How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent

In the spirit of Laura Ingalls, with wash day being Monday, here's a little recipe for homemade laundry detergent you can use tomorrow, Monday!

wash on Monday
iron on Tuesday
mend on Wednesday
churn on Thursday
clean on Friday
bake on Saturday
rest on Sunday

from Little House in the Big Woods

* I use these utensils for detergent making only. They all stay in the pot until I make a new batch.

You will need:

1 bar of soap (any kind you want)
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of washing soda
a big pot ( that holds more than 2 gallons)
a grater
a funnel
a long spoon
2 empty gallon jugs/containers



Grate your bar of soap into your pot.


Fill one gallon jug and pour water into pot with grated soap. Cook until the grated soap dissolves.


Add the Borax and washing soda.


Bring to a boil. It will coagulate.


Turn off the heat. Add 1 gallon of cold water. Stir well.


Pour 1 gallon of your detergent into each container.


A funnel helps tremendously.

Now you have 2 gallons of homemade laundry detergent. I use 1/2 cup per load. With the prices of detergent being outrageous, I feel really happy every time I make a batch of this.

This won't make many, if any, suds. Suds don't equal clean. It took a while to get that into my head. This detergent cleans wonderfully!

Let me know if you make any or if you have any questions.

Happy washing!

******edited to add that I now just keep my detergent in the pot I cook it in with the lid on. When I run out I make up a new batch in that pot and it's ready to go. I like saving the step of transferring into the jugs.

****** edited 8/8/2011 to address those of you with the issue of the detergent becoming too thick. Try using 1/2 of a bar of soap instead.

***** edited 7/2011 to add that the detergent should thicken / coagulate when it cools. Usually within 24 hours! ****

* Edited 1/2011 to add comment from below about cost/savings!

estimated cost is $6.00 for 576 loads (depending on soap used and amount used per load, ONE BOX of Borax and ONE BOX of Washing soda)
The savings is incredible.

☆☆☆As with ALL cleaning products KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN particularly if you are using recycled food type containers!!!!☆☆☆

☆☆☆ My friend Amy's daughter did a science experiment comparing store bought detergent and this recipe! Very cool! Check it out here ☆☆☆

Another Half-Square Triangle Tip/Tutorial and an Antique Repro Mini

I made this mini from scraps leftover from this top.

I'm using some of my antique reproduction fabric. I love these fabrics.


I have a little trick I use whenever I make a block or piece that has corner triangles to trim away. These pics aren't great. I took them a while ago, but I hope you can see what I mean.

I am a big scrap saver and when I do this with the triangles they are ready to be sewn. It makes an instant Half Square Triangle. I don't have a bunch of triangles in my scraps that will likely never be used.

Okay so for the blocks in the quilt layout above you sew squares onto the top and bottom corner of your bigger square. What I do is mark my diagonal line on the small square then I measure 1/2 inch away from it and mark another diagonal line.


Then when I sew, I sew on the diagonal line and on the 2nd smaller diagonal line.


I cut down the middle (1/4 inch away from each sewn line).


Then you have a Half Square Triangle already to use as leader/ender projects or whatever you like. I made the mini for a fun and quick little project. I just know that I won't use my triangle scraps if I don't do this. This works good for Flying Geese too depending on the technique you use to make them.

Block Instructions for Pink and Green Chemo Quilt

This was so easy and fast to make. Here are the measurements and how I put it together.


5 inch square - center block (birdies)
2- 2.5 x 5 inch strips for inner border (green)
2- 2.5 x 9 inch strips for inner border (green)
2- 2.5 x 9 inch strips for outer border (pink)
2- 2.5 x 13 inch strips for outer border (pink)



Sew your 5 inch inner border strips to the top and bottom of your 5 inch center block. Press all seams away from center block.



Sew your 9 inch inner border strips to the sides. Press.



Sew your 9 inch outer border strips to the top and bottom of your block. Press.



Sew your 13 inch outer border strips to the sides. Press. Voila. Your block is done!



I used 6.5 inch sashing.

I will be quilting and binding this tonight for the Friday Night Sew-In. I plan on giving it to my MIL this weekend.

Thanks so much for your prayers, comments and e-mails! I really appreciate them as does my MIL!

