The starching story

please read the first 2 Grandma stories before this one! as i mentioned earlier.......my Grandma starched her doilies. i was greatly intrigued by this process and definitely wanted to learn how it was done! After washing the doilies she would dip them in a strong liquid starch solution,....then on a discarded peice of cardboard, big enough for the doily to be stretched out.......she would stretch and pin the doily on and leave it to completely dry......when the doily was dry she removed the pins and the doily was beautifully shaped and stiff as the cardboard itself! my Grandma then put the doilies back on their proper shelves and they were good for several more months.......all that starch definitely repelled dust and dirt!
i kept that little trick under my bonnet and several years later in my own home i had a twice a year ritual of starching.........well...let's just say just about anything i could get my hot little hands on!!!! i absolutely loved the process and still do.........i just haven't had doilies around for a LONG time! but i still have them tucked away, just in case that might "return" to popularity! i do love to display old aprons, however, and when i get an inkling i get them starched to the nines too! that process is just a little different....after dipping them in starch........you have to let them drip dry........then you have to "moisten" them with water......in my Grandma's day we had an old pop bottle with a spout.......(sure wish i had one now! ).......we got them lightly moistened...then we rolled them up in a nice, tight roll.....then put them in a plastic bag for about a day........when we took them out to iron they were just perfect and as the iron got out the wrinkles they turned into the most wonderful, stiff, starched, crisp apron you have ever seen! WOW.....you young things are really missing out on TRUE fun!!!
i have to tell on my MOM here for a minute........when we did the "sprinkling clothes" step....(that's what we called it)........sometimes there wasn't time to get them ironed......and if they stayed in the bag too long they would surely mildew.......so once in a while my MOM put the whole bag in the freezer!....when i was young.....i didn't understand the mildew thing......and absolutely could NOT figure out why she put our clothes in the freezer!
i must admit......spray starch is definitely more convenient!........but you haven't LIVED if you haven't STARCHED...the REAL way!!!