Newest obsession

I was reading SouleMama's blog late last week and was intrigued by the baskets she's been making from clothesline.

She claimed the process is simple, and she said it requires only some clothesline rope and a sewing machine.

I knew then and there that baskets made of clothesline rope were in my immediate future.

A quick trip to our local hardware store resulted in one 50-foot length of new clothesline rope, the 100% cotton variety.

I re-read SouleMama's instructions, and I browsed "clothesline rope baskets" on Pinterest.

Then I was ready to go.

But first, a little tribute: My Sears Kenmore sewing machine is nothing if not a workhorse. Ken gave it to me for Christmas in 1973, and I've called on it to sew a multitude of things ever since. It has never let me down, not once.

The sewing machine weighs a ton, or so it seems when I try to lift or move it for some reason, but therein lies one of the reasons for its reliability. I bought a second sewing machine a few years ago, another Sears brand, but it is lightweight, made mostly of plastic, and, as the salesman so honestly told me, isn't half the machine of my 42-year old Kenmore.

Back to basket-making....

The first basket, which now houses my streptocarpus plant, came out well. It really was easy to make, just as SouleMama had promised.

I had enough clothesline leftover after that first basket to make another. The second one I first dabbed with a bit of acrylic paint, and let that dry, before beginning the sewing.

It's the one in the front, on the right, in this photo.

It was time to make a second trip to the hardware store.

This time I bought two more 50-foot lengths of cotton clothesline.

The long-handled basket came next. That one I made yesterday. This afternoon I made the one in the center, with the button trim on the top edge.

I'm thinking these baskets, the ones I don't claim for myself, will make nice gifts. Filled with bath products or cooking spices, or what-have-you, they'll become birthday and Christmas gifts.

It takes about 30-45 minutes to sew one basket. After it's finished I inspect it to make sure the rows of rope are firmly held together. If I find a weak spot, I use a needle and thread to make a discreet repair. I also add embellishments of one kind or another. I'm still discovering what I like for embellishments as well as what I like for handles.

SouleMama is right: clothesline rope baskets are addictive.

I'm almost an organic gardener

Yes, I agree. The photo on the left is by far the most disgusting one I've ever posted on my blog.

But wait'll I tell you what it's all about....

Since our deep, deep snow disappeared almost overnight (Yes! It's gone!), I've thought of little else besides getting my vegetable garden planted.

With that in mind, I've begun collecting crushed egg shells, pistachio shells, coffee grounds, and banana peels.

These will go into my garden for the following reasons:

1. Crushed egg shells placed around green pepper and tomato plants discourage slugs from taking a liking to the tender plants. The slugs don't like the feeling of the sharp shells on their "bellies," apparently.

Placing the crushed shells around the plants and also in the planting hole will help to prevent blossom end rot. I've dealt with blossom end rot on tomatoes in the past, and the experience was far from fun.

2. Pistachio shells also discourage slugs and, perhaps, my least favorite of all garden pests, the dastardly cut worm. (Actually that's not true: My very, very, very least favorite garden pest is the disgusting hornworm.)

3. Coffee grounds are a rich source of nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. I'll scatter them on the ground near the plant seedlings to enrich the soil. In addition, I'll mix about 1 cup of grounds with 2 gallons of water and use this as a liquid fertilizer on the plants.

4. Banana peels, which are currently stored in my freezer, will be placed in the planting hole of my tomato plants to provide a rich source of potassium for the growing plants.

A trick I learned last year, and one that certainly seemed to work, is that of spraying my tomato and green pepper plants with a weak epsom salt solution. I sprayed the seedlings soon after putting them into the soil, then I sprayed them once more ten days later. I had so many tomatoes and green peppers that after I'd frozen and canned and roasted and frozen some more, I gave away the rest because we had more than we could possibly use.

I read recently that the epsom salt solution is good for roses, too, so I'll try that this summer to see if I get more blossoms that usual.

Of course I have a compost bin, too. I have two of them, in fact. I enrich the entire garden's soil with compost before I do any planting.

It has taken me years to figure out just what I like to grow in my little vegetable garden and what I don't want to bother with. This year I'll have the tomatoes and green peppers, but also cucumbers, kale, and zucchini. That's it. That's enough to keep me busy.

My science fair project

(In my header photo: A polar bear sporting a dress and sweater, for a soon-to-be-born baby girl. Also, an Aran cardigan which I have started for a friend. This is a big project; I've been knitting all week and the first section, the back, isn't finished yet. The pattern is from Yankee Knitter, and it's a wonderful pattern.)

Now to my post: Easter Sunday morning as I took our flatware out of the silverware box, I noticed some tarnishing. This wouldn't do for Easter brunch.

I was about to try to enlist Ken to do some silver polishing, when I suddenly remembered my twelfth-grade entry in my school's annual science fair.

So I set to work.

I placed a strip of aluminum foil in a large plastic bowl.
Then I added approximately 1/4-1/2 cup of washing soda and about 1 tablespoon of baking soda.

Next I placed the flatware on the powdered mixtures and poured over this enough boiling water to cover the flatware.

I stood back and watched Ken's job being done for him with no effort: The concoction bubbled and hissed; the smell of sulfur filled the air (but only slightly).

After just a few minutes, I emptied the water from the bowl, rinsed the flatware with cold water, and voila!

Tarnish gone; flatware bright and shiny.
The chemical reaction causes the sulfur tarnish (sulfide) to transfer from the knives and forks to the aluminum foil.

Yup, first place in not only my high school's science fair, but first place in the regional fair as well. I don't remember the chemical equation, since this was 55 years ago, but it's a fairly simple one. Sure beats getting out the jar of silver polish and spending a good minute on each utensil. Update: I just found the chemical reaction on this site:http://www.finishing.com/4600-4799/4785.shtml This site suggests you use baking soda only, but I remember distinctly that I used washing soda, too. Try it with just baking soda, though, if this is all you have on hand.


This was going to be my only handy tip in this post, but yesterday I attended a meeting, and the ladies at my table started sharing clever household cleaning tips.

I love cleaning products made from items we have on hand. I don't like to buy commercial cleaning products because of the harmful chemicals they contain.

This second tip I learned on the Today Show one morning a few years ago, and I've kept a bottle of vodka in my kitchen pantry ever since:

To clean microfiber sofas, chairs, etc., dip a white cleaning cloth into a small saucer of vodka. Rub the cloth on the soiled area of the microfiber. Voila, again! I regularly clean the arms of my sofa, especially the end of the sofa that our dog has claimed as hers (even though I keep her sleeping area of the sofa covered with towels) with vodka.

It dries quickly, doesn't leave a water stain, and removes soil.

I've read you shouldn't use a colored cloth to do this because the color from the cloth might transfer onto your furniture.

Also, I read recently that rubbing alcohol works as well as vodka.

So there you have it: two handy tips in one day.

Now it's time for me to go outdoors. It's a beautiful, sunny, warm day here in Maine (finally), and I don't want to miss a  minute of it.