Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Character building of a different sort. . .

If you’re ever to get serious about your sewing, you’re going to get serious about using one of these:

ironing blog

It’s a little known fact that I really enjoy ironing. . . now. When I first started out as a young bride, I burned the heck out of my hand ironing one of my new husbands’ shirts. ‘Cause that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? 17 years later (!!! where does the time go?) I’d have to give that young lady some better advice- practice on the sheets first! I then went a decade without ironing as much as I possibly could- you know the tricks; take everything out the second the dryer is done; shake things really hard to get those wrinkles out; use that little can of compressed junk (which never worked!) and fold those collars down when still damp to get a crease into them. I am laughing so hard at myself right now remembering all this. Just iron it silly! The most important thing to know about ironing is to just keep your free hand off the board!

When I started sewing quilts, my husband suggested I buy a new sewing machine (he’s a keeper, that one. Cooee!), which then precipitated getting an ironing board. Which is where my whole love of ironing began. Having the right tool for the job is such an important step in making a practical job a joy. I’ll spend a full day or two prepping fabric for any project I begin, washing and ironing everything I’m going to be using. Sometimes it’s a pain, especially when I’m just faffing about. But when I take the time to wash out that stuffy fabric (ever tried ironing musty smelling clothes? All the lavender water in the world won’t help!) and then iron it all out smooth, taking the wrinkles out and straightening up the fabric, my projects just turn out nicer. And because I’ve spent all that time prepping the fabric, I tend to take more time with the project, doing it right, which makes it turn out that much better in the end.

Hey you Faeries! That’s a fabric bin, not a playhouse!

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