Ironing Woes...Love the vintage Hate the ironing

[64tonya]

Am I the only one who approaches the ironing board with dread? :eusa_doh: I feel like Dorothy in the wizard of oz when I have to iron, "Pintucks and pleats and circle skirts, Oh My!"

Ladies, Any tips for a less painful ironing experience?

[LelaViavonie]

Amen to that Sista!! lol

Although if I create the fun experience of ironing its not too bad.. I put on my adorable apron... head scarf on... and my favorite record... and off to Ironing Land I go :)

I truly despise it.. but it must be done! So I figure.. why not have alittle fun with it... **blushes** I have been caught a few time dancing with the iron or my clothes to the music.. but dont tell anyone... lol lol lol

[LizzieMaine]

Use a *heavy* iron. It might sound counter-intuitive, but modern lightweight irons are actually more work to use. A vintage heavy iron might seem harder to push around at first but they do a much better job with a lot less repetition.

Mine is a Sunbeam Ironmaster, c. 1935, and it gives me a workout -- it weighs about six pounds -- but I never have to go over and over a piece. It heats up, holds the heat well, and the sheer mass of the thing presses out the wrinkles the first time over. Plus it makes a convenient doorstop when I'm not ironing.

[dhermann1]

When I was a kid my mom and her best friend used to do their ironing while reading to each other. One would read aloud, the other would iron. And they gobbled down Leidrekranz cheese with onions. They got through Dr Zhivago this way in 1958.
Personally, I always used to have Sunday evenings as my shirt ironing night. I'd do several shirts, plus whatever else was needed, while listening to music if the 30's and 40's on The Big Broadcast on WFUV FM. I can now listen to it on WFUV.ORG, still on Sunday nights.

[Weston]

Well, I'm a man, but an old hand at ironing from the Air Force.

1. Powerful, hot and heavy iron is the key. Not just any $10 Chinese jobby is gonna do the trick. Invest in a decent one and you're set. I have my grandmothers Sunbeam with its original box from 1952. That'll do.

2. Rediscover that tiny section of the cleaning aisle – ironing products! Starch can make sure your ironing stays ironed. I don't know if this stuff is found off base, but Sta-Flo works wonders. For best results (ie cardboard wear) buy a cheap spray bottle and a bottle of Sta-Flo. Don't dilute it at all and screw the spray head directly on the bottle. Boom, whatever you iron will darn well stay that way.

But not everyone wants creases they can get a cut from.

[Miss Neecerie]

Use a *heavy* iron. It might sound counter-intuitive, but modern lightweight irons are actually more work to use. A vintage heavy iron might seem harder to push around at first but they do a much better job with a lot less repetition.

Mine is a Sunbeam Ironmaster, c. 1935, and it gives me a workout -- it weighs about six pounds -- but I never have to go over and over a piece. It heats up, holds the heat well, and the sheer mass of the thing presses out the wrinkles the first time over. Plus it makes a convenient doorstop when I'm not ironing.

I second the -heavy- iron helping.

I also have a Sunbeam...late 50's early 60's (gotta love that classy blue/green) that was my moms before me....and once you get the temp right...man does it go.

Metal..none of that silly lightweight teflon coated nonsense for me....

[Lady Day]

I have a 52 sunbeam, but cant use it. I dont have the space for anything but a tabletop ironing board, so I have to use a silly little $10 travel number I picked up from Walgreens.

I dont use any products either, just the steam setting on the iron. Works wonders! :D If you can get a steamer instead of an iron, Id recommend that. Its better for the fabric, and its faster too! But if not, then just steam it with your iron steam setting. Mmmmm steam...

LD

[ShoreRoadLady]

A steamer is something I really, really want. Too useful!

