RE: [h-cost] Ironing: Revisited
I have an interesting cookbook, Notes from a Country Kitchen, which has a nice photo of an old dairy with a marble slab with a 4 wide channel around it. Water was piped in to run around the slab, which kept it cool. You put prepared desserts, junkets, syllabubs, etc. on it to keep them cool. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Penny Ladnier Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2007 12:43 AM To: h-costume Subject: [h-cost] Ironing: Revisited I talked with my Aunt Susie last night about ironing and keeping cotton and linen cool before ironing. She was born in 1922. I love my sweet aunt... she is very intelligent and her memory as clear as a bell. I first asked about when they had electricity in her home. I think this is important factor after watching another Modern Marvels titled Wired. I learned from the show how some rural areas of the U.S. did not have electricity until 1949, especially the south. Five homes had to be located witin a given radius to have electric lines drawn to them. My aunt grew up in Hendersonville, North Carolina in a rural area near a major highway. So her family's home was wired earlier because of the highway, between 1928-1930. BUT she said this not the norm for the area. Some of the farms in her county were not wired until the late 1940s. She remembers an icebox in the house until 1934. She remembers this because it was a big deal to have an electric refrigerator. When she said this, I remembered what a big deal in my family growing up was to have color TV, and when I got married the milestones of having cable TV, microwave, a computer, and internet. While listening to her, I thought how spoiled we are! Back to Aunt Susie... she said that they washed clothes on scrub-boards generally in the creek until they bought an electric washing machine with a ringer. The washer was kept on the back porch. By the way she talked this event occurred when she was a teenager. If someone was sick, her mother had a large cast-iron pot in the yard to boil water and wash the clothes. IRONING: They had a large cast-iron stove until she moved out after WW2. The iron was placed on the stove to heat. This was used until she moved away from home. If there was clothing to be ironed and there wasn't enough time to do it, the wet clothing was rolled up, and placed in a spring box or milk box in the creek. This same reason given, as we previously discussed, to decrease mildew. The clothing was not to go into the frig or icebox. The spring box / milk box was a new term! I love interviewing older people to learn from their past! What is a spring box / milk box? It is was a large cement box in a spring to catch water in a creek / spring / river. Products that would spoil easily such as milk, eggs, and butter were but into a spring box to keep them cool. My aunt said their creek's water was cold year round. She also commented that they cooled watermelons in the spring box. The spring box was large. The part that faced the creek's downsteam flow had a grate to let the water into the box. The opposing end of the box had a pipe that allowed water to flow out. From this point the water was piped up to their home. The spring box's pipe had a flywheel that so good that it pumped water up to the third story in my aunt's home. In the shallow end of the spring box the water was generally 4 deep and the deeper end 8. The butter was kept in the shallow end and the milk in the deep end. She stated that her family survived the Depression by selling milk, eggs, and butter to the locals. My aunt said there was a teacher in Georgia who sent her students on assignment to record the old ways of doing things from the elders in the area. These were published in a series named Foxfire. My aunt owned two volumes of Foxfire but Hurricane Katrina took them, along with the rest of her home. Aunt Susie said the series were all kinds of recipes and methods of how to do all sorts of things. Penny Ladnier, Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com www.costumelibrary.com www.costumeclassroom.com www.costumeencyclopedia.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Ironing: Revisited
By the way she talked this event occurred when she was a teenager. If someone was sick, her mother had a large cast-iron pot in the yard to boil water and wash the clothes. from home. If there was clothing to be ironed and there wasn't enough time to do it, the wet clothing was rolled up, and placed in a spring box or milk box in the creek. My earliest real job (like not delivering papers) was in an industrial laundry. We rarely started a load late afternoon to avoid having wet clothing overnight - - we would at most load machines and leave them dry for a quick start the next day. If a load was started late, it would be washed and spun but left in the spin drier (a thing about the size of a Volkswagon) with the lid sealed for what looks like a similar reason to keeping washing in the spring box. Shows how the technology changes, not the action. I remember from when I was a kid (not THAT long ago) we had a copper, a copper tub in an iron frame for boiling clothes. I vaguley remember it being used to boil jeans. I wish I had one now instead of the welded galvanised iron rubbish bin (trash can) I lug up onto my stove for large dye jobs. I do have one of the old stove-top irons, it makes a great doorstop; and a bronze iron stand which is an ornate frame the size of a sheet of writing paper -- I use for (you guessed it) my ironing, -C. This email was sent from Netspace Webmail: http://www.netspace.net.au ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Ironing: Revisited
