The words “fun” and “iron” in the same sentence? But how? Believe it or not, your iron isn’t just for laundry day. You can make cute crafts and funky fashion with your iron! An iron is even helpful for everyday household hacks! Read on to discover new applications for your least favorite appliance!
1. Make pressed flowers! Heavy books, absorbent paper and time; that’s what it takes to preserve your favorite flowers for keepsakes or crafts. Not anymore! Try using an iron to speed up the process.
Step1: Gather flowers and/or leaves. Make sure to collect pieces that will lay flat such as pansies, daisies and fern leaves. Trim away excess stems.
Step 2: Arrange the pieces on a thick piece of paper such as watercolor paper or cardstock. Lay another piece of paper on top of your flowers. Cover paper with a thin piece of fabric such as a washcloth or bandana.
Step 3: Remove any water from your iron if it’s the steam kind, and set it to medium heat. Place the hot iron directly onto the fabric for a few seconds and reposition over the entire arrangement repeatedly until entire surface has been covered by heat multiple times. Use gentle pressure. Do not slide the iron back and forth to avoid disturbing the flower positioning.
Step 4: Check your flowers. There should be some water on the paper. If the flowers are not as dry or flat as you would like them, repeat the process with 2 new pieces of paper until desired look is achieved. Pressed flowers can be glued onto cards and crafts, or framed.
2. Make a dot design! Here is a quick and clever way to create a polka-dot look on your bags and clothing using an iron and colorful plastic straws!
Step 1: Place garment or tote bag flat on an ironing board or hard surface. Set iron to high heat.
Step 2: Cut colorful drinking straws into small rings, no larger than ¼ inch wide. Arrange the rings, 6 at a time, standing vertically upright, onto the garment. Place a piece of parchment or baking paper over the pieces.
Step 3: Place the hot iron directly down onto the paper until the straw pieces have melted completely flat. Continue gliding the iron across the surface for a few seconds to ensure the pieces are flat. Let the paper cool and remove it to reveal tiny donut shapes. Repeat to attach as many dots as you want, 6 at a time until satisfied!
3. Remove a carpet dent! Moving heavy furniture often reveals unsightly dents in the carpet. Use your trusty iron to reverse the curse!
Step 1: Set your iron to the steam setting. Place a damp cloth over the dent.
Step 2: Glide the hot iron over the cloth while applying pressure for about 30 seconds. Set iron aside and use your fingers to coax the carpet fibers back into place.
Step 3: If the dent remains, repeat the process until it’s gone.
4. Make a grilled cheese sandwich! Maybe you’re in a hotel room and this is a necessity for your survival - but more than likely you are just curious and hungry. Regardless, it is entirely possible to make a grilled cheese sandwich or any kind of panini with an iron!
Step 1: Prepare a heat resistant surface, such as an ironing board, or a table covered with a towel. Set iron to high.
Step 2: Lay out a piece of aluminum foil. Make a sandwich. The outer sides of the bread will need some butter of margarine to achieve that golden-brown look. Fold the aluminum foil over the sandwich.
Step 3: Place your hot iron down on the sandwich for about 30 seconds. If it looks toasty, flip the sandwich and repeat on the other side. Nice job, iron chef!
5. Create unique clothing! Of course, the best use of an iron is using it to attach Winks For Days iron-on patches to your favorite hat, jacket, backpack or tote bag!
Step 1: Set iron to medium-high heat.
Wait a couple of minutes, grab a drink, play some music, and let the iron get nice and hot.
Step 2: Lay garment on hard surface.
By surface, we mean a heat-tolerant surface such as a sturdy table, wooden cutting board, or Mom’s granite countertops. Padded ironing boards will get wrinkles out of your shirt, but won’t work well to adhere your new patch.
Step 3: Place patch face up wherever you’d like.
Step 4: Cover with a piece of fabric.
Use a single layer of fabric, such as a press cloth or cotton bandana. This is to avoid scorching your Winks For Days patch. We’ve seen this happen, please don’t skip this step.
Step 5: Apply firm pressure straight down with heated iron for about 45 seconds.
Be sure to apply constant pressure. We know your mind-brain is telling you to iron out the wrinkles, but do not move the iron side-to-side like you normally would. Allow it to cool a little before the next step.
Step 6: Turn the garment inside out and iron the back of the patch for 30 seconds.
No need to cover this side with a piece of fabric. Be sure and apply constant pressure once again.
Step 7: Gently check if backing is adhered to garment. Let garment cool and enjoy your patch!
Allowing the patch time to cool will help set the heatseal backing onto your garment. Simply repeat steps 4-6 if necessary.
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Wait 48 hours before washing, and turn garment inside out when doing so. Please contact us at info@winksfordays.com with any questions.
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