The 3 Irons Your Craft Room Can't be Without

Rowenta 1725WMAX 

My newest addition to the Creativity Corner, the Rowena 1725WMAX was not only a want, it was a NEED. It replaced my almost 20 year old Black+Decker. And I have to tell you, it should have been replaced 10 years ago! Nothing against the Black+Decker but it was definitely not meant to be a sewist daily bestie. More of an occasional household chore tool, it ironed but never really steamed well. Eventually, after several “falls” from the iron board it didn’t steam at all. Most days it barely got hot. The problem was every time I went to research irons I was put into a serious “sticker-shock” with the price of irons now. $200 plus for an iron? You get the picture why it took me so long to replace it right?

The Rowena 1725WMAX out of the box is a beautiful iron, if prettiness matters to you. The color I got is almost a rose gold and matches my Creativity Corner beautifully. To me this is a PRO because what creative person doesn’t like their tools to coordinate with their decor? 

I did a few searches for best irons for sewist and Rowena was always close to the top of the list, as well as, always listed as one of the most professional for the price. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tool I use every day and spending a nice chunk of change isn’t ideal but if it was necessary to spend $200 I would. But at least from my research and now using the Rowena 1725WMAX for about a month it is everything those who have reviewed it before me have expressed. It gives you the professional, crisp look you want as a sewist, at a reasonable price for the avid hobbyist. 

Cricut Easy Press Mini™

Probably one of the most popular irons on the market and with good reason. Not only is it portable but it’s also extremely HOT on the mark when working with small projects or other crafts that need a little heat attention. The Cricut Easy Press Mini ™ is the iron you didn’t know you needed until you have it. Have a lot of seams you need to iron out while quilting? Easy Press Mini is your answer. Working on a crafty project at a kitchen table or your living room after surgery? (I know this from experience.) This is the iron you need. Want an iron to take with to your next crafting expo? This one takes up no space at all!

If you don’t have one of these little babies, I highly suggest adding it to your wish list or wait to hit the buy button on that fabric and head to the Cricut website to get one of these instead. It may not be an everyday item you use in your crafting, but I promise you’ll use it more than you might think you would.

Right now, Cricut offers the Easy Press Mini™ in two colors. The original Raseberry which is currently on sale, and their new Zen Blue. If matching matters, treat yourself to the color that works best. If not, I suggest saving that extra $20 and putting it towards that fabric I told you to put on hold.

HTVROT Auto Heat Press

The dream iron, that I don’t have but want, and know I have a need for. I currently have a Cricut 12x10 Easy Press™ which works great for adding HTV to one of my favorite makes, Dog Bandana Scrunchies. However, because the Creativity Corner is small I store it away instead of having it out. As I am sure you know, if a tool is packed away you don’t use it. So, on my wish list for 2023 is this HTVROT Auto Heat Press, and to have it out in the open so it stares me in the face to use it. 

What I love about this Heat Press is a few things. 

• It’s compact. If you have a small craft room like I do, having tools that are compact helps you from needing to pack them up.

• It has one setting for pressure and the temp goes up to 410 degrees. This is perfect for my uses, but it may not work for someone who is heavy in sublimation and needs to be able to adjust pressure.

• The auto press feature, which makes me feel like I could do more than one thing at a time, however, I know that is not entirely true. The idea of it makes me feel good.

• It comes in a light blue which means I could matchy matchy. ;-)

I am sure there are cons to the HTVROT but the only one for me right now is the price point. At almost $300 I’m not sure I’m ready to commit but hoping to incorporate more HTV into my projects this year so many by the end of the year it will feel more like a need than a want for the Creativity Corner.

I hope these three reviews of the irons I feel you need to have for your craft room is helpful. Share with me what brand of iron you have? What places has your Cricut Easy Press Mini™ traveled? Do you have a HTVROT Auto Press and how do you like it? I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time. Remember, Crafting is the Healing Part. XOXO - Genavieve