Thanks for this fascinating post, Penny! By the way, the Foxfire Books are wonderful, and well known in some circles (e.g., folklorists, cultural anthropologists, conservationists, craftspeople, and former Hippies!). I believe you can still get them all, and new volumes are still being developed. Go to the source: http://www.foxfire.org/prodFFbooks.html --Ruth Anne Baumgartner scholar gypsy and amateur costumer On Sep 29, 2007, at 3:43 AM, Penny Ladnier wrote: I talked with my Aunt Susie last night about ironing and keeping cotton and linen cool before ironing. She was born in 1922. I love my sweet aunt... she is very intelligent and her memory as clear as a bell. snip My aunt said there was a teacher in Georgia who sent her students on assignment to record the old ways of doing things from the elders in the area. These were published in a series named Foxfire. My aunt owned two volumes of Foxfire but Hurricane Katrina took them, along with the rest of her home. Aunt Susie said the series were all kinds of recipes and methods of how to do all sorts of things. Penny Ladnier, Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com www.costumelibrary.com www.costumeclassroom.com www.costumeencyclopedia.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Ironing: Revisited
--- Ruth Anne Baumgartner [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: By the way, the Foxfire Books are wonderful, and well known in some circles (e.g., folklorists, cultural anthropologists, conservationists, craftspeople, and former Hippies!). I believe you can still get them all, and new volumes are still being developed. Go to the source: http://www.foxfire.org/prodFFbooks.html --Ruth Anne Baumgartner I ran into the Foxfire Books some fifteen years ago, and was quite impressed at their quality. And this was in some Northeast US library, not a specialist bookstore or anything. :) Ann in CT Got a little couch potato? Check out fun summer activities for kids. http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=oni_on_mailp=summer+activities+for+kidscs=bz ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Ironing: Revisited
We too did not get electricty until 1949...the year my brother was born.(NH) Much of what you have described was my own experience...except the 'spring box'. I did not get to wear a fresh dress every day until I was able to iron them myself. Pressing cloths and the sprinkling bottle were old familiars. The trick in warm weather was to get to the prepared ironing pile before mildew set in...then one would need to practice all the old remedies to treat it. In the early '50s we set our full skirts with sugar water as stiffner (or potato or pasta water). When we got 'wired', mother got a wringer washer and we had to learn how to deal with fancy plastic buttons that were regularly killed if we didn't fold them in carefully before they slipped between the rollers. Kathleen Original Message - From: Penny Ladnier [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: h-costume [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2007 3:43 AM Subject: [h-cost] Ironing: Revisited I talked with my Aunt Susie last night about ironing and keeping cotton and linen cool before ironing. She was born in 1922. I love my sweet aunt... she is very intelligent and her memory as clear as a bell. I first asked about when they had electricity in her home. I think this is important factor after watching another Modern Marvels titled Wired. I learned from the show how some rural areas of the U.S. did not have electricity until 1949, especially the south. Five homes had to be located witin a given radius to have electric lines drawn to them. My aunt grew up in Hendersonville, North Carolina in a rural area near a major highway. So her family's home was wired earlier because of the highway, between 1928-1930. BUT she said this not the norm for the area. Some of the farms in her county were not wired until the late 1940s. She remembers an icebox in the house until 1934. She remembers this because it was a big deal to have an electric refrigerator. When she said this, I remembered what a big deal in my family growing up was to have color TV, and when I got married the milestones of having cable TV, microwave, a computer, and internet. While listening to her, I thought how spoiled we are! Back to Aunt Susie... she said that they washed clothes on scrub-boards generally in the creek until they bought an electric washing machine with a ringer. The washer was kept on the back porch. By the way she talked this event occurred when she was a teenager. If someone was sick, her mother had a large cast-iron pot in the yard to boil water and wash the clothes. IRONING: They had a large cast-iron stove until she moved out after WW2. The iron was placed on the stove to heat. This was used until she moved away from home. If there was clothing to be ironed and there wasn't enough time to do it, the wet clothing was rolled up, and placed in a spring box or milk box in the creek. This same reason given, as we previously discussed, to decrease mildew. The clothing was not to go into the frig or icebox. The spring box / milk box was a new term! I love interviewing older people to learn from their past! What is a spring box / milk box? It is was a large cement box in a spring to catch water in a creek / spring / river. Products that would spoil easily such as milk, eggs, and butter were but into a spring box to keep them cool. My aunt said their creek's water was cold year round. She also commented that they cooled watermelons in the spring box. The spring box was large. The part that faced the creek's downsteam flow had a grate to let the water into the