Does ironing make you sad?

Does ironing make you sad? Some people enjoy ironing, but I am not one of them. Both estate sales that we are currently working on have antique irons in them, so I thought it might be fun to take a look at these timeless collectibles.

Historians believe that the Chinese first discovered the art of ironing by using hot flat rocks heated in a fire. The first American patent for an iron was obtained by a lady named Mary Ann Cook in 1870, and by 1874, someone had a developed an iron that used gas. The first electric iron didn’t come along until 1882. Steam irons hit the market in 1937. Folks, mostly ladies, have been sad over ironing for over 100 years! The term “sad” iron actually refers to those one-piece cast iron pieces that were heated on an old woodstove or in a fireplace. If you had ever used one of these irons, you would understand why it would make you sad. It was hard work ironing all those cotton garments without burning the fabric and yet keeping the iron hot and efficient. They were so heavy!

Antique irons come in many shapes and sizes. There are specialized irons that crimped or were for cuffs, gas powered irons, coal powered irons, chrome plated irons — the possibilities are endless! Some people like to collect the toy irons made for children. Early models actually worked! Can you image toy companies today producing a toy that could possibly burn a child? How did we ever survive?

Another collectible that goes along with vintage irons is the sprinkler tops that would go in a soda bottle that would be emptied of soda and filled with water to sprinkle on the clothing before ironing to help “steam” out the wrinkles.

With all the wrinkle-free fabrics and specialty washers and dryers, not many people iron anymore. It really is an art to iron clothing properly. Ask mom or grandma about stories from their ironing days. Maybe I am not a fan of ironing because my old foot still has a scar from when I was a baby crawling around on the floor and pulled the iron cord dangling from the iron on the ironing board, and it landed on my baby foot! Mom said she felt terrible and cried and put ice on it and blew on my foot all night long. A mother’s love can cure just about anything! Be careful with those hot irons!

Happy Collecting!