I found mine at Target. They had several different brands of starch

Always kept my sprinkled clothes in the frig...it was before freezers that were large enough to hold anything beside ice cubes. And always kept the dry starch to put very stiff starch in my nursing cap then plaster it to the front of the refrig. to dry. Very, very stiff and shiny on one side. Don't know where that cap is now! Certainly brings back memories of childhood and early married life.

Beside pants stretchers, my Mom had sock stretchers for my Dad's hand knit socks!

Yep, got the pant stretchers too!!!!
I have used these up to today... my husband wears
wranglers and the creases are great ... he loves his wranglers to be real stiff...Mom used them for all of my bros and dads pants... this was one of the things I had on my private wish list to get from mom and dads estate ... I got them!!!
wringer washers!! wow... my folks had a Laundrymat in Phoenix in the 40's and the machines were the wringer tops... i remember the one we had in our Laudry closet too!!! g-ma got her had in it all the time!!! It's fun sharing memories :) I remember pants stretchers, and clothes hung all over her house. I used to be afraid of the farmers overalls that she would bring in from the line freeze-dried! I'm sure there are a lot of us who remember what a chore it was to keep house fifty years ago :)[/quote]

I turn my iron on and off using the switch on the surge protector it is plugged into. If the red light is on, so is the iron!

I do remember the aluminum top you spoke of but they probably don't make them anymore. I also remember my mother boiling a potato , straining the water off and using it to starch my father's shirts. His shirts looked amazing. This thread has me going down memory lane again.

This goes back to the days before the steam iron. my grandmother 'sprinkled' her clothes with an old brown clorox bottle that she had punched small holes in the lid. She placed her clothes in the fridge overnight and ironed the next day. Home-made steam!

I do remember those washing machines, I had one. They were great with the deep set tubs. One for washed clothes and then the rinsed clothes on the other one. For you young ones the set tub had two sinks side by side but all in one unit. oh my !

Pants stretchers reminded me of something else from those old days. Anyone remember curtain stretchers? When you finished putting the curtains on them your fingers were really sore. But boy did those lace curtains look good and stayed that way for quite a long time.

It's fun sharing memories :) I remember pants stretchers, and clothes hung all over her house. I used to be afraid of the farmers overalls that she would bring in from the line freeze-dried! I'm sure there are a lot of us who remember what a chore it was to keep house fifty years ago :)[/quote]
Another memory: The smell of line dried clothes , still damp, laid over the iron radiator. If I close my eyes I can still smell them.

My mother asked my dad's cousins for the quilting frame their mother used.

When I unwrapped the worn duck cloth from around the sticks, I found boards with nails in every half inch. My mother-in-law finally identified them as curtain stretchers. So I don't know if Aunt Clara used that for a quilt frame, or if the frame ended up somewhere else.

While they might be considered antique, I decided to repurpose them. I knocked the nails out and will use them for a quilt frame with the sawhorses my dad built for that purpose.

I think cloth ties will stretch the quilt to the side bars and leave me free from damage by those nails....

I have a good magnet glued to the head of a bamboo back scracher to pick up pins when they fall... I don't like bending over that far and they are hard to pick up anyway :thumbup:

we will will storing fabric in freezers from now on, this is so funny, a good hiding spot from hubby

Thank you for the tip, and God bless.

I keep a couple of empty (and clean) toilet paper rolls in my sewing room. After I cut and press my binding for quilts I wind them upon the paper rolls. And when I have leftover binding, I leave it on the roll and store it for the next time I do charity quilts. When I am ready to sit at my machine and attach my binding to my quilted top, I stick a comfortable old necktie through the paper roll (with my binding on it). Then tie the necktie on like a necklace. As I attach the binding, it unrolls from the toilet paper roll from around my neck. This way the binding does not get tangled up in my lap or on the floor as I attach it. Saves me some time from the continuous untwisting of the binding! I also remember having to sprinkle clothes....Now I keep a plastic spray bottle of water and another of of water and pretty smelling starch on my pressing board for my quilting fabrics. But clothes??? From dryer to my body!

Here is a reproduction of the plastic sprinke cap that you can purchase new, now:

http://www.gourmac.com/launsprin.html

But you can find the older ones on ebay too.

Or, take an waterbottle's plastic lid off, heat a nail and punch holes in it. Re-screw the lid on, and off you can sprinkle. Not as wonderful as the one Mom used.....but will work

Mary I loved this idea. I have been trying rubber backing for rugs and other small rubber things trying to get my foot pedal from hiding at the back of my cabinet where I can't reach it.
Thanks for the great hint!
Nettie

Yes, I have to agree with this one.. otherwise you just get deeper and deeper.

Also, my most helpful tip was to press from the top. It really helps! I am still struggling with the concept of pressing, not ironing. It seems like my arm just automatically irons, no matter how often I tell it to stop and just press. :roll: :roll:

Hello All,

Of of you using starch be careful! I heard this from some fellow quilters that something in the starch attracts bugs if your items are not stored correctly.

