Tips for the Domestically Challenged
By: Lucia Campilongo
I never thought that my daughter, Gina, would survive her year away from home when she first went away to college. She never had an interest in learning basic homemaking skills growing-up, and I was absolutely panicking over her fate.
There were no options left. I had to take matters into my own hands and in less than a month, handwrote a survival guide that covered just about every aspect of homemaking necessities and basic cooking recipes that I could think of. Writing this guide went a long way to satisfy my own worries about my daughter and I truly believe helped her survive that year away from home.
One of the many areas I chose to cover was how to iron a shirt or blouse. Like most of the items in my guide, I utilized a basic checklist approach for clarity and ease of use. The funny thing is that I have learned that even basic ironing skills are not necessarily known by the masses. With respect to shirts, the common complaint is that some part of the previously ironed shirt gets wrinkled again by the time the rest of the shirt is complete.
The resolution is simple, and if you just follow these easy steps, your shirt or blouse will look fresh and wrinkle-free:
First of all, start with the sleeves and . . .
- Lay the sleeves flat on the table with the seam on one side, and iron both sides of the sleeve.
- Then, iron the yoke (or shoulders), both front and back.
- Next, iron the sides, back and front.
- Finally, iron the collar.
Remember, having an organized game plan improves not only your ironing, but the rest of your homemaking skills as well.
Wishing you all the best . . .
Lucia Campilongo
Bio
After nearly thirty years, Lucille "Lucia" Campilongo's beloved and well-worn household handbook, featuring over 30 authentic Italian family recipes, has been published and is available for anyone embarking on a new life of domestic independence. Written in her own words, Lucia's Survival Guide and Cookbook transports Lucia's voice and warm sense of humor to anyone needing or wishing they had a little motherly advice.
A seasoned, enterprising and proficient homemaker, she grew up in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. She is a wife, mother and grandmother living today in Northern California with her husband, Victor.
