I don't know if you can see it - but there is a grey smudge on my pink flying geese triangle.
RATS!
And this has been happening more and more with this danged iron.
WHY? Its Teflon coating is wearing off and leaving yuck on my piecing.
Ewwww.
Does your iron look like this? Are you getting grey gunk on your piecing and you are unsure of where it is coming from?
I'm not a "put water IN the iron" girl. I know that is the sure kiss of death for most irons over time.
In fact, I'm not much of a spray presser either unless I am giving a quilt top a final press, or adding borders, etc.
The culprit.
I've had this travel iron at my machine side table for pressing on my wool mat for years. It's been a good one. It gets hot, stays hot, has no auto shut off.
But that Teflon coating?
Bye bye, bad iron!
I pulled out this one to use temporarily.
You can still see the grey spot on the lower right goose. I'm hoping it will wash out in due time, I didn't want to take a wet washcloth to it and make it worse at this point.
I like irons that I can stand up on end. They take up less space in my small area. I don't want to deal with trivets and other things that can fall to the ground while I'm working.
Do not even suggest an Oliso to me - because this is what I'm dealing with at the inn. People who are used to leaving an iron face down because it has little legs that lift it up forget that our irons are NOT Oliso.
There was almost a fire. The iron burned through the freezer paper on top of the ironing board and burned into the canvas and batting beneath.
(Of course - no one fessed up, and I honestly don't blame them.)
All three ironing surfaces have scorches like this which brings me to the conclusion that Oliso irons create bad habits.
This little graphic is about to be printed out times three and laminated so I can post it at all ironing stations.
At any rate, this little iron gets hot, stays hot, has no auto shut off - but there IS a coating on the sole plate. And it's a bit too small.
I have this Conair at home and it has a chrome sole plate - no coating, no Teflon.
I'm taking it to the QPO Studio today to replace the one that replaced the bad travel one.
Back to working on these!
This happened yesterday!! YAY!
Here's to all the hard-working guys who dropped everything to install a new pressure tank in our utility room so we once again have water pressure from the well!
A very fine finish!
I love to see your finishes! I know how much love and effort you pour into them and I love how quilting connects us!
And before we ring out this year, and ring in 2026. Here's yesterday's Starky Barky Update:
Great peace and happiness is found when overlooking the ever-present dust from living on a dirt road in the country.
Not to mention the scrap covered cutting table, dog ears and thread ends on my sewing room floor.
Walk into my house and see how I've spent my life- not just noticing if things are dusted!
Oh my gosh. I just can't!
What are our New Year's Eve plans?
Heading over to our friends for a snacky evening and rounds of Mexican Train dominoes to ring in the new year.
Who am I kidding? We'll likely be home and in bed by 10pm. I am not up at midnight - not for anything!
How about you? Will you be stitching to movies in your comfy spot on the couch? Are you out celebrating with friends and family?
This cracked me up!
2025 Dumpster Fire gingerbread house. HAHAHAHAH!
Even if it was a good year, it had many difficulties and challenges and I'm not sad to let it slip (Or burn!) into the past.
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
Not to mention the scrap covered cutting table, dog ears and thread ends on my sewing room floor.
Walk into my house and see how I've spent my life- not just noticing if things are dusted!
My goal for 2026 is to "should" on myself a lot less. And that means not letting other people "should" on me either.
Happy New Year's Eve, everyone - We'll see you back on Friday for our next Lupine & Laughter part.
Wishing you a happy, healthy new year! Thanks for brightening our days with your blog! Barb in Iowa
ReplyDeleteBonnie, my iron has a chrome sole plate and does the same thing. I think what happens is that over time lint from fabric collects in the holes in the sole plate. The heat burns the lint and, at some point, it comes out and smears on the fabric. I'm not sure what the solution is. Clean the iron by putting distilled water in it and then pushing the steam button til it's empty? Cleaning out the holes with a toothbrush from time to time? I'd be interested to hear what other folks think.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that burnt lint problem too. I think the lint gets trapped above that ridge made by the plate also. I've noticed all irons have that area where lint collects. I keep an old toothbrush nearby to brush around that ridge and end up with a small clump of brown lint.
DeleteHappy New Year! If I had a Snarky dog I would be in my chair with him on my lap. Watching the fireworks on TV. As is, I will be asleep most likely. Brenda J.
ReplyDeleteI recently switched to Oliso irons, I am having a tough time leaving them face down. I will catch it in its face down position out of the corner of my eye and have a small panic, and think "it's okay". I am trying to remember that leaving it face down helps conserve its heat and auto shut off is my friend.
ReplyDeleteI too have had to learn to let the dust just settle when we moved to acreage in the middle of Colorado where the wind blows A LOT! Oh well, I will take the trade off any day of the week. Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all Happy New Year, here's to all things good and happy and healthy in the new year for you and yours. Second, I buy those old Black and Decker irons with nothing fancy but good solid heat. I go to Goodwill/thrift stores and have no trouble finding them. I do like my little oslio iron by my machine. It was a gift so I do use it. I anchored down the little heat proof thingy with some 2 sided tape. Seems to work for me. Happy sewing and don't worry about the dust bunnies, they take care of themselves!
