Since I showed you the 'book' doorstops at my Kandos house I thought I would show you the doorstops at our Mountains house. I have a collection of irons gathered from my parents and parents-in-law homes.
The one at the top is a petrol iron. Can you imagine lighting petrol and having it in your hand to do the ironing!
These all date back to the time when clothes were boiled with soap in the copper, rinsed and blued in the cement tubs, starched and put through the hand wound mangle before being pegged with wooden dolly pegs on the line to dry. And after that all damped down with a sprinkler (ours was like this), wrapped up in a towel then after a while were ironed. That's how washing was when I was a kid - always done on Monday morning. Mum used the yellow electric iron below for years before getting one of those new fangled steam irons.
My mother had one similar to the last one, but only used as a doorstop.
ReplyDeleteLikewise. I never saw that one in action.
DeleteWhat a lovely reminder of times past Joan - Once it ironed shirts and aprons now it's holding open a door !
ReplyDeleteI like to have old things about, provided they are useful.
DeleteIt must've been tough times. And who did the hard work back then.... the women, obviously (too).
ReplyDeleteAm I lucky my hubby does sewing and ironing (only if necessary).
When we first got married hubby and I struck a deal .. he would do the washing and I would do the ironing and we have stuck to this arrangement for over 40 years. At the time that was a pretty even distribution of work because washing machine was twin-tub and clothes hung on the line. As time went on I was beginning to feel I had got the bad end of the bargain because of automatic washing machine and electric clothes dryer. Washing was no longer hard work and I still had dozens of business shirts to iron. Now most clothes don't need ironing and we are back to hanging clothes on the line the balance has at last swung to my advantage.
DeleteYes I remember these, both in use and as doorstops.
ReplyDeleteThey are perfect doorstops.
DeleteI have an antique iron similar to the one in your last shot. I iron as rarely as possible these days.
ReplyDeleteMe too, see the story in my response to Iris above.
DeleteOh my gosh we have no idea how easy life is these days, but then again I guess the first irons would have been considered wonderful for the time. Incredible doorstops Joan Elizabeth, don't stub your toe though, ouch 😉
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should have decided years ago that crinkled clothes are cool. Like those ripped jeans. Our mothers could not have stopped themselves mending them!
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