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| Photo by Kristen Lawson |
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| Photo by Kristen Lawson |
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| Photo by Kristen Lawson |
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| Photo by Kristen Lawson |
If you were born and raised in the country, especially in the Blue Ridge Mountains, you grew up on stories of feed and flour sacks and the many ways women used them. Both cloth and cash were scarce in the 1800s and early 1900s so the cloth sacks that animal feed and flour came in were utilized by the family seamstress to make clothes and kitchen towels. Any scraps were gathered and made into the quilts that are now legendary in the area for their beauty and designs. Manufacturers of the sacks began to print beautiful patterns onto their cloth to attract women to their products. A story in our community from the time period is of one woman who would accompany her husband to the feed store and the workers hated to see her coming. She would peruse the stacks of feed and point out the material she liked, no matter where it was in the stack and the workers would have to shift all the feed to get the ones she wanted.
We have a delightful line of feed sack tea towels in the
shop that combine elegance with utility. Made by Green Bee Tea Towels, a woman-owned
business in Kansas City, Missouri, these sturdy towels are imprinted with
creative designs featuring animal themes, botanical, comic and farm life. Although
they are called tea towels, they can be used to dry dishes, for decoration in
the kitchen, as hot pads, as an absorbent pad to keep salad greens crisp, and
to tuck into any gift to make it a little extra special.
Green Bee hand screen prints their towels on sturdy cotton
flour sack material that is soft, durable and absorbent. They use specialty
inks that adhere to the fabric so that the designs don’t fade, peel or come off
on other fabrics. All towels are pre-washed, pre-shrunk and 100% cotton. Our
towels measure a generous 28 x 28 inches.
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| Photo by Kristen Lawson |
The directions for care from Green Bee say to just wash and dry. Using a bit of care in this process will make your lovely towels stay bright and last longer. It’s always recommended to wash and dry your towels before using. Use a delicate or gentle cycle in the washer and a gentle detergent. You could also consider handwashing. For the first wash and if you don’t ever use the towels in the kitchen, use cold water. Tumble dry low or preferably air dry if possible.
To keep your towels looking white, use a non-chlorine bleach
because chlorine will damage the natural fibers over time. It’s also best to
avoid using fabric softeners because they can leave a residue that can build up
over time on the towels, reducing the absorbency. The coating can also trap
moisture, leading to mildew or bacterial buildup and odors.
No matter how careful you are with your tea towels, eventually
they are bound to get stained. Recommendations are to try to deal with the
stain immediately, especially if it’s wine or sauce. Baking soda is a fine and
safe stain remover for cotton. It can also be used in the washing machine to
keep towels fresh by adding ½ cup to the final rinse cycle. To remove stains,
make a paste of 2 parts baking soda to one part water in a bowl and then apply
to the stain before washing. For really tough stains, put baking soda on the
stain and let it sit before washing. Another method is to put the baking soda
on and then run hot water through the back of the stain. Never heat dry a
stained towel. If the stain doesn’t come out, pre-treat again and wash. There
are also commercial spot stain removers that can work well.
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| Photo by Kristen Lawson |
If you use your towels in the kitchen, you will need to use hot water to wash to kill possible bacteria. One tip is to never use your drying towel for dishes to dry your hands and be sure to keep it away from possible contaminant sources like surfaces where meat has been prepared. Rinse the towels thoroughly before washing to remove dish soap and dirt. It’s best to wash just dish towels together. Use hot water and a regular cycle. Try not to leave wet dish towels in the laundry basket before washing to prevent mildew buildup. Between washings, hang your dish towels between uses so that they dry quickly to prevent mold or mildew. Wash frequently to kill possible bacteria.
The longer you use your towels, the softer and more absorbent
they will become. Since they are cotton, if they are dried in your machine
dryer they may wrinkle a bit. Taking them straight out of the dryer when it’s
done will help reduce wrinkles or hanging to dry instead will help as well. Natural
fibers change over time and your towels will wrinkle less as they soften.
Tea towels are a fun and creative way to decorate your kitchen
and to give as special gifts. Our best selling design at Christmas last year
said “Call Your Mother” and we also have some great cat and dog themes along
with other fun and elegant designs. Stop in or check our web site for more
details!
The Swedish dishcloths that a customer recommended to me in the spring have been going out of here like hotcakes. I settled on a terrific Made in America and family owned company, Potluck Press, as my supplier because I loved the quality and the delightful designs they print on the dishcloths. These fun items certainly will brighten up the kitchen or workroom! I really appreciate great suggestions from my customers.
I haven’t figured out exactly why they are called Swedish
dishcloths, but authentic samples are made of cellulose and cotton fibers,
usually about 70% cellulose and 30% cotton. I’m hearing rumors that there are
cheap imitations made with petroleum fibers out there that don’t have the
qualities of the originals. A true Swedish dishcloth is a stiff, fibrous, and
dry right out of the package item that springs to life when wet. Cellulose and
cotton are both renewable fibers and the combination makes a long-lasting
cleaning cloth.
Swedish dishcloths are eco-friendly and can be washed and
reused hundreds of times. People are telling me that they last for months. They
dry quickly after being washed which makes them much more sanitary than sponges
and less likely to build up bacteria. Drop them in the washing machine and lay
them out to dry. I suppose you could use the clothes dryer but they dry so
quickly that I don’t think it’s really necessary. Several people have commented
that they use the dishwasher, convenient in the kitchen, to wash them. One
customer said that if she feels like hers need to be sanitized extra, she puts
it in the microwave for a minute. I’d made sure it was wet and stay close by
the microwave, though, just in case.
Swedish dishcloths can clean up practically anything. They are tough and absorbent, much more so than paper towels and really are “the quicker picker-upper” that will take care of spills as well as keep your dishes sparkling. They are also recommended for cleaning windows and other glass, leaving them streak-free. When wet our dishcloths are about 6 inches by 8 inches, a perfect size to fit the hand for easy cleaning.
Swedish dishcloths are a fantastic and inexpensive gift item that will last and last. Our fun designs by Potluck Press are sassy, savvy and unique. Popular themes are camping, animals, outdoor life, tea and women’s empowerment. They can be easily mailed for a quick “thinking of you” present. Swedish dishcloths make a wonderful addition to a gift basket with a kitchen theme or they would be great as stocking stuffers. I can even see some designs as fun for any occasion from Easter to birthdays. Come check out our selection. We have a lot of designs and it seems like I add to them every time I order. I just can’t resist! Visit the shop to see them for yourself or we have them on the web site to order. They are very easy to ship!
