Fun with Bleach? Who knew!

Yesterday I was thinking about white - solid white - quilting fabrics. I've found that there are "wimpy whites" and "heavy whites". I've been working on a sampler top - more about that another day - that is made up of blocks using a wimpy white. This is a quality name brand white - I've forgoten though who the manufacturer is - but I call it wimpy because even with starch or sizing it has little body, very soft and thin. Fine for machine sewing, but I wouldn't want to use it for hand applique. I wanted a white that was similar to some other solids I have - I do know that two of these are from Kona and Moda. These other solids are thicker, have a firmer hand, and are heavier.

I have a couple of yards of a Kona that is an ivory or bone. Part of my job requirement for the illness I have is one or two short naps a day - lying down on the couch, my mind started wandering and wondering about fabric descriptions "bleached white" and "white pfd" (pfd, prepared for dying). Bleach!!

Being one of those few summer days we get without the icky high humidity, I jumped up and filled up a bucket of hot water and bleach, plunged in the Kona cotton, and hoped for the best. I love the smell of bleach on clean sheets -but this was a little overwhelming. Fifteen minutes, half an hour, one hour later and it still wasn't white. Why when I do laundry or cleaning with bleach it takes seconds to get a bleached spot on my shirt, but my ivory won't turn white?

Well, I was having fun - believe it or not - and I decided to pull out of my stash three yards of a solid cotton dark burgundy/rust colour. I had no idea why I had this, I didn't like the colour particularly, and I know it had been around for a few years. So that went into a fresh bucket of bleach - my goodness! - very quickly, even before I got a chance to stir it - there was this wonderful colour - a bit tie dyed, but wonderful none the less -

I'm looking forward to finding the perfect project to use this colour - I don't think the picture really shows it right - in some lights its more coral than pink.

Here are the two fabrics drying on the line. Isn't it great to hang things on the clothesline - there is nothing better to sleep on than sheets dried outside.

Off topic, but not really, is a comment about a recent kerfluffle in our part of the world - subdivisions, and even towns, that outlawed clotheslines because clothes drying on the line offended people and/or deterred from the beautiful neighbourhoods that some people wanted to live in. Now I'm not a fan of looking out my kitchen window and seeing my neighbour's bras, underwear, and her husband's boxers - but - its okay with me if that's what she wants to do. Thankfully, "they" have struck down these ridiculous bylaws and now clotheslines can be used by one and all.

How to ruin a Mom's summer

This past week has been pretty quiet as my daughter has been away at horse camp - leaving 14 yr old Scott to have full control of what he wants to watch on TV, where his friends can be, how long he can be on the game stations, and when and what he wants to eat. He's had a great time with his vacation from his mothering older sister, but now its all over - because....

Summer school!! Scott just scraped by his Grade 8 year and he has to do a review (I'm calling it study rehab) for three weeks starting Monday, to prep for high school. This means that I get to drag him out of bed at 7:30 each weekday, after arguing with him on how late he should stay up. Argue with him about washing his face, brushing his teeth (boys this age aren't good on hygiene :))- argue some more about eating breakfast or bringing a snack for the bus, more discussion about lunch packed or bought, then get to greet a grumpy sullen kid at 3:30 in the afternoon, just to start all over again the next day.

He has attended overnight summer camp for several years, and this year I paid for 2 - two week sessions in August - telling him that's his reward for getting through summer school. Ha! That's my reward for getting him to attend summer school every day, somewhat prepared for learning what he should have learned when the opportunity was first given to him!