After reading Money Saving Mom's post on "5 Ways to Save Money on Sewing Supplies," I wanted to take it a step further and discuss what to look out for when it comes to old fabric.
Have you ever been the benefactor of old-but-new-to-you or vintage fabric? There are some great prints out there that have been discontinued or ones that harken back to days long past. Wouldn't it be great to repurpose those for a new project? Absolutely! However, a few words of caution.
I suggest investigating the fabrics before accepting or purchasing them. Many folks store fabrics in the wrong place or under the wrong conditions. When considering the purchase of an older fabric, or one that doesn't come from a store, look for the following:
1. Is one part of the fabric a lighter, or washed out shade, from the rest? That tells you that the folded piece may have sat near a window. The sun is horribly destructive to fabric. This can happen to new fabric, too! I know you've seen younger people who have baked in the sun and look many years older than they truely are. The same thing happens to fabric, but without the overly revealing swimsuit or fragrance of coconut oil.
2. Look at and listen to the fabric. Pick it up and feel it. Is it cotton, but it feels rough / crackly? Can you hear it crack a little? That means it was stored in too hot an area (think attic), and is no good. It will probably rip (and leave a little dust when doing so) with very little force. I had a quilting teacher in Columbus, OH who told us the story of one of her customers. The woman had such an addiction to building her stash (and hiding it from her husband) that she stored her fabric IN THE ATTIC OF HER OLD GARAGE. Oh, that poor fabric! Well, guess what? Her husband found out. How, you ask? He learned of her stash when the weight of the fabric become too much for the old garage, and the attic and roof collapsed onto their cars. It has been nearly a decade since I heard that story, and it still gives me goosebumps.
3. If you're just not sure, and you're talking to the owner, ask! Ask where / how she stored her fabric. Her honesty and potential lack of knowledge on how to properly care for a fabric stash could save you some heartache in the middle of a project.
4. Even if your fabric comes from a store, check the outside of the bolt compared to the inside. Some smaller stores showcase their fabric in their front windows to lure in customers, and the fabric suffers sun damage. That amazing mark-down may come at a higher price later. Most good fabric shops know better and wouldn't do such a terrible thing to good fabric.
So, whether you are saving money by getting fabric at a tag sale, or are the beneficiary of your friend's sewing room purge, make sure that old fabrics, threads, etc. are going to last as long as they were intended. Otherwise, you'll lose time and money, and to me, that's more frightening than sun-washed fabric!
Showing posts with label Repurpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Repurpose. Show all posts
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Great Cleaning Tip! Cleaning Stainless Steel Sinks with Baking Soda & Vinegar
I love using baking soda and vinegar to clean my stainless steel sink. Those two ingredients bubble together for some great cleaning action! However, to get them to work really well together, I've come up with a great method of applying both that I hope you will like, too.
When I first started using baking soda and vinegar to clean my stainless steel sink, I'd pour some baking soda from the box, but it wouldn't stick to the sides of the sink. Then I'd pour vinegar out of the bottle, and it would wash the baking soda into one big pile, or sometimes, straight down the drain. I needed a method to help coat more of the sink with the two agents so their bubbling action would do more of the work for me!
First, get a small pump spray bottle from a local store. Or, save money and reuse an empty Windex bottle, removing the label first, and relabeling with "White Vinegar for Cleaning Only". Fill your bottle with white vinegar. I store mine under the kitchen sink so it's always handy, but you should store yours wherever it makes sense for you. Next, either find a plastic container with a screw-top lid, or repurpose a bulk herbs / spice container. I like the type that onion flakes come in, because it has a flip-top lid, but on the inside of the lid, there are holes for the baking soda to exit the container. A plastic parmesan cheese shaker would work well for this, too. Clean out whichever container you choose with warm sudsy water so the baking soda will not absorb the smell of original contents, then fill the container with baking soda.
When it's time to clean your sink, remove all items from it. Spray your stainless steel sink using the vinegar spray bottle, then shake out some baking soda so you are covering all areas of the walls and floor of the sink. The baking soda will stick to the vinegar and start to react. Let the mixture sit for a short time until the bubbling slows. Next, get a damp sponge that you know is safe for your stainless steel sink. Wipe the baking soda / vinegar mixture with the grain of the stainless steel, wiping the walls and the floor of the sink thoroughly. After you feel you've given it a good cleaning, rinse with cool water.
If you are cleaning a stainless steel sink that is REALLY dirty, I suggest putting in the stopper and filling with hot, sudsy water. Be careful not to burn your hands or to over fill the sink. Let the hot, sudsy water sit for 15-20 minutes (making sure no small children can get near the sink full of hot water) then drain. At this point, I would do a quick rinse of the sink with water, then dry the sink with a paper towel so your vinegar isn't competing with any water that remains from the soak. If the sink was seriously dirty. Embarrassingly dirty. If it were "I'd faint if anyone knew my sink were this dirty" dirty, then repeat with the vinegar and baking soda.
Not only will you have a nice clean and shiny sink, you will have used products that are safe for you and the environment, and you'll have spent very little money in the process.
What ways do you use baking soda and vinegar?
When I first started using baking soda and vinegar to clean my stainless steel sink, I'd pour some baking soda from the box, but it wouldn't stick to the sides of the sink. Then I'd pour vinegar out of the bottle, and it would wash the baking soda into one big pile, or sometimes, straight down the drain. I needed a method to help coat more of the sink with the two agents so their bubbling action would do more of the work for me!
First, get a small pump spray bottle from a local store. Or, save money and reuse an empty Windex bottle, removing the label first, and relabeling with "White Vinegar for Cleaning Only". Fill your bottle with white vinegar. I store mine under the kitchen sink so it's always handy, but you should store yours wherever it makes sense for you. Next, either find a plastic container with a screw-top lid, or repurpose a bulk herbs / spice container. I like the type that onion flakes come in, because it has a flip-top lid, but on the inside of the lid, there are holes for the baking soda to exit the container. A plastic parmesan cheese shaker would work well for this, too. Clean out whichever container you choose with warm sudsy water so the baking soda will not absorb the smell of original contents, then fill the container with baking soda.
When it's time to clean your sink, remove all items from it. Spray your stainless steel sink using the vinegar spray bottle, then shake out some baking soda so you are covering all areas of the walls and floor of the sink. The baking soda will stick to the vinegar and start to react. Let the mixture sit for a short time until the bubbling slows. Next, get a damp sponge that you know is safe for your stainless steel sink. Wipe the baking soda / vinegar mixture with the grain of the stainless steel, wiping the walls and the floor of the sink thoroughly. After you feel you've given it a good cleaning, rinse with cool water.
If you are cleaning a stainless steel sink that is REALLY dirty, I suggest putting in the stopper and filling with hot, sudsy water. Be careful not to burn your hands or to over fill the sink. Let the hot, sudsy water sit for 15-20 minutes (making sure no small children can get near the sink full of hot water) then drain. At this point, I would do a quick rinse of the sink with water, then dry the sink with a paper towel so your vinegar isn't competing with any water that remains from the soak. If the sink was seriously dirty. Embarrassingly dirty. If it were "I'd faint if anyone knew my sink were this dirty" dirty, then repeat with the vinegar and baking soda.
Not only will you have a nice clean and shiny sink, you will have used products that are safe for you and the environment, and you'll have spent very little money in the process.
What ways do you use baking soda and vinegar?
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