How to properly iron trousers with arrows: a step-by-step method for making arrows

For a long period of time, the main trend has been occupied by creases on trousers. They have forever become part of the classic costume. Correctly making such curves so that they harmoniously and ideally complement the entire image can only be done by following a few tips.

The history of the arrows

There are many versions that tell different stories about the origin of arrows on trousers. One such story comes from the 19th century. Then tailoring in factories began to develop with all its might, collecting large quantities of these clothes. To send finished items to other countries and cities, it was customary to fold them very tightly together. After unpacking, customers discovered an item that had been left in such a state for so long that it had wrinkles.

One of the authors of the appearance of the arrows is the Duke of Windsor, who was caught in a downpour while traveling to a social event. His trousers were completely wet and lost their shape. Seeing a peasant woman, he asked her to iron them. The girl was in such a hurry that she folded the crotch and side seams, resulting in an interesting fold. The Duke liked it so much that he introduced it into fashion.

Which of these stories is more truthful is still unknown, however, fashionistas liked such folds so much that they began to do it intentionally. First, this fashion affected men's clothing and only then women's clothing. In modern times, such a thing is an inseparable element for traditional sets.

Main part of the work

Now straighten the trousers with your hands on the ironing surface. Make sure that the two inside leg side seams are completely aligned with each other and that the front side seam line overlaps the inseam line. At the top you will find a large number of purl seams. If you iron them “as usual”, the trousers will look untidy on top.

You can sew a special lining made of mesh fabric designed for ironing the arrows

To prevent this from happening, place a pad or roller inside the product, and cover the fabric of the pants with damp material and iron it. A piece of gauze is suitable as a backing, which will protect clothes from damage and the formation of shiny marks. Turn on the steam generator mode, if there is one, and carry out all manipulations using steam.

To moisten the fabric layer that is placed between the iron and trousers, it is convenient to use a spray bottle.

When the top of the trousers is ironed, begin ironing the product without touching the crease area. Iron each side alternately, first on one pant leg, then on the other. Make sure that nothing interferes with the trouser legs while working, and that they do not wrinkle in the process. Now you can start directly ironing the arrows.

Preparing things

Smooth, symmetrical curves create the effect of sophistication and style on any person. However, in order not to ruin your trousers, you should adhere to several basic rules.

Accuracy

Creating neat curves on clothes should begin with washing. This should be done so that during the ironing process the existing dirt does not become completely ingrained into the fabric, because after that it will no longer be possible to wash it off. Therefore, if there are traces of sweat, stains, or various stains on your trousers, you should not be lazy about loading the washing machine.

Important! Only clean clothes can be exposed to high temperatures.

Iron mode and material composition

Before you start ironing, you should study all the properties of the item. After all, only the specified temperature is suitable for various fabrics. For example, wool will require 100-120 degrees, for nylon, knitwear and silk 60-80, pure cotton, drape, tweed 140-170, and for denim 150-200. Without knowing such features, there is a big risk of completely ruining the thing. Therefore, to avoid doubts, you should carefully study all the labels on things, where all the necessary information about proper washing and ironing is usually indicated.

Ironer

Such a complex word means just a piece of ordinary fabric through which clothes are ironed. This helps the item remain without iron marks. One of the main conditions for its use is a perfectly clean iron. Cotton or white linen are usually used, but for woolen items, wool is best. It is quite easy to use: the iron is placed on the fabric and blotted with a spray bottle, brush or wet sponge, and then ironed until completely dry. If there is no special fabric for this, then ordinary gauze or white material that does not leave marks will do.

Correct surface

To get the perfect result, of course, it is best to use a specially designed ironing board. However, if there is none, then any equal surface can do. A floor pre-covered with a towel or blanket is ideal.

Spray

Nowadays, almost every iron has a steam mode. If it happens that such a function is missing, a regular spray bottle with water can come to the rescue to moisten the material. This should be done to make it easier to iron. A moistened cloth will allow you to smooth out all the creases and folds much faster. And the risk of burning the fabric will be much less.

