With my husband and I both having Symptoms, we had to depend on others to grocery shop for us. They were able to get everything on our list, except for non-microwave popcorn.
I am slowly recovering, still low energy but that is to be expected anyway, being in the third trimester. I'm in the in-between phase where I can see everything that needs to be done, but I can't yet do much more than the basics.
So I am taking on a quick sewing project, that I can mostly do sitting down: using a tie-dyed sheet that was in the fabric my mother-in-law gave us to make a skirt.
I have two simple A-line skirt patterns that I have been using for the past few years: one with only front and back pieces, and one with four pieces (sometimes called "gores"). To reduce the amount of cutting and sewing, I chose the two-piece pattern.
I referred to my prior wardrobe planning booklets for the length,
took a measurement from one of my existing skirts to get the width at
the hemline, and used my present waist measurement. (All of these measurements need some extra added for seam allowances, and for ease of movement.)
I cut out the pieces in one go with the measuring and planning, and will start on the sewing later. I am going to overdye the skirt with some dye that I want to use up.
We haven't needed face masks at all yet, since we haven't gone out, but I am thinking of trying out this pattern. The video there is helpful in understanding how the elastic loops go inside the mask during sewing, so that they will be on the outside when you turn it right-side-out; sewing topology can be tricky.
I have enough elastic on hand to make two or three masks, I'm guessing. I think it would be possible to make up to one-half or maybe even two-thirds of each ear loop from non-stretchy material, to conserve elastic. Or there could be longer ties that tie at the back of the head.
I've been following this blog on the reaction to coronavirus in the Manila area (population 30 million).
I'm beginning to wonder what coronavirus is going to do to other chains of supply and manufacturing in the medium term, especially in regard to textiles, which is yet another domestic industry that moved overseas decades ago.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Friday, March 27, 2020
From before
Last weekend, I did several quick little decorating projects.
The first was to take the painted string that I salvaged from my temporary wall decoration a while back (string wetted with paint and coiled onto a big sheet of graph paper in a large oval) and make a wreath out of it. I decided what size I was aiming for, and then found a book of corresponding size to wrap the string around, to keep the length of each turn consistent. When I was nearing the end of the string, I slipped the wreath off the book, and then used the rest of the string to wrap and hold the coils together.
The string had some entrenched tangles in it, from when I was wrestling with it while the paint was still wet. I arranged those as best I could, and painted them pink and green to simulate flower accents. The finished wreath went on the front door as spring decor.
The next project was to cover a cardboard box with fabric, for prettier storage of toddler clothes. Last weekend, my mother-in-law dropped off a considerable load of toys, books, art supplies, and fabric from her house. My initial idea was to cover the box with paint and fabric, but then I found a piece of fabric that I liked. It was large enough that I didn’t want to cut it, but to allow for it to be re-used for something else later, so I decided to skip the paint and gather the fabric up around the box instead, securing it at the top edge by sewing it directly to the cardboard by hand. The tradeoff is that the box’s lines are softened, and lose some visual tidiness.
Before I sewed it, I decided that I might as well line the inside of the box with fabric as well, and found a piece from my stash. It was tricky to drape and pin it so that it followed the inside contours of the box, with the raw edges gathered and tucked in at the top, and the grain of the fabric more or less aligned with the box. I whipstitched the outer and inner fabric together at the top edge, and it was done.
The third project was to repaint a wooden tray that I use to hold baby blankets. I still had a little of the white string paint left from back when, and I wanted to use it up. I mixed in a little craft paint to tint it, and gave the tray a coat.
These painting projects turn out much more nicely if you unload the excess paint from the brush each time you fill it, and put the paint on in thin coats. I only did one coat, and called it good, although I do have enough paint left to do another layer; the original color of the tray shows through a little more than I would like.
A further tip would be to do some surface preparation beforehand, and give it a light sanding, and possibly even prime it. In this case, the piece was old enough to have been pre-roughened, so it’s not a big deal that I didn’t remember to think of that.
