Monday, February 16, 2015

Aurora Winter Laundry

Mary's visit is always a non-stop TREASURE HUNT. WE found some great stuff for our new show (in Beaver Dam, for the 2015 Sewing Weekend)

We found some beautiful hand embroidered pillowcases for our homes. I haven't had a chance to work on mine yet -- but Mary sent me these pictures. When she got home, her pillowcases had that nasty yellow staining -- we call it "man stain" -- that is nearly impossible to get out. BUT SHE DID IT...although, it took days of soaking, and rinsing, and more soaking.

Here's a review of the technique:

  1. Soak them overnight in a bucket of plain warm water. When fabric gets very dry (dehydrated) -- it is at it's most fragile state. (The plain water plumps up the fibers, and makes the fabric stronger, more able to absorb subsequent treatments.)
  2. After the first 24 hour soak -- put them in another bucket for a second overnight soak with Mary's mega-whitening-solution:
  3. 1/2 cup of dishwasher soap. 1/2 cup of Clorox bleach 2 gallons of very, very hot water
  4. THEN -- wash them in a regular cycle (hot wash/cold rinse) with normal detergent. (I prefer Oxiclean for whitening)
There is NOTHING BETTER than the scent of winter-line-dried bed linens...
A selfie?? Note the double rick-rack edging...

Hanging laundry out during an Iowa/Minnesota frigid winter requires some determination and character. But so far -- I have been not had to resort to putting my sheets in the dryer.

And there is NOTHING BETTER than the winter sunshine to whiten that vintage cotton...
After days of soaking -- GORGEOUS..!!

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