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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Fresh Laundry


When I'm gone for awhile I always like getting back to the old comfortable routine. For our grandmothers, Monday was traditionally wash day, and Tuesday was for ironing. It just happened to work out that way for me this week.




I love hanging linens in the fresh air in summer! But I got distracted for a bit and violated my own rule of letting the wash get only damp dry for quick and smooth pressing. That's an astonishingly short time in our hot desert air.






I then had to really work at it because everything had to be spritzed. I hate doing more than a piece or two that way. But if I don't do it right away, it NEVER gets done. (Ironing is just my THING--I use all my linens, and I can't be stopping to iron something all the time.) So I plowed right in. 




I usually have a mix of vintage and new stuff to iron. The rosebud pillowcases are a no-name brand.





Smoothing out wrinkles is as relaxing as a massage for me.








The white lace is Rachel A., but I wonder if you know the other pattern?




It has sweet birds and butterflies and dragonflies on it.







Ralph Lauren!




Ummmm. . . . I just wish you could smell it all!







All done! (I may just throw it all back in the washer next time it gets too dry! LOL!) So what was Wednesday for in the old days?

I hope you're having a great week and not making busy work for yourself!

Moving on. . . .

Jacqueline



26 comments:

  1. All looks so lovely and spick and span. I like to change my sheets on Monday's.. ironing ,well try not to do too much of that.
    Your photos are so lovely as always jaqueline..
    Nothing greater than getting into bed at night with nice white crisp cleanly ironed sheets.. its heaven
    Happy wednesday
    just basking in the heat.
    val

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  2. One Wednesdays, the shopping news was on the doorstep. My grandma would read the ads, check for sales and add the details to her "already made" list. We would take her shopping cart and walk to the market! I loved shopping day with my grandmother!

    Your linens are exquisite, Jacqueline. I could smell the fresh laundry all the way up here in the Pacific Northwest!
    ~Lynne
    w/L.

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  3. Whoops! I meant "ON" Wednesdays.
    w/L.

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  4. Pretty, memory provoking post. I actually enjoy ironing too. Instant gratification! My 91 year old mom still washes on Mondays. I grew up ironing sheets, pillow cases and tea towels. Now? I don't iron them, but I wish I had a clothes line just for bed linens.

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  5. Whenever I change my sheets (usually Sunday at my house), I think of an episode of Dharma & Greg where Dharma makes a big deal of celebrating "clean sheet day." it's such a sweet little luxury to climb into a clean, freshly made bed, sigh. I admit that I don't iron mine, but I may start - I won a 1960-ish Kenmore mangle iron in good working condition (with the accompanying chair). I just need to replace the soiled cover so it doesn't stain my linens.

    Thank you so much for sharing this reminder of how pleasant some of our more mundane tasks are :0)

    Patty

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  6. You even make doing laundry and ironing sound fun.

    You amaze me all the time.

    I wish I could smell that too - looks so fresh and heavenly!

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  7. Fresh laundry hanging on the line is always so charming! Adore the images!

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  8. Don't tell my husband you iron! xo Jenny

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  9. I iron but not in the summer time-just some little things. I get so hot. These are so pretty-I would iron the Ralph Lauren.

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  10. Ooh, your linens look divine!!! Washing and airing out laundry reminds me of childhood. We lived in a tiny small town and I always helped my mother do her laundry naturally because we didn't own a washer and dryer until much later growing up. And even then, we still did alot of washing and drying by hand! Love your linens - I can smell the fresh, crisp scent from here!


    Hugs,
    Jessie

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  11. I checked an old set of tea towels from my grandmother; and the Wednesday towel had in embroidery the lady ironing. The Tuesday towel showed her hanging laundry; so I guess not everyone had the same schedule. My grandmother & mother both washed on Monday and ironed on Tuesday. In my 54 years of marriage, I've always washed on Tuesday - habit I guess. This post brought back lots of memories. Thanks. Sally

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  12. Jacqueline: Love the smell of fresh line dried sheets. I haven't had a clothesline in many years, but seeing yours I kind of miss one. I still like to iron my linens even though they dry in an electric dryer. I might have told you this, but your post reminds me of a visit to my grandmother's and she had electricity but not room in her little cabin for the washing machine, and it was a machine with wringer that you turned by hand. She would put 'bluing' into the wash water to make the clothes white. I don't remember her ironing though, I must of gone home by then..Happy Wednesday..Judy

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  13. LOVE that RL fabric! so sweet! never saw it before now. oh my...adore it! TFS! ;)

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  14. Hi Jacqueline, I just finished ironing about an hour ago. I had a yummy vintage tablecloth trimmed in ric rac and a king size duvet I found that was made in Italy that is beautiful. Last week I found a Rachel A. duvet for one dollar. Your pillow cases are beautiful. The crochet edged ones always cry out to me. xoxo, Olive

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  15. How awesome to find someone that truly loves to press linens. I love the way they look.

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  16. Look at you doing all your ironing.....I hate to iron....and rarely do..but freshly ironed pillow cases bring me right back to my childhood as my mom was just like you.....she loved to iron.
    xo

    Jo

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  17. I can't believe somebody loves ironing as much as I do...
    My mom taught me..I used to iron all of my Dad's shirts, and then my older brother Bill's...who only wore oxford cloth button downs..
    I taught all my 3 kids...including my son...to iron..and they are all experts...

    There is nothing like a freshly ironed pillowcase, and you have showcased it beautifully..

    Thanks Jacqueline....for being you :o)

    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  18. Your linens are so beautiful. I use to hang mine up at our last house. Sadly I cannot with this one. Our neighbor has 3 dogs and sometimes he does not clean up after them and you can smell it when he doesn't. Would not want to hang clothes out than. HA! HA!

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  19. Jacqueline,
    I L O V E to iron! This past week I've been washing some vintage embrodiered tea towels from my beloved Mother~in~laws collection. . .and then ironed them all and placed them in the cabinet! Many are Days of the Week...but these don't happen to tell what each day is. Wednesday varies from market ~ to garden~ to sewing by the picture. Thanks for sharing about ironing pillowcases. . ."Mr. Ed" wants to take my temperature when I iron ours! Ha!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  20. Wednesday would have to be for resting after all that ironing!

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  21. i love to iron! pink rosebuds--it doesn't get prettier than that:)

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  22. Jacqueline, I don't like ironing at all. Yuck! However, ironing tablecloths, curtains, etc makes all the difference. I don't iron bedsheets though. I have to draw the line someplace. All of my bedsheets are white and 100% cotton. I throw them in the washing machine and then the dryer. I need to get someone to put up a laundry drying line out back. I love drying clothes that way. That is how my Mom still does it. Mom is 76 and has yet to purchase a clothes dryer.

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  23. I don't know anyone that hangs their sheets to dry. We don't even have clotheslines!

    I soaked and washed several loads of linens recently (I asked you "how to" on FB). NOW it's time to iron. Although I may not enjoy the task as much as you do, I'll try to remain inspired. I may have to resort back to this post frequently. (:

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  24. Ironing has always been my favorite house chore, Jacqueline. Especially all the linens... handkerchiefs, pillowslips, guest towels, table cloths. Do you use linen spray when you iron? I use either lavender or Egyptian cotton. (You can sometimes find them at the dollar store!)

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