Interesting! Nowadays, a large number of devices have been created that can simplify the life of any housewife. This includes a steamer, which is able to more carefully and quickly deal with all hard-to-reach places.

At what temperature should you iron?

Each product has a special label indicating care instructions. To determine the appropriate temperature, you need to find an icon in the form of an iron with a number of dots. The more there are, the more you can warm up the device before ironing. If there is no label, you should focus on the type of fabric:

• natural cotton – 180-220 °C;
• flax – 210-240 °C;
• viscose – 150-180 °C;
• any type of wool – 150-170 °C;
• silk – 140-160 °C;
• polyester – 140-150 °C.

Leather dress pants cannot be ironed; when exposed to high temperatures, the material deteriorates and becomes deformed.

Delicate fabrics such as silk, viscose and jersey should only be ironed on the reverse side at the lowest possible temperature. And it is best to create arrows on woolen products using vertical steaming.

Ways to iron trousers

After all the preparation, you can start ironing. At the same time, you should not immediately start forming arrows. To begin with, the clothes should be ironed from the inside out, and then from the front.

From the inside out

To iron trousers from the wrong side, you need to turn them inside out and iron them completely, starting from the top. In this case, a sheet of paper without inscriptions should be placed under the pockets, which will prevent the appearance of unsightly creases. The side seams should also be given attention. To iron the top of your trousers, place them on the side of the ironing board.

From the front side

After the work is done, the item will need to be turned inside out again. To create arrows, work should be done in 3 stages:

1. The fabric will need to be laid so that the inside and outside seams are held together exactly. For any deviation of the arrow, the bend will be made incorrectly.
2. Using damp gauze, you can begin to move the iron over the entire pant leg. In this case, movements should be careful and unhurried. You shouldn’t constantly move the device along the created arrow; it would be better to tear the iron off your trousers and apply it again. This will reduce the risk of material shifting.

Preparatory stage

To achieve maximum effect, use household appliances for smoothing with a steam function, which will take you 10–15 minutes. Otherwise, the material will have to be moistened.

If using a regular iron, it is very important that it does not come into direct contact with the surface of the fabric, so iron through a damp cloth.

Before starting the main work, we should set up a comfortable place and stock up on special tools at hand that will help us in a matter of minutes:

• Place the ironing board with its cover on a stable surface or cover the table with a clean blanket;
• Prepare an iron with a clean soleplate free of scale and deposits;
• Auxiliary materials - thin cotton fabric, a piece of gauze or any lint-free but dense product;

Avoid using newspapers to iron such delicate garments as their printed characters will leave unpleasant ink marks.

If there is no sprayer in the iron design, use a spray bottle with water. Pay attention to the cleanliness of the fabric so that there are no foreign fibers or threads on it.

Check pockets and hard-to-reach seams. Clean them of any foreign matter or loose pieces or fibers.

Eliminate the presence of stains that may appear noticeably after heating.

Traditional methods

In order to make creating creases on trousers much easier, several useful tricks were invented:

1. The item, turned inside out, is placed on the ironing board. Then, using a bar of soap, draw a line where the folds will be in the future. Then, on the front side, using a wet comb, insert it between the teeth and draw along the drawn line with slight pressure.
2. You can also simply lightly point a piece of soap over the place where the arrows will be, and then smooth it through wet gauze on the front side.

If there are any shortcomings...

At home, it will not be easy for novice housewives to iron out perfect arrows. Some common errors are easy to fix:

• to remove false arrows, gauze is moistened in a solution of 2 tablespoons of 9% table vinegar and 1 liter of water and steamed from the inside out;
• the use of fabric overlays will eliminate unnecessary gloss;
• a spray bottle also combats this problem. Sometimes it can be eliminated only by washing with the addition of laundry soap;
• To keep the material ironed during transportation, fold it with a small roller.

Some features and tricks...

