Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/112

 use powdered gum arabic in their starch but almost the same effect may be obtained by starching twice, first in boiled then in raw starch. A great deal depends on the heat of the irons, also on practice. An inexperienced hand is sure to spoil her work a few times before she becomes clever at it. I have given several recipes for raw-starching, but in case more minute particulars are looked for here, I give the manner of mixing the starch adopted by myself for many years and with unfailing success. For every two shirts allow one teaspoonful of starch, but if you have only two shirts to do you must allow more or your starch will be too thinned by the quantity of water you have to use. Having put the starch into a basin, pour in as much water as you think will be sufficient (for four or six spoonfuls of starch not less than a pint of water) and let it stand for an hour to soak. Then stir and mix well with the hand and add one good tablespoonful of thick soap jelly and about half a teaspoonful of borax (powdered). If you use powdered gum you must pour hot water on it an hour or so before adding it to the starch, and you will not require the borax. Having thus prepared your starch do your shirts in the manner I have directed elsewhere in this volume, and let them lie rolled up for at least one hour before ironing. Iron with clean hot irons, one will remain hot enough for just one shirt. Unless particularly quick you cannot do a second with one iron.

Starch for Shirts—To every ounce of starch add a teaspoonful of powdered borax. Blend in sufficient water and strain through muslin. Let the irons be perfectly clean, smooth and hot, and use with a firm, steady hand. To clean the irons, kerosene and salt is very good, and to prevent sticking rub the iron with a cloth slightly bees’ waxed.

How to Starch a Shirt.—I have given several recipes for making starch for shirts, and it has just now occurred to me that there may be many young housewives who would be glad to know how to set about the starching of a white shirt. So I will for their benefit give the details. First be quite sure that the shirt you are about to starch is quite clean, then gather up the front in your hand so that the body of it does not become wet. Dip the front into your basin of starch, squeeze dry and open out to see that the whole of the front is wet with starch. Place the cuffs together, dip them into the basin and wring out, place the cuffs on the front, roll up tightly and lay by till required for ironing. It is best to starch your shirts at least four or five hours before ironing. To iron them be sure your irons are clean and hot, if they are not your shirt will be smudged. Do the cuffs first, on the right and wrong side too, bearing upon the irons well, and going over the cuff back and forth till a good gloss appears. To do the fronts, it is best to have a board just the size of the shirt front; a piece of pine or anything will do. Cover it first with a flannel, then with a white cloth, and when about to iron the front slip it under it, smooth out all creases and go over it carefully with a very hot iron. The old saying re “practice makes perfect,” applies to shirt ironing, the more one does the better they become by degrees. Elbow grease has a lot to do with glossing a shirt front, it does not all depend upon the starching. Collars are done in the same way, and lace and muslin ties are often done with raw starch.