How do I iron a bubble hem dress?

[emcwill74]

I'm not sure this is the right place for this question but I need some help! First up, I never iron. Anything. DH does his shirts and stuff, I work from home so don't need formal shirts etc, and I just find that if I hang stuff carefully to dry it doesn't need ironing, and is only going to get creased anyway! So given this is the case, and has always been the case, I am terrible at ironing and only do it when absolutely inescapably necessary (which proves pleasingly rare!) However, it's my 40th next month and I've bought a dress off eBay for my party, which has arrived in desperate need of an iron (it's thick cotton with a slight sheen to it).

I bought it because it sounded nice and was cheap but the photo was awful and they did say it was hard to photograph. When it arrived I could see why! It is ker-razy! I nearly decided to get something else but DS and DD said it looked great on and to wear it. It's a halterneck style (which suits me) and also a wrap so flatters my waist – all good so far! But the hem is all asymmetric and...welll...I'm struggling to describe it to be honest! The front panel is like a huge bit of material that has a bubble hem and folds over in a kind of waterfall way. It's a little bit like this, not identical but similar:

www.net-a-porter.com/images/products/32090/32090_fr_xl.jpg

How on earth do I iron it without flattening down the bubble-style hem?

It flares out in a 50s silhouette similar to this other one, which is really attractive but I need to get it to drape properly or else it will just look awful. I tried it on earlier and couldn't even quite work out how to get it to drape properly, which is worrying.

I'm almost tempted to take it to the dry cleaners and make it their problem. Except that will probs cost more than the dress and money is tight!

Thanks for any advice!

[ReginaldBlinker]

Sorry... I came on here to say to take it to the dry cleaners! For the life of me, I can't get mine right!

[ReginaldBlinker]

Pressing a dress shouldn't cost more than a few pounds anyway...

[worldgonecrazy]

Put your iron on full steam. Hang up the dress and squirt the iron at the dress so that you get the full head of steam hitting the cotton. Don't allow the iron to touch the material (though if you accidentally touch it you should be okay). It may help to hang the dress next to, but not under, a shower, so that the steam penetrates the fibres and gives you a head start.

[emcwill74]

Thank you so much for the advice! I might try hanging it up whilst showering then doing the steam iron thing (though our steam iron is Tesco's cheapest, so we'll see how well it does!) via an extension cable whilst still in the bathroom, and see where it gets me in advance of the day itself. If it doesn't look like it's going to get all the creases out then I'll investigate services at the dry cleaners.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! I'm not sure I would have bought this dress had I realised quite how it was cut! (Not that I think I have a total grasp on how it's cut...)

[worldgonecrazy]

Treat yourself to a better iron - I used to buy the cheapest 5.99 one from Sainsburys or Argos. Then I bought a "proper" one for around 45 (which seemed like a fortune) but it cut my ironing time to a minimum. Best 45 I ever spent!

[emcwill74]

My ironing time is at a minimum anyway. I never iron

[StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes]

can you do a quick wash on it, my washer has a quick rinse / freshen up setting which just uses a fabric softener rinse and a spin, shake it out and dry on a hanger in the breeze to get the creases out and see how it falls when it dries.

[emcwill74]

Actually that is a good idea! But I'm also slightly nervous of making it worse! Mind you, given I bought it on eBay it may be a good idea to freshen it up!

[StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes]

if you get it out straight away and wait for a breezy day should be ok. or try the steam iron held under the hem so it wafts up the skirt. Good luck