I went to search and couldn't find the answer so maybe you can help me . When you are working on a quilt square do you keep your iron on the whole time you are working or do you shut it off and then back on when you need it again ? Is there a time limit as to how long you should leave the iron on ? Is it better to just let it sit there hot ? What do you do ?Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated .
Sharon

I don't turn my iron off, but it shuts off automatically after a certain length of time. Before I had an automatic shut off iron, I left it on until I was finished.

Mine stays on the entire time I'm in my room.

Mine is always on when I'm piecing

Me too...always on till I'm done with my piecing.

I turned mine on when I went in to the room and off when I knew I was thru and wouldn't be back for a long time. Now the iron I have (my old one got all stratched and burnt and I can't get it clean) Got one from my daughter and hers shuts off in 20 mintues and is a pain!

I keep mine on while I'm sewing. It does go to sleep after it sits for a little bit so each time I need it I have to give it a wake up wiggle...

Mine shuts off automatically and I hate it. everytime I want to iron, I have to wait for it to heat up which takes about 10 sec. lol

My iron has automatic shut off, which is great for me since I used to sometimes leave it on all night or day.

there's an off position? who knew? :lol: :lol: :lol:

That is what I said! Until I got the one that shuts off! :lol: :lol: :lol: :wink:

Oh yes...I forget about the OFF position at times.
Hubby will get up in the morning and see the light from my iron as he passes my room. Let me tell you...I get a rude awakening when that happens! :(

Me too! I have heard "Don't you know that you could have burned the house down and us sleeping?" real loud!!!! :roll: :cry: :oops:

I have my iron set up next to my sewing machine, and I leave it on all the time. I'm a bit compulsive about pressing a lot.

ON...........w/auto off :wink:

I don't think this house will burn down. It's made of cement. Even the inside walls! The floors...ALL the floors are ceramic tile.

Mine is always on while I'm sewing.

It's a cheap iron but it works well, probably won't work
as long but I like I it ready and hot when I need it.

When I cleaned houses this one younger lady would always leave her iron on in the bedroom. So I would turn it off and fold up the ironing board. I think that is dangerous because she left home with it on. Mine has automatic shut off.

Leave it on, and it has an auto shutdown after 20 minutes of inactivity. I just have to wiggle it and it comes alive...

I'm glad you asked this question. I was wondering too.

I turn mine to minimum when not in use for a little while.

I'm afraid of fire.

me, too.

I have a Rowenta - and it doesn't seem to have a definite "OFF" on the dial - so I unplug it when I leave the room.

Mine stays on all the time while I'm working on something.

I bought the Black and Decker Classic metal non auto shut off, it's hard to find. I found one at Lowes's. To remind me to turn it off I have it plugged into strip. I have a goose neck pole lamp plugged into the same strip. The lamp turns on when I push the power switch on the strip on. This way I know if the light is off the iron is off. Here is a tip that might work with your auto turn off iron. DH told me to keep the pointed end of the iron tilted down and it won't turn off. I found an iron rack that sits at an angle and I put the pointed end down not up on it and my auto shut off iron will stay on. That iron started leaking so it's my fusible iron now.

Ditto. Almost verbatim.

I usually turn my iron off when peicing only because my ironing set up is in the basement and my sewing set up is upstairs. It is one way I get a little exercise. I do as much as possible on each trip up or down. I recently purchased that iron you see on Fons and Porter that pops up and down. It has it's moments as I don't have to set it upright everytime I stop ironing. The problem I have with it probably has something to do with my "mpspeedy" persona. It doesn't return to the down position fast enough to suit me. I am also disappointed in it's steam action. It doesn't work real well. Perhaps it is just my particular iron. I had a Bernina iron for more than 15 years. I had to replace it when it began leaking like a sieve.

I finger press.......then press when the top is finished. That way I don't have to worry with it......it's faster that way too.

Isn't it nice we don't all do things the same way.......lol.

I leave mine plugged in and on all the time. It has the auto shut off and it is very quick to shut off, I think. I can hardly sew one seam on a dozen blocks without have to tilt it to turn it on again.

And, if I am ironing a big stack and basically keeping the iron in the flat position as my other hand lays out the next piece, it will shut off then too and I have to tilt it back up. It thinks that it has been left in the ironing position for too long without moving.

Same with mine, and it's annoying. It shuts off very quickly. And, if it's up too long, or down too long, or it's Tuesday, or I'm wearing purple, it decides to shut off. Seems to have a lot of things it's fussy about :lol:

same here, leave it on but iron has auto off

i am different to everybody else..i do as much sewing as I can and then do a heap at once and then turn the iron off. My iron is in the laundry and my sewing machine in the lounge and they arent next to each other but i like the idea of having to get up and stretch regularly too! I also dont like big power bills...

I'm more worried about burning something up -

So I guess in the future I will leave mine on while working Thats for all the help, I was getting tired of constantly turning it on and off and waiting for the warm up, but wasn't sure if I would burn the iron out :roll:
Sharon

Same as marsye...always ON...auto off, but I keep it going...

Love to leave my iron on the whole time...gets irritating at times with the auto shut off feature :roll:

I have a Rowenta and it stays on the whole time. It has a dial, all the way up, cottons, off all the way back. My husband is the one who forgets to turn it "off" when he uses it. Ggggrrrrrr!!!! OK, I AM grateful that he uses it and irons his own so I guess there's always a trade off.

In my sewing room I have a really cheap iron and it never goes off, which I like when I'm piecing. I unplug it when I leave my sewing room. I have one with auto shut off in my laundry area and have gotten into the habit of unpluging it also.

I do very little ironing or pressing that isn't quilt related. How about you gals? May in Jersey

Mine has an automatic shutoff. I just need to remember to turn it back on.

My kids call me the starch queen!! Mine is an auto off, but so far i have sewn up a bunchof block parts, press all at once, so if the iron is cold, I run upstairs to fill the coffe cup while its heating :lol: :lol: Clothes get pressed and starched, I like crisp creases in shirts and pants. same iron for the whole mess, but I've been thinking of getting a separate one for quilting because I can never get the steam completely shut off in the one I have unless I pour out the water and "steam it dry". Always seems there's no water in my refill bottle when its time to do laundry :D

I have mine plugged into a power strip too, along with an additional light. If I'm chain piecing or cutting, I try to remember to turn it down. I worry too about fire because there are times when I don't go in the sewing room for a few days.

I keep my iron, sewing machine, lamp, and radio all plugged into the same power strip. If I'm sewing, everything is on. When I'm through I turn off the power strip. Sometimes, if I'm doing a lot of cutting and know I won't need the iron for a long time, I unplug it from the strip.