To Iron or Not to Iron...

I took my son to a builder’s workshop at the local hardware superstore where he could build his own toy race car.  The kind lady handed us a kit, an apron, a hammer, and a patch to show he had completed the workshop.  She suggested I iron it on his apron as a record of all the things he will have built. 

So, I got home, pulled out the mini ironing board I had collected from the days in my first apartment, dusted off the cobwebs and grabbed a small iron.  After a few minutes of running the hot plate over the patch, it wouldn't stick.  So, I called up a friend who had been to these things before and she said they are to be sewed on, not ironed. 

As I was putting away the iron and ironing board, I began to think – does anyone iron anymore?  These days, if you pull out a favorite shirt or pants only to find they’re wrinkled, you throw them in the dryer for a little heat and fluff.  Couple of minutes of tumbling, a little heat, and bada-bing!  Fresh, unwrinkled shirt/pants/ whatever. 

I remember my grandmother spending time ironing my uncle’s shirts each week.  She didn't have a dryer (she hung everything on a clothesline) so if something was wrinkled, it got the good old hot iron treatment.  She is long departed now – as is ironing, I’m starting to think.  Does anyone have time to iron?  Wouldn't it take the same amount of time to pull out the ironing board, heat up the iron, and then press out all the wrinkles as it would to wad it up, throw it in a dryer and then blow heat at it for about 5 to 10 minutes? 

Then again, there is also the luxury of getting other things done while the dryer is tumbling all the creases out of your favorite shirt.  Most people say they have too much to do and it allows them to multi-task.  I guess maybe I've multi-tasked enough because a few days later I pulled out the ironing board again and ironed my wrinkled shirts without it taking up too much of my valuable, already-busy time.  I guess you could say, it all “ironed” itself out!  Hahahaha…..yeeeeaaaah that was pretty bad.