Sunday, August 11, 2013

On Pressing, Etc.



Today I finished the top for the Quick Quilts sampler, and then had to make the hard decision about backing. I had lots of fabric left from the Studio Stash collection and could have pieced a backing from it, but somehow it seemed like a waste of really current, really cool fabric. So I decided to just go out and buy yardage and keep things simple. True confession...I went to JoAnn Fabrics. I love my local quilt shops, but on a Sunday afternoon, for just a backing, I'm going for the open store with sale coupons. I ended up getting a soft gray print from their Legacy line for $7.19 a yard, and I only needed 4 yards because it was 44" wide. Great solution.

But then I had to piece it (easy peasy) and press it. On an 80° day, not my favorite thing. Which got me thinking about my foremothers and what their pressing experiences must have been like. I actually have several pressing-related family heirlooms...my grandmother's wooden ironing board, a sprinkler bottle with metal cap, and two packages of non-stick ironing board covers (shown in photo). I must have been moving these things with me for the last 35 years, and I still can't bring myself to throw them away. The silicone one has a sticker price of 49¢, the Teflon one $1.19. The advertising copy on the silicone one claims it will give me "more satisfaction than ordinary cotton or ASBESTOS covers." Uh, like, less cancer? I wonder if the General Textile Company, maker of the Teflon cover, would still honor the guarantee: "This set will be replaced against any defect in workmanship or material." Guess I'll never know...I prefer a cotton cover  :)

No comments:

Post a Comment