For the time being, I love the steam setting on my iron, and my silk organza press cloths for clothes that need it. Don't forget to use distilled water in your iron. If you don't, you get mineral buildup inside the iron and it'll spit little mineral flakes all over your clothes. Ask me how I know. Which reminds me...I need to clean out the iron with vinegar. Again. :eusa_doh:

[64tonya]

You've got the right idea! :eusa_clap
I'll have to try that next time....and yes..there will always be a next time when it comes to ironing :)

[KittyT]

A heavy iron helps, but I don't agree that it's really that necessary. What IS necessary, however, is having a *quality* iron, not something cheap. A good iron should have a soleplate that heats evenly and will ideally give you powerful bursts of steam.

I have a Rowenta Effective Cord Reel iron. It heats very quickly, gives vertical bursts of steam as well as regular steam, has a retractable cord, and at just under 4 lbs isn't uncomfortable to use at all. It was purchased as a quality sewing iron and is quite possibly the best $70 I've ever spent.

What I do really, really hate about ironing is not having adequate space for a proper ironing board. For now I'm stuck with a stupid table top thing.

[Smuterella]

I know I've mentioned it before but with delicate fabrics it really helps to iron through another piece of cloth, just a cotton hanky will do. It prevents "iron shine" marks

you can buy specialist ironing cloths too

[Paisley]

I steam my clothes. I have a Whirlpool steamer, but it stopped working, so I just put a hot pot with water in it, set the timer I've got it plugged into, and let it steam away the wrinkles. No rust spatters, no ironed-in wrinkles, no wrinkled parts that are too hard to get to.

My mother hated ironing too. How do you think polyester got to be so popular?

[dakotanorth]

I own a $100 iron and a $50 ironing board. They make a difference.
I agree with the people who said a heavy iron helps- steam and pressure are the two factors, so the heavier the iron, the more pressure it creates.
A good _height_ ironing board makes a difference too; hunching over a cheap board puts huge strain on your neck and back.

[Rachael]

a press cloth is essential, as is a seam roll. I can't bear to think of how many skirts and slacks I ruined by pressing them on an ironing board, only to find those shiny stripes alongside the seams.

Or of course one can always chuck em in the dryer with a damp towel.

[Miss Sis]

Ironing most vintage stuff damp helps, I find, as well as a decent iron and a pressing cloth.

I launder almost all my vintage myself apart from coats and suits, and I also do alot of the BF's, so I do more than my fair share of ironing!

[Blondie]

My tip for a more pleasurable ironing experience is....
....pay someone to do it for you ! lol

[Sunny]

Watch something! The last evening I put in ironing I watched a couple episodes of "I Spy." The time before that, it was a whole afternoon (I had new sheets to do) watching Michael Shayne movies. I've been known to dig out other things to iron so I could finish a show.

If not a movie, listen to old radio shows. You don't even have to look up from what you're doing.

I always use the steam setting, but my real standbys are spray starch and water. Spray starch on the shirts and other things, squirt bottle for skirts and things I don't want too stiff. Using the squirt bottle is like regular steam x 3.

[KittyT]

a press cloth is essential, as is a seam roll. I can't bear to think of how many skirts and slacks I ruined by pressing them on an ironing board, only to find those shiny stripes alongside the seams.


well those shiny strips don't indicate ruin. They will eventually go away on their own.

[64tonya]

I steam my clothes. I have a Whirlpool steamer, but it stopped working, so I just put a hot pot with water in it, set the timer I've got it plugged into, and let it steam away the wrinkles. No rust spatters, no ironed-in wrinkles, no wrinkled parts that are too hard to get to.

My mother hated ironing too. How do you think polyester got to be so popular?

Yes, the 70's were a low maintenance era...I've been thinking about a steamer, especially for the delicate items like hat veils. Any recs?

[decodoll]

Jiffy (http://www.jiffysteamer.com/) makes great steamers. They've been doing it since 1940. I have one of their professional ones, but they make hand held steamers too.

