Originally Posted by
jcrow
My mom had one and use to iron all our sheets and other things. It was huge!! I remember her sweating while she worked. She didn't seem to enjoy it. Now I wonder "why did she iron our sheets?"
People used to iron sheets, underwear, hankerchiefs and napkins because the heat kills germs. After everyone got clothes dryers, which also heat things up, some of the drudge work was avoided. I've never tried a mangle, but in theory it should press quilt pieces nicely without distorting them. I'll be reading through this thread to see what everyone thinks of them.