ReplyDeleteI have a travel iron similar to the one you showed. Unfortunately I discovered that lint collected in the groove just above the sole plate and then fell out onto my quilt blocks. I had to clean it out periodically, though it was often after it left a smudge on the fabric. I finally retired it and purchased a new iron.
ReplyDeleteKellyKlineQuilting has a tip for getting out scorch marks on YouTube. Search scorched your fabric make it disappear. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand the Oliso issue! I teach at my LQS, and I’m always reminding people not to leave the iron face down. Once at a retreat, a friend was sharing my wool pressing mat and burned a huge scorch on it! I will tell you that I did just buy the Oliso travel iron and I love it! It’s a regular iron that must stand up, and it’s a bit bigger than my old clover travel iron which died after 20+ years. It gets really hot, and it’s also cute!! Wishing you and your family a very happy and Henry Year!!
Wishing you the best for the year ahead. I recently switched to Oslo irons both standard and small units. Why! Because I’m 82 years old still going strong with quilting, trying not to kid myself I do do stupid things, so erroring on the side of caution I felt I could use a governor . They serve their purpose, but I do see where you are coming from regarding your retreat patrons. Besides who’s kidding who Oslo irons are expensive. Dropping them on the floor kaputzka their toast.
ReplyDeleteI can't even remember the last time I saw midnight on New Year's Eve! A friend of mine used to say "If you come to my house to see me, come any time. If you come to see the house, you better call first." Ellen Thompson
ReplyDeleteSorry forgot to leave my name at the end of my first post. KellyClineQuilting has a YouTube video to remove scorch marks. Search terms: KellyClineQuilting remove scorch marks should pull it up for you. L hooe this may be of help and wish you all the best in the coming new year. Michelle
ReplyDeleteWell, I have 3 Olisos. 2 minis and 1 big one. No water in them. Invited to sew into the New Year with my Quilty Friends. Will I make it to Midnight? I think I can, lol. Will I run out of Fabric on my Project?? Going down for the Big Design walls there.
ReplyDeleteI Love my Quilty Friends! Happy New Year. No Dumpster fires here.
You just made my day posting a picture of the gingerbread dumpster. Someone really went to a lot of work to make that house. And those flames and the trash outside the dumpster!
ReplyDeleteAwe.... I love a puppy sleeping upside down! Thank you for sharing your tips on how to keep us safe. I'm still battling allergies but I am going to try and sew some pinwheels together today. My kitten I have discovered loves to steal my unsewn pieces so I need to keep them wrangled a bit better! HAHA! We are going to watch our football game. Not sure if we will be up at midnight. Have a fun and safe New Year's evening & see y'all next year! :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! We will be staying home tonight, as we both have a cold. If I feel up to it, I will knit a bit.
ReplyDeleteThe Oliso iron is also very heavy. This 94 year old quilter just bought a new light weight one to use as my regular iron. The Oliso is now in the garage. Seems none in my family iron anything ,
ReplyDeleteanymore. Happy NewYear. Petey Gary
When one iron fails, I go to the thrift store and buy a new one. I use a iron cleaner that is a paste and clean the sole plate. Like Bonnie I kike one that stands on end. Peg Miller SD
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Bonnie
ReplyDeleteI buy the teflon coated cheap irons at Wally World - they work well & last a long time, so works for me. I clean the plates with Mr Clean erasers (really easy job!) & then wipe with a clean cloth on a regular basis so there is no residue to iron onto fabrics. I refuse to spend $100-$150 for an iron!
ReplyDeleteI have had some expensive irons over the years. Even though I don’t fill with water, I am hard on them. Now I buy irons at thrift stores (hardly anyone irons anymore!). I prefer the metal bottoms. Black and Decker are my favorite.
ReplyDeleteWise words! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI love Oliso irons because I have carpal tunnel issues, I have found not having to put the iron on its heel has helped this condition immensely. Yes, they do create a bad habit if you use a regular iron.
ReplyDeleteLife’s short. Do what makes you happy today. The dust will still be there tomorrow. Thanks, Bonnie, for starting my days on a positive note. Happy New Year! AnnetteJ
ReplyDeleteI wish every one a healthy, Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteI love my Oslo iron and no longer have pain in my wrists when standing it on end as with other irons. Happy New Year! I'm regularly up until midnight and hope to be able to watch TV and different areas of the world ring in the new year tonight.
ReplyDeleteI got a very nice, inexpensive "old fashioned", dry iron with no shutoff and a solid uncoated faceplate, from the CVS website. It gets hot - just need to unplug when finished. It's bigger than a small travel iron but smaller than a regular one. I put it in my cart, provided an email and got a coupon and free shipping offer in a few days.
ReplyDeleteWishing you & yours a happy, healthy 2026! I tell my friends and family, if you're coming to see ME, come anytime. If you're coming to see my house, make an appointment. Haha
ReplyDeleteI started getting similar spots on my pressed pieces but thought they were from my constantly used wool pressing pad that I’ve had for several years. I washed the pad and no more spots. Just soaked pad in tepid water with quilt soap for 2 hours, rinsed well and dried laid flat on towels. Drying took a few days. Mary Ott
ReplyDelete