[RebeccaMUA]

I too use a steamer. I've tried ironing and I just don't have the knack for it. For now, its good enough for me...I hope my boyfriend doesn't watch me "iron" when we get married...ignorance is bliss, right?? ;)

[miss_elise]

i like ironing... i actually really like the smell of freshly ironed things... i find though it helps to iron in front of something...tv, movie, radio play... whatever you like and get an iron with a steam setting...

love it

[RedHotRidinHood]

I love ironing...yeah, I'm weird. I have an Oreck iron at home that I love, and at work we have a professional Rowenta. But what I love the most is my 1958 Ironrite mangle, Betsy. She's not very energy-efficient but she can do a men's dress shirt in 4 minutes, a tablecloth in about 3. I use her when I have a huge amount to do and I just sit there happily and iron for a few hours and get it all done. It's really relaxing for me!

[celtic]

Do those handheld (like the Jiffy mentioned above) steamers actually work?

I recall years ago owning a $20 personal steamer that looked similar to an iron and it never seemed to work...I don't remember the brand, and I'm guessing that it didn't work because it was a cheapie, but...I've neglected to attmept buying another steamer because of that experience.

I too used to like ironing.

Now it seems that I can't stand it for some reason. :o

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

My tip for a more pleasurable ironing experience is....
....pay someone to do it for you ! lol

Yeah...or don't do it at all. Those wrinkles will probably fall out as you wear the item! lol

[KittyT]

Yeah...or don't do it at all. Those wrinkles will probably fall out as you wear the item! lol

And if you did iron it, the wrinkles will just be back as soon as you put it on :)

[Fleur De Guerre]

My mum loathes ironing and doesn't even own an iron. She has perfected a method of putting shirts in the dryer for exactly the right amount of time to remove creases and then smoothes them on a radiator. Unfortunately I have neither a dryer nor radiators! :eusa_doh:

[KittyT]

I also have some spray-on wrinkle releaser. You spray it on your clothes and just kind of pull the wrinkles out by tugging on the bottom hem. It's not fabulous but works well enough in a jiff.

[Rachael]

But what I love the most is my 1958 Ironrite mangle, Betsy.

all appliances work better if they have proper names ;). I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who does that!

[RedHotRidinHood]

all appliances work better if they have proper names ;). I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who does that!


Oh goodness, I have such a thing for giving inanimate objects names! It's like a thing in my family. I also have a pink 50s Hoover Constellation vacuum named Lulubelle.

Yeah, I'm strange. lol

[Grnidwitch]

RedHot honey, you and I are sisters. I love to iron. It reminds me of my grandmother. She started me off with hankerchiefs and pillow cases. I iron just about everything. And yes, I have a set of sheets that just has to be ironed. And they are so wonderful on the bed. Crisp and nice.

[KittyT]

RedHot honey, you and I are sisters. I love to iron. It reminds me of my grandmother. She started me off with hankerchiefs and pillow cases. I iron just about everything. And yes, I have a set of sheets that just has to be ironed. And they are so wonderful on the bed. Crisp and nice.

When I lived in France, I noticed that they iron pretty much everything. You name it - sheets, towels, jeans, underwear...

[RedHotRidinHood]

RedHot honey, you and I are sisters. I love to iron. It reminds me of my grandmother. She started me off with hankerchiefs and pillow cases. I iron just about everything. And yes, I have a set of sheets that just has to be ironed. And they are so wonderful on the bed. Crisp and nice.

I LOVE ironed sheets! I run my vintage french linen sheets through Betsy and put them on the bed...mmmmmm...feels so good. I iron all my pillowcases, every time. Things just look and feel so much better when properly pressed! I have a steamer too, but you just can't get the fresh look sometimes unless you iron. We have a good steamer at work, though, and rayon and velvet things just perk right back up when we use it.

Nice to know there's another person out there who likes it! ;)

[Mike in Seattle]

I'm another who likes to iron...if the mood's right. And another advocate of using a steamer. I had one of those small, hand-held $20 things you put water & salt in (the salt doesn't go out in the steam - to make the steam, it's basically "electrocuting" the water. That worked OK for a long time...but just so-so / OK.