box. The opposing end of the box had a pipe that allowed water to flow out. From this point the water was piped up to their home. The spring box's pipe had a flywheel that so good that it pumped water up to the third story in my aunt's home. In the shallow end of the spring box the water was generally 4 deep and the deeper end 8. The butter was kept in the shallow end and the milk in the deep end. She stated that her family survived the Depression by selling milk, eggs, and butter to the locals. My aunt said there was a teacher in Georgia who sent her students on assignment to record the old ways of doing things from the elders in the area. These were published in a series named Foxfire. My aunt owned two volumes of Foxfire but Hurricane Katrina took them, along with the rest of her home. Aunt Susie said the series were all kinds of recipes and methods of how to do all sorts of things. Penny Ladnier, Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com www.costumelibrary.com www.costumeclassroom.com www.costumeencyclopedia.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Ironing Cold Cotton/Linen
After all these interesting tales of historical laundering, I asked my mother what she remembers. She was born in 1937; he father was an executive at the paper mill in Old Town, Maine. She wrote: My mother had a hired girl/woman who did all the personal stuff by hand and then ironed the next day. Sheets, towels, my father's white shirts, and dry cleaning were sent out to the local laundry/cleaners who picked up and delivered. The laundry did the starching on the shirts, plus the girl (or sometimes a woman) did hand starching as needed. My mother taught us how to iron properly, although we didn't have to do it often. One had to be very careful of iron temperature if clothes had starch - it's easy to 'caramelize' the starch and then you have to start all over! Not to mention getting distracted and letting the iron sit too long in one spot. Linen, to be ironed correctly was supposed to be uniformly damp (but not wet!) . One did the seams first to start them drying out and then likely touched them up again once the smooth, single-layer fabric had been done. cv ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Ironing Cold Cotton/Linen
I remember my mother told me, that when she was a child, she always had to wear fine clothes on sundays. And she hated this because the sunday clothes were starched and they scratched her skin. My mother was born in 1917. Bjarne - Original Message - From: Penny Ladnier [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: h-costume [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 7:09 AM Subject: [h-cost] Ironing Cold Cotton/Linen I spoke to my mom about the lists' recent discussion about cooling linen/cotton before ironing. My mom was born in 1934 and came from the timber area of south-central Alabama. The depression was really hard for people in this area. Poverty is still high in this area and timber is still the principal economy. Mom's family did not have an icebox until after WW2. Her mother and grandmother washed cotton in the manner described below. Her mother didn't own linen because it was expensive. Her grandmother may have had linen because her family was middle class. 1. They washed their clothing on a washboard and dried it on a clothesline. 2. Prior to ironing, a large pot was with boiling water was on the stove. A box of Argo starch was emptied into the water. The starch bath was after the clothes were line-dried. 3. Everything cotton was ironed except the sheets. The clothes to be ironed were dipped into the starch potted and wrung out before they cooled. 4. The items was laid flat and rolled into a sausage shape. 5. Depending on the weather, the items were placed into a tub in the cold creek's water or in the bucket for the well. The well was like one you would think of in the 19th Century...non-electric. 6. My grandmother's iron was made of iron and was put on top of the wood-burning stove to get hot. 7. They ironed the items and if it had dried out what so ever, they sprinkled the fabric with water. 8. Her mother was very picky about her iron. IF mom or her sisters got a spot of starch on the iron or clothes, she made them do the whole wash over again. Starching heavily served two purposes: 1. Mom stated that previously to WnW fabric, cotton wrinkled very badly and ironing it wet with the starch kept the wrinkles out. 2. Fabric that was heavily starched repelled dirt. Mom said that until Wash-n-Wear (WnW) fabric was affordable in the 1960s, that she starched all our family's clothing with Argo starch baths. My mom said she washed and ironed daily. We had 10 people living at home in the early 1960s. I guess I could interview my older sister about this. I am 15 years younger than her and there are three brothers in-between us. In our home, the females took care of the housework. The opposite of my present day family...my chore is the laundry. My mom had 13 siblings, but she said, they didn't own as many clothes as people have today. Penny Ladnier, Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com www.costumelibrary.com www.costumeclassroom.com www.costumeencyclopedia.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] ironing washed linen--warning
