HOW TO IRON A SHIRT

[laliquette]

New article in my blog.
It's not translate for the moment but I think that the pictures "speak themselves"
Good reading
Pierre

[Bishop of Briggs]

Can you post a link for my wife? She's fluent in French having lived in Nice for a few years.

[laliquette]

No problem Bishop,send me her address mail and I post the link

[Costi]

In case anyone missed this excellent blog so far, here is the link:

http://lavraiechemisesurmesure.blogspot.com/

[Cary Grant]

Is this a practice shirt? Why is the collar so dirty?

[JDelage]

Merci beaucoup, La Liquette!

[Costi]

Reading the article you may note that shirts are not ironed on an ironing board, but ON THE TABLE, like my shirtmaker taught me! I use a tailor's ham (an oval shaped stuffed cushion) instead of the jeannette - it can even be packed in a suitcase if you go away for more than a few days and need to do your own ironing. Its oval shape helps me iron the round sleeve seams, while its slightly convex surface is of great help in taking out the wrinkles on the collar and cuffs (when they are not fused) before pressing them flat on the table. The narrow end can be inserted into the sleeve to form the cuff pleats, as laliquette expertly explains. Ironing a shirt properly requires some 20 minutes of your life; from the moment you take the shirt out of the plastic bag, that is
Excellent and exhaustive article, thank you for posting it!

[laliquette]

Thank you for all
For Gary Grant I have wrote at the beginning of my article that this shirt was an old shirt.
It is not dirty but turned yellow with the time.
I thank for this presentation it was not important.
Sorry

[laliquette]

The article is now translate in English by JEFFERY D.
I would like to tell a big thank you for him.
I think it will be better for the English reader.
Good read

[mmkn2]

Good read

Thank you Laliquette and JefferyD, I think you have revealed what other shirt makers have told me as a "trade secret" in making their shirts so soft!

For the longest time neither my own laundering nor professional cleaners can match the softness of my shirts when they are laundered and pressed by my bespoke makers. When I asked the bespoke makers, "how do you get it that way?" I get, "trade secret."

I have tried your hermetically-sealed-moistening-the-cotton-fibers-plastic-wrap technique for a few days now, and the shirts are as soft and pleasurable to wear after pressing as when they come back from the bespoke makers. Forget fabric softeners!

It probably seems obvious to you both, being professionals in the trade, but I thank you anyway.

- M

[laliquette]

Thank you for your comment mmkn2.
It is a big pleasure for me to read that you wrote.
For me it is not a trade secret,but just my manner to do.
If I am on this forum it's for share my experience.
I am very glad that you appreciate this article.
Good ironing
Laliquette (Pierre)

[Cobalt]

This is incredibly instructive. I will definitely print it out and use it from now on. One thing surprised me, though. I was always taught that the naked iron should never touch the cloth, be it shirt or suit, especially if one was to slide the iron along the fabric, as this would cause a very unwelcome 'shining' effect on the cloth. I've always used a linen or cotton napkin as a sort of iron guard. Have I (and my mother and my wife and my laundress) been misled all these years?

Cheers,

Cobalt

[Costi]

What you wrote is true for wool cloth and silk, but not for cotton or linen; they can take very well the naked iron. I can't imagine ironing linen, for example, through another layer of cloth. It is very difficult to get a wrinkle out as it is, without interposing anything.

[laliquette]

Gents,
Excuse me but I don't know what is a naked Iron.
Is it as mine?
In my article the shirt is in cotton and i never have problems for ironing.
I have ironed my suits with it but with a piece of material on top.
Thank you

[Cobalt]

By 'naked' iron I mean using the iron without a piece of material. I was under the impression that the piece of material was used to protect the cloth. You say you have used for suits, but you do not use it for shirts?