Nettie

I just found these two last night from Lynne Edwards, one of my quilting heroes. The first is for making pieced borders fit perfectly. She's so laid back! She makes a strip of pieced border and then works backwards adding one or more plain borders to make it fit. Have a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNT5fiXXlcA

The second is one I already do and have for a long time now. I try never to cut width of fabric if I can possibly avoid it. I cut the length which is so much more stable. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeTWw...eature=related

I'm sure enjoying all the posts. I remember my Mom heating irons on the woodstove when I was kid. No, I'm not really the Ancient of Days. Electricity didn't come to our area until 1957 or thereabouts. My school had an outhouse and so did everybody else. I got a look at a flush toilet for the first time in around 1959 when we went to visit someone in the 'city', population 2,500. LOL

when you haven't got time to do any quilting stroke your favourite piece of fabric, instant relaxation!!

My mom used to sprinkly clothes with water, roll and refrigerate them too before ironing. Since she didn't really like ironing (who does??) we would tease her that by the time she got around to it, it wouldn't fit the kids. Later on, we had a rule.....if you want to wear it more than twice a year, buy permament press. LOL

Suggestion: Go to "Itsy.com" and order you a thread catcher. They are the world's best sewing notion and my vacuum cleaner is so grateful. Have two and wish I had 3.

I have my Mom's and wouldn't part with it for the world. Try ebay.

I remember bringing our jeans in off the line in the winter time to iron. They were stiff as a board!!!! And still not dry!LOL!

I used to iron for a living while my children were in school. I would always sprinkle them and put in plastic bag. I put them in the freezer made for much easier ironing. I still iron but I don't sprinkle them now.
I also use that idea of batting or I use felt and take a piece of fabric just a shade smaller ane sew down center to put in my take along sewing. That way I dont leave unwanted thread on there carpet.

I have a drop in bobbin in my machine and a clear bobbin 'cover'. I put a dab of white out on the bobbin and I can tell when the bobbin is out of thread because I don't see it going around as I am sewing. This is better than finding out 2 feet ago I ran out of thread.

My mom did the same thing....putting them in the frig....and they iron like a dream. I sometimes do this by spray starching, rolling it up, and put in the refrigerator. Wallaa! very smooth ironin!

I have two of the old sprinkler tops, just love them, have them displayed on bottles in my laundry room. I grew up using them, my stepmom would put her ironing in the freezer, but my mom didn't have a freezer so we had to do the ironing the regular way. wow what great memories.

Thank you so much for the freezer tip about ironing! I had a couple of cotton clothing items I couldn't wear because no matter how much I ironed them, they stayed wrinkled. I just ironed them this way and they look great. Thanks!

I love all the helpful hints. This one is for Deb Watkins. I used to use a little trash bin right under my sewing machine until I saw one of these at the quilt guild I go to. I made one for myself (without a pattern) and I just love it. I also made one for my "pin cushion swap buddy". Not knowing the best thing to weigh it down with, I put a handful of pennies on the bottom and put polyfil on top of it. Not really professional, but I just love it

Ah, yes, the sprinkling bottle. Flash back - my mother made very heavy starch, dipped our petty coats into that and then would take them to the yard and arrange the petty coat in a circle and let it dry like that. She took great pride in doing that because we always had the greatest petticoats while every one else's was limp. Boy, did those things itch.

Years ago, we used to dampen our clothes and then put in the refrigerator andiron later. Didn't have dry spots, that way.

I saw these at a quilt store. What is used at the top of the bag to keep it so open?
Dodee

I remember starching mine that way too. Maybe that was a Texas thing.

Just thought I would add my "2 cents' worth". I use the aerosol spray "Magic Sizing" instead of spray starch. It gives freshly washed and dried fabrics (or some that have been in the stash for a while) that new-fabric feel! Also, when I applique using a manilla-folder template, I cut around it about a 1/4" larger. Then, placing the piece right-side down, place the template in the center. I use the lid of the the sizing to spray directly into it, and dip my finger in, then wet the outer edge of the applique and fold over template, ironing as I go. When all edge is ironed onto the template, turn the whole thing over and press the top side. lift up starched edge, peel off the template, then press again, returning the turned-under edge back in place. Perfect applique, ready for hand or machine applique.

I use one of the business-sized or larger advertising magnets that are sent through the mail or glued to the front of my new phone directory. I stick one to my metal machine and put pins on it as I sew. Then, when I go back to pinning again, I peel it off gently from the machine and take it to my chair to use the pins again. If you have several of these you can rotate back and forth between chair and machine.

I remember my mom ironing with a cast to her hip. And she taught us how on dads hankies.

I don't know what they use but if I were making one I'd probably use plastic from a 2 liter bottle soft drink; seems like the right size...and cheap.

[quote=AnnaK]I don't know what they use but if I were making one I'd probably use plastic from a 2 liter bottle soft drink; seems like the right size...and cheap.[/quote


I have one of these and there isn't anything there to keep it open, it's just the thickness of the top of the bag that keeps it open and the way it hangs from the pincushion part. I use mine all the time on the corner of my sewing table.

I'v used the sprinkling and refrig. deal. my mom had a soft drink bottle with this sprinkle cap on it that she use to use.Here's a tip if your iron is not as slick as you like, run it over a piece of wax paper while it's on. cleans it right up. Just had to do this as some how my iron sat down on my plastic point turner and melted in to the iron. DUH!!!