Ironing - I can't stand it!

[Fabienne]

Quote:

(Fabienne @ Feb. 16 2005,12:12)
I used to 1) listen to music 2) watch television while ironing. Â Now my husband does a lot of my ironing without my even asking. Â

I iron all my clothes (which I find to be relaxing) and for a while I ironed my wife's as well but finally gave up because I dislike ironing around the darts in women's shirts. Â Ironing men's shirts=relaxing, ironing women's shirts=pain in the a**.[/quote] I do have a few items that are complicated to iron, no doubt. Still, he loves me. On the other hand, I am too afraid to iron his shirts. I exchange for other services.

 

[4Mica]

...

 

[Doctor Crane]

Alright, here's my problem: I actually don't mind ironing shirts but I find the results always horrible. Whenever I put the thing on, it immediately crinkles and wrinkles, especially in the arms and around the stomach where the shirt moves the most and is the most susceptible to creasing. In fact, it seems the starch only serves to help make the creases that develop that much stiffer. However, whenever I send the shirts out to get starched, I can go an entire day without looking like I'm wearing a linen shirt. Certainly I must be doing something wrong. Is it the type of starch I'm using... or how I iron... or a lost cause?

 

[j]

Alright, here's my problem: I actually don't mind ironing shirts but I find the results always horrible. Whenever I put the thing on, it immediately crinkles and wrinkles, especially in the arms and around the stomach where the shirt moves the most and is the most susceptible to creasing. In fact, it seems the starch only serves to help make the creases that develop that much stiffer. However, whenever I send the shirts out to get starched, I can go an entire day without looking like I'm wearing a linen shirt. Certainly I must be doing something wrong. Is it the type of starch I'm using... or how I iron... or a lost cause?

What is your method, Dr.?

 

[Kai]

Don't dry the shirt. Wash it, then iron it while it is damp.

I send out most of my shirts to the cleaners, but my formal shirt I iron myself. Ironing while the shirt is damp makes it much easier.

 

[Doctor Crane]

Normally when I iron my shirts they're bone dry as I've never really seen a need to dampen them on the account of the steam iron I use and the starch as I figured they moisten the shirt enough. Recently, after spraying the shirt with the starch I wait about a minute or so until I start ironing to let the fibers soak everything up, though in the end it doesn't appear to change anything.

 

[j]

Steam iron alone won't do it. You need to either leave them damp or redampen them with a spray bottle, and then roll them up and let the water soak in a bit. Then iron out, I use medium steam. Once you have done a panel, let it sit on the board for a few seconds to "set", then peel off and move on. Using this method you can probably forego the starch.

 

[stache]

If you put the shirt in the dryer make sure that the dryer is not stuffed, and pull out the shirt when it is slightly damp. Even if you can't press it right away, put it on a hanger. This makes pressing out whatever wrinkles are there much easier.

 

[Gatsby]

I feel like I'm definitely part of the anti-ironing crew.. The problem is that perfectionist tendencies cause me to spend almost 20 minutes on one shirt and it'll still never turn out that great. It feels even worse when you wear the shirt and about an hour later you notice all the wrinkles in the sleeves for normal movement... it's just a never-ending cycle of pain. This has led me to buy thicker 'durable' fabrics (Polo oxford shirts are amazingly wrinkle resistant, but blousey..)

That said, my local cleaners are the nicest people, the prices are decent, but the quality is only so-so. I would stop going but they are just so close to my place. If only they hand-pressed...

BTW: Do any quality RTW shirts (Borelli, Barba, T&A, et al.) use non-iron fabrics??

 

[Alexander Kabbaz]

The problem is that perfectionist tendencies cause me to spend almost 20 minutes on one shirt and it'll still never turn out that great.

I'm not surprised. It takes me 27 minutes. Mull that.

 

[Fabienne]

Steam iron alone won't do it. You need to either leave them damp or redampen them with a spray bottle, and then roll them up and let the water soak in a bit. Then iron out, I use medium steam. Once you have done a panel, let it sit on the board for a few seconds to "set", then peel off and move on. Using this method you can probably forego the starch.

Yes.

You can also try this: throroughly dampen a piece of cloth (cotton handkerchief, thin cotton napkin), place it on the garment, and iron over the cloth. This is an old, old method, used before steam irons (my great grandmother had the kind of irons you heat up on a wood/coal burning stove).

 

[mano]

A member called to R.S.V.P. for the Sartorial Excellence event today with a great idea. Net result - I'll be bringing an iron, a spray bottle ... and my laundry ... to the event. Demonstrations will take place every hour on the half-hour. That is, until someone shows up with one of those la-de-dah red wines advertised in the Black Suit thread. No, Chuck. I shall be demonstrating on my laundry, not yours. But nice try.

Alex, Would it be possible to digitally video tape the demonstration for those of us who cannot attend? You can post the video on your website.

 

[android]

I'm not surprised. It takes me 27 minutes. Mull that.

Yeah, but you're making $600/hr while doing it...

 

[Alexander Kabbaz]

(my great grandmother had the kind of irons you heat up on a wood/coal burning stove).

Yeah, exactly. 8 Pounds of beautiful cast iron. Is there something else the rest of you use?

Yeah, but you're making $600/hr while doing it...

No. That was before the recent devaluation of the dollar vs. the euro. We've had to raise our rates since. The water for our irons comes from Switzerland, you know.

 

[imageWIS]

It can take me out to 45 minutes to iron a shirt, and I wear 14.5's. Although, I don't think you will find a better ironed shirt anywhere on Earth. All the pleats on my shirts are ironed for a natural drape, with no ironed lines whatsoever.

Jon.