Sunday, December 9, 2007

I visited Bren's blog this morning and read about a strange ritual that she remembers from her childhood involving her mother ironing. Funny thing is, I remember the same sort of ritual from my mom and from a spinster great aunt that I spent lots of time with. This great aunt was like a second mother to me. She actually took in ironing to support herself. Back then, people would starch everything they wore except underwear. They would use the powdered starch that you mix then immerse the garments.....and hang them outside on a clothesline to dry and would later iron them. The clothes were wrinkly and stiff. They would bring them to my aunt, she would sprinkle them with water, roll them up and put them in plastic bag, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, she would get up and start ironing. She always put them in the refrigerator because we lived in south Texas and if you didn't, she said the clothes would sour and begin to smell. I sometimes think it was so the garments would become evenly moist and easy to iron out the wrinkles. Anyway, these two pictures show the spout she put on the bottle...and then the bottle with the spout. She used a Coke bottle instead of a 7-Up bottle. Bren....is this it???????
Believe it or not, I still iron some of my husband's dress shirts using my aunt's old fashioned method. I even use the powdered starch! It works so much better than the spray starch....which I do use sometimes.

It is ever so cold this morning.....18 and the roads are icy....so no church today.





6 comments:

~Bren~ said...

That is so similar, but I rmrmber the sprinkler spout being more flush with the bottle. I am wondering if cold damp garments ironed nicer than just damp garments. Otherwise, why not sprinkle them just before ironing? It is a mystery. when asked, my mom says, "Becuase that is how it was done!" I do not think even she knows why! What a memory!!! Thanks for sharing!

Lib said...

Hi,
I found you at Bren's blog.
THe pics. you have here are like the one My Mom used.
I hadn't thought of that in yrs. Glad Bren brought it up, and glad you posted pics. Thanks for the memory. :o)
A nice blog you have here.
Blessins,Lib

Feeling Simply Quilty said...

I guess we were too poor. I remember my mom dipping her hand in a bowl of watter and sprinkling it on the shirts. That's a great memory jarrer!

Wendy said...

How fun to go down memory lane, thanks for an interesting story.

Norma said...

All the women in my family had one of these sprinkler tops. I remember as a teenager, my mother getting upset with me for sprinkling my clothes and then not ironing them and they had to be rewashed. When I moved out on my own, I bought a spray bottle and that was the end of that struggle. Then, along came spray starch and I forgot about both. I can see my grandmother and aunts sprinkling the clothes.....and smell the great smell they had after they were ironed.

Darlene said...

Oh, I remember thos sprinkler tops - my grandmother had several around the house. She kept a bottle of plain water and a bottle of starch (she used the powdered starch - Faultless).

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Belvie!