My grandmother did the dampen and chill method for ironing the cotton muslin curtains in our house. She made them for every room, including the mile-a-minute crochet lace to go on them. After she got too old to do it, my mother took up the tradition. Me, I barely have curtains at all, and the ones I do are not the ironing kind. I always thought they did it because they couldn't get to the whole stack of curtains at once, so putting them in the refrigerator kept any chance of mildewing from happening. (We didn't have AC at that time) That, and having the fabric uniformly damp was faster and easier than refilling the water reservoir on the iron all the time. Just now, I found this on the web- begin This is quoted from the book Laundry by Robert Doyle- he founded the wardrobe dept of a live theater and also was one of the first instructors at Costume Studies at Dalhousie University. He gives the reason for chilling the fabrics. after drying, garments to be ironed are best sprinkled with warm water to dampen them thoroughly, then each garment rolled up into a tight ball, placing each into a plastic bag and into the refrigerator for a couple of hours so that the items are thoroughly dampened and chilled. then with a dry iron, set at the cotton setting, proceed to iron out the wrinkles ... the dampened and chilled garments will iron more efficiently since the iron glides effortlessly over the chilled fabric. He also writes that heavier irons work better than lightweight ones and that a dry iron with a mist bottle works better than a steam iron. This is on cotton and linen fabrics. end So, still no date or ah ha moment, but one can deduce that the practice must have started sometime after refrigerators became common household appliances. It would not have been mentioned in a book in 1894 because people were still using actual ice boxes at that time, which really weren't big enough to toss in sheets and such! At least that's my theory, YMMV. :D (Interesting info on the history of refrigerators, here: http://www.history.com/exhibits/modern/fridge.html) ::Linda:: -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Penny Ladnier Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2007 1:20 AM I am wondering where the cooling the linen before ironing originated. Some of you mentioned that your mothers taught you to do this. It makes me wonder if this method was something that was passed down through the generations. I checked in my 1894 Cole's Dictionary of Dry Goods and cooling the linen is not mentioned. Penny Ladnier, ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linen and misc.
Thank you Linda for the Robert Doyle source. I don't think my mother had a frig when she was growing up. Her mother was very old-fashioned, so I am curious for her response. My mother visits us for two months every year. Last year, she taught me how to starch the 1950s petticoats and dollies. Oh, how I hated wearing those scratchy petticoats when I was little. But the starching dollies stiff really works! Mom said that the dollies with special designs like ripples will stand up for six months. And the ones we starched did. She said during the six months when they get dusty just pick them up and shake them. I did this and they keep their form! I also liked the frig history webpage you recommended. Thank goodness for the frost-free frig! Boy, I hated to defrost the frig and freezer when I was a kid! It was my chore. This is way off topic but it deals with the ice... I am hooked on the Modern Marvels show this summer. This week one episode was about the history of tea. It was really interesting. They quoted that the U.S. is the only country that drinks tea with ice. Why is the U.S. the only one? Who came up with the idea of drinking tea with ice? Our family has been discussing this all week. We are serious ice tea drinkers. My last trip to England, I visited some of my costumer friends. I was dying for ice tea. I asked them if I could make some. I wish I had a video camera for their reaction while watching my son and me drink a half gallon of ice in a few hours. They just thought that we were destroying the art of drinking tea. My husband declares the Mason/Dixon line is in Fredericksburg, VA. He is a real Southern Gent and needs to have his sweet ice tea with lunch and dinner. When we travel to DC, the last place he can get sweet tea is Fredericksburg. And we hear him gripe if we eat a meal in DC because of the unsweet tea. I kept waiting in the Modern Marvel show for them to discuss the ice tea history. But they never did. Penny Ladnier, Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com www.costumelibrary.com www.costumeclassroom.com www.costumeencyclopedia.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Ironing (Was Linen Shir)t
I wonder if this cooling method comes from mothers who put out their laundry on the clothesline in the winter and the fabric froze. I had not experienced the freezing laundering syndrome until we moved to Illinois. My son's cloth diapers froze stiff on the clothesline. From all my years of living in the Deep South, I had not experienced frozen laundry until then. We didn't have a clothes dryer in our apartment and I had to iron his diapers. At the time, we were snowed in for a week. A friend of mine grew up in Nebraska. She told me that her grandmother ironed everything year round. I recall my mother ironing sheets and pillowcases. I do have a couple of question about ironing. 1. I had mentioned previously on this list that there is a correct way to iron. Can someone point me to a webpage that shows the correct way to iron? I put my dress in the freezer for the night. If ironing wet linen causes it to stretch, is there a particular way to iron it to decrease the amount of stretch? 2. I had some 100% white cotton Priscilla curtains that I need to iron. I paid a lot of money for these curtains and really love them. In the past years, I starched them to remove the wrinkles. The last time that I washed them, they were yellowed from the starch. I bleached them but can't get rid of the yellow tinge. 2A. Is there another way to get rid of the yellow tinge? 2B. Is there something other than starching to assist keeping the curtains crisp longer? Penny Ladnier, Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com www.costumelibrary.com www.costumeclassroom.com www.costumeencyclopedia.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linen--warning