The first was to take the painted string that I salvaged from my temporary wall decoration a while back (string wetted with paint and coiled onto a big sheet of graph paper in a large oval) and make a wreath out of it. I decided what size I was aiming for, and then found a book of corresponding size to wrap the string around, to keep the length of each turn consistent. When I was nearing the end of the string, I slipped the wreath off the book, and then used the rest of the string to wrap and hold the coils together.
The string had some entrenched tangles in it, from when I was wrestling with it while the paint was still wet. I arranged those as best I could, and painted them pink and green to simulate flower accents. The finished wreath went on the front door as spring decor.
The next project was to cover a cardboard box with fabric, for prettier storage of toddler clothes. Last weekend, my mother-in-law dropped off a considerable load of toys, books, art supplies, and fabric from her house. My initial idea was to cover the box with paint and fabric, but then I found a piece of fabric that I liked. It was large enough that I didn’t want to cut it, but to allow for it to be re-used for something else later, so I decided to skip the paint and gather the fabric up around the box instead, securing it at the top edge by sewing it directly to the cardboard by hand. The tradeoff is that the box’s lines are softened, and lose some visual tidiness.
Before I sewed it, I decided that I might as well line the inside of the box with fabric as well, and found a piece from my stash. It was tricky to drape and pin it so that it followed the inside contours of the box, with the raw edges gathered and tucked in at the top, and the grain of the fabric more or less aligned with the box. I whipstitched the outer and inner fabric together at the top edge, and it was done.
The third project was to repaint a wooden tray that I use to hold baby blankets. I still had a little of the white string paint left from back when, and I wanted to use it up. I mixed in a little craft paint to tint it, and gave the tray a coat.
These painting projects turn out much more nicely if you unload the excess paint from the brush each time you fill it, and put the paint on in thin coats. I only did one coat, and called it good, although I do have enough paint left to do another layer; the original color of the tray shows through a little more than I would like.
A further tip would be to do some surface preparation beforehand, and give it a light sanding, and possibly even prime it. In this case, the piece was old enough to have been pre-roughened, so it’s not a big deal that I didn’t remember to think of that.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Sick and annoyed
I’ve been sick all week with symptoms that are consistent with coronavirus, including a partial loss of the sense of smell. If it is the flu instead, then it is a much milder and more lingering flu than the ones I have had in the past.
So I’ve been mostly resting, and I am starting to think seriously about buying a new bed, because I am tired of being in this one.
Yesterday the governor announced “shelter in place” rules, to begin on Friday and go on for two weeks. Occupations and activities deemed “essential” are excluded. The stated purpose is to buy time to prepare for a surge in coronavirus infections; he doesn’t believe it will flatten the curve.
Many people, including my husband, were already working from home, or laid off, and many were already avoiding non-essential social contact—without the threat of being charged with a misdemeanor.
Minnesota will probably reach 300 confirmed cases today. They are only testing those with “severe symptoms”, along with some medical workers, people in long-term care facilities, and people with connections. A few dozen have been hospitalized so far.
There is almost, but not quite, enough information there to start making some decent estimates. What is missing is the number and positive rate of people coming in off the street with severe symptoms, and the criteria being used to decide whether or not to test medical workers, and how many people are currently hospitalized for other respiratory infections, and how many of them were tested.
With my own personal data point, I can say with confidence that something that greatly resembles coronavirus is now in general circulation. I go out in public much less frequently than the average; as I have noted in the past, this seems to give my immune system an excuse for idling down. So when I do go out, I am quite likely to catch something, and that something will be the thing that is “going around” at the moment.
If it is the coronavirus, then Governor Wahl’s effort to delay the curve will not be very effective, because it is already here and widespread. If it isn’t, then it is something else equally nasty, and coronavirus cases will be in addition to those.
There were claims that 75,000 Minnesotans could die if these measures weren’t taken. That assumes a death rate above 1%, applied to the entire population of the state, which in my opinion is excessively pessimistic.