I went to Target a couple months ago to check them out. They were out of stock on the bigger models (Shark & the other big name one that's been around since the 40's) but they had a smaller Conair on sale. I thought I'd give it a try - if I wasn't happy with it, I'd return it and order one of the others. But it's done a great job. I loaned to to the theatre this summer for South Pacific so the cast could do a little touching-up before heading on stage (but wrinkles and bedraggled looking outfits aren't THAT much a problem with that particular show) and five or six in the cast went out and bought one after seeing how easy it was to use.

I still iron a lot of things, but with the wrinkle-resistant things that sometimes still don't look quite as good as they could, a minute or two with the steamer makes a world of difference.

[Miss Sis]

It's not that I like ironing so much, just that I was bought up to do it.

If my mother came across an unironed t-shirt, teatowel or pillowcase, she'd say something like, 'Oh! An un-ironed ..... (insert whichever word is appropriate here) How SLOVENLY!!!! Disgusting!'

So I just have to do it cause I can hear her in my head, and now, I prefer things ironed too.

Although I draw the line at underwear, unless it's vintage stuff.

[epr25]

I totally agree with this! Use a heavy vintage iron. They are everywhere at thrift shops. Spray Starch is wonderful!


Use a *heavy* iron. It might sound counter-intuitive, but modern lightweight irons are actually more work to use. A vintage heavy iron might seem harder to push around at first but they do a much better job with a lot less repetition.

Mine is a Sunbeam Ironmaster, c. 1935, and it gives me a workout -- it weighs about six pounds -- but I never have to go over and over a piece. It heats up, holds the heat well, and the sheer mass of the thing presses out the wrinkles the first time over. Plus it makes a convenient doorstop when I'm not ironing.

[64tonya]

Jiffy (http://www.jiffysteamer.com/) makes great steamers. They've been doing it since 1940. I have one of their professional ones, but they make hand held steamers too.
Thanks Decodoll, I'll look into that :)

[Warbaby]

I'm going to chime in as another guy who likes to iron (which makes my wife very happy since I do her ironing as well). I find it very relaxing and satisfying - sort of a Zen Ironing thing.

After going through a half-dozen thrift shop irons that were mediocre at best, I found an Avantis 90 from France that is a real joy to work with. Another thing that makes a big difference in ironing is a good ironing board cover. Get the best one you can find - should cost about $25-30 bucks, but it's definitely worth the extra expence.

[Sunny]

We don't have an old iron; we're pretty hard on our modern ones (drop them, accidentally use the wrong water, get ants in them) and just go through them with fair regularity. That's life. But I do like our old ironing board. It's completely wooden except for the necessary metal hardware. It's fairly heavy and incredibly sturdy. It will not rock from side to side, no matter how vigorously I iron; I could scarcely knock it over if I tried. I was appalled the first time I tried to use a modern cheapy aluminum board. It wouldn't stay upright! When I move out, I'm going to scour the antique malls for another good old wooden board.

[Miss Neecerie]

See and I have a built in ironing board circa 1930 or so. The only slightly depressing thing is that it is in the kitchen, so other then loud music, there is little entertainment to be had while standing there.

But it works perfectly, is full sized and means I don't have to figure out where to store an ironing board, since I live in a small bungalow. It even swivels out so that it is in a convenient spot yet does not block any walkways or other cabinets.

If you ever get the joy of having a house with a built in, go for it. Sadly, far too many houses converted them into shallow spice racks. :(

[Sunny]

See and I have a built in ironing board circa 1930 or so. The only slightly depressing thing is that it is in the kitchen, so other then loud music, there is little entertainment to be had while standing there.

But it works perfectly, is full sized and means I don't have to figure out where to store an ironing board, since I live in a small bungalow. It even swivels out so that it is in a convenient spot yet does not block any walkways or other cabinets.

