a pressing matter

I hate ironing.  OK, hate may be a strong word - I could happily live without ever having to use an iron...which is the wrong attitude for a quilter of course.  Laughing Boy used to do all the ironing chez kettleboiler.  I even bought him a manly iron (all silver and grey with manly words on the side, like POWER) and I loved that iron.  OK, loved is maybe too much but we became friends.  That iron took my hand and showed me that pressing seams wasn't so bad.  Then my quilting vomit organisation began to take over the spare room, where the ironing is done. So rather than tidy up every time I had finished sewing (where's the fun in that?!), I took on the ironing duties. Yup, my commitment to creative messiness knows no bounds.

Then disaster... manly iron got sick and died.  I was actually quite upset - we had become friends, you know.  I then made a school girl error and took Laughing Boy shopping with me for a new iron.  So instead of replacing manly with manly, I was cajoled into buying a cheaper white model, with its promise of gliding and no drips.  I hate our new iron and I mean that!  I think it hates me too.  It spurts water out of the top at me.  It refused to glide when I most need it too. It falls over... a lot. It is no manly iron :(

In a bid to realign our relationship, I made it this....

an iron cozy

a quilted bottom

I'm planning on making iron cozies for my FQR sample swap item and used Elizabeth Oh Fransson's great pattern to make this one.  I had a couple of construction issues (all user error - mostly due to forgetting to put my foot down d'oh!) so this one is staying with me and my friend, not-manly iron.  I know where I went a bit wibbly wobbly so the next ones should be fine. 

I don't think not-manly iron is convinced yet....

edited to include link to Show and Tell Tuesdays over at Randi's.