Tea Towels, Ironing and Stress Release




I am in a mind to iron my tea towels.
Correction: I have ironed my tea towels.

My family will say that it is a way of 
stress release for me. When the tea towels 
are on the ironing board they know 
Mom needs quiet time. But when they 
are done...we all smile.

Fresh soft towels, newly laundered,
pressed to perfection and gently 
placed back into the draw. 
It feels so nice to pull each one out 
and fluff it into shape.
Like the start of a new day :)

above via Anthropologie

As you may have guessed, I have a thing for tea towels, 
I am not sure at what point this fascination developed.
 I am hoping that one or two readers feels the same :)

Speaking of....are you familiar with the floursack? 
Heaven in a tea towel...dreamy! 
I have my sister-in-law, Kathleen to thank for that.
We share the same passion for thread counts :)
The floursack is a large, pure cotton sheet 
that cleans to perfection. Trust me, 
you will want more than one.



 above via Amazon

Am I mad? Yes possibly, as I still
have this silly flu which is really starting to annoy me.
Which could be why I have ironed every tea towel in sight
and trust me...when you have a passion for tea towels,
you tend to collect a lot!

Never fear..I have another little passion and the iron is hot.
How do you feel about ironing aprons ????



cough cough :)



Comments

  1. Ah, a shared affliction!
    I love to iron. But don't tell anyone, they will think me mad, too!
    For me, it's sheets and pillowcases. And linen napkins and tablecloths.
    You are so right. There is something relaxing about it for me.
    Do you spritz yours with lavender water? I can highly recommend that!

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  2. Sorry you're not feeling better yet Jeanne, this flu bug seems very persistent this year. I have A LOT of tea towels, never counted them but I should guess over 50, so yes, I guess I do have a thing about tea towels. Last year I helped a girlfriend pack up her house before moving. I had to sit down when I discovered she only possessed 3 tea towels!!
    Stay in the warm and get better quickly
    Sharon
    xx

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  3. Pamela...I forgot, yes, the lavender water is a must for those pillowcases. I have a bottle in the linen cupboard for an extra spritz :)

    Sharon..I think I would have had to sit down too. Three?? Thanks for your well wishes..I am taking it one day at a time :)

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  4. Dear Jeanne,
    I have a bit of a thing for tea towels but in a different way. I have a couple of beautiful, soft, white linen ones with a French motif and, I love them so much that I won't use them !! I couldn't bear it if they got fat or red wine on them !! .....but, the others don't get that sort of love from me and never see an iron I'm afraid !!
    Hope that you are feeling a little better everyday Jeanne. Perhaps you should put the ironing board away and put your feet up !! XXXX

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  5. Haha...you make me smile! I adore floursack dishtowels, have my share of them...so simple, so right! And I adore ironing pillow and duvet covers...with starch on the important parts, such as the borders on shams, ties, and edges. The lavender water is something I sprinkle on the bed after it's made.

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  6. Ah . . . the simple pleasures of life!

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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  7. I'm a little like Becky...iron all the important parts! I even iron sheets (the first 6 inches that show over the coverlet)and pillowcases. I have only a couple of aprons so that's a "no". But love to iron everything else so it's crisp! I have an ironing board set up next to my washer and dryer. That way as it comes out of the dryer, I can iron it.
    Feel better soon friend!!!

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  8. Dear Jeanne,
    I had a big smile on my face during reading your lovely post! Not because you`re bothered by a flu (I`m sorry for that, my friend! :(...)but reading the fact that you`re ironing tea-towels and aprons...I used to iron the underwear of my family!!! So, I guess, I will get the title *strangest mother of the year* or something like that, but I must confess...it`s been years. Nowadays I don`t do it anymore! :))

    I love the tea towels of Anthropologie, especially the one with the bird!

    Happy ironing days, Jeanne! :))
    Beate XXX

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  9. I have the rotten flu as well Jeanne, but didn't think of a tea towel ironing binge as a possible cure! I'll try it...I love tea towels too :)

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  10. I love tea towels! I have, however, never heard of an ironing apron:-) I find ironing very calming - and you get such a sense of accomplishment!

    I hope you feel better soon.

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  11. I like ironing tea towels...yes it is a stress release. We live in Indonesia now, so I don't get much of a chance to iron tea towels with the availability of inexpensive domestic help.

    I grew up in America understanding that Tea Towels were primarily for drying dishes, and distinguished from hand towels in the kitchen - which are used for wiping of hands.

    I have been unable to effectively "enforce" this in my own home. My husband does the cooking and as I see my tea towels being used to wipe off dirty cooking hands...I cringe. (but I like the guy so much).

    I have met so few people that still use tea towels in their home or even know what they are. The last person I met was from Scottland.

    I am curious what other people use tea towels for in their homes.

    Ann

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  12. I'm your newest follower....I love your blog.
    Smiles.
    Mary

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  13. I do love tea towels! Ironing, not so much. But tea towels are lovely, especially vintage ones, of which I have several. And I have a second use for those wonderful flower sack ones. I made them into curtains using tension rods with little clamp like clips - perfect for the series of odd sized windows in our bedroom!

    P.S. Get better soon!

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  14. Haha!! Can I send my tea towels over, I'm afraid that I hate ironing.

    My stress release is walking, it is my way of getting some time alone.

    I do however have lavender water that I use for my linen in the linen cupboard.

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  15. Oh, Jeanne, so sorry to hear you're still afflicted. Sending you healing vibes from faraway Hobart.

    This made me smile. I was always an ironer of the 'flat things' from about 12. Then when we arrived on Planet Baby, that was the first thing I stopped doing. Simple but a huge time and stress saver.

    That said, I completely *get* the therapeutic value you are feeling! J x

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  16. Jeanne sorry to hear you are still ill!
    I love tea towels as well but I can't say I'm a huge fan of ironing. Luckily my husband loves ironing - oops should keep this a secret :)
    I love both new and the retro tea towels my grandmother let me have....maybe I'll blog some one of these days.

    Hope you feel better soon!

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  17. So happy to read that I am not the only one who has a bit of a thing for tea towels! I do confess, I am not wild about ironing all the time. The tea towels come out when I have a bee in my bonnet over something and lately it has been this annoying flu. Three weeks and I am over it! If I could iron it I would!

    This is the point when I start looking for my tea towels, sheets, aprons...you name it and it is out of the cupboards. A few minutes later I feel quite calm.

    All in a day, a flu day :)

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  18. Oh yes, I have a bunch of tea towels myself. However, I have no patience for ironing them. That's when my mother-in-law really steps up. She loves to do my ironing. Or maybe she's just curious of the linen and lingerie I possess. Who knows.

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