• Pre-treatment of trouser legs requires slightly pulling the trousers on an ironing board or placing a pad under problem areas;
• Rotate the product around its axis, turning it over to the other edge;
• Do not press the steamer too hard, but only lightly, as seams are imprinted and the structure of light fabrics is deformed in direct contact with the heating device;
• For some dense fabrics, use the steam function, which is possible even without ironing;
• Try not to wet synthetics so as not to leave streaks on it. Use wet wipes to eliminate the formation of creases or bruises;
• Periodically let the material cool so that excess moisture evaporates;
• As additional fasteners, secure the top and bottom of the trouser legs with paper clips;
• If you wipe the underside in the area of ​​future folds with soap slightly moistened with water, a brilliant result is guaranteed;
• Simply iron undried pants or spray them with a spray bottle, place them in a bag for 10–20 minutes and get started;
• Mark a straight line with the teeth of an ordinary comb, which you first wet;
• If you spray the inside with a mixture of vinegar + water at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 1 liter and add a little starch, this will strengthen the bends.

How to remove uneven arrows

Even experienced housewives can make mistakes, so if you suddenly notice upon closer examination that the arrow is uneven, it can be corrected in several ways:

• the first thing you need to do is simply iron the resulting ones from the wrong side;
• If regular ironing does not help, then you can use regular 9% table vinegar to eliminate a crooked crease. Mix a liter of water with two tablespoons and soak gauze in the solution. Then put it on your trousers, which you have previously turned inside out, and steam them. After this, you can start creating beautiful arrows again;
• If any stains appear after ironing, laundry soap will help get rid of them. They will need to soap all problem areas and soak for 15 minutes. After that, wash again, rinse and dry in the sun.

Necessary equipment and additional devices

The first step is to organize a place to work. You can iron trousers with arrows either on a special board or on another flat surface. A table, a hard bed and a floor, which will first need to be covered with thick fabric (blanket, bedspread), are suitable for this.

The most important tool when ironing trousers is the iron. It is better if it has a steaming function and a temperature switch. They will need to be adjusted for different types of fabric. You can use modern technology - a steamer or steam generator.

Additional equipment needs to be prepared. It is recommended to iron trousers from the inside out first or using a special iron to avoid the formation of shine and scorch marks. The latter can be replaced with gauze or a piece of thin fabric. To moisturize completely dry clothes and improve ironing in the absence of a steaming mode, a spray bottle is needed. A towel or flat pad helps iron in hard-to-reach places. It is convenient to place a sheet of cardboard under the seams and pockets, so there will be no marks left on the outside.

You should not put newspaper under your trousers; printing may leave an imprint on the product. Additionally, it is recommended to use stationery clips and tailor’s pins to iron straight arrows, securing them in the right places.

Ironing board or other flat surface

Iron with steam function

Steam generator

Ironer

Adviсe

There are several tricks and tips on how to make arrows on clothes so that they always look perfect:

1. Some housewives claim that you can iron trousers through newspaper, but if you do not want to spoil the item with printing ink, then you should not use this method.
2. If you need to transport ironed trousers, you can carefully roll the item with a roller, then the risk that they will wrinkle will be minimal.
3. The kinks will turn out much smoother if you start ironing from the knee area.
4. Men and women involved in business are already so accustomed to polishing their pants that it has become part of their everyday routine. It is important that the effect can last longer after ironing. To do this, you should give things a little time to cool down.
5. You can remove the gloss after treatment with a solution of water and vinegar.
6. It is necessary to iron not only the trousers themselves, but also all pockets, fasteners, belt loops, and belts.
7. Some crafty housewives have come up with an absolutely simple way to create beautiful folds. To do this, fold the fabric in half and connect the instep and side seams. In this form, place it under the mattress and lie down to rest. The next morning you will find perfect arrows.
8. If it turns out that you don’t have vinegar on hand, you can replace it with ammonia.

Temperature selection

There are rules for ironing trousers made from various types of material. Selecting the temperature setting will protect the fabric from damage. Each product has a label indicating acceptable care methods.

Particular attention should be paid to the “crossed out iron” and “steam” icons, which prohibit any heat treatment.

One point on the iron indicates that the technique is heated to 110 degrees, two - to 150, and three - to 200. If the fabric contains synthetics, be sure to use an ironing iron, gauze or thin material. Handle clothes with pile only from top to bottom.

