Before & After -- Bringing a B. Kliban Pillowcase Back to Life
Remember this grubby vintage B. Kliban pillowcase that I plucked from the Goodwill bins last week? This photo does not do justice to how gross it was.
I soaked it overnight with a half scoop of Costco knockoff Oxyclean and then ran it through the wash. Lastly I hung it on the clothesline to get out the last bit of discolor with old fashioned UV rays, which completed its de-yuckifying transformation.
I should've taken a photo of the brown water that I poured out of this basin. It was like mop water.
I still needed to address the undone hem, which is an easy enough task, even though it took a bit of time. Would've been faster by machine, but A) I don't actually own a sewing machine; and B) I like the look of a hand sewn hem and I'm a decent hand sewer.
Here it is after I did a running stitch around the top.
This is what the inside looked like after completing the hem.
And here she is as a fresh clean and hemmed pillowcase.
This may seem like a lot of work to bring a single pillowcase back to life and I wouldn't disagree with you. It was. However, the task was enjoyable and this is a vintage item that's no longer manufactured and let's face it . . . also super cute!
I spent approximately 25¢ on the pillowcase, 10¢ on the Oxyclean and currently have it up on eBay for $18. I enjoyed the project and there's something so very satisfying when you bring something back to life and save it from the landfill.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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This blog post includes an eBay referral link.
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Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.
This blog post includes an eBay referral link.
I have rescued cashmere and wool sweaters from thrift stores when they cost 1-2 euros but are pilled and/or stained. I wash them and use my “depiller” and then sell them on FB MP. I use the funds to offset the cost of buying second hand clothes to cut them up for making camouflage nets for the Ukrainian Army. There are volunteers who weave the nets and I help them by providing materials to them.
Hand-sewing is such a satisfying activity when it returns an item to a useful life. And, man, you could do testimonials for Costco about how ell the cleaner works.
I have been looking for a banned books t-shirt to wear to meetings of the banned book club and finally found one on eBay for only $5 and free shipping. The seller provided a size but no measurements, so I looked up the brand and determined it probably will fit. If not, my trick for too small t-shirts with cute art is to trim off the graphic with a good hem allowance around it, iron down the hem, and machine sew the panel to the front of a right-size plain shirt in a matching color. Started doing this when several people gave my son really cool shirts that were too small.
Having a more month than money May, so I stayed home, made a pot of homemade soup, organized the freezer, and straightened up the pantry.