Logistically, the shelter-in-place order will create another round of pantry-stocking, and further deplete store inventories. We can go for two weeks without shopping, but at some point we’re going to have to catch up.
So I’ve been mostly resting, and I am starting to think seriously about buying a new bed, because I am tired of being in this one.
Yesterday the governor announced “shelter in place” rules, to begin on Friday and go on for two weeks. Occupations and activities deemed “essential” are excluded. The stated purpose is to buy time to prepare for a surge in coronavirus infections; he doesn’t believe it will flatten the curve.
Many people, including my husband, were already working from home, or laid off, and many were already avoiding non-essential social contact—without the threat of being charged with a misdemeanor.
Minnesota will probably reach 300 confirmed cases today. They are only testing those with “severe symptoms”, along with some medical workers, people in long-term care facilities, and people with connections. A few dozen have been hospitalized so far.
There is almost, but not quite, enough information there to start making some decent estimates. What is missing is the number and positive rate of people coming in off the street with severe symptoms, and the criteria being used to decide whether or not to test medical workers, and how many people are currently hospitalized for other respiratory infections, and how many of them were tested.
With my own personal data point, I can say with confidence that something that greatly resembles coronavirus is now in general circulation. I go out in public much less frequently than the average; as I have noted in the past, this seems to give my immune system an excuse for idling down. So when I do go out, I am quite likely to catch something, and that something will be the thing that is “going around” at the moment.
If it is the coronavirus, then Governor Wahl’s effort to delay the curve will not be very effective, because it is already here and widespread. If it isn’t, then it is something else equally nasty, and coronavirus cases will be in addition to those.
There were claims that 75,000 Minnesotans could die if these measures weren’t taken. That assumes a death rate above 1%, applied to the entire population of the state, which in my opinion is excessively pessimistic.
Logistically, the shelter-in-place order will create another round of pantry-stocking, and further deplete store inventories. We can go for two weeks without shopping, but at some point we’re going to have to catch up.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Grocery report
My trip for groceries went better than expected; there were several guys restocking as I was there, a few hours before the new, earlier closing time.
Some items that had been cleaned out last week were at least partially restocked: pasta, a pallet of large bags of rice, a pallet of paper towels, the large jars of peanut butter that we buy, 2-pound bags of shredded cheese.
One lady was buying a lot of bottled water, so apparently it was there for her to find.
Still very low: bread, dried beans, flour. There was still some of the more expensive brands of flour left, as well as--for some reason--unbleached flour. Unbleached flour works just like regular flour in recipes, they just skip the processing step that would make it look whiter. I don't notice any difference in it.
Toilet paper is now limited to one package per customer, but it was long gone before I got there, including the single rolls in the $1 section.
New shortages: carrots were entirely gone, and either all the whole milk was sent to other stores, or they're sending it all to be processed into lower-fat milks and cream now. Normally, the store charges the same price for whole milk as for the other kinds; whole milk has 320 more calories per gallon than 2% does. The large packages of eggs that we were buying had also disappeared, although regular egg prices were not too bad. I had been buying a large package or two of eggs ahead even before the pandemic, in anticipation of the prices rising, as they were quite low relative to past years.
Whole grains such as wheat berries were also cleaned out; I did get some barley flour.
Since a lot of the nation's food supply is stuck in the restaurant and commercial supply lines, and a lot of these businesses are in economic jeopardy, we are planning to get take-out on our usual eating-out schedule for the time being.
Some items that had been cleaned out last week were at least partially restocked: pasta, a pallet of large bags of rice, a pallet of paper towels, the large jars of peanut butter that we buy, 2-pound bags of shredded cheese.
One lady was buying a lot of bottled water, so apparently it was there for her to find.
Still very low: bread, dried beans, flour. There was still some of the more expensive brands of flour left, as well as--for some reason--unbleached flour. Unbleached flour works just like regular flour in recipes, they just skip the processing step that would make it look whiter. I don't notice any difference in it.
