Henry David Thoreau

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!

I say, let your affairs be as two or three,

and not a hundred or a thousand

instead of a million count half a dozen,

and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.”

Henry David Thoreau

Crocheting Rugs from Old Sheets

William Morris

"Have nothing in your house

that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful"

William Morris

From Old Top Sheet to Block Print Tablecloth

This is one of the sheets I removed from my linen closet. It was one of those twin sets stashed in there that I never use. Because I had an idea of what I wanted to do with it, I decided to put it in it's own special pile. (Hesitantly, I did put the bottom sheet and pillow case in the donation bag, but I decided keeping the top sheet was going to be my reward.)

After you have finished a project, you should always reward yourself in some way, right? Well, my reward was taking the time to create this charming new tablecloth for our dining table yesterday afternoon.

I made a photographic journal of the project and also wrote some instructions, if you would like to try it yourself.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Old Top Sheet (I used a twin size)

• Old Towels

• Scissors

• Fabric Paint

(I used Jacquard ® Textile Color available from www.JerrysArtarama.com)

• Antique Wood Textile Block(s) or Craft Stamp(s)

(I have purchased my antique wood blocks from sellers on Etsy and Ebay. They are over 100 years old and quite amazing. You can search "wood textile block" under supplies in Etsy.)

• Speedball Roller for applying paint to block/stamp

(These are also available from Jerry's Artarama)

• Cookie Sheet or Plastic Tray

• Iron

• Stick Pins

• Thread

• Sewing machine

(or needle for hand sewing)

Step 1: Cover table with old towels. This will protect your table from the paint, and add a nice cushion for printing.

Step 2: Cut off the top border of the sheet. You can also cut off the other hems and salvages, but on mine I just cut to top border and salvage. The other two sides were already hemmed, so I just chose to leave them.

Step 3: Layout your supplies. I used a cookie sheet to roll the ink on, but it was not quite level on the bottom, which made it hard to get an even coat on the brayer. A melamine tray works great, but remember the ink, though washable, can stain.

Step 4: Scoop one heaping spoon full of paint on your sheet or tray. (You will need more, but it is best to use one spoon full at a time.) Roll your brayer over the paint until you get an even coat.

Step 5: Roll the "inked" brayer over the wood block a few times to coat it. Then place it on the sheet and press firmly. Gently lift it up and repeat. You will need to apply a new coat of paint with the brayer each time.

(If you have never block printed before, it might be a good idea to try a sample scrap, so you can see how the amount of paint and pressure affect how the block prints.)

Don't be too fussy. The variation of the image can add interest to the finished piece. I accidently overlapped one of the images and decided I liked it and went back and added to some areas. But remember that even open spaces can add interest.

The paint dries rather quickly, but sometimes not quickly enough. A hot hair dryer can come in handy if you get impatient.

Step 6: Wash up your utensils. You cannot move on to the next step yet anyway, so it is a good time to clean-up. Plus, dried paint is much harder to remove, if not impossible at times. I use a plastic scrub brush and mind soap to clean my utensils. The scrub brush is particularly helpful for cleaning the wood blocks. However, remember that these blocks are very old and need some tender loving care. (I have never broken a piece off of mine, but I am sure it is possible if you are too rough.)

This is another time old towels come in really handy. Wood is porous, so takes awhile for woodblocks to dry, and many times the paint dyes still seep out--even when the block looks clean. Laying the block design side down on an old towel is the best way I know of to help absorb some the remaining dye from the paint.

I store all my fabric painting supplies in a plastic tub with a lid. I think I will add a few of those old towels to the tub this time too. They are no longer just "old towels;" they are my fabric painting towels and they have a new home. :)

Step 7: Once the pain is fully dried, you will need to heat-set the paint. (I would give it at least an hour to dry.) This is done by ironing the back side of the sheet on the no-steam setting.

The directions on the paint jar say to use the heat setting that you would for the particular type of fabric. The sheet I used was 50% cotton / 50% polyester, but I used the highest setting on my iron.

Step 8: Since you have your iron out, you can also use it to set in the first fold of your hem. I made a 1/2 inch fold on all unfinished edges.

Step 9:

You can then easily fold again and pin the 1/2 hem.

Step 10: Set up your sewing machine and "put the pedal to the metal," so to speak. Most of us, even though we are not seamstresses, can sew a straight line.

