An iron used to be a highly useful household tool.
My mother's iron was indestructible and it was the same model as my grandmother's iron. If it needed a new cord, the hardware store had what you needed. If it needed a new heating element, the small appliance repairman in town could order the part. The iron was stainless steel, inside and out. You could descale it with citric acid and you could clean the sole plate with an old pair of nylon pantyhose and some baking soda. It had steam, but not enough for sewing or cotton shirts. We always used a damp pressing cloth or "sprinkled and rolled the clothes" to augment its steam power, but it was heavy. Oh my, was it heavy and pointy too. That old iron required the arms of a linebacker to finish a basket of clothes and I certainly remember being reminded again and again to "get the point of the iron around the buttons". In fact, my mother's and grandmother's collection of pressing equipment was rather short, a well padded ironing board, a tailor's ham, a water spritzer, a press cloth and a Turkish towel went along with the iron and that was it. My ironing accessories extend far beyond that in a desperate effort to overcome modern iron deficiency.
I have a love hate relationship with my most important piece of sewing equipment. The list of improvements from silicone treated sole plates to "electronically controlled heating" sends me right over the edge. Today's irons have a long list of design flaws.
The lovey rounded nose point might satisfy the health and safety lads, but you can't iron anything that isn't flat and wide. Forget about delicately shaping a hat ribbon or pressing open a narrow seam. Cuff plackets are simply impossible to iron properly any longer. The first criteria for choosing a sewing iron is a sharp point. If you can find one that is sharp enough to open a tin can, let me know.
The new irons have sleek, silky, silicone soles. Let me tell you a woman who is sleek, silky and silicone is high maintenance. An iron with the same characteristics is not only high maintenance but is limited in function. What is wrong with polished stainless steel? It is good enough for boat fittings on the high seas and it will be good for all of your household needs. I need an iron that can go from panty pressing to applying wax on skis and back again in one day. A polished stainless steel sole plate is infinitely cleanable and durable. A sole plate that doubles as a mirror is always helpful in a pinch.
When the stainless steel sole plate disappeared, so did much of the iron's weight. An iron needs to have weight to do its job. Today's irons are miracles of plastic, lightweight for sure, but you can't shape coat wool, set jeans hems, or make grilled sandwiches with any of them. If you can find an iron that will got through drywall when thrown, let me know.
Heat, weight, steam and effort combine to shape cloth. If one is lost, something must make up for it. In general, we've lost weight with modern irons and most of them make up the difference with steam power, but only for a bit. The heating/cooling cycle wreaks havoc with the plastic housing and in a few months what I have in my hand is a gurgling, dripping piece of electronic jetsam attached to the 240V line of my house. Iron at your own risk. In the last 10 years, I've bought four irons. Previous to that, I owned two! I'm considering buying a "dry" iron the next time around just for self-preservation.
Finally, the automatic shut-off....where do I begin. I suppose I could blame this on the health and safety lads again, but it's really about our own habits. If you leave the room, the iron is unplugged, off the ironing board, and stored in the cupboard. The cat/child/husband will never knock it off the board and start a fire. The argument about saving electricity should be one for the consumer. All irons have a manual on/off switch, use it if it's important to you.
I have spent the blog post ranting about what it wrong with modern irons not having given any sort of positive guidance about choosing an iron for yourself. An iron is a personal tool for each sewer. The kind of iron you need will be shaped by what you ultimately love to sew. Someone who tailors wool might value steam and weight. A quilter might value heat and a pointed sole plate.
For your first serious sewing tool, your iron should have a clean, unscorched, and unscratched sole plate. It should have a wide range of heat settings and a reasonable ability to produce some steam. I prefer to use the heaviest iron I can get my hands on and I consider the weekly ironing as part of my household workout. Features such as automatic shut-off and cord length are up to you.
The ironing board is as important as the iron itself. Choose one that is adjustable in height and has a sturdy wide surface. A well padded cotton work top is also well worth the investment. Stay away from the shiny metallic ironing board covers. You will end up with scorched fabrics. Pay top dollar for the board and it will last a lifetime.
To do the daily ironing and begin your sewing tool collection, the following items are essential. A cotton or linen press cloth and a spray bottle will augment your iron's steam output. An inexpensive white tea towel will do just fine as a press cloth. A cotton Turkish hand towel can be folded, rolled and shaped for additional padding when ironing your clothes. If you finally decide to try sewing clothing seriously, the next thing to buy is a tailor's ham, but other more specialized pressing equipment can wait until you hone your own sewing interests.
