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How to Make the Fancy Clothes Pin.
Anyone ever compliment you on your clothespin? Well, they will now.
First. Pick a color, any color
Go buy a bottle or package of fabric dye in that color. I suggest a color
darker than natural wood.
Second. Buy clothespins, and salt
Harder than you may think in our modern world. I've done 100 clothespins at
a time, so go for it. More about the salt later.
Third. Find a washer
I wouldn't want to do this in a bucket, neither will you.
Fourth. Let's Dye
Set your washer to dispense HOT water, and don't fill it all the way up...this
concentrates the dye. Add the dye, add a cup or 2 of table salt (helps color
set), then add clothespins. You can let it agitate a bit, but best to turn
it off and let the clothespins soak. How long do they soak? Depends on if
you want pretty pastel wash colors or inky dark colors. (Perhaps 2 hours?)
When you reach the desired color, turn the washer back on and let it finish the wash/rinse cycle. After a spin dry, spread your pins out on an old towel or brown bags to dry.
Five. Now What?
I first did these for an event where I had to hang a zillion photos from a
million pieces of string. It worked great and matched the tablecloths. Better
than plastic bag clips, super when a paper clip isn't big enough. They make
nice stocking stuffers. Hey, what if they were dyed green and used to keep
ornaments on the tree, especially when kids or pets are around ....Hmmmm.
Glue them to things, or glue things to them. You do something with them, and
then write me with your bright idea, and I'll post it, OK?
