Ironing and Handkerchief Memories

A Right of Passage Ironed Out

by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

                When I was a young girl, being allowed to use an electric iron and the ironing board to press handkerchiefs and pillow cases seemed to be a jump to a higher level of maturity.  Along with other women of the 1950s, my mother took important preparatory steps to ironing –sprinkling or dampening the clothing and other items with lukewarm water, folding each item, rolling up the piece, and then placing each item into a special plastic bag for holding the dampened clothes.  My mother always used a glass Pepsi bottle  with a cork sprinkler head affixed to the top of the soda bottle for this household chore.  Many times, I stood around or sat at the kitchen table to observe my mother sprinkling the clothing with quickness and efficiency. 

                Later, my mother let me know which pieces I could iron; or she placed some “easy pieces” at the squared-off end of the ironing board.  In my youthful ironing days, I so enjoyed carefully pressing the water-sprinkled handkerchiefs that were edged in tatting (expertly crafted by Margaret Marietta, the clerk of my mother’s post office) or crocheted with lace (by a relative).  As I ironed the handkerchief, I folded it until the hanky was in a neat triangle shape.  Next, I ironed my dad’s large handkerchiefs, many of which were embroidered with the letter “M.”  I folded and ironed, folded and ironed until one of my dad’s handkerchiefs was in a pocket-sized shape of a rectangle. 

Although we no longer use handkerchiefs, I still have some pretty ones and a couple of my dad’s saved as family treasures.  What ironed out the handkerchiefs?  Of course, the more prominent use and then virtually exclusive use of facial tissues.  Nevertheless, how often my sister and I received a birthday card or graduation card with a lovely handkerchief edged with lace or tatting tucked inside the card! 

Through the years, I gradually graduated to being able to iron and permitted to iron any piece in the laundry bag.  To me, ironing was rewarding work.  Until I developed carpal tunnel syndrome and then arthritis in my hands, I loved ironing–a relaxing chore.

                Fortunately, wash-and-wear fabrics became popular.  While I was delighted with these new fabrics, I do think they took away the right of passage of ironing.  With so many wash-and-wear articles of clothing in my closets, sometime in the late 1990s, I gave away my ironing board  and then my lightweight iron–quite different from the heavy-duty one used by my grandmothers.

                Yes, I wear my memories on my sleeve–that I no longer iron.

NOTE:  In the comment section of this WORDWALK blog, you are welcome to add your own ironing and/or handkerchief memories.

Have a cozy and safe end of January!

Alice and Leader Dog Willow

January 26, 2022, Wednesday

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