A CRAFTY TIP AND AN AHA MOMENT

Part I - The Crafty Tip:

In my last post I used a nylon cord for a drawstring to use on the laundry bag I sewed.  When nylon cording or rope is cut it has a tendency to fray.  To keep the ends from fraying I needed to seal the ends.  Here is a brief tutorial about how I did that.

It is a little hard to see against the white sink in the photo below but you can sort of make out the fuzzy tip where I made my cut.

To seal the ends so they don't fray, first make sure the cord is nylon and not cotton. Nylon melts, cotton burns.   Once you have ascertained that it is nylon, hold a small flame slightly below the cord until the end melts slightly.

If it flames up, blow it out and be careful not to burn your fingers.  It does not take long to happen.  See the nice clean end on my cord in the picture below?

This works on nylon rope as well.  This is a tip I learned from my father when I used to sail with him.  My father has always been a fountain of knowledge. 

Part II - The Aha Moment: A Prescription Bottle Repurposed as a Matchbox

When I opened my kitchen drawer to search for matches to seal the drawstring cord I used for the laundry bag I sewed, I found them alright!  They were all over the bottom of the drawer, happily intermingling with 500 toothpicks - all of which had escaped their containers and were partying in the bottom of my drawer.  The boxes that had been holding them had fallen apart and the contents had spewed forth.  This led me to an aha moment, however, as I thought of a way to repurpose an old prescription container into a waterproof, child-safe match container.

I collected my supplies:  a matchbox, an old prescription bottle,double sided tape and, of course, you will need matches eventually.

 

Remove the old prescription label from the bottle.  Most of them peel off pretty easily.  (I had already removed the label before I took the photograph above.)

Remove the "striking" section of the matchbox (the part that you rub the match against to cause it to flame) and apply pieces of double sided tape to its back side, covering it completely (double sided tape is sticky on both sides).

Press that prepared striker section to the prescription bottle to adhere it.

I applied a small piece of regular scotch tape where the ends met.  It isn't terribly pretty but I just wanted a little added security.

Put the matches inside the container and close it up.

You now have a waterproof, child-safe container to keep your matches in.  When you need to use a match, take one out, put the lid back on, and strike the match against the strike section on the outside. 

My husband discovered (the hard way) that putting the cap back on prior to striking the match is vitally important...matches all over the place!!  Oops.  Good tip honey, thank you for testing it out for me!

Oh yeah, those pesky toothpicks got their own container in the drawer as well.

That's it for today!  No book this time.  Just a little Crafty Tip and Technique.