Toilet paper is now limited to one package per customer, but it was long gone before I got there, including the single rolls in the $1 section.
New shortages: carrots were entirely gone, and either all the whole milk was sent to other stores, or they're sending it all to be processed into lower-fat milks and cream now. Normally, the store charges the same price for whole milk as for the other kinds; whole milk has 320 more calories per gallon than 2% does. The large packages of eggs that we were buying had also disappeared, although regular egg prices were not too bad. I had been buying a large package or two of eggs ahead even before the pandemic, in anticipation of the prices rising, as they were quite low relative to past years.
Whole grains such as wheat berries were also cleaned out; I did get some barley flour.
Since a lot of the nation's food supply is stuck in the restaurant and commercial supply lines, and a lot of these businesses are in economic jeopardy, we are planning to get take-out on our usual eating-out schedule for the time being.
Friday, March 20, 2020
Early days
We got our new, improved internet; no trouble getting the appointment, although the guy had some technical difficulties as he was working alone to install the glass fiber cable, and there were delays as the place he had to call in to for testing the upgrade at each step was short-staffed.
The previous DSL line, presumably copper, had survived being snagged and pulled a couple feet out of place by the tree removal guys. The new cable is much more fragile, and certainly would not stand up to that kind of treatment.
The older children have decided on some sewing projects, including plushies from free patterns here, using fabric that we already had.
They've also been using our popsicle molds to make lots of popsicles.
The state of "Burn the Calendar!" that I had been telling my husband that I wanted, earlier in the winter, has nearly been achieved. Events have been cancelled, and the schools and library are closed. Church is doing services online, with a phone-in option. The grocery store has reduced hours; I'll have to see what is in stock by the time that I get there.
The recipe for "Ezekiel bread", in Ezekiel 4:9, has come to my attention a couple of times recently: wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and fitches (in the KJV). Most of those ingredients we already have, although I'm sure that the plants that we have today are not exactly the same as what were grown in Ezekiel's time, roughly 2500 years ago. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "fitches" is an archaic form of vetches, usually referring to Vicia sativa. This plant is also known as the common tare, and is a legume that produces pods similar to a pea. Not the same thing as a sweet pea, though, which I've been told is poisonous! From the map at the link, it doesn't appear to be very common around here.
The previous DSL line, presumably copper, had survived being snagged and pulled a couple feet out of place by the tree removal guys. The new cable is much more fragile, and certainly would not stand up to that kind of treatment.
The older children have decided on some sewing projects, including plushies from free patterns here, using fabric that we already had.
They've also been using our popsicle molds to make lots of popsicles.
The state of "Burn the Calendar!" that I had been telling my husband that I wanted, earlier in the winter, has nearly been achieved. Events have been cancelled, and the schools and library are closed. Church is doing services online, with a phone-in option. The grocery store has reduced hours; I'll have to see what is in stock by the time that I get there.
The recipe for "Ezekiel bread", in Ezekiel 4:9, has come to my attention a couple of times recently: wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and fitches (in the KJV). Most of those ingredients we already have, although I'm sure that the plants that we have today are not exactly the same as what were grown in Ezekiel's time, roughly 2500 years ago. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "fitches" is an archaic form of vetches, usually referring to Vicia sativa. This plant is also known as the common tare, and is a legume that produces pods similar to a pea. Not the same thing as a sweet pea, though, which I've been told is poisonous! From the map at the link, it doesn't appear to be very common around here.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Shutting down, and a simple craft
The local schools are closing tomorrow, the governor has banned restaurants and similar establishments from offering dining-in services, and the library is maybe closed--their website has conflicting information. My husband's employer is having everyone start working from home soon, which is going to force us to upgrade to faster internet.
