A sweatshirt is a formless lump of cloth regardless of which way you try to put it. You take it out of the washer and give it a firm shake and it’s pretty much in the same form as a dry sweatshirt. Easy and convenient, just like loungewear should be. Or if you’re like me and live in a colder climate and prefer woollen jumpers over sweatshirts you don’t have to even wash ’em. Just air them regularly.
But a dress shirt that’s just come out of the washer is a sad sight like an emaciated old man. It could use some love and care.
In ironing your shirts by yourself you get to know the quirks of the construction of the garment and a chance to appreciate the craftmanship on a deeper level. Everytime you iron a shirt you learn to recognise more quickly and precisely where exactly to pull the cloth or when to hold it, how to flip it around efficiently and have the seams lying on the board neatly.
I like to start with the collar, then the cuffs and sleeves, then the yoke and back, and finally the front of the shirt. If everything goes smoothly (no pun intended) I can iron a shirt in less than ten minutes. The average time is somewhere around 10-15 minutes, usually the first shirt takes the longest and the last shirt is quick but starting to get sloppy. It becomes a fun game to get a good time with no mistakes. As I was ironing my shirts this morning I got really excited for a new record and felt like I was in the zone, until I realised as I was hanging the shirt up that I had completely forgotten to do the other sleeve. I rushed back to the board with a calm confidence required in the face of dire urgency and finished the job in spectacular fashion. No creases, no problems.
Each time you iron your shirts the end result is going to be different. No two creases will ever be in the same place and sometimes there will be more creases. A crease in a ironed shirt is a personal stamp of dishonour. It is your handiwork. It is your mistake and you’re going to have to choose how you’re going to live with that mistake. Are you going to spend more time redoing the shirt or are you going to ignore it and move on and do a better job next time? I usually go with the latter option and choose to live with it. I made my bed and now I’m going to have to lie in it.
The most satisfying part is hanging up the crumpled and wet shirts on a rack of some kind, taking them off and then placing them back after having ironed them and seeing all the shirts completely rejuvinated at the end. I can only imagine this is how a drill instructor feels seeing his marines as they go through bootcamp: from shapeless lumps of cloth into neat and tidy shirts with a purpose and form, ready to wear.
Ironing shirts is a therapeutic process. As you witness these shirts being brought back to life by your hands it is a symbol of healing and when you interpret the sign you embody the healing in yourself. When you put the shirt on you can take pride in knowing that it looks as good as it does because of your labour and love combined with the labour of the shirt maker. You’re not relying on someone else to do everything for you, or have done it in such a way that no further care is required, but you are a participant in creating and maintaining the beauty of the garment in a more hands-on and apparent way than with just a hoodie for example. An ironed shirt is an aesthetic bridge between you and the manufacturer or designer. That makes me feel a bit more connected and human.
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