Yeah, in my house it was a timing thing. Mom would was laundry while we were at school, but wouldn't iron with 4 kids between 5-11 running around the house. And then it was time to start dinner, then dinnertime, dishes (my job as the oldest), homework and she was done for the day. She had to put the ironing in the refrigerator or she was afraid of that moldy smell and that the wrinkles would set. It didn't have anything to do with cooling the linen (or cotton). I learned a few years ago - here - about ice crystals breaking down the linen threads to make it softer. As a matter of fact, my mother-in-law, raising her kids in Montana and Utah, swears that hanging out the diapers in the snow and the frost would soften the diapers and freeze out any stains. LynnD On 8/15/07, Wanda Pease [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I am wondering where the cooling the linen before ironing originated. Some of you mentioned that your mothers taught you to do this. It makes me wonder if this method was something that was passed down through the generations. I checked in my 1894 Cole's Dictionary of Dry Goods and cooling the linen is not mentioned. Penny Ladnier, Actually my mother used to put things in the refrigerator or freezer in order to keep them from developing mildew before she got around to ironing them. She had a full time job as a Hospital pharmacist and clothing could be washed on one Saturday and ironed when she had the time and energy to do so. Wanda ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] Ironing (Was Linen Shir)t
If your clothing freezes on the line - leave it for the wind to whip out the ice - the fabric will be wonderfully soft good smelling. Just be sure to get out of the way of those sheets when you're hanging them out - they turn into boards when they freeze really hurt if they hit you. Patty -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Penny Ladnier Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2007 3:07 AM To: Historical Costume Subject: Re: [h-cost] Ironing (Was Linen Shir)t I wonder if this cooling method comes from mothers who put out their laundry on the clothesline in the winter and the fabric froze. I had not experienced the freezing laundering syndrome until we moved to Illinois. My son's cloth diapers froze stiff on the clothesline. From all my years of living in the Deep South, I had not experienced frozen laundry until then. We didn't have a clothes dryer in our apartment and I had to iron his diapers. At the time, we were snowed in for a week. A friend of mine grew up in Nebraska. She told me that her grandmother ironed everything year round. I recall my mother ironing sheets and pillowcases. I do have a couple of question about ironing. 1. I had mentioned previously on this list that there is a correct way to iron. Can someone point me to a webpage that shows the correct way to iron? I put my dress in the freezer for the night. If ironing wet linen causes it to stretch, is there a particular way to iron it to decrease the amount of stretch? 2. I had some 100% white cotton Priscilla curtains that I need to iron. I paid a lot of money for these curtains and really love them. In the past years, I starched them to remove the wrinkles. The last time that I washed them, they were yellowed from the starch. I bleached them but can't get rid of the yellow tinge. 2A. Is there another way to get rid of the yellow tinge? 2B. Is there something other than starching to assist keeping the curtains crisp longer? Penny Ladnier, Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com www.costumelibrary.com www.costumeclassroom.com www.costumeencyclopedia.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linnen.
My personal experience has been that ironing dampened linen works better than steam ironing. But it probably depends on your steam iron. Mine just doesn't produce enough steam to work well with linen. Good luck. Lalah, Never give up, Never surrender --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Bjarne og Leif Drews [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Subject: [h-cost] ironing washed linnen. Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:16:45 +0200 Hi, Its ben a while since i ironed my linnen shirt, and considering that i have to iron some fine linnen cambric i have washed and tumbled. Wich way is the best to iron it? Should i wet it a little and let it get damped for a while before i iron it, or should i just steam iron it? Bjarne Leif og Bjarne Drews www.my-drewscostumes.dk http://home0.inet.tele.dk/drewscph/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _ Netscape. Just the Net You Need. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linen.
At 08:16 AM 8/15/2007, you wrote: Hi, Its ben a while since i ironed my linnen shirt, and considering that i have to iron some fine linnen cambric i have washed and tumbled. Wich way is the best to iron it? Should i wet it a little and let it get damped for a while before i iron it, or should i just steam iron it? Bjarne When I iron linen, I try to take it directly from the washer and iron it while still damp. In my experience, a steam iron does not do a very good job on dry linen. I would recommend getting it thoroughly damp before ironing. Joan Jurancich [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linen.