No one seems to have a plan beyond the next couple of weeks. The present measures are not so much "flattening the curve" as they are just delaying it a few weeks. From this post by The Silicon Graybeard, it appears that we had better be increasing our medical system's capacity to cope with coronavirus cases as quickly as possible. That is possible, with a focused mobilization of resources.
I am viewing this season as something like an unplanned sabbatical on a large scale. The difficulty is that our society is not at all set up for it, and instead requires a regular income to pay for debt and all the other services that people and businesses are now dependent on.
Being reasonably well-supplied on food and toilet paper, I spent a very small amount over the weekend to stock up on intellectual stimulation for the coming weeks. I went to the library's book sale area, which I had all to myself, and bought a German-English dictionary and the only other book in German that they had, which appears to be a collection of articles by Sigmund Freud on the unconscious mind. I've never gotten very far with German; we have one book on the language, but it's from the 1940's, with Gothic-like type that is difficult to decipher.
I also looked at craft and decorating books, but didn't buy any. I did pick up some ideas for projects, both from the books that I looked at, and the thrift store that I visited next. It was also sparsely populated, with one cashier in a mask and gloves.
Yesterday, I mixed a little red craft paint with some shaving cream that we had, and we made marbled shaving cream prints. We learned that the technique works even when the paint is mixed evenly into the shaving cream; you just have to swirl the shaving cream around, and the paper picks up irregular amounts of color from the irregular surface.
Mostly we printed onto sheets of paper, but I also tried printing directly onto a white cardboard box that I had, and a piece of white fabric. These prints came out, but they were affected by the surface textures: the paper surface of the box is slightly coarser than office paper, and the fabric's woven texture visually competes with the marbling.
No one seems to have a plan beyond the next couple of weeks. The present measures are not so much "flattening the curve" as they are just delaying it a few weeks. From this post by The Silicon Graybeard, it appears that we had better be increasing our medical system's capacity to cope with coronavirus cases as quickly as possible. That is possible, with a focused mobilization of resources.
I am viewing this season as something like an unplanned sabbatical on a large scale. The difficulty is that our society is not at all set up for it, and instead requires a regular income to pay for debt and all the other services that people and businesses are now dependent on.
Being reasonably well-supplied on food and toilet paper, I spent a very small amount over the weekend to stock up on intellectual stimulation for the coming weeks. I went to the library's book sale area, which I had all to myself, and bought a German-English dictionary and the only other book in German that they had, which appears to be a collection of articles by Sigmund Freud on the unconscious mind. I've never gotten very far with German; we have one book on the language, but it's from the 1940's, with Gothic-like type that is difficult to decipher.
I also looked at craft and decorating books, but didn't buy any. I did pick up some ideas for projects, both from the books that I looked at, and the thrift store that I visited next. It was also sparsely populated, with one cashier in a mask and gloves.
Yesterday, I mixed a little red craft paint with some shaving cream that we had, and we made marbled shaving cream prints. We learned that the technique works even when the paint is mixed evenly into the shaving cream; you just have to swirl the shaving cream around, and the paper picks up irregular amounts of color from the irregular surface.
Mostly we printed onto sheets of paper, but I also tried printing directly onto a white cardboard box that I had, and a piece of white fabric. These prints came out, but they were affected by the surface textures: the paper surface of the box is slightly coarser than office paper, and the fabric's woven texture visually competes with the marbling.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
More people are preparing
I have to say that I'm glad I bought toilet paper last week--not in "panic buying", but because we were nearing our normal point of needing to restock. This week the grocery store was completely out.
There were some other noticeably emptied shelves: flour, dried beans, rice, bread, pasta, frozen vegetables, hot cereals, bottled water, potatoes, ramen noodles. Plenty of turkeys at 99 cents per pound, and eggs at $2.99 for 2.5 dozen, though.
Cabbage had also been cleaned out, but it was on deep sale for 39 cents per pound, less than half the usual price.
