How about a little “Ironing Trivia” before I begin…
* Did you know that the average housewife irons the equivalent of 215 miles in her lifetime… that’s an average of 1 hour and 14 minutes per week ironing out the family’s wrinkles and equals 2 full days a year.
* 3 p.m. on a Sunday is the favorite time to do the ironing.
* According to a study by Niagra Spray Starch, 46% of men and 34% of women do their ironing in the nude.
* The electric iron was invented in 1882 by Henry W. Seeley, a New York inventor. His iron weighed almost 15 pounds and took a long time to warm up.
* On average – you burn 110 calories during an hour’s ironing.
* A quarter of men still get their mothers to do their ironing.
I go through irons like crazy! They stay on all day long on days when I’m sewing so I guess I just wear them out. I’ve bought the best of the best, the middle of the road and a few yard sale finds. They serve their purpose and then they die. Well, my last one just died, so I had to go iron shopping. It’s become my annual hunt for the one that speaks to me and it would be fun to have all of them at my disposal and really give them a good try. But, alas… I’m not that rich, so I’ll pick one and see how it goes…and then give the next one a try. The one I decided on is a Shark Professional. It was $39.99 at Wal Mart and professes to be the #1 most powerful steam iron.
I have to admit it’s always a little bit fun for me to see what is new from the previous year .
I always buy an iron with a chrome sole plate so when fusible interfacing melts on the bottom I can clean it off with Iron Off.
I like an iron with a strong burst of steam to get all those creases out and it’s got to have an auto shut off in case I accidentally leave without turning it off. I like a water reservoir that opens up all the way so the water is easier to fill in the iron. It says it has an anti-drip feature… which is what went wrong with my last iron. Water would just pour from the iron and puddle all over my ironing board cover, and many times get on my fabric. I’m really hoping this one means it when it says it is anti-drip!
It’s quite a bit bigger than my last Rowenta iron and the sole plate has different steam holes. They are almost like a thumb imprint and look
like they would be easier to clean if something gets stuck on them. The tiny holes sometimes are a pain to clean…
The controls are under the handle but are easy to see. I mostly use the cotton setting which is at the top, so if I accidentally hit the control
selector with my thumb it will most likely be okay. The steam burst and water spray buttons are taller than my Rowenta iron and my thumb has to kind of stretch, so that will take some getting used to.
I gave the iron a good try at ironing out some wrinkles from a hankie…which the wrinkles are generally set in quite firmly when you get one. It steamed out the wrinkles very well, as you can see in the before and after…
…and then I found a scrap piece of fabric in my stash that was pretty creased and wrinkled… it did very well on it too…
It will probably take me a few days to see if I decided on the right iron… hopefully I did! Anyone else out there own this iron? I’d like to know your thoughts before I use it too much. Okay, I’m off to strip naked… just kidding, I mean to iron.
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow that is a big impressive looking iron! I tend to use a travel iron for my dolls clothes because I find a regular iron too big….but I do tend to get through them at a rate of knots. I often drop them onto our hard tiled floors, which really doesn’t help! And like you, when I’m sewing, the iron is on all the time.
And no, I don’t sew in the nude because I’m clumsy enough as it is, regularly burning my arms or fingers….I really don’t want my boobs ironed out too LOL!
I liked how your dolls are reflected in the chrome of the iron, very good!!!
Big hugs, Sharon in Spain x
Sharon,
You are too funny…
Yes, I bet dropping an iron on a tile floor isn’t good for the iron OR the floor!
I need to give it a good test run today and see how I feel about it by the end of the day.
Blessings, Jeanne
Iron in the nude??? Nooooo, although I do most of my ironing in the basement, so who would know?
I have a Rowenta, and love it, but then again, I don’t iron anywhere as much as I did when my children were home, and I was sewing. Now, ironing doll clothes—fun, fun, fun!! Ironing big people stuff, ugh!
Your new iron looks really massive, is it heavy? I cannot for the life of me, understand how people make an outfit and put it up for sale on Ebay or Etsy, or whatever, and do not iron the dang thing!!!
Although I don’t get much enjoyment out of ironing clothes that wind up in the wash all too soon, I do have fond memories of sitting on a chair talking with my grandmother, while she ironed. She told me all about her life as a little girl, and it just made me feel closer to her. How many children today will sit and talk with their grandmothers while she irons? Well, let me put it this way, how many grandmothers spend an afternoon ironing??
Linda,
My second choice was a new Rowenta that I saw, and almost got, but the Shark won out in the end… I guess we’ll see.
It sounds wonderful… you sitting and listening to your grandmother share stories with you as a young girl.
Blessings, Jeanne
Well here’s a Grandma who still irons with her grand daughter playing in the room with her. Sometimes it’s with a movie on OR a kiddy channel on the TV. I do tend to put off my ironing until my (or rather my husbands) options for things to wear are running thin. I am always amazed to hear how few people iron anymore (big people clothes that is.) I am always interested in which iron is good as I seem to always be dissatisfied with the one I am currently using. As Sharon shared, I really liked the reflections in the iron, who knew a photo shoot of an iron could be so artsy!! Good job!
Cindy,
I know for a fact that YOU iron and…iron OFTEN! I do too, mostly for my hubby as well. I’m anxious to give this iron a real run for it’s money and see how I feel at the end of the day.
Love you, Jeanne
Good to know that others have issues with irons…I thought I was just hard on mine or didn’t choose the right one…I now have a T-fal which seems to be working very well for me….But I have noticed in spite of the fact that it shouldn’t drip, it does drip occasionally. My iron is on all day every day but now it’s just for doll clothes, I rarely iron people clothes. However, I have been known to iron PIXEL creations for my granddaughters. Does this mean I am passing along the necessity for irons to the next generation of women?
Trish,
I did see a T-fal iron and debated about it, but opted for the Shark. I have a Shark steamer and it works very well!! I think drippy irons is something that happens to most of them eventually. I did see an Oliso iron at Joann Fabrics and it was $199! Anyone have that one? It must be the Cadillac of irons… for that price it would have to fold and put away the clothes too!!!
Blessings, Jeanne
I too have gone through a slew of irons…good, better, and best, but all seem to last about 6 months, and then start to drip water. My current iron has lasted a lot longer…can’t remember when I bought it, so it must be at least a year or more ago. It’s a Rowenta, the one with the elongated tip, which is great for reaching those small areas on the doll outfits. I never iron “people” clothes anymore!
Kathy,
I guess all seamstresses have the same issues… they don’t last long enough and they all eventually drip water… Okay… so I’ll be looking for irons each year for the rest of my sewing life! Thanks for reading.
Blessings, Jeanne
Love your blog! Some time ago, when I ironed my husband’s work shirts I’d buy a bag of small spicy gum drops, listen to the radio and iron away. No way could I deal with the sugar overload now.
I’ve had a couple of Rowentas. I think they were the WORSE at dripping. I THINK I currently have a Shark, and I’ve had it awhile, and REALLY like the amount of steam.
Don’t think I’ve ever ironed in the nude, but in my undies? Yes frequently, right before I put the clothes I’m ironing on!!! But no worries, it’s just the hubby and me. I’ve also burned my stomach doing it, lol!
Thanks so much for your comments. I’m glad you enjoyed the post for today. Im afraid I don’t iron in the nude either!! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne