As I was ironing my clothes today, I had a bit of a flashback.

[Paper Roses]

When my husband and I were first married, we had all of about 2 cents to our names. He had a job that required he wear a dress shirt and tie every day. Frugal that we were, when the collars of those shirts got frayed, I would turn them. Remember doing that?
My husband is gone now, I am alone and like so many others, struggling to get by.

As I ironed some blouses, I noticed the collar of my oxford cloth shirt was frayed. I actually thought about turning the collar. I have not done that in 40 years.

Talk about coming full circle.

Sad.

[KT2000]

1. So true - but

I feel good when I do things like that. I have saved something from the landfill.

[virgogal]

2. I remember turning collars--------long time ago. I also darned a few

wool socks

Never again.

[Warpy]

3. Thanks for reminding me why I never buy anything with a collar

any more. I still have a few shirts with collars, but I rarely wear them.

I've turned collars, darned socks and even patched underwear. I also taught myself how to make tailored shirts because nothing off the rack fit my ex.

These days it's jeans and shirts I don't have to iron.

[madrchsod]

4. my grandmother taught me some 50+ years ago how to iron...

cook,clean,and sew and i taught my daughter the same. hell i still sew up the holes in my socks. i wonder how many kids know how to do all these things today. by the way it used to drive my wife crazy but now she goes with the flow.

[DemReadingDU]

5. Iron? Ironing??

I don't think I've ironed anything in over 10 years, lol

But I do remember ironing in the mid-60s, high school. It took 5 minutes to iron a short sleeve blouse and 7 minutes for a long sleeve blouse. When I worked in the 90s, and wore skirts and jackets, I only ironed the shirt collar and the front. Today it's t-shirts and jeans.

[quiller4]

11. I iron almost everything I weare including jeans. I hate to wear

anything with a wrinkle. In the 1950s I learned to iron my Catholic school uniforms. Ironing is one household chore I enjoy. I find it relaxing.

[midnight]

6. Hugs Paper Rose. What a sweet memory of you and your husbands life together.

That sounds like a great idea... I just have no idea how that would be done. Last winter, I got out my sewing machine and took some down comforters I wasn't using, and covered them with flannel sheets for two of the cutest little girls I know.... They love them and use them year round.

[Control-Z]

7. I know how to mend clothing

but I've never heard of turning a collar. Can you tell me what that is?

[diddlysquat]

8. I think it is this:

I've never turned one but I am pretty good at using a sewing machine and making clothes. I believe it is when you remove the entire collar and turn it around so the frayed side is beneath the fold. You then resew the collar into place.

[Paper Roses]

9. Right. Tricky part, make sure the reverse side is aligned just as

the frayed one was. The tedious part is removing the collar stitch by stitch so that the pocket you create with the removal of the collar just just the right size to slip the reverse side right in. After aligning and pinning as it should be, a quick zip through the sewing machine and it is done.

The frayed part is now the underside and will never show.

[Little Star]

10. Thanks for the memories. I really enjoyed this post. k&r

[trof]

12. I bet you have a darning egg, too. Remember those?

[Paper Roses]

14. Still have one. Also have glove darner and a strawberry needle

sharpener with a silver cap. We repaired everything. No longer fixable? If cotton, we cut it up and the good sections(no seams, collars, cuffs) went into the rag bag.

[Zoigal]

16. I've darned socks a lot, but never used a glove darner. What do they look like?....z

[Paper Roses]

17. Check out this link. Mine is not silver but it does the same job.

http://www.rubylane.com/shops/treasureit/item/16995

Used mine for other things where I have to sew something narrow and have to get a solid surface behind the item.

[tango-tee]

13. My mom ironed *everything*

And I really mean everything. Underwear. Socks. Face towels. And she had a particular way of folding things and putting them away. No Marine Corps drill sergeant could have found fault with the way things were stacked on various shelves.

To this day, I love the scent of freshly ironed clothes, starched jeans and shirts, and it brings back memories of my mom standing in the kitchen ironing. My mom is bedridden now - she has been paralyzed from a stroke for almost 27 years.

Memories.... Yes, Paper Roses, it is sad but it is also a way of reconnecting. :hug:

[raccoon]

15. I have flashbacks like that a lot these days. nt