If you ever get the joy of having a house with a built in, go for it. Sadly, far too many houses converted them into shallow spice racks. :(
That sounds awesome! I'd love to see pictures of one. There aren't many houses that age anywhere near me, but a certain clever dad of mine might be able to create one.

[Miss Neecerie]

There are companies that still actually make the cabinets..or a modern version of....


http://ironaway.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=ITEM-A-46

etc...

I will take a picture of mine when I get home.

[Lorena B]

oh yuck! i am glad i am not the only one that hates ironing:p

[Lareesie Ladavi]

oh yuck! i am glad i am not the only one that hates ironing:p
I agree...It's all about the hot dryer, for me. :D

[64tonya]

There are companies that still actually make the cabinets..or a modern version of....


http://ironaway.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=ITEM-A-46

etc...

I will take a picture of mine when I get home.
Oh, I used to live in a cute little bungalow built for the california expo back in the day that had one! I miss that place, it was my favorite domicile :D

[Miss Neecerie]

Ok....as promised, pictures of my built in ironing board. The bungalows were built in 1910, but they modernized the kitchens a tiny bit around the 30's somewhere. My fridge -still- doesn't actually fit in the main kitchen and instead has to go in the service porch like room behind it, where the icebox undoubtedly lived at one point.

Please ignore the stuff in the background. Its my back kitchen (or utility porch) and thats recycling waiting to go to the recycling place.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/neecerie/IMG_0887.jpg
is what the cabinet looks like closed. Its metal and I find it extremely 'fun' that they actually carved out the path of the door opening into the door jamb at the top.


http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/neecerie/IMG_0886.jpg is what the mechanism looks like...the bottom part lowers it down..and the wheel turns it, so that it doesn't hit my other cabinets but instead you rotate it as you lower it so it clears all the obstacles.


http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/neecerie/IMG_0885.jpg

is what it looks like down....

[LelaViavonie]

That is soo cool... Oh I wish I could live in something that was built in those days.. ONE DAY :)

[decodoll]

I have a cabinet ironing board too in the kitchen. House was built in the late 40's. The cover is shredded though, and it's not quite full size. I really need to look and see if I can find a new cover for it.

[Sunny]

Awesome pictures! That is great to see. Thank you!

[Miss Neecerie]

I have a cabinet ironing board too in the kitchen. House was built in the late 40's. The cover is shredded though, and it's not quite full size. I really need to look and see if I can find a new cover for it.


Get a full size cover anyhow...mine is.

You just need to get one of the kind that has actual strings to tighten it and not just elastic....

If you look in the close up picture you can also -just see one edge of what looks like a spring...the wires at the sides are pointy and grab into the fabric of the cover and pull it towards the middle...

I nabbed mine from the old cover.....if yours are still under there, you might well be all set....if not...try using those suspender like clippy things with elastic in the middle that people use for fitted sheets...like http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=308770

to keep the extra surplus cover fabric -under- the board

[decodoll]

Thanks, Miss Neecerie. No springy thing... the original shredded cover is actually nailed to the board on the underside! I think I might have some of those sheet elastic things somewhere. I'll have to try that.

[LizzieMaine]

Ok....as promised, pictures of my built in ironing board. The bungalows were built in 1910, but they modernized the kitchens a tiny bit around the 30's somewhere. My fridge -still- doesn't actually fit in the main kitchen and instead has to go in the service porch like room behind it, where the icebox undoubtedly lived at one point.


I had one exactly like that in the apartment I lived in in Santa Barbara -- *very* convenient. The apartment also had a built-in icebox -- the whole "kitchenette" idea was very popular around the '20s, and they were very clever finding ways to make the best possible use of space.

My current ironing board is a wooden yard-sale find. Cost $15, but it's stable, solid, and indestructible.