Correcting ironing errors: marks, marks, double arrows

Unfortunately, we often forget to use the iron and unsightly shiny spots remain on the fabric. Fortunately, in most cases these problems can be fixed.

How to remove shine and shine

Laces are the shiny marks left by the soleplate of an iron. They are most noticeable on dark fabrics made from natural, mixed and synthetic fibers. The problem can be resolved in the following ways:

1. If the fabric is made of cotton or linen, then lasses are almost always removed by steaming through a damp iron.
2. If the fabric is mixed, you will need to prepare a solution of water, vinegar and a few drops of liquid soap. Moisten gauze in the solution and iron the problem area through it until the stain completely disappears.
3. Ammonia will help remove shine from woolen fabrics. A few drops of ammonia are diluted in a liter of water. Then proceed in the same way as in the first method.
4. Lass on synthetic fabrics is removed with gasoline. A cotton pad is soaked in the product, and then the stain is treated with it. After this treatment, the product is washed and dried naturally.
5. Shine from dark suit fabrics is also removed with unsweetened black tea: moisten a cotton swab and treat the stain.
6. You can also re-wash your pants and add fabric softener when rinsing.

If you are unable to remove the lasses yourself, you should take your trousers to the dry cleaner. In the case of synthetic fabrics, it also happens that the shine from the iron remains. In this case, the trousers are ruined forever.

Video: how to remove shine from an iron from trousers

How to remove scorch marks from an iron

Tan marks are yellow spots that are most noticeable on white, light-colored and colored fabrics. They are more difficult to eliminate than lasses. For these purposes, the following methods are used:

1. Lemon and powdered sugar. Rub the stain with a slice of lemon and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow it to dry, and then partially wash the treated area or wash the product completely.
2. Onion gruel. Apply onion pulp to the scorched area and leave until completely dry. Then wash and dry as usual. You can also use onion halves and rub them thoroughly onto the stains.
3. Vinegar and salt. Make a solution of 9% vinegar and water in equal proportions. The scorched area is soaked in the solution and then sprinkled with salt. After the fabric has dried, the product is washed.
4. 3% hydrogen peroxide. Use only on white fabrics. Peroxide is applied to a cotton swab and the area with the tan is treated. After the treated area has dried, rinse it in cold water.

If you are unsure of your abilities and are afraid of completely ruining your trousers, then immediately contact the dry cleaner.

How to eliminate double arrows

It is not always possible to make correct single arrows the first time. If during ironing the trousers slid along the ironing surface, then it is likely that double creases will form, which will obviously not please the person who is going to wear these trousers. Fortunately, it is much easier to remove “homemade” arrows than stable industrial ones formed under a special press. Do the following:

1. Turn your pants inside out.
2. Lay out so that the arrows are in the middle of the trouser leg.
3. Moisten the gauze thoroughly and place it on the problem area.
4. Iron until the arrows disappear.

The disadvantage of this method is that, most likely, you will get rid of the “factory” arrow and will have to form it again. We advise you to first try to fold the trousers correctly so that the seams match, and then iron them well with steam. Perhaps the extra arrow will disappear. You can also wash your trousers and then try to iron them better.

You can try to eliminate the extra arrow by ironing it through a wet cloth.

Arrows using improvised means

If you don’t have an iron, you can do without regular soap. You will need to do the following:

• Turn the clothes inside out.
• Place a piece of soap in the place of the intended location of the future arrow (if the item has no arrows) or in the place of the mark from it.
• Turn forward.
• Fold the arrow, securing the top and bottom with pins or clips.
• The comb was soaked in water.
• is inserted into the fold and carefully guides along the entire length.
• Repeat until the result is achieved.
• Such arrows will be the same as regular ones.

A steam iron or a women's hair straightener is also sufficient.

How to fix the arrows?

To ensure that your arrows are even and last a long time, you can use a few more tricks. So, if you want such elements of trousers to be fixed better, you need to add a little vinegar or ammonia to the spray water. They will allow you to fix the fabric in the desired position.

You can also use soap to fix the arrows more if you already know how to do them correctly. You will just need to rub it on the inside of the trousers along the crease line and smooth this area after this step.