There were some other noticeably emptied shelves: flour, dried beans, rice, bread, pasta, frozen vegetables, hot cereals, bottled water, potatoes, ramen noodles. Plenty of turkeys at 99 cents per pound, and eggs at $2.99 for 2.5 dozen, though.
Cabbage had also been cleaned out, but it was on deep sale for 39 cents per pound, less than half the usual price.
Finished the chair
The main difficulty was that the fabric I used to cover the chair has little ability to stretch, which made it difficult to ease it around the various curves of the seat and the back.
I also ran out of tacks, and had to do some hunting to find more staples for the staple gun.
Then one of the screws for the arms stripped badly when I was putting the arm back on; not one of the original screws, but someone's replacement screw that was a bit too large.
But now that the chair is done and in place, with a sheepskin draped over the back, it fits in with the rest of the room. The "too yellow" fabric just looks sunny. It has been a cloudy and dark winter.
For the padding on the back, I again crocheted a "rug"; this time of jersey fabrics. It used a lot of fabric, but not all that I had. The "rug" itself didn't look bad, but I wanted a surface that is more washable, durable, and not continually shedding little bits of lint.
Cost for this project was zero, as I used only things that we already had.
I also ran out of tacks, and had to do some hunting to find more staples for the staple gun.
Then one of the screws for the arms stripped badly when I was putting the arm back on; not one of the original screws, but someone's replacement screw that was a bit too large.
But now that the chair is done and in place, with a sheepskin draped over the back, it fits in with the rest of the room. The "too yellow" fabric just looks sunny. It has been a cloudy and dark winter.
For the padding on the back, I again crocheted a "rug"; this time of jersey fabrics. It used a lot of fabric, but not all that I had. The "rug" itself didn't look bad, but I wanted a surface that is more washable, durable, and not continually shedding little bits of lint.
Cost for this project was zero, as I used only things that we already had.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Praying to God can't hurt
War, famine, and plague occur over and over in the Bible, as ways that God uses to get the attention of a nation in need of repentance from their pride and idolatry and violence.
Information on coronavirus is still sparse and unreliable, but it appears that we are entering Round 1. Hopefully, there will be a reprieve during the warmer months, before Round 2 next fall.
Slowing down the spread of the virus, to try to keep the numbers of cases low enough to avoid overwhelming the available medical resources, is a good tactic, but it also means that this is going to take months to get through.
Even when a vaccine becomes available, that may not be much help. Vaccines aren't very effective against viruses that mutate rapidly; coronavirus may be one of them.
Information on coronavirus is still sparse and unreliable, but it appears that we are entering Round 1. Hopefully, there will be a reprieve during the warmer months, before Round 2 next fall.
Slowing down the spread of the virus, to try to keep the numbers of cases low enough to avoid overwhelming the available medical resources, is a good tactic, but it also means that this is going to take months to get through.
Even when a vaccine becomes available, that may not be much help. Vaccines aren't very effective against viruses that mutate rapidly; coronavirus may be one of them.
Monday, March 9, 2020
Progress on the chair seat
Previously, I had stripped it down to the frame and springs.
Going by the careful notes I had taken while stripping off the old upholstery, I tacked on the new old burlap.
For the crocheted "rug" padding that I had made, I decided that the best way to attach it would be to crochet a round of single crochet 1, chain 1 around all four edges, doing slip stitches to get around the corners. That gave me a less-dense edge to tack to the seat frame.
Next came the thin pillow that I planned to put over it, which was a bit smaller than the crocheted layer. I decided to sew it directly to the crocheted layer, using some very strong thread that I have.
With that done, the seat is ready for the outer fabric, which still needs some preparation. It is a heavy canvas-like fabric, with a waterproof backing, which a friend of my mother's gave her along with a big load of other fabrics.
I made a page of little concept sketches for possible stamping designs, to be done with potato stamps, and chose one. After carving my two old, sprouting potatoes, and picking the best one, I mixed my two colors of fabric paint, and did some test stamps on a sheet of paper.
