Surprise in the mail today!
 

I received a surprise package today - a dry iron. My mom sent it for my birthday next week. It's awesome, I was tempted to iron my whole stash playing with it. I guess she was listening when I threatened to throw my iron in the river LOL one day when it was acting up.

Oh I just received one from DH for my birthday also. I have not used it yet but it seems very nice. I did notice it does not have an automatic shut off. At least mine does not. A big congrats! Enjoy.

Mum's know best.

I just got the dry iron from the Vermont Country Store because my black and decker classic was spitting and leaking a bit and I was tired of having the holes catch. I kind of like not having an auto shut off now but need to be mindful. However, this dry iron doesnt get super hot. Still testing it out but seems ok. Congrats on your surprise! Always nice to get fun stuff in the mail!

Could someone explain why the dry irons are good for quilting? Is there less fabric distortion? Do you spray any water on the fabric? Just curious. :)

hugs,
Charlotte

I would prefer a dry iron, I do not use the steam feature on mine. I keep a spray bottle with water on the ironing board. Now mine does have automatic shut off and I do like that feature, you would be suprised I have at times walked away and not unplugged as I plan to get back there shortly. Something distracts me and there it is on, thankfully it shuts off. Even with this feature, I do try and unplug. I am going to watch this thread and see what everyone else has to say.

Happy Birthday next week. hope it is one of the best.

I love my 1948 Sumbeam Iron Master dry iron.... !! It's has many reasons that I like about it. With water bottle I control the amount of water on my fabrics. I like that it's 2 1/4# and it does the all the "heavy" work. Which cured some my shoulder & neck pains. I don't have imprints of the holes, so it's a nice flat iron job. I love hearing the crackle noises it makes while it's on and it get's so hot on cotton that I use the line between silk & wool as my normal setting unless I have a super tough crease. And it's super easy to clean if I get some fuseable on it.

Tricia

I think it's primarily because steam irons eventually develop problems with spitting and sputtering. I have had one stain a fabric I was ironing! You can use a steam iron dry, but then there is no reason to have the holes. Holes are places where the iron is not delivering heat. Also, when using a steam iron in one place to cement a fusible to the fabric, the areas where the holes are will not be fused. It's just simpler to use a dry iron and get a smooth, flat surface for ironing.

Some quilters prefer to iron dry because steam (in combination with heavy handedness) can distort fabrics -- especially bias cuts. Many quilters like to spray mist when using a dry iron. It's all a matter of personal preference.

I've never heard of a dry iron, but love the idea. I will be checking these out. Thanks.