Smoothing trousers step by step

So, you have prepared to work with the product, and now you need to determine how to properly iron your pants. You can do this as follows:

1. To begin with, you should iron the lining parts, pockets, and also the waistband. He will need to pay special attention. After this, the trousers can be turned right side out.
2. Next you will need to smooth out the top of the pants. In this case, you can use a special pad that can be placed under the individual elements of this part of the product.
3. Now it’s important to move directly to the trouser legs. They should be folded so that the front and inner side seams on them coincide. You will need to iron them on one side using the steam function, then repeat this procedure on the other side, fold back the top leg and iron the inside leg, repeat this step for the second part of the product. There is no need to make arrows at this stage yet.

Important: remember that each area you are working on must be covered with gauze. This gauze also needs to be constantly sprayed with water from a spray bottle, otherwise it will quickly dry out and ruin the result of your work.

Reviews from those who have ever made creases on their trousers

Every housewife has her own secrets for ironing trousers with creases, and some of them are happy to share them on online forums. Below are the most interesting and useful of them.

Here, housewife Veronica from Rostov-on-Don shared with other forum participants how she makes arrows:

And Muscovite Elena advises first ironing the creases in the usual way on an ironing board, and then steaming the trousers while hanging:

An anonymous guest on the Woman.ru forum advises not to bother at all and to stroke the old arrows:

I, as the author of this article, also want to share my experience of ironing classic men's trousers. To do this, I always use gauze folded several times. My iron is good, with a ceramic sole, and even has a vertical steam supply. But still, I always prefer to use a damp iron - the result is much better. Sometimes I use a simple cotton fabric or a thin terry towel. I wet the iron in a weak vinegar solution. Thanks to it, the arrows are preserved for a long time and even withstand repeated squats and standing up from a chair during the working day. I iron the trouser legs one at a time, since making arrows on both at the same time is aerobatics for me. So, I make a front crease, moving from the fold in the waistband to the bottom edge. I iron the entire trouser leg, not reaching the place where the back arrow should be. Then I shake it well and start ironing the second arrow. I do the same thing, only I move from the bottom up: I iron to the place where I can still iron the arrow. I usually have the end of the back dart in the same place where the back pocket begins. Then I turn the same pant leg over to the other side and iron it again. I leave the trousers alone for about 20 minutes and then start ironing the second half. At the end, I fold both trouser legs together and iron them again on both sides. The arrows turn out even and neat.

What means will enhance the effect?

There are several simple folk ways to fix the hands and keep them flawless for a long time.

Soap

Run a piece of laundry soap from the wrong side in place of the future arrows, and then iron them using the method described above.

Starch

Lubricate the place of the arrow from the wrong side with a starch solution so that it does not bleed through. When the material is dry, begin ironing and shaping from the front side.

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Vinegar

Before ironing, use a spray bottle to moisten the inside of the pants with a weak solution of vinegar, prepared at the rate of 1 tablespoon of vinegar per liter of water.

Ironing fabric

Once you have prepared your clothing and all your tools, be sure to read the special instructions on the labels inside. This will help you decide how to proceed and learn about the properties of the material.

Correct interpretation of symbols:

• They are all iron and additional symbols.
• One dot in the middle - iron at low temperature (up to 110⁰C)
• Two dots in the middle – average temperature (up to 150⁰C)
• Three dots in the middle – high temperature, up to 200⁰C
• Circled - do not iron It gives off steam - no steam

If the material composition is specified, the mode can be selected according to the following categories:

• wool – 2 dots and number on the regulator, wool;
• linen or cotton – 3, linen mode;
• polyester – 1 or silk;

For synthetic materials, the regime is the same as for wool.

If the composition is not specified, correct ironing of the reverse side

Scenes:

• Dress pants are turned inside out;
• iron the pockets first so that there are no bends during further work;
• then the lining and waistband;
• turn over to the front side;
• ironing begins at the top, then a lining or thick fabric or gauze is placed;
• so insert the item, iron the pants along the entire length so that the inner seams are on top of each other;
• iron the pants without touching the creases.

After ironing, the product is ready for further styling - arrows.