I did not like how it looked, at all. The paint was thinner and drippier than I expected, and the potatoes had become uneven in texture. Also, the paint color was not good--so I added a lot more brown to it, which gave a better color, but with a lot more contrast with the fabric than I was planning on.
Since I had given up on stamping, I went with scribbling on the fabric with a bamboo skewer. When I got done, I still was not very happy with the result, so I rinsed the pieces in the utility sink with hot water, which shifted around and rinsed off much of the fabric paint, depending on how much it had dried, leaving a combination of scribbles and splotches.
I hung the pieces outside to dry. Looking at them now, my first impression is that they are "too yellow", but really the color is only slightly brighter than a tablecloth I already have in the room. Hanging the pieces up made the splotches tend to turn into streaks. From across the room, the pattern looks like an unnatural color of marble.
This chair has wooden arms, and no skirt, so only the seat and back will be upholstered. I think this fabric will be tolerable for that, but I would not want to use it over a larger area.
If I find that I really don't like it, I can always make a slipcover.
Going by the careful notes I had taken while stripping off the old upholstery, I tacked on the new old burlap.
For the crocheted "rug" padding that I had made, I decided that the best way to attach it would be to crochet a round of single crochet 1, chain 1 around all four edges, doing slip stitches to get around the corners. That gave me a less-dense edge to tack to the seat frame.
Next came the thin pillow that I planned to put over it, which was a bit smaller than the crocheted layer. I decided to sew it directly to the crocheted layer, using some very strong thread that I have.
With that done, the seat is ready for the outer fabric, which still needs some preparation. It is a heavy canvas-like fabric, with a waterproof backing, which a friend of my mother's gave her along with a big load of other fabrics.
I made a page of little concept sketches for possible stamping designs, to be done with potato stamps, and chose one. After carving my two old, sprouting potatoes, and picking the best one, I mixed my two colors of fabric paint, and did some test stamps on a sheet of paper.
I did not like how it looked, at all. The paint was thinner and drippier than I expected, and the potatoes had become uneven in texture. Also, the paint color was not good--so I added a lot more brown to it, which gave a better color, but with a lot more contrast with the fabric than I was planning on.
Since I had given up on stamping, I went with scribbling on the fabric with a bamboo skewer. When I got done, I still was not very happy with the result, so I rinsed the pieces in the utility sink with hot water, which shifted around and rinsed off much of the fabric paint, depending on how much it had dried, leaving a combination of scribbles and splotches.
I hung the pieces outside to dry. Looking at them now, my first impression is that they are "too yellow", but really the color is only slightly brighter than a tablecloth I already have in the room. Hanging the pieces up made the splotches tend to turn into streaks. From across the room, the pattern looks like an unnatural color of marble.
This chair has wooden arms, and no skirt, so only the seat and back will be upholstered. I think this fabric will be tolerable for that, but I would not want to use it over a larger area.
If I find that I really don't like it, I can always make a slipcover.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Mending tiny holes in a vinyl floor
Over time, some tiny holes have appeared in our "linoleum" kitchen floor, which is otherwise in good condition for its age. Judging by the style, it must be at least twenty years old.
My preferred fix is to touch up the holes with nail polish, which dries very quickly and is durable and somewhat flexible at the same time. The best time to do touch-ups is right before waxing the floor.
I ended up buying the two colors of nail polish that were nearest to the colors in the vinyl, and mixing small amounts of them as needed.
I used a bamboo skewer to apply the nail polish to each hole, and then blotted it lightly with a scrap of fabric. At that point, the hole generally disappeared from casual view.
Nail polish shrinks quite a bit as it dries, so you can't expect to fill a hole and have it be level with the rest of the floor.
Of course, after I waxed the floor, I found a number of other little holes that needed fixing. I wasn't entirely happy about putting the nail polish on over the floor wax--which is actually a polymer, and which in my opinion would likely be dissolved by the acetone in the nail polish.