I wear lots of linen so am ironing it all the time. I use a spray bottle. You can usually get these from stores that sell plants or, like I did, just wash out a spray bottle from window cleaner or a similar product. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linnen.
My mother always ironed her embroidered linen tablecloths by taking them out of the washing machine, putting them into the dryer for 5 to 10 minutes (so they became steamy rather than soaking wet), then spreading them on a large flat surface (sometimes the table itself, with heat- and wet-protective padding), and ironing them until they were dry. BEAUTIFUL results. --Ruth Anne Baumgartner scholar gypsy and amateur costumer On Aug 15, 2007, at 12:40 PM, Lynn Downward wrote: When I was a child, my mom didn't have a steam iron. She'd take the clothes out of the washing machine and put them into a large heavy-duty plastic bag in the refrigerator until she could get to the ironing, usually after we all went to school the next day. I had a lot of linen to iron recently, did NOT do this (I was traveling) and spent 3 1/2 hour ironing 10+ yards of linen just smooth enough to cut out. When these shirts are finished, I'll have to get them wet to iron them because steam irons just won't work well on their own with linen. But I don't have a Rowenta with the extra tank for the heavy steam. LynnD On 8/15/07, Lalah [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: My personal experience has been that ironing dampened linen works better than steam ironing. But it probably depends on your steam iron. Mine just doesn't produce enough steam to work well with linen. Good luck. Lalah, Never give up, Never surrender --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Bjarne og Leif Drews [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Subject: [h-cost] ironing washed linnen. Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:16:45 +0200 Hi, Its ben a while since i ironed my linnen shirt, and considering that i have to iron some fine linnen cambric i have washed and tumbled. Wich way is the best to iron it? Should i wet it a little and let it get damped for a while before i iron it, or should i just steam iron it? Bjarne Leif og Bjarne Drews www.my-drewscostumes.dk http://home0.inet.tele.dk/drewscph/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _ Netscape. Just the Net You Need. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linnen
Why did i have to read this article before going to iron all our underlinen from last weekend's event? It's much too dry, but time just doesn't allow for me to catch it while it's wet. Spray bottle, where are you? Jean Bjarne og Leif Drews wrote: Hi, Manny manny thanks for your help with this. Ill wet it a little and put it in a plasticbag for the night, so that i can start ironing early tomorrow. Thanks again. Bjarne Leif og Bjarne Drews www.my-drewscostumes.dk http://home0.inet.tele.dk/drewscph/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linnen.
I tend to spray with water and steam iron. that's with cloth or clothes for other people. my own linen clothes I tend not to bother ironing at all. I find that the creases drop out of pure linen in less than an hour anyway. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linen--warning
Please be warned--ironing wet or even just damp linen stretches it out a LOT. This can have all sorts of annoying effects if you plan to make/have made a fitted or supportive garment out of it, or if it's being used as a lining for wool, or if you don't want to have to iron the garment EVERY SINGLE TIME before wearing it to keep the seams from puckering horribly. Voice of experience, in case you couldn't tell... -E House ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linnen.
Subject: [h-cost] ironing washed linnen. Hi, Its ben a while since i ironed my linnen shirt, and considering that i have to iron some fine linnen cambric i have washed and tumbled. Wich way is the best to iron it? Should i wet it a little and let it get damped for a while before i iron it, or should i just steam iron it? Bjarne I spray my linen with a spray bottle of lavender water, then use a dry iron (ok, actually my mangle)on a very hot temperature to iron it. It comes out beautifully. Melusine ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linen--warning
An interesting topic today... I ran into a problem today with a linen mix dress. I have a cotton / linen blend off-white dress that I had not worn in a couple of years. I was cleaning out my closet and noticed the dress had turned a dark tea color. I took the dress to the dry cleaners today and they said that they could not get the tea color out. She stated the reason this happened was because of the hot temperatures in my closet. Last week we had 100 degree temperatures and my closet has two exterior walls. I opened my closet door and the air was really hot. So I started leaving the closet door open on hot days to let the air conditioning get into the closet. Tonight, I washed the dress with hot water, Shave shampoo, and a little bleach. To get rid of the bleach in the fabric, I rinsed it several times in clear water. The dress color is now its natural off-white! YEA! I am going to try the refrigerator trick to see how it works on this dress. BTW, I have found that Shave shampoo is gentle enough to wash white delicate natural fabrics. I have been using Shave for the past year and it works wonders! I am wondering where the cooling the linen before ironing originated. Some of you mentioned that your mothers taught you to do this. It makes me wonder if this method was something that was passed down through the generations. I checked in my 1894 Cole's Dictionary of Dry Goods and cooling the linen is not mentioned. Penny Ladnier, Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com www.costumelibrary.com www.costumeclassroom.com www.costumeencyclopedia.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] ironing washed linen--warning
