"Divide and conquer"-Patrick. The first of several tips to ironing. I'm lucky enough to have a roommate who knows a thing or two about dressing well. He owns clothes that you can't just throw into a washer/dryer- clothes that you actually need to take care of. I see him ironing his shirts for work on a regular basis- a ritual that few people in the engineering discipline need to worry about. He was taught by his uncle and now that knowledge has been passed on to me.
Things I got from my lesson:
- Work on the item in sections.
- Once you start a section, finish it.
- Move the iron the length of the section you're working on, not the width.
- For resilient wrinkles, use steam. For belligerent wrinkles, use stream.
- If you end up using water- iron it until it's completely dry. Wet spots will wrinkle if they air dry.
- Never linger with a hot iron- but don't be afraid to press hard as long as you're moving.
- Don't be afraid to use the tip of the iron- it works just as well and you need it for the tighter areas.
- When doing the sleeves- or pants- remember you're ironing the front and back simultaneously. Any wrinkles on the back will be pressed through to the front so straighten out both sides before you start.
- On sleeves and pants- respect the seams that are there. Don't misalign them and make shadow seams- you'll look stupid.
- Don't screw with the yoke- leave it to the professionals. (the thing in the middle)
Just because I'm still a dumb college kid doesn't mean my shirts have to look like a dumb college kid ironed them. Now I can travel with nice shirts with confidence, knowing that if my shirts become wrinkled in transit I have the power to correct it. Had to learn some time. Thanks Pat.
No comments:
Post a Comment