In Search Of...

I am starting to think crafty now that summer is starting and the days are longer. I have been thinking more and more about re-purposing and minimal sewing, inspired by my friend Katy. I would like to try making cloth baby wipes, unpaper towels, embellishing / repairing our tattered burp rags, and maybe even making a rag rug. My main goal is to be able to do all of this through recycling fabric (specifically re-purposing old clothes). So for my family members saving junk for me like I was living in the great depression, here's what I'm in search of...

- egg cartons (for our host of eggs we will have at the end of summer)
- empty paper towel rolls
- rags / tattered towels / washcloths, even those with stains are ok (for unpaper towels)
- old flannel receiving blankets (for baby wipes)
- torn up blankets, sheets or quilts (for potholders)
- newspaper (for the garden)
- old t-shirts and cotton clothes on their way to Goodwill, including those torn up or stained (for rag rugs or possibly some of the above)
- empty plastic wipes containers
- old fencing, lumber, and sheet metal (as per Josh's request)

I'm going to experiment with different fabrics in making wipes and unpaper towels. I am currently thinking for the baby wipes, that terry cloth on one side and flannel on the other would be the best. As for the unpaper towels, I'm not sure. I am looking at getting a snap press and using terry cloth on one side and flour sacks on the other.

I took my sewing machine to a man who may be the oldest man in Ozark today. He wasn't sure if he could get her running again (it's my grandma's and hasn't been turned on in at least 15 years). I'm borrowing a sewing machine table from my mother-in-law and the Serger from my mom for a little while, so I hope to have a re-purposing factory taking place soon.

*The unpaper towels I'm talking about are kitchen towels that you can wrap around a paper towel holder and snap together. As opposed to using paper, these can be thrown in the wash and reused.

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Ben is doing better. He's going without any hairnet now, and the swelling around his scar has really gone down. We still aren't allowed to wash his hair yet, so he still has some surgery gunk in his hair.