I decided to use a contrasting blue thread to match the paint. Once I finished the first side, the blue thread looked so neat that I decided that I would go all the way around--even over the hem already in place.

Old sheet to tablecloth transformation complete!

Reusing and Recycling Old Sheets and Towels

Now that I have sorted through the linen closet, I have stacks of old towels and sheets. The next task is what to do with them. I will give you some great ideas, but if you are like me, you will need to decide if you are REALLY going to accomplish some of these projects for reuse.

In more than one place I read that you should use the 6 month rule to help you decide. If you will not use them within the next 6 months, get rid of them. Maybe someone else will have use for them or have the time to make them into something reusable. Another thing I read is that if you really cannot decide, put them in a box dated 6 months from now. If you have not used those items within the next 6 months, they need to go. (The exception would be seasonal/holiday items.) If you are still undecided, asking yourself if the item could be replaced for under $20 would be another indicator of its proper place. Answering "yes" would be a sign that it needs to go in the donation pile.

There are basically three options when sorting through the pile--save, throw, donate.

You might want to have a couple of bags ready for the items to donate. Label the bags with their destination and put them immediately in the car or by the front door. The intent is not to stash them somewhere else.

Remember, that all those items in the "save" pile will need new homes. (The option of moving something to the donate pile is always open.) If you are saving one of those old sheets to cover the garden on a frosty night like I am, it should probably be put in the garage or shed with all the rest of your gardening supplies. Also, if you only need two sheets, only save two of them. Some of those saved items can also be used for multiple purposes on the list I will give you. In that case, you might just want to designate a specific area for old sheets or old towels. That way, you will know where to find them when you need them.

With that, here are a some suggested ways to reuse and recycle old linens:

• Use them for drop cloths for painting projects

• Let children drape them over chairs to make tents or forts

• Cut them into thin strips and use them to knit or crochet

• Crochet them into rag rugs

• Turn them into linen napkins or tablecloths

• Make kitchen curtains

• Use to slip cover chairs

• Cut them up and use them to make and stuff throw pillows

• Use them for quilt backing

• Make a laundry bag

• Make drawstring gift bags

• Use it to make gift wrap

• Donate them to homeless shelters

• Take them to the beach and use for picnics

• Use for picnic or camping tablecloth

• Cover fruit trees and/or flowers to protect from frost

• Tear them into strips and use them to tie your tomato plants to stakes

• Cut them up and use them for dusting

• Knot them and make a dog toy

• Use it for dog bedding

• Donate them to animal shelters

Thanks to: http://www.blisstree.com/thriftymommy/20-things-to-do-with-old-bed-sheets/ for the majority of these great ideas.

This website also has some wonderful ideas for organizing you linen closet. There are tips for sorting, caring for antique linens, and even adding herbal sachets. http://howtomakedo.net/137/how-to-organize-a-linen-closet

My next post will be about one of my sheet reuse projects. =)

Baby Steps to Simplicity - Organizing the Linen Closet

I do not know if it is living in Minnesota in the winter with the lack of daylight or the old winter ailment known as "cabin fever," but January has been a "blah" month for me. Motivation is scarce and even nonexistent at times, and the walls seem to be closing in around me. The whole house feels like an overwhelming mess!

The other night I think I hit rock bottom. I felt like I REALLY needed some help! Thinking how wonderful it would be if I could hire someone to get me out of the mess, I went online and searched for professional organizers in the area. One thing led to another, and I managed to find a blog that was just what I needed.

Angie Weid Temperance is a Professional Organizer from Michigan. Besides running her own business--Organized Solutions, LLC--she has a wonderful blog. What really inspired me is her posts this month on one simple project you can do each day to help you get organized.

Another thing I found when searching about how to get organized is that procrastination is one of the biggest problems people have. (Yes, that would apply to me.) I look at something and get so overwhelmed that I simply walk away and do nothing. (Granted, I am not that way all the time and about everything.) Everyone keeps telling me I just need to start with some small thing, but I cannot even decide what that small thing should be.

Angie's post on her blog this week is to organize the linen closet. (Thank goodness she does not do them daily, because I would probably give up.) Yesterday, I thought about it and today I actually did it. It was probably not high on the priority list in our house, but I had some direction and I did it! That in itself is an accomplishment.

You can follow Angie's blog yourself. Here is the URL:

http://www.iorganizeyou.blogspot.com

In my next post I will give you some ideas I found for what to do with all those old linens. =)

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