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

So with the making of Christmas gifts and my adventure in miniature paper piecing (will post about that another time), I decided to just take some time and make some really fun blocks.

This is the same method I used for the runner in this post. It's honestly the best time I've had piecing. It's so EASY and all the blocks are different.

This is what I do.
I cut 2 inch strips.
Start with a 2 inch square in the center and work clockwise log cabin "style".
I don't worry about lights and darks etc. Just piece it the way you like it! I could make tons of these and it is just so relaxing.


I think these will look great with white sashing. I want to make more though because I haven't made a big one in a while. So I think I'm going to aim for twin or queen size.

I also am going to rip the seams out of this project and go this route with it. It's so much fun. That's what quilting is about for me anyway! Enjoying it!

* Stay tuned, I will be having a give away within the next day or two in celebration of winning this giveaway over at An artful Life. I am so excited. I can't wait to receive those beautiful green earrings.

Tea Staining (the way I do it)....

Thought I'd show you how I tea stain my fabric. Super simple.

I am going to start working on a quilt using reproduction fabrics. I promised myself that I am not buying anymore fabric until I use some of what I have. (not sure what the definition of some is yet!LOL) I couldn't find any background fabric I liked in my stash.


It was all too light for the fabrics I am working with so I decided to tea stain some. Here is how I do it:


Put the fabric in a big bowl. I used a big Pyrex mixing bowl. This is 2 yards of pre-washed ( I pre-wash everything) cotton fabric. Then make a strong batch of tea.


I also added vinegar and some salt to mine. Don't really know if it does anything to help set the tea but it seems like something my aunt would have done so I just do it. After the tea steeps and is as dark as you'd like it, pour it over your material. To cover or close to it.


I then let it soak and turn the fabric a few times in the bowl every few minutes. Then when it's the color I want it

(*it will lighten up as it dries) I put it into the washer on the spin cycle (no rinse). Then I throw it in the dryer and Voila! The tea stained fabric is on the bottom and the original is on the top.

It's subtle but just enough to work well with my other fabric. You can make it darker by making a stronger brew, adding instant coffee or letting it soak longer. You can also use different kinds of teas. The possibilities are endless.

I really like to tea stain neutral homespun material. It just grabs the tea and you get lots of great streaks and textures in your fabric. Here is my absolute favorite quilt. I made it in 2007.



Here is another made with tea stained homespun in the background. I like the lighter and darker streaks in this one. It's hard to see them, they are near the willow trees.



I made this one for Jacque. We did a swap this summer and we decided on a prim drab theme. I love how this turned out.

Again the background is all various tea stained pieces. I hope this was helpful to someone. I think it's a lot of fun and a great way to mute some of the bright colors that may be in your stash if it's mixed like mine.

Strip Pieced Half Square Triangles and Flat Pinwheels

I'm in the process of making an aqua and red pinwheel baby quilt. I love pinwheels. The easiest way (for me) to make half square triangles is to strip piece them. Here's how I do it.

I cut my strips of fabric the finished size I want my HST ( half square triangles) to be plus 7/8 of an inch. (Example a 4 inch (finished) HST  Cut strip 4 7/8 in.)Cut that measurement by the WOF (width of fabric). Then you get this nice pile of strips.


Next mark off the measurement you are using for your HST in intervals on the back of your light strips. Then mark alternating diagonal lines between the straight lines.


Now line your light strip and alternating fabric strip right sides together and press them to hold them together.


Sew 1/4 of an inch away from the diagonal lines on one side of the strip.


When you come to the end of the strip turn it and sew along the diagonal lines on the other side.


Press to set your seems.


Now cut on the drawn lines (straight and diagonal).


Press to the darker fabric and square up as desired.

FLAT PINWHEELS

Now that you have your half square triangles you can make lots of things. I am making pinwheels. This is how I get a flat pinwheel. Pinwheels have a lot of bulk where all the seams intersect. So pressing is the important thing here.

First layout your HST's to make a pinwheel. Sew the top 2 together and then the bottom 2, butting seams.


PRESS THE SEAMS OPEN.


Now put your top unit and bottom unit together, matching all seams. Pin if you like.


Press your seams OPEN.


Square up. Now you should have a lovely flat pinwheel.