Ironing Curves

I used to do a lot of tailoring and had wonderful equipment to help in the process, but over the years, I changed course and gradually got rid of everything. One of the things was a tailors ham. It resembles a stuffed oblong ball and great for ironing curves. You know Murphy's Law - the minute you toss something, you need it. Well, I could have used a tailors ham today. I was ironing the bodice on my daughter's gown and didn't want to wreck the silk or put unnecessary wrinkles in it - so here's what I came up with. I found a styrofoam ball in my closet - about 5" in diameter.
I cut off the bottom so it would sit flat on my ironing board.

I then covered it with batting (you can also use flannel or felt) - all will stick to the styrofoam. I laid it over the top and molded it to the ball with my hand.

And then placed the curve to be ironed, over it.

Before ironing, I covered the silk bodice with a press cloth of silk organza, sheer enough for heat to penetrate and also the same heat tolerance as the fabric underneath.

Worked like a charm and a beautiful pressing job, I'm patting myself on the back for this one.