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“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” Thomas Jefferson

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Cloth in the Kitchen

I haven't talked about cloth for awhile now, so I thought I would do just that. I made the switch to cloth everywhere in my home a long time ago. My reasoning was to be cheap....uh, frugal. So, the kitchen can be terribly expensive if paper towels are used, then paper coffee filters, etc. So, I made my own coffee filters out of cheese cloth. They work wonderfully and are washable. I simply cut two triangles from cheese cloth that was say 3 layers, then sewed up the sides and sewed along the edge to prevent fraying. Within 30 minutes time I had numerous coffee filters that could be re-used over and over. It is much healthier than running my coffee through paper that has been chemically processed. Next, I bought some muslin and flannel when they were on sale. I am always picking up fabric when it is on sale as I don't like to pay full price for anything. I cut about 15 good sized squares (12"x12") of the muslin and the flannel. I then sewed a zig zag stitch around the edge in a bold color (I chose green). The color tells whoever folds the laundry that those are kitchen towels and not to be used elsewhere. Now I have two types of towels to use in the kitchen for cleaning up spills, cleaning counters, or appliances. They work wonderfully and are so inexpensive to make. They eliminate that expense at the grocery store of buying paper also. Such a cheap cleaning solution, I love it. God bless.

3 comments:

Kelly Cook said...

Forgive my ignorance of fabrics, but what do you use the muslin for? Isn't it a cheese cloth-y type of material?

Kat said...

Muslin is basically either bleached or unbleached 100% cotton. It is cheaper than print in the fabric store and comes in different weights. No cheese cloth is different. I use the muslin like paper towels because it is really absorbant and lots of "towels" can be kept in a drawer and not take up much room. I buy muslin by the bucket loads when it is on sale and use it for everything. It is very soft and is useful for clothing, napkins, kitchen towels, handkerchiefs, etc.

Kelle at The Never Done Farm said...

Kat, we've been making the switch too. I now finally have enough cloth napkins for a weeks worth of meals, we picked most of them up at auctions, garage sales and even a few antique shops, then we made some as well. We stocked up on floursack towels when a craft business was shutting it's doors,they were 5 for $1, so we bought all they had, I think it was $30 worth.

We use a perculator coffee pot on the wood cookstove, to use the stainless steel basket, no filter. Yes sometimes if it gets to boiling to hard you end up with grounds in the bottom, but better than chemicals.
I use unbleached muslin for straining our milk, draining cheese etc....
Glad to see you back, we missed you