Saturday, June 5, 2010

a new addition to the sewing room

Do you know what this is?


It broke off my iron a while ago.  I was able to put it back on to turn the iron on and off, but last week, it wouldn't stay on.


Looks kinda naked without it! 

I had to unplug the iron to make it turn all the way off.  I could still adjust the temp without the dial, but I thought, hey, I don't need an expensive one, so I'll go get a new one!  The hubby spends countless $$ on new fishing lures, so why not?


Please ignore the leopard print wallpaper border.  That is NOT how I want my sewing room to look, but the effort and money involved in changing it are just not going to happen any time soon.  At least I have my own room for sewing.

So a whopping $6.97 and trip to Wal-Mart later, I have this new baby.  It's lightweight and has a setting dial and a place for water to make steam...what more could a gal want?


Spoke too soon.  What a gal could want is an iron that you DON'T have to unplug to make that little red light go off.  Isn't the light supposed to remind you that it's ON?

So the plan is to donate it to my mom for her quilt retreats.  They burn through irons like noone's business...

I'll use the old one a while longer.  Maybe find a good sale.

This is what I get for not really looking over the irons and just buying the cheapest one I find.  But really, is a $100, 20-pound iron like the one my mom has for quilting any better?  It hurts my arm to use it, so, in my humble opinion, NO!

Off to the post office to mail out blocks!  Yay!

Happy quilting,
Katie

8 comments:

---"Love" said...

Save your quarters, and before long you'll have enough cash to get a good iron like you want. I have a Sunbeam, and it works well for me; might be a little heavier than you want, but it wasn't expensive either. ---"Love"

a good yarn said...

I used to buy *expensive* irons and they don't seem to last any longer. Nowadays I by middle-of-the-road. Let's face it, they are all probably made in the same factory in China! Ann :-)

Beth said...

Ok now you are going to think I am just making things up, but I have that iron too. That light is annoying but I have to use it a while longer cause the old one is gone. (I go through irons like crazy, course I always buy the cheapest cause I ruin them so quickily.

Connie204 said...

I have an old Black & Decker that I used for years. The only problem is that the cord gets really hot now. So my DH told me to stop using it. A couple of years ago the kids gave me a gift card for my birthday. I went and got myself a Rowenda (on sale), I was told they are the best. It took me a while to get used to it, but it's OK. I really would love another like my old one.

Unknown said...

I think I go through irons faster than anything else in my supply stash. I've tried cheap ones like you got at walmart, expensive ones, heavy ones, antique ones. I finally decided to go with ones that run about $20...I know they are going to break down after a while, and I can still afford to go get another one. My biggest problem is that they start to lose their heat factor after a while.
Happy Quilting!!

Anonymous said...

I read somewhere that irons only have a certain amount of "life" in them. That the should be replaced after "x" number of hours... hmmm... somewhere on the internet, and I probably didn't book mark it either. Or was it a magazine article.

I think the most frustrating, is you find one you like, then they stop making them, and you have to start all over to find one that matches you!

My current iron is a Panasonic NI-A775TR, and I like it.

-Alice

Marsha B said...

Hope you find one, in your price range, that you like! My only complaint about the one I use is with the steam holes in the bottom plate, sometimes the ends of seams catch in them and the fabric puckers up. I just have to wet it down and iron again but it is annoying!

Christine said...

Isn't that the truth that you get what you pay for. Sorry to hear about your iron irritation. My mom and I both have GE irons that were reasonably priced and have held up well. Good luck! :) Christine