[tuppence]

I must be the laziest girl around.
The worst thing about ironing, is hauling the ironing board out. I did have one of those tiny Ikea ironing boards that I used to put across my knees, until the iron fell and got my thigh. Scars mostly gone now though.
My husband adjusted my ironing board so its low enough that I can sit on the couch, watch t.v and do the ironing.

I'm definitely going to get a vintage iron now. I had actually physically picked one up at an antique shop and was shocked by how heavy it was. I thought it would make an excellent door stop. Modern irons don't seem to be working for me, I can see a lot of sense in a heavy iron actually meaning less work.

[Cricket]

Use a *heavy* iron. It might sound counter-intuitive, but modern lightweight irons are actually more work to use. A vintage heavy iron might seem harder to push around at first but they do a much better job with a lot less repetition.

Mine is a Sunbeam Ironmaster, c. 1935, and it gives me a workout -- it weighs about six pounds -- but I never have to go over and over a piece. It heats up, holds the heat well, and the sheer mass of the thing presses out the wrinkles the first time over. Plus it makes a convenient doorstop when I'm not ironing.


Not only are you getting some ironing done, but you are also getting your workout in, killing two birds with one stone.

[Craig Robertson]

I iron nearly every day. I like freshly ironed shirts and slacks, and, if I want them done, I have to do it myself.
In one of Murakami's books, he has a male character who always irons his shirts when he's agitated.
It can be a rather Zen activity. (sometimes, 'cept when I'm late)

[tempestbella42]

I
My husband adjusted my ironing board so its low enough that I can sit on the couch, watch t.v and do the ironing.

.


i actually love ironing vintage( i always use a water spray or starch depending on material/colour!) its the everyday stuff i hate doing!

tuppence.. thats what i do...trouble is it becomes a "occasional table"

i treated myself to a steamer iron as i sew too, and was lucky in findindg a 1940s style...its got a heavy iron by a company called homefront..ill try and find alink but ive had it ovwer a yr and moved twice!:eek:

[Vanessa]

Ok....as promised, pictures of my built in ironing board.

Last night I discovered I could join the "I have a built-in ironing board club" too. :)

We discovered a secret door in my cottage behind the fridge that is, in fact, a built-in ironing board with an electrical outlet and not the breaker box we thought.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/vessangel/IMG_0382.jpg
Door with new matching knob for kitchen

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/vessangel/IMG_0379.jpg
Ironing board folded down w/either an iron rest or a sleeve board.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/vessangel/IMG_0380.jpg
The patent stamp inside the closet. Looks like the company stamp says Eureka...which is about what I said when I found out not only did I have a built-in, but another electrical outlet! (There's a serious lack of those.)

[ScotchWhisky]

I can't recommend steamers highly enough... it's an investment, but not much more than a really good, heavy iron. It makes my life infinitely more enjoyable, especially since I have a lot of silk blouses that suffer awful wrinkles after having been tucked into a skirt and belted for twelve hours...

Also, I never did really learn how to iron darts properly. Men's shirts I can handle, but give me a blouse with darts and I'll give you the blankest expression you ever saw. :o

[64tonya]

Thanks for all the recommendations about steamers. I went out an picked up a conair for 29.99 thinking I would end up returning it, but it is great! I recommend it. I tried it on a rayon dress and the wrinkles just melted away! Some of the heavier pieces are more stubborn, but I'm sure I'll get better at it :)

[Miss Leah]

I like ironing lovely vintage pieces but I am a lazy ironer. Over the years I've learned some tricks. First, cottons and linens benefit from a damp resting period before you go at them with your iron of choice. So I do the washing, then fold the items to sort of coax the wrinkles out (this is so effective with sheets, pillowcases and tablecloths, that I often don't have to iron them at all!). I typically let them rest overnight...but watch out, once I forgot them for a week and had some little mildew spots to contend with. I then pop them in the dryer for a few minutes to get some steam in them and dry just a bit. Then I hang them up on a garment rack I have in the laundry room. The flat sheets are folded in thirds, lengthwise and dry just fine. The next day I just fold them up and voila "faux" ironed linens!

