How to make a Toothbrush Rug

I have been busy exploring rugs!  I have been using old bed sheets purchased at thrift shops and yard sales to make a tooth brush rug.

A toothbrush rug is a rug is an ancient form of Nålebinding, a Danish word meaning “binding with a needle”. It pre-dates knitting and crocheting.

The original complex technique was brought to the United States by immigrants long ago. It was modified during the 1930's to the easy method that we use today.  This is thought to have been done by WPA workers in Minnesota.

It became popular in the USA during the depression and during World Wars when fabric became scarce and expensive. The tool then was made from the handle of a toothbrush. It takes approximately 9 yards of material to make a 2 foot by 3 foot rug.

Here is why they are better than braided, or crocheted rugs.

● They last for years, 20-30 years

● They will not unravel if it develops any holes

● They are machine wash and dry. I lay mine down

when they are slightly damp so they air dry flat.

● They are reversible, meaning you can get twice as

much wear before cleaning.

● They are made from re-cycled fabric, they will not shrink

fade, or distort when washed

● Eco-friendly, practical and beautiful  

Here are some rugs I have made

If you are interested in making your own Toothbrush Rug, I have made a video to get you started.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K4snhQdum0

Things I make

I had to compile an overview of what I make to apply for a juried Arts and Craft show, so I thought I would  share a bit of what I have been up to recently.

It all started with cans.....Aluminum cans.  I quill them.  Long ago (in the 70's) I got a kit to make chairs out of tin cans.  I retained the skills I learned and started creating other things.

I also started exploring using Plastic Grocery bags.  It is called Plarn for plastic yarn.  I have to cut many many bags up to create just one of these items  I make purses, rugs, and baskets from it.

I have also added recycling cotton sheets I get at yard sales and Thrift shop.  I  make pie cozies and cake dish cozies, and toothbrush rugs.  

If you are wondering what a toothbrush rug is, I will explain.  They were popular in the olden days, when money was tight, and fabric was hard to get...like in the depression and during the world wars.  Women would make these rugs with a "needle" made from the handle of a toothbrush.  They are also called Amish rugs, although I have never seen any sold here from our Amish.  They were wonderful, because you could create them from material scraps, and you didn't need to knit or crochet, but rather knot a rug together.  They would last years and year.  I have heard from many of my customers that they still use the ones their grandmothers made.  They are machine washable, and dryable, and reversible, so you get twice the wear.

As you can see I also use recycled bed sheets to make baskets

Lastly, I finally started to make the original chairs out of tin cans...soup, and veggie cans.

All of these can be found in my Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftyPA

DIY Keurig Pod Holder from Ice Cream bucket

My daughter got a Keurig Coffee brewer for Christmas, and before I knew it, there was an explosion of coffee pod boxes on my counter.  I needed something rigid, waterproof and dishwasher safe to store a nice selection on the countertop.

An  Ice Cream bucket came to the rescue!

This holds a selection of 12 cups to choose from, it is lightweight, so easily carried to the table to help someone choose. It is waterproof, dishwasher proof, an it can easily be spray painted and decorated.  The other side is flat so you can paint or glue a witty picture or saying to it.

First I took the handles off the bucket, and cut a straight line from the far edge of the handle up the bucket to the other side.  I cut it with a box cutter, and scissors on the edge.

Next I cut a 2 inch circle template out of poster board.  I found the center of the curve, and the center of the sides and put a light dotted line with a sharpie. You can clean up the sharpie marks afterwards with rubbing alcohol.  I traced 12 circles on the bucket, and put an X with the box cutter in the center.  I used scissors to cut the circles out with.

You can see I experimented with attaching the circles, but found it made no difference in the fit, and actually diminished the structural integrity of the bucket

I turned it on it's side to make an arch of pods.  If I stood it upright, the pods didn't stay in well.

After that, It was off to the counter.  I will paint mine later, after I finish cleaning up the kitchen!

Enjoy and recycle!

Picture frames

With the announcement of twins along the way, and weddings in the air, I have focused on Photo frames.  I have been creating these, and hoping that they will sell well.  These can be found in my shop Ridgerunner Collections on Etsy.http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftyPA

Cthulhu Hat

It was an interesting Christmas season.  I started making Cthulhu hats right after Halloween this year, and never got to put down my crochet hook all season!  These hats are so much fun!  They are rather intimidating trying to talk to someone with one on though, because you only can see their eyes.  There is a mouth whole that you can eat and drink from while wearing the hat.

I will posts pictures of my hats.  Of course  they are available on my Etsy shop.  If they aren't there, just conversation me what you want and I can get one out to you within a day or so.

Here is the link to my shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftyPA

Here are the hats.

I don't know if this video will play, but try it http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=157055167675954

Paid Experts

I just checked weather for tomorrow.  Now mind you, we are talking of weather only 24 hours in advance, so we aren't talking about a great leap of meteorological magic...
The results:
Tomorrow it will be a cloudy 59 degrees (According to Accuweather)
Tomorrow it will be a partly sunny 55 degrees (According to WNEP 7 day forecast)
Tomorrow it will be partly cloudy 71 degrees (According to Weather.com)

How is all this possible?  Aren't these folks the "experts?" There difference of 16 degrees tomorrow. It will either be mostly sunny or cloudy.

Just like the rest of the world...even the experts, paid to predict based on their knowledge, cannot agree what it will be like in 24 hours.  This is true of weathermen, Investment bankers, security experts, business consultants and a whole range of  paid "experts."  Yet we continually look to these folks with the mistaken belief that their information can make problems go away.

I am a firm believer in education, and research.  But it is still important to gather information, and then use the common sense you were given to base your decisions.  Do not rely on "experts" to make your decisions, they are for you to make.

I ran into a T-shirt in a magazine yesterday.  It said in essence:  Trust your instincts.  The Arc was built by novices, the Titanic by experts.

UPDATE:  The weather turned out to be sunny, 66 degrees.  They were all wrong.

That will teach them that cops don't like to walk!

This little gem was found in our local Williamsport Sun Gazette.

 Police chief issues at least 90 parking tickets

By R.A. WALKER rwalker@sungazette.com

POSTED: April 17, 2010

Gregory Foresman apparently took it to heart when Mayor Gabriel J. Campana ordered "all" city police officers to walk city neighborhoods for at least 30 minutes of every work shift. The directive included command staff.
After Thursday night's City Council meeting, Foresman was asked about his neighborhood visits so far.
The chief acknowledged as accurate reports by Pennsylvania College of Technology students that he had been seen on foot and issuing tickets on Vine Avenue this week.
He said he also visited the neighborhoods around Lycoming College and reported finding too many violations in the residential neighborhoods with permit parking around both schools.
Violations of permit parking carry a $25 fine, and Foresman said he issued at least 90 tickets just in the first four days of the new policy.
The mayor and police administration began the mandatory neighborhood walks last year but curtailed them over the cold-weather months.
When he revived the effort last week, Campana said he wanted officers to spend time getting to know the city's neighborhoods and their residents. He urged officers to talk with residents whenever possible.
The mayor also said officers were to be given their foot patrol assignments at the start of shifts, and the assignments would be determined by neighborhood needs and crime trends.