Shirts on an ironer,,,,
Dori,
I have no experiance with an Ironrite which has the shoe on the bottom - but have extensive experiance with the type that has the ironing shoe above the roller. I hope this will help.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
1) anything you want to iron will need to be dampened - preferably a day before you want to iron it to give the moisture a chance to equilibrate and be even throughout the piece. This applies to both starched and non-starched pieces.
I'm assuming you know what I am talking about here - if not - let me know.
2) Be aware that sorting the ironing according to fabric type is essential - though it makes no difference if you start from the lowest required temperature ( Synthetic blends ) , and progress to those things requiring higher heat ( Linens and 100% cottons). If you proceed from low temp on upwards, it saves waiting for the ironing shoe to cool down.
3) Every rotary ironer is different with regards to the thermostat setting - a bit of expirmention will save you a LOT of aggrivation in the future.
Ok - Shirts - dampened - starched - whatever.
Shake the shirt out, holding it by the two sleeve tops where they meet the body of the shirt.
Lay the shirt sleeve on an angle across the roller, so that as the shoulder seam passes under the shoe, ( at the left end of the roller ) the sleeve is going through the shoe in a spiral pattern - it will be angeled at about 45 degrees from left to right from the shoulder seam. You may wish to do the shirt cuffs seperatly, as a flat piece under the end of the shoe, but they do quite nicely just following along. Both sleeves are done the same way , but the right hand sleeve is done facing towards you, and the left hand sleeve is done exactly the same way but the whole shirt is turned so that the back is uppermost before you start. ( The Seam between the body of the shirt and the sleeve goes under the roller in a straight line - the sleeve winds across the rollar.)
Ok - sleeves are done. With the back of the shirt facing you , lay the buttons down against the rollar - straight across - and iron clear around the entire shirt body - You will need to stop once, to reposition the back pleat before finishing the back, and you will want to be sure that the button hole plackett is flat against the roller before it passes under it. If the plackett isn't pressed to your liking, turn it over, and pass it again under the rollar at the end of the shoe - just the placket - top to bottom.
You're almost done. Pick up the shirt again by the straight seam between the yoke and the back of the shirt. With the collar up, Iron the yoke on a 45 degree angle until you reach the beginning of the back of the shirt. Open the shoe, reposition shirt, and iron straight across so that base of the collar just misses going under the shoe. Reposition once more on an angle, and finish the yoke.
All that is left is the collar - which is done as a unit and usually is a straight shot - the collar itself and the collar band can be done at the same time. If the outside of the collar isn't just perfect - run it again through the shoe - remember you are dealing with multiple layer's of fabric and possibly interfacing here, so it may take 2 passes.
You're done - Hangers are easiest but the shirts will look just fine if you fold them - your choice.
I realize I have gone into excruciating detail - and it will take a few tries until you find your groove - but once you do, you'll be glad you took the time to learn how to do this. In no time at all you will be able to do a shirt in 2 minutes or less.
Flatwork is self explanatory... Light starch makes it special.
A small spray bottle kept handy will re-dampen any glareing mistakes . Remember - you're NOT working with a steam iron here, and if the fabric isn't damp - it WILL scorch.
Hope this helps you enjoy your ironer.
Larry Mapps. AKA Neptune2000
