We got back from our trip to Albany with only a few hours to work before going to Bellydancing. So I plugged in my iron and turned on my sewing machine and found the next pieces of fabric to add to Cindy’s quilt.
But my iron was cold. I fiddled with the dial and settings and plugged it onto three different outlets, hoping. But still, it didn’t warm up.
I used to go through irons quickly, but I learned to use them dry, and spritz the fabric with water, because our water leaves heavy deposits that clog the irons. I’ve had this iron for a few years so I can’t really complain that it quit on me.
And it’s really pretty good timing becaue I’m going to Bennington for Bellydancing tonight so I’ll be able to get another on up.
But I still really wanted to work on Cindy’s quilt.
So I did it the way I used to make quilts before meeting MaryAnn Pettaway in Gees Bend Alabama. She taught me to sew each piece of fabric then move onto the next, trusting my instincts and intuition.
But I can’t sew without my iron, so I laid the pieces out without sewing them together, the way I used to.
I’ll sew them together tomorrow and hopefull finish designing the rest of the quilt then too.
Uh oh. I have another ironing memory. Before my mother ironed the aforementioned items, they would have to be “sprinkled” or “dampened.” This was done by taking a laundry sprinkler:
https://www.google.com/search?q=gizmo+for+sprinkling+clothes+before+ironing&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYgZH1mqXkAhUEY6wKHRYGDTYQsxgIMA&biw=1024&bih=509
with its cork that fit most household soda bottles, and dampened the clothes. I remember this well. I was about 5 or 6, which would make it about 1950, and found there was a delicate balance between dampening or drenching! Then the fun part was folding the piece onto itself and the rolling it up, tucking all these rolls together in, I think, a plastic bag, to then be ironed. That step had to done before mildew set in!! What a process!
And that is what has come up for me in my foray to Bedlam Farm and the Full Moon Studio, in the middle of this night with your photos of irons. I’ve been dreaming of my mother often lately. Has this all been a dream? Am I going to wake up soon? I may be checking in on this later today!
I never heard of a laundry sprinkler Susie. I love finding out about those small things that were at one time so much a part of peoples lives and are now mostly forgotten. Thanks for your story.