work if it has a foot!

Straw or cork filling in your tailors ham

In every tailors ham there is a kind of straw or grass. In the professional tailors hams there are a number that have a cork layer at the outside just under the linen.   The cork layer prevents moisture build up when using steam for a prolonged period of time. In extreme cases it prevents mold from forming. The cork can more easily regulate the moisture than straw or grass. Do you use the ham infrequently? The straw filled hams are fine. If you use it daily you might want to consider buying one with a cork layer… A very old ham sometimes had pulverised filling, when that happens it is time to replace it. This usually happens when they are really old, like the ham grandpa used when he was a tailor…

In short: which shape of tailors ham is the best? That depends what you do with it, think about it and choose what you think will be best for you.