Beautiful linens and cotton shirts deserve the full treatment however. I wash these and let them dry a bit but I then fold up these items and put them in a plastic bag in the freezer. My grandmother used to let them dry all the way and then sprinkle or spray them with water and put them in the refrigerator for a day or so. I learned NOT to do this because of another mildew incident. I guess she had more time to devote to laundry than I do.

When I have some time to spend (usually at least 1/2 hour, but more often 1 + hours), I get out the bag o' linens, turn on my iron (no steam needed), and start ironing. I have a drying rack right next to my ironing board, so as items are done get put on the rack to finish drying. (I hang shirts on the shower curtain rod). Again, time is your friend and will do most of the hard work. The next day, everything is gloriously crisp and ready for the next go round!

Have fun!

[SuperKawaiiMama]

I'm not a huge fan of ironing due to my inherant laziness, but when I'm doing it I rather enjoy the Zen of ironing. Having time with no T.V, no one talking to me, and just letting my mind run away on wild fantasies. (I do usually have a little Ella on the ipod though) I do find that I don't have to iron all that often, maybe 2 hours every fortnight, due to the way I wash. It is most common here in Australia to dry your washing on a washing line in the sun. So I always make sure to hang things correctly, including hanging dresses on hangers on the line. (I take out excess water by rolling them in a towel first) Once I do this, I find that there is little ironing left to do on the garment unless it is highly crushable.
My ironing equipment is all modern, but I do find that the modern iron doesn't always do the best job, which is when I use starch. I just keep the board and all set up in my studio, as it doubles as a cutting table for some of my sewing projects too.

[Odalisque]

Reviving a old thread here but I just had to rave about my new fabric steamer! I am in love with this thing. It's a more industrial model then the Conair steamer and my gosh, does it take care of wrinkles!
Ladies, if you are ironing impaired like myself, invest in one of these babies.

[Foofoogal]

I iron almost every single day. Sometimes when it is raining I will go on an ironing kick and iron away. I iron the linens I sell and honeys clothes mostly.
I don't like wrinkles.
Rowenta, Rowenta, Rowenta.

[sweetarita]

I have to also rave about steamers. I have had one for about 8 years now and hardly EVER iron. Every once in a while I have to do a collar or a certain fabric, but I use my steamer for 98 % of things. I have both a large Conair and one of those mini ones. I use the mini one most often because I keep in in my bathroom and hang in on the hose on the back of the door with the little hanger that comes with it. Whenever I get dressed I just turn it on, steam the dress and go!

It is fabulous and the mini one was pretty cheap. Like under $40.

[sweetarita]

I also wanted to add that one of my favorite things to do is steam 40s rayon or silk. It's like magic.

[Esme]

I didn't read the whole thread, as some of it old and I am lazy today, but I love ironing! It is so relaxing. Immediate gratification.
I agree, a good, hot iron is important, and I do like a heavier one myself whihc also means you need a good steady sturdy ironing board. I use spray starch, when I can find it. When I lived in the US I preferred Niagara, which I have used since I was a girl.
I really love ironing handkerchiefs. Weird, I know.

[Lady Day]

Im saving for this (http://www.reliablecorporation.com/Products/Home-Tables/The-Board-C60).

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h76/shelleymariejo/2009%20content/Picture3-2.png

Ive worked on these Reliable Company ironing boards before in the sewing schools Ive taught and good heavens, they are WORTH the price. Like book shelves they are!
A cheapy ironing board is $30, and they are wobbly and icky. So Ill make due with my little table top jobbie until I can get one of these.

Oh one day, one day...

LD

[Elaina]

Hear, hear, LD! I want one too, for now I'm stuck with one I got from Wal-Mart. My iron's midrange, but man I want a vintage one.

I iron every time I do laundry/go out/sew..so basically daily. I do need to clean my sole plate tho, anyone have any home remedies for this since the chemicals I can find trigger my toxiphobia too bad.

