Irons ~ A Sewing Geekery and Gagets Review

An iron is a pretty integral part of any sewing studio and most projects.

As I was gathering my supplies to go to Fabric Fest I read on one of my class lists "wooden iron". I immediately had panic...it would take up too much room in  my suitcase, add weight, would allow me to bring less back with me. I was visualizing some big, heavy, takes up lots of space item fashioned out of block of wood. Off to google to see if I could get away with not taking it and "improvise" something possibly from a hotel room. Silly me is all I will say now!!!

A "wooden iron" is a favorite tool of Eleanor Burns. For good reason too! This little teeny takes up next to no space little tool is THE BOMB!

I used it throughout my class with her for the Kylies Kits Quilt. Rather than hopping up to the ironing board set up, rub this nifty tool over your seam and you can move on to the next step. From the manufacturer... Excellent to press seams open or to one side or crease fabric instead of your fingernail or iron. Use for applique, paper piecing and quilting. Carry in your hand sewing kit. Set next to your sewing machine. This little tool is available in both a left and right handed version. I found mine on Amazon and they are in the $5- $6 range.


Now my "regular iron" has been giving me fits for AGES! There has been no steaming for I have no idea how long and the reservoir leaks so I had been keeping an eye open for months to see if I saw something suitable. In forums various names had floated around as "good" including Rowaneta and Shark. Up here my choices are limited so it was on my list to keep an eye out for while in Vegas if I had the opportunity to get some shopping in.

Then I saw her!!! Oh my LOVE at first sight! Let me introduce you to the Oliso TG1600 1800 watts Smart Pro Iron.

This is some poor random lady standing next to me :) We had fun!

Up and down! It has FEET!!

Ben crashing around in the basement proof!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this iron. Did I mention I LOVE it?

First the features that "work" for me.

• 12 foot cord. My iron plugs in under my sewing table bank and this cord length means I can move my board back away from my chair reducing the risk of injury while increasing my overall room to work in.
• the FEET. Seriously this is the BOMB! As soon as you lift your hand from this iron it raises up on a set of feet and your fabric and board cover are not at risk of scorching. It takes a little bit to get used to not "tipping your iron up" but believe me you do get used to it and it is an amazing feature.
• Extended Auto Shut Off. With the feature of the feet they have been able to allow for an extended period of heat. No longer do I need to "bump" my iron to turn it on again. It is fully hot like it was 5 minutes ago. It will shut off after a period of 30 minutes of inactivity.
• Board Stability. this has long been an issue in our home. With my sewing studio in the basement where the kids can also play, w have previously experienced a couple episodes of the iron got knocked over and turned on and melted/scorched...insert: fabric stack, ironing board, carpet. In fact, when I saw this iron my first consideration was that I could sell my hubby on approving the purchase with this one safety feature alone. It has been that much of a concern to him.
• Steam...it has OODLES and OODLES of nice hot steam and a wonderful glide on the fabric. NO LEAKING.

It is pricey but not insane when compared to a Rowaneta. Retailing for $200 US, one can often find it at a "show price" around $150. Mine also came with an additional year of free warranty through the show and they will honor the warranty even though the iron is now "Canadian" without issue. Believe me, I checked this fact out.

Super happy with my purchase and as much as I absolutely despised ironing before I enjoy it now.