Fabric ironing apparatus

A method of ironing a fabric, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing ironing apparatus comprising:
• first and second opposable fabric-pressing surfaces,
• means comprising a body and first and second arm members extending from it, for supporting said respective surfaces in opposed relationship to define a fabric receiving gap;
• means for urging said surfaces towards each other to narrow the gap from a first, fabric receiving width, to a second, fabric-compressing width effective for reducing creasing in the fabric, while permitting relative traversing movement between said surfaces and the fabric;
• and
• orienting means for causing tracking of said pressing surfaces to seek to assume a substantially parallel and opposed relative mutual orientation in use, said orienting means comprising features selected from:
• tilt-enabling means for allowing the pressing surfaced to tilt axially and transversely in relation to said arm to which it is mounted and causing adjustment of the gap to accommodate variation in thickness of an article being ironed;
• ball-mounting means disposed between said pressing surface and said arm;
• biasing means located between one or both of said pressing surfaces and said arm to which it is mounted;
• and
• combinations thereof;
• causing the gap to be at fabric-receiving width;
• locating fabric requiring ironing in the gap while the gap is at fabric-receiving width;
• operating the apparatus to urge said surfaces toward each other to narrow the gap to said fabric-compressing width;
• and
• causing said surfaces to traverse the fabric, so as to reduce creasing present therein to a desired degree.

Ironing apparatus comprising:

• opposable first and second fabric-pressing surfaces;
• support means comprising a body and first and second arm members extending therefrom, said support means defining a flexible U-shaped member having opposed end portions defined by said first and second opposing arms, to which the respective pressing surfaces are mounted to be inwardly opposed for urging toward each other;
• and
• mounting means for mounting the pressing surfaces to said respective arm members;
• wherein said body defines a generally central portion adapted for gripping by a human hand and comprises urging means operable to urge said first surface toward said second surface so that said pressing surfaces are in opposed relationship, whereby:
• in use, a fabric-receiving gap is defined between said surfaces for receiving fabric to be ironed;
• and the gap is narrowed from a first, fabric-receiving width, to a second, fabric-compressing width effective for exerting crease-reducing pressure on fabric located in the gap, while permitting relative traversing movement between said surfaces and the fabric.