What Are These Things

 Yep, my Mom had some, and I kinda wish I had some!  Stretch a pair of laundered pants around them, let them dry...and voila, a crease without ironing!  Not sure how many people care about creases anymore, though.

marty_ga

 ...Stretch a pair of laundered pants around them, let them dry...and voila, a crease without ironing!...

Hey, you stole my answer, marty!  LOL  I'llbe honest, tho, I only know what they are from seeing them in a catalog, most likely The Vermont General Store.

 Oh my it's been ages!  Yep Mom had those, I remember struggling with them for my Dad's pants, lol.  I always seemed to have them in along the SEAM instead of down the middle ha haaa. 

I guess Mom had about 4-5 sets of these and would my brother's jeans.  If a pair was worn, but not dirty, just put these in, hose them down and let them hang on the line to dry, and walla, fresh new creases.

And Mom did iron sheets and pillow cases, and even our cotton slips.  Didn't iron Nyton ones later on, tho, just our cotton ones.  AND she used a soda bottle and ut a tiny sprinkler in the end (fit in with a cork) to sprinkled the clothes and then "roll " them up to prepair for ironing.  After we got our freezer, if she didn't get all the roining done, the sprinkle clothes were ut in a plastic bag and put in freezertil the nxt day or so.

sandra_slayton

AND she used a soda bottle and ut a tiny sprinkler in the end (fit in with a cork) to sprinkled the clothes and then "roll " them up to prepair for ironing.  After we got our freezer, if she didn't get all the roining done, the sprinkle clothes were ut in a plastic bag and put in freezertil the nxt day or so.

Exactly...I just have to laugh at the good ole days. Also Callie that machine was called a mangle iron. The only reason I know is because

we had one in our basement.

Iron-Rite was the brand I think -- I was fascinated by it as a little one and my mother was convinced I was going to put my hand on the plate and get burned -- the thing used knee controls so it wasn't 'fast'.

And yep -- sprinkling the clothes to be ironed was one of my jobs -- you had to roll them up to distribute the water evenly ... and the younger ones reading this are saying "Why did they do that?  Why didn't you just put water in the iron?"

Because *grin* back then there WEREN'T steam irons ... and when they first invented them you had to use distilled water in them LOL.  It's no ownder our mothers didn't "work" out of the home -- it took freaking forever to do all this junk.

my first washer was an open agitator with a wringer on it.  THAT was an antique even then, but it was cheap enough that I could have it in my apartment and not have to haul all my clothes to the laundromat twice a week LOL

Callie, I was thinking jut olike you--women had to stay home, at leat ones that didn't live in big cities.  Most did all cooking from scratch--no instant or frozen or "carryout".  Many canned and put stuff in freezer, made jams, jellies, preserves.  Most made a lot of the clothing for the family.

 I use to hlep Mom do the washing in her old wringer washer.  Washed sent thru the wringer into rinse tub one, spun the wringer around and run clothes from rinse tub 1 to rinse tub 2, spun it around and ran from rinse tub 2 to the basket--then farried the basekt out and hung the clothes on the line.  Lots of fun a a real windy day, epscially towels, etc.  She used this stuff called bluing in the rinse water, but I forget which tub.

Blankets and many times sheets were boiled in a big pot over fire, , stirred with a stick, lifted out of the pot and dripped a little and then placed in a tub of cool water. I remember how thrilled I wa when we got our first
automatci washing machine."

Also until I was about 8 or 9 we had the real mMcCoy for an ice box.  It was metal but had wood "shingles" on the outside.  Had three compartments.  The larger one on one side was for food.  Then on the other side, you put a 25 pound block of ice to chill it down.  The ice melted and the water drained out into a tray.

I remember our old fphone on the wall, the one that had a "face" on it.  Alwasy thought the two bells looked like eyes and the mouth peice which stuck out looked like a nose.  You had to take the reciever off the hook on the side and then crank the crank on the side to get the operator.    When we got the "real phone" it was so amaxing to just be able to put you fingers in the dial and call who you wanted to withouthave to crank and get Miss Fanny, the operator and tell her the number or person you wanted.  I will always remember we had a private line and our number was 48,  My Grandma and her sister who lived next door were on party line together and their numbers were 26M and 26J, and my bets firned and cousin, her number was 70M--also on a partyline.  Strange I can remember all those number form 55 years ago--but can't remember what I had for supper a week ago, LOL.

sandra_slayton

I will always remember we had a private line and our number was 48,  My Grandma and her sister who lived next door were on party line together and their numbers were 26M and 26J, and my bets firned and cousin, her number was 70M--also on a partyline

Now you're really making me laugh Sandra -- My Dad's folks were on a party line -- and TODAY people get all up set if someone can "intercept" their mobile calls or hear an echo of another conversation?

 *laughing* back then you had to wait until the nosey neighbor down the road quit hogging the line in order to make a call and THEN You hoped like heck no one had their receiver off the hook or they'd hear your whole conversation.

BTW Sandra -- it's not so much that we're sold old -- we just both lived out in the sticks LOL -- we didn't get stuff like private lines until the 70's!!! LOL

 My Dad was talking about party lines the other day.  He said that each house had a different ring, and that was supposed to be how you knew if you were supposed to answer or not.  He said the kids never listened and would answer the wrong rings and the person calling would have to hang up and try again.

TheDogHouseBCMPD

 My Dad was talking about party lines the other day.  He said that each house had a different ring, and that was supposed to be how you knew if you were supposed to answer or not.  He said the kids never listened and would answer the wrong rings and the person calling would have to hang up and try again.

Party lines used to be a challenge -- many neighbors couldn't resist the urge to "pick up" on a call and then know all that neighbor's business (because of course everyone knew everyone else's ring).  I can remember my aunt saying 'Oh that's just Cathy's mother calling -- she always calls her about this time of the morning ... unless it's _______________ calling about a past-due bill!"  But they were SO much cheaper a lot of people had party lines.