I'm a tree hugger, always have been and probably always will be. Over the years, though, I have not truly considered the impact that my actions have had on our earth. My excuses have been laziness and lack of time and inspiration to take the steps necessary to lessen my carbon footprint. In my defense, I did immediately sign onto the waiting list for a Prius when they were first introduced. (I absolutely LOVE the Prius and our 46 MPG is a help to our pocketbook and our environment!). Commendable, but certainly not enough of an effort!
Along those lines, I have been trying to come up with ways of reducing my footprint by reducing my use of disposables. In a previous post,"Supplies for a Simpler Life" I reviewed many of the handmade items I have begun to use in place of "disposables". Once again, commendable, but certainly not enough! I need to continue my effort!
My most recent addition to these items are a supply of handmade hankies. Now that spring is finally here (I hope), my allergies will be kicking in full force. A few years ago I attempted to use one of my hubby's white cotton hankies instead of purchased box tissues. Oh, my poor battered nose! I was RAW within two days! I don't know how anyone can use those rough things on a sensitive pollen or cold ridden nose! Discouraged, and SORE, I went back to boxed tissues.
A few weeks ago I was moving some flannel into my ESR (expanded sewing room). I had several pieces of thin, really soft flannel given to me by a fellow Freecycler. Oh...they were just SO nice to rub my hands over. In fact, they were so soft that I put them up to my face to feel their wonderful nap. Then it hit me! Why couldn't I make hankies out of flannel???
Life was a bit crazy at that point and I didn't have a chance to work on my idea until more recently. Using my 6.5" square quilting ruler I cut out 22 individual hankies. They aren't big, but since I only use a hankie once or twice before depositing it in the hamper, I don't need a large square in order to search out unused cloth with each sneeze. Using the overlock stitch on my "Ellie" I edged them all up and hoped for the best.
When I did laundry yesterday (I'm changing my laundry day to Saturday) I had 7 handmade hankies to wash. I threw them in with my load of towels and hung them to dry. There were no loose threads, no pulling, shrinking or loss of stitching. Success! Today I folded them back into small squares and placed them back into the old tissue box that sits on my desk. My next chore...to find an adorable hankie holder for my desk (lookout thrift store..here I come), or, as a last resort, add a quilted cover to the ugly box!
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