Ironing Weight
Designed for people who need extra support during ironing. It can be helpful for individuals with limited dexterity, fatigue, or one-handed use.
Michelle lives in Queensland and is working to gain independence with daily tasks, like ironing. She has no functional use or sensation in her left arm due to a brachial plexus injury and irons one-handed.
Ironing can be slow, frustrating and potentially dangerous. Once garments are positioned on the ironing board, they tend to move around when Michelle moves the iron. She needed a tool to hold fabric in place, navigate tight spaces like button areas or collars and increase safety, precisions and speed.
A team of makers collaborated with Michelle over video calls to work out exactly what was needed. Over a 5 session Makeathon they designed the Ironing Weight – a heat-resistant concrete base with a wooden handle that is easy to position, adjust, and reposition with one hand. The shape is curved on both sides (one outward, one inward) to work for a variety of ironing tasks.
Design Process