I am wondering where the cooling the linen before ironing originated. Some of you mentioned that your mothers taught you to do this. It makes me wonder if this method was something that was passed down through the generations. I checked in my 1894 Cole's Dictionary of Dry Goods and cooling the linen is not mentioned. Penny Ladnier, Actually my mother used to put things in the refrigerator or freezer in order to keep them from developing mildew before she got around to ironing them. She had a full time job as a Hospital pharmacist and clothing could be washed on one Saturday and ironed when she had the time and energy to do so. Wanda ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
I've never owned a steam iron and neither has my Mum. Now that I have a tumble dryer, I only give the clothes a short tumble (which shakes the worst creases out of knitted cotton garments) and iron them while still damp. If they have got too dry I spray them with water. Kate Bunting Librarian and 17th century reenactor [EMAIL PROTECTED] 29/11/2005 20:20 wrote: I once did the ironing for the priest on my campus (the linens we use at mass and such). He had washed them but did not put them in the dryer. To keep them wet he kept them in the ridge and then while you ironed you not only took out all wrinkles but also dried them!! Another side effect is having a slight steam facial. lol. Since I am a poor student- and I dropped my iron at the beginning of last year so it leaks when I do put water in it. I have resorted to this method which really does work! Katy- an eager learner. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume __ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email __ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
In a message dated 11/30/2005 4:15:17 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've never owned a steam iron and neither has my Mum. Now that I have a tumble dryer, I only give the clothes a short tumble (which shakes the worst creases out of knitted cotton garments) and iron them while still damp. If they have got too dry I spray them with water. I've found that a steam iron is required to do modern (or even 19th century) tailoring. I'm currently still using my Norelco; however, when it dies, I will be in the same pickle, as Norelco doesn't make steam irons anymore. I've found Black and Decker not very satisfactory. Haven't tried a Rowenta, but I had a Rowenta toaster once, and the thermostat never seemed to be consistent, so haven't high hopes for an iron. May consider a Sunbeam when the time comes. Ann Wass ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
My problem with the Rowenta is that they 'spit' after a while. When behaving Well, it is still my favorite for long distance ironing. Presently, I am enjoying the Sunbeam...especially since I discovered how to use the self -cleaning mode. I can even get the 'burst of steam' which was also a best feature with the Rowenta. Kathleen - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 7:28 AM Subject: Re: [h-cost] ironing In a message dated 11/30/2005 4:15:17 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've never owned a steam iron and neither has my Mum. Now that I have a tumble dryer, I only give the clothes a short tumble (which shakes the worst creases out of knitted cotton garments) and iron them while still damp. If they have got too dry I spray them with water. I've found that a steam iron is required to do modern (or even 19th century) tailoring. I'm currently still using my Norelco; however, when it dies, I will be in the same pickle, as Norelco doesn't make steam irons anymore. I've found Black and Decker not very satisfactory. Haven't tried a Rowenta, but I had a Rowenta toaster once, and the thermostat never seemed to be consistent, so haven't high hopes for an iron. May consider a Sunbeam when the time comes. Ann Wass ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
In a message dated 11/30/2005 7:52:02 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My problem with the Rowenta is that they 'spit' after a while. Yes, and the spit usually indicates that the iron is not getting hot enough--hence, the unreliability of the thermostat. Ann Wass ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
My problem with the Rowenta is that they 'spit' after a while. When behaving Well, it is still my favorite for long distance ironing. Presently, I am enjoying the Sunbeam...especially since I discovered how to use the self -cleaning mode. I can even get the 'burst of steam' which was also a best feature with the Rowenta. I love how my Rowenta presses (and the steam is great) but the spitting is SOOO annoying! I went to press out my tablecloth yesterday and there was water everywhere!! This is my second one and I can't recommend them. I might just go get me a Sunbeam even though my iron isn't dead yet because I am tired of the problems. And it seems like an iron would be such a simple device!! Who knew? Diana www.RenaissanceFabrics.net Everything for the Costumer ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
