Books by the old Leather Chair

  • Snow In The Summer
  • My Bible
  • The Power of Silence
  • What Comes Next and to Like It
  • Encore Provence
  • A Year in Provence

Friday, May 18, 2018

A Lost Art

Do not believe many iron anymore.
Memories of my mother ironing, she loved to iron and can remember Spring and Fall cleaning and curtains were washed, starched and ironed,  my grandmother would move a small table and pull the ironing board secured in a cabinet out of the wall. and iron.    She would starch and iron my Sunday dresses to
perfection and remember I could hardly sit on the pew in them :)

I starched and ironed my daughter's dresses and loved ironing my son and husbands shirts
Ironed pillow slips feel wonderfully smooth and like this.

There was help when my 4th child was born, but 5 in this home.  I was working and remember
Willie Mae so well, guess the only one who ironed to my satisfaction.

I now  wear blouses over tank tops, old blouses of soft cotton (cannot find them anymore in stores or
Amazon)  a basket full and sometimes just put in dryer for a minute to remove wrinkles.

Have wanted to iron again, iron and board up in storage room and do not feel real secure going up and down the stairs to balcony and into that room.    Recently had my assistant bring board and iron
downstairs into small utility room.   Kind of crowded in there but I can look out the window.

My plan was to iron one item every day, but this morning ironed 4 blouses and 2 pillow cases,
I find this relaxing....
Occasionally have seen my daughter's iron
and wonder if granddaughter's do this ?

On this sunny day this, miss a clothes line

8 comments:

lil red hen said...

I still iron, but not as much as when the girls were at home. I seldom go anywhere to wear a nice shirt and farm clothes don't require much attention; just keep them washed. lol I also hang out the jeans to dry; mine don't need to shrink in the dryer! It's so good to see that you seem to be doing much better!

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

lil red hen, I love to iron
find it relaxing. no dressing up here, just jeans, khaki's but do have some nice
but old blouses "}

Tabor said...

I used to love to iron, but it is hard to set something up and then take it down. My laundry room is way too small and I have no place else to set one up, except the bedroom and I hate the messiness of that. I iron very little, but I do steam things.

Sallysmom said...

I can remember going to sleep at night listening to momma iron.

Wisewebwoman said...

No don't iron anymore but when I sewed everything (and had a full time job too!) I ironed every seam, every hem, I even did French hemming and seaming. I look back and shake my head in disbelief.

I remember linen napkins and tablecloths too. Sent out husband's shirts. Enough!!!

So glad I don't do it anymore, I figure I did enough for 2 lifetimes as it is.

XO
WWW

Nan said...

You are really up and about! Wonderful that you could do something you so enjoy.

Judy said...

I love to iron. Remember ironing those little dresses the girls wore, with the short puff sleeves? No matter how hard I tried, I always managed to iron in a "seam" between the cuff and the shoulder.
Most clothes nowadays don't require ironing. They come out of the dryer looking pretty good. I still iron my dress slacks however, I want that nice, sharp crease down the front and back.

MsGraysea said...

Hello Ernestine....as you, I, too really enjoy ironing, especially having my pillowcases nice and crisp and wrinkle free.
Last Saturday, I was shopping at a small women's boutique in Orleans, on the Outer Cape. They have lovely high quality women's clothing and the shop always looks so pretty and welcoming. That day, an older woman, who really knows her clothing, had an ironing board set up in one side of the shop, and she was pressing all new items. Every rack and display looked so inviting and neat, thanks to her ironing. Myself and several other customers all began a conversation about our love of ironing. NICE, and I thought of you!
There is something so satisfying and peaceful about that process, not to mention, how it reminds me of my mother and my grandmother doing the same thing.
I have a pile awaiting me today as summer begins to arrive here, I pull out my favorite cotton and linen clothing and that always needs the touch of the iron.

Have a lovely day!!
Marcia