A Tale of Irons

Let's go waaaaaayyy back, back to my college years.  In fact, let's go to leaving for college, when my mother and I went to FedCo in California, and we bought a simple gold colored iron, no steam.  I used that iron all through college.  Then I finished college, went back for a master's and met my husband.  The iron went with me.  Fast forward to seven children, 38 years of marriage, and 21 places we have lived in.  I just checked the brand on this gold iron - Proctor-Silex "Starflite"!

The iron stayed with me, although it did get dropped and a little piece of plastic broke off, it still worked fine.  I did notice that it seemed to catch the fabric now and then, crinkling my just-ironed item, so I decided to buy a new one.  I went for the cheapo iron, as it was light enough to not bother my wrist.  It lasted about 3 months, then began to overheat.  Out to the recycling bin it went, and I brought the gold iron back in from the garage.

One day I visited a friend, and she asked me to do some ironing for her.  She showed me her iron, and I thought it was pretty smart to have the cord wind into the base of the iron.  Then I ironed with it for an hour, and I decided I would NEVER have a cord winder in the base of the iron, as it adds extra weight to it.  My arm felt like it was going to fall off.

One day I stopped by Goodwill and found a Proctor-Silex travel iron with a long cord on it.  It has been the nicest little iron.  When I want to iron my patchwork seams, it is just heavy enough to flatten the seams, but not so heavy that it wears out my wrist.

I still have the gold iron my mother bought for me.  I just checked the brand on this gold iron - Proctor-Silex "Starflite"!  No steam (I don't like steam, always sputtering and popping and needing distilled water refills), and if I am careful it doesn't crinkle the fabric.  And with the travel iron, I have the option of steam and the pleasure of a small lightweight iron.

Now, you might wonder what I iron on.  I usually put down a heavy towel on my laminate kitchen table and iron right there amidst my scraps.  I'll even iron my husband's shirts on that towel.  I've taught my children how to iron on a laminate tabletop as well.  I do have an ironing board, but it rocks a bit and takes a little effort to set up.

Recently I scored an old fashioned ironing board like my mother's, the kind that has an electrical plug built in to it and a heavy wire that stands up and holds onto the ironing cord while you iron so it doesn't drag along the fabric.  I really like it.  It had been put out in the yard when friends of a friend were evicted from their home, and I helped rescue some of the items.  I get out this ironing board when I need to iron larger, more complicated pieces of fabric.

Just today I bought a new blouse that was rather wrinkled in spots, so I got out my tiny sleeve size ironing board and used it.  I think I have got all the ironing supplies I need now, even a pressing cloth.  Ironing is not one of my favorite things to do, and I am grateful for clothing that has enough polyester in it that it doesn't wrinkle much.

Irons can be complicated.