[SayCici]

I used to completely avoid ironing, but then I started sewing and there's no way around it.

My aunt recently gave me a steamer she never used, but I feel like I'm not using it to its full capacity. I thought when I got one I would see miracles performed before my eyes daily, but that hasn't happened. :( It hasn't gotten any wrinkles out for me, do you ladies have any tips on wielding this appliance?

[Lady Day]

I have a vintage iron! But I Cant use it because its too heavy for my table top jobbie! AHHH!!!
Besides, I dont want to spoil it on ANY ironing board. :rolleyes:
Im sure my iron has standards.

LD

[C-dot]

My mother, for some reason, LOVES old irons. Shes got 8 altogether - The oldest one is Colonial New England. My favourite is a tall one you're meant to load hot coal into, probably owned by an early Victorian farmer's wife.

I'll post pictures when I get some, if anyone is interested! :D

[Antje]

I'm actually a little afraid of ironing,
I once burnt a big whole in a skirt I was making,
the sadest thing was that is was soo difficult to make and it was almost finished.
since then I try never to iron, Just ask my mum and for the rest I always try hang it when wet.

[RobbleBobble]

I too, hate ironing on a board, with a hand iron... but I remember having tons of fun using my Grandmother's Ironrite machine. My husband, for my birthday, tracked down an old Ironrite for me - both he and the machine are a dream! My Ironrite is in perfect condition, all the various heat settings and the knee controls work, and I can iron every textile and piece of clothing in the house while comfortably sitting down! This machine is amazing - I wonder why they stopped making such wonderful things?

[LizzieMaine]

Hear, hear -- I recently pulled my old Monkey-Ward ironer out of the garage and got it working again, and I'd forgotten how much I missed it. There is no pleasure on earth like sleeping on crisply ironed muslin sheets.

[Drappa]

^ Ha ha, my grandmother had one and it was massive. It took up the entire kitchen and she ironed everything on that thing, including underwear (you know, in case one of us got hit by a car and had to go to hospital and they happened to see your unironed underpants!).

Our house is iron central, we do it a few days a week or sometimes every day. My husband has to iron his military uniforms for work and really get his creases right, and he likes creases on the sleeves in his every day shirts as well. I also quilt, so need to iron seams all along and that is truly time-consuming. All in all I find it quite peaceful as well, but it takes a while to get the motivation to actually do it.

[BettyMaraschino]

I guess I'm quite lucky as my man is in the TA, so he is a whizz at ironing. I love doing ironing too though. A good solid iron and music in the background and I'm set :D
All my friends and family thing I'm nuts because I even iron the sheets and my PJs. The only thing better than ironing parts of my sewing as I go along is finally finishing :)

I do admit it takes some motivation to iron but once I get going thats it!

[1961MJS]

Hi

The key to doing something unpleasant or boring is to do something with it. I watch old movies while I iron my pants, they're all cotton so I don't burn them.

later

[Miss Golightly]

I'm giving this dress to my Mum to iron as she's brilliant at it (me, not so much) - her ironing board is 50 years old and still going strong - she has this mini board that you use for sleeves etc. so I'm hoping she can put the correct creases back into the bust of this dress (two dry cleaners couldn't do it) as one side looks particularly weird - like someone got fed up after doing the first side of it and then gave up:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/Hollyg2004/PinkDress.jpg

[Miss sofia]

Hooray for Mums that can iron! These days I always save a nice pile of ironing for when my Mum comes to visit. I get told off for having ironing to be done, but secretly I know she enjoys doing it and would be miffed if there wasn't any!

I have an ironing pile the size of Everest at the moment - so busy. When i do iron i even iron teatowels and socks, i love doing it, i find it rather therapeutic.

I have a friend who never irons, yet always looks like she has stepped out of tissue paper. How does she do that? It's one of the unexplained mysteries of the world to me.