I have had three R's and even experimented using distilled water exclusively! and even that was not the ultimate solution. Don't try working on a wedding dress !! Table linen is bad enough. Kathleen - Original Message - From: Diana Habra [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Historical Costume [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 10:41 AM Subject: Re: [h-cost] ironing My problem with the Rowenta is that they 'spit' after a while. When behaving Well, it is still my favorite for long distance ironing. Presently, I am enjoying the Sunbeam...especially since I discovered how to use the self -cleaning mode. I can even get the 'burst of steam' which was also a best feature with the Rowenta. I love how my Rowenta presses (and the steam is great) but the spitting is SOOO annoying! I went to press out my tablecloth yesterday and there was water everywhere!! This is my second one and I can't recommend them. I might just go get me a Sunbeam even though my iron isn't dead yet because I am tired of the problems. And it seems like an iron would be such a simple device!! Who knew? Diana www.RenaissanceFabrics.net Everything for the Costumer ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] ironing
I am so glad I don't have any of these ironing problems--years ago I bought a Euro-Pro system. It has a separate tank (no water in the iron) and a suction table for ironing. I found mine on sale, and have since had to replace the tank/iron unit with another, but the suction table still works great. It also doubles as a steamer, which is very handy for antique clothing. Other companies make similar systems. Look for a commercial ironing system. Kim ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
Our iron here doesn't have any of the problems usually associated with irons... My mother wanted one that made a lot of steam, so she checked the ratings in Consumer Reports and other magazines of the kind, and chose the Philips azur exel 10. It's been a few years so it's probably not sold anymore. It wasn't the cheapest model, but we've never, ever had problems with it. In any case, it makes *lots* of steam, even on low settings (I can steam wool), and it doesn't spit. I've never felt the need to use the spit button. Now, our travel iron... now THAT one spits. Yikes! ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
I had the same problem with my old Sunbeam. Roger Diana Habra wrote: My problem with the Rowenta is that they 'spit' after a while. When behaving Well, it is still my favorite for long distance ironing. I love how my Rowenta presses (and the steam is great) but the spitting is SOOO annoying! I went to press out my tablecloth yesterday and there was water everywhere!! This is my second one and I can't recommend them. I might just go get me a Sunbeam even though my iron isn't dead yet because I am tired of the problems. And it seems like an iron would be such a simple device!! Who knew? ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
Subject: [h-cost] ironing I once did the ironing for the priest on my campus (the linens we use at mass and such). He had washed them but did not put them in the dryer. To keep them wet he kept them in the ridge and then while you ironed you not only took out all wrinkles but also dried them!! Another side effect is having a slight steam facial. lol. Since I am a poor student- and I dropped my iron at the beginning of last year so it leaks when I do put water in it. I have resorted to this method which really does work! Katy- an eager learner. My grandmother took in ironing for extra money all her life, and she used to use a sprinkler can to dampen the clothing before it was ironed. If she couldn't get to it imediately, she'd store the damp clothes in her freezer until she could. It worked much better than using the steam function on the iron. She only used that when she was sewing. Melusine ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing
Ironing? Ironing? Did someone say ironing? I am anally retentive when it comes to ironing -- if it does not have a crease you can cut bread with, it ain't ironed. I guess it all goes back to my childhood, my first holidays job at a large industrial laundry, work that included preparing formal waistcoats, bibs, bow ties and so forth for the private gentlemen's clubs. My favourite thing, and another way of getting a facial, was the steam pipe with the flattened end for putting folds in formal shirt collars and so forth. My rulez? Don't be lazy, don't put water in the iron, you cannot control when some brown gunk is going to choose to visit your shirt, use a sprinkling can/bottle or a spray bottle; Constantly adjust your temperature for the job at hand; Take your time and get it right, go over things if you made an unwanted wrinkle; Remember that, on pure cotton, starch is your true god; Use a think padding on your board with a natural fibre cover; Collect as many tailoring aids as you can think of (hams, etc.). At a pinch, a football can be used. Collect as many useless things to do with ironing as you can lay hands on (coal- heated irons, combustion stove-heated irons, old Singer iron stands). You are not required to use them, just have them in the same way as you must have much fabric; Have several working irons -- one for fabric, one for spare, one for shaping polystyrene props...; Keep your iron clean with quality floor cleaners that can take off any muck -- when worse gets to worst, do as I do and take a powerdrill fitted with a wire brush to the thing (which also helps remove that stoopid teflon people think looks good but will -- sooner or later -- flake off on your best whites). Thanks for the bandwidth, I am heading back to my looney bin now, -C. This email was sent from Netspace Webmail: http://www.netspace.net.au ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