But since the holes were bothering me, I went ahead and fixed those, too. There was no visible effect on the floor wax around the spots I painted. There is a difference in reflectance between the nail polish and floor wax, though, which makes the fixes visible at certain angles, at close range.
My preferred fix is to touch up the holes with nail polish, which dries very quickly and is durable and somewhat flexible at the same time. The best time to do touch-ups is right before waxing the floor.
I ended up buying the two colors of nail polish that were nearest to the colors in the vinyl, and mixing small amounts of them as needed.
I used a bamboo skewer to apply the nail polish to each hole, and then blotted it lightly with a scrap of fabric. At that point, the hole generally disappeared from casual view.
Nail polish shrinks quite a bit as it dries, so you can't expect to fill a hole and have it be level with the rest of the floor.
Of course, after I waxed the floor, I found a number of other little holes that needed fixing. I wasn't entirely happy about putting the nail polish on over the floor wax--which is actually a polymer, and which in my opinion would likely be dissolved by the acetone in the nail polish.
But since the holes were bothering me, I went ahead and fixed those, too. There was no visible effect on the floor wax around the spots I painted. There is a difference in reflectance between the nail polish and floor wax, though, which makes the fixes visible at certain angles, at close range.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Some people are preparing, and what to do if toilet paper is sold out
I haven't been in the bigger stores recently, but my husband reports that there are sections of bare shelves here and there. One of these was for toilet paper.
But there is a substitute for toilet paper: reusable cloth wipes that are sometimes called "family cloth". There's an introduction to family cloth here from a family that uses it. These wipes are best made from cut-up cotton rags, preferably flannel or jersey from old T-shirts. Jersey doesn't need hemming; flannel wipes will last longer if they are hemmed, but it's not strictly necessary.
In our house we don't use cloth wipes for the whole family, only for the babies. I highly prefer cloth wipes to disposable baby wipes; they just get the job done a lot better. I wash them along with the cloth diapers. With the "high-efficiency" washer at our house, I do a cold water wash first, with an extra rinse, and then another wash on the Sanitize cycle. In a non-HE washer, I would just wash them on Hot for the second wash, but the HE washers don't use the hottest of the available hot water for their Hot cycles.
I don't use bleach on the diapers or wipes, although I might if I were using a coin laundry. Mostly for the protection of my own family. The USDA (I think it was) did a study on bacteria in washing machines some years ago, and found that the washers were not sterilizing the laundry and that bacteria could very well be passed from load to load. The heat of the dryer, or direct sunlight in line-drying, reduces that risk quite a bit, I believe.
The main obstacle to us using family cloth full-time at our house is the extremely high risk that the wipes would be absentmindedly thrown into the toilet and flushed.
But there is a substitute for toilet paper: reusable cloth wipes that are sometimes called "family cloth". There's an introduction to family cloth here from a family that uses it. These wipes are best made from cut-up cotton rags, preferably flannel or jersey from old T-shirts. Jersey doesn't need hemming; flannel wipes will last longer if they are hemmed, but it's not strictly necessary.
In our house we don't use cloth wipes for the whole family, only for the babies. I highly prefer cloth wipes to disposable baby wipes; they just get the job done a lot better. I wash them along with the cloth diapers. With the "high-efficiency" washer at our house, I do a cold water wash first, with an extra rinse, and then another wash on the Sanitize cycle. In a non-HE washer, I would just wash them on Hot for the second wash, but the HE washers don't use the hottest of the available hot water for their Hot cycles.
I don't use bleach on the diapers or wipes, although I might if I were using a coin laundry. Mostly for the protection of my own family. The USDA (I think it was) did a study on bacteria in washing machines some years ago, and found that the washers were not sterilizing the laundry and that bacteria could very well be passed from load to load. The heat of the dryer, or direct sunlight in line-drying, reduces that risk quite a bit, I believe.
The main obstacle to us using family cloth full-time at our house is the extremely high risk that the wipes would be absentmindedly thrown into the toilet and flushed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)