Salvaging an Old Pillow Case to Make a Drying Bag for Herbs

This pillow case is several years old.  And by several, I mean over 20 years old.  It was given to my family after our house fire in 1982.  My mom had passed it on to me when I got married and moved out of the house.  I always thought the embroidery design was nice and having it be my favorite color made it even more appealing to me.  An embroidered pillow case is not something you see very often anymore.  Instead of throwing it away or using it as a rag, I decided to cut of the area that had worn thin and come up with a new use for the item.  

I plant a lot of onions and could use another bag to dry onions or herbs in.  After serging the edges and adding a hem along the top to run a cord through I now have a new drying bag!

Serging the edges inside the pillow case

Since this didn't need to be a "pretty" project I wasn't too concerned that the hem was uneven.

I hemmed the edge with my sewing machine. 

I purchased rope to make a drawstring for .37 a yard. And a set of draw string stoppers for $1.48.  You need to be sure the rope you choose will fit through the opening holes in the draw string stopper.  I used almost 2 yards of the rope for the project.

Place tape around the rope before cutting or else the edges can fray.  

 

 Thread the rope through a pin to guide it through the hem in the pillow case.  Be sure to leave a small opening when you are hemming to allow room to thread the rope.  I used a diaper pin.

Threading the rope through the hem

Once you have threaded the rope through the entire hem place each end through the draw string stoppers.

Tie knots in the end of the rope to keep them from pulling back through the stopper opening.

Completed projcect

Total cost $2.22

This will make a nice drying bag.  It will be easy to wash and dry after each use. Not to mention I was able to recycle something instead of throwing it away.

Greens From the Garden

Peas, Broccoli, and Green Beans

 I picked the green beans for the first time.  I planted them really heavy so I would be able to get enough to eat.  There was enough for a huge pot, probably three meals.  I cooked them all at the same time with some home made bacon thrown in to add some flavor.  We now have some for left overs!

From Rags to Riches

Well, not exactly.  But these were being used as rags, and now that I have given them a work over we can once again use them for washrags.

Ready to be put back into use

 I was getting a larger pile of rags than I needed, so I decided to use my Serger to remove the frayed edges.

Serging the edges. 

Look how nice the edges look

     

This machine is very easy to thread.  It really cuts down on sewing time.  It allows you to use standard thread spools, unlike other machines that require you to purchase expensive thread, like shown in the picture below.  Since I have a large supply of embroidery thread, that is what I use.  My embroidery thread is a heavier weight and more durable to use when serging.  Normal lightweight thread is not suggested as it may have a tendency to break when serging because faster speeds are used.  There are so many things you can use a serger for.  I haven't begun to experiment with all of its uses.

Brother 1034 D Serger