mooster

I don't know that I'll try it, but I really enjoyed reading it. When I was a child (in the Eisenhower era) we had a family friend who regularly practiced the then vintage craft of making a strong lye soap in her backyard, I think over a small fire. She gave some of it to her friends, including my mom. Instead of canola and coconut oil she used bacon grease and other cooking excess, which she probably poured through a sieve, but it had some residual bits and aromas. It was used for laundry in an old washer that had a motor for the agitating, but had a hand wringer attached (two rollers operated with a crank). Then we used a clothesline, either outside or if there was very cold or wet weather, in the basement. I remember the soap being in rough blocks, but don't remember whether my mother g…

I don't know that I'll try it, but I really enjoyed reading it. When I was a child (in the Eisenhower era) we had a family friend who regularly practiced the then vintage craft of making a strong lye soap in her backyard, I think over a small fire. She gave some of it to her friends, including my mom. Instead of canola and coconut oil she used bacon grease and other cooking excess, which she probably poured through a sieve, but it had some residual bits and aromas. It was used for laundry in an old washer that had a motor for the agitating, but had a hand wringer attached (two rollers operated with a crank). Then we used a clothesline, either outside or if there was very cold or wet weather, in the basement. I remember the soap being in rough blocks, but don't remember whether my mother grated it to use in the washer or not.I'm pretty sure that's what she did. It made lots of suds and got clothes clean. We owned a TV before we owned a washing machine that did all the work, and by then my mom's friend had quit making her soap. Thanks for the memory jogger!

Two of your bowling balls were fancy to begin with. Why not just find pretty bowling balls and skip all the bothersome painting? I'm pretty lazy, but this is a nifty project!

It looks great. Could you add a picture of one stuffed with groceries so that we can see how much stretch it has? Thanks!

I agree. I've had 1- 3 cats at a time for decades, and can tell you that many cats are more fastidious than people. The next time it rains and Loki doesn't want to go outside, he may decide on a convenient indoor spot that is not anywhere near his food. If you're lucky it may be in a bathtub, but there are a lot of other options you'd rather not imagine. Nice design, just not for the multi use.

Very artistic work!

I plan to try it with ricotta. I had quark in Germany and believe that's a reasonable substitute. Thanks for sharing this recipe and the instructions for making quark!

May jaw dropped just like the nutcracker's watching this! Phenomenal!

This is an exceptionally well done Instructable - perfectly clear and useful. Thanks!

I've been looking for an elegant way to disguise the litter. What I will do will be to try to find a plastic bin that will fit going up the sides as much as possible and cut the hole in the top of the Ikea thing, whatever it is. Hope they still have it. I guess I'll pull up the picture on my phone and see if anyone there knows what it's called. My cats like the top entry system I now use, which is a 73 qt. Sterilite container with a hole cut in the top. Not as pretty as yours, but extremely tidy. Nothing escapes unless it sticks to the cat.

My 8-yr-old grandson will love this surprise. Thanks!

It's awesome looking, but roof vents are not designed to hold any weight. I would be leery of having a 16 pound bowling ball with rebar sticking out in several directions potentially falling on someone.

Your roof is not as steep as many, and perhaps your climate is less windy than ours out on the Great Plains. Just wanted to add a word of caution if anyone is seeing the picture as I did. It looks as if the vent is supporting the weight.

Four hours on high heat with little water seems like a very risky undertaking for most people. You wouldn't dare leave the kitchen while doing that! I'm thinking a crock pot overnight (or longer) would be a lot safer and just as effective. Great Instructable, though! I plan to try this with my 8-yr-old grandson.

I'm lazy, and I have a bigger cat. I had a bigger shirt on hand, so just pulled it over a small mover's box. I folded the flaps inside and taped the bottom of the shirt in the back. It's not elegant, but suits our "style". I put another shirt inside and sprinkled catnip. She wasted no time coming over to check it out, but didn't settle inside yet. Maybe if I put it in a sunbeam. Right now it's too cloudy here.

Would these molds be safe to use with food? I'd like to make molded chocolates.

I LOVE everything about this except PLEASE get yourself a cutting board and stop using that sharp tool in mid air where a slight booboo could cause a bloody mess! We want to see more of your work with all fingers remaining intact. ;0)

Great looking quilt, but surely that "1/8" inch" seams was a typo? That would fray out rather quickly, it seems to me. in your pictures they look more like the standard 1/4" inch for quilts. I made a rag quilt from old denim and heavy flannel about 7 years ago, and that weighs a lot and is very warm. My daughter is still using it, but it needs a repair in one spot that has frayed beyond the stitches. It's an easy fix, and not bad for all the years. It may have also had more than normal washing because of her cat. Just mentioning this to encourage anyone who might be afraid it wouldn't be worth all the effort. Also, if you make a bed-size quilt of this heavy material it may need an oversized washer and dryer at a laundromat.

Just a suggestion: Wouldn't it make more sense to list the ingredients in the order they are to be used, as would be typical of most recipes? Otherwise, this looks great!

I never heard of Flex Foil, and at first googling brought up stuff about air ducts and shavers. Eventually found it on Amazon. It's good to know about because I'm sure there would be some interesting uses, including this one. Thanks!

It looks awesome, but I'm too lazy to make it. Would you come over and make one for us please? I'd definitely pay for this. I hate to mess around with the drippy detergent bottle and measuring lid. The laundry machine manufacturers will be stealing your idea soon, I predict.

It's clever, but I wouldn't use it except for something like a key because there is a great risk that someone - even I, because I'm scatterbrained - will toss it in the trash. We are too old to go hiding things where our heirs wouldn't think to look. Or, getting ready for a garage/estate sale, they (or I) might offer a box of partly used paint cans for a buck. In that case, even a key wouldn't be a good thing to lose because they might remember where they got it.

What happens if you preheat the crock pot before you put the dough in? Intuitively, that seems necessary, though the timing would be different perhaps.

I'm fascinated by the wide variety of ingenious ideas you've presented here, but a hot plate can be bought for $10 and takes up less space than a coffee maker. It would work much more efficiently for many of these items, and of course if you can boil water, you can make drip coffee quickly with a single cup cone device. Also, any use that might allow a glass carafe to get hotter than boiling water, such as the mushrooms cooked in fat, might present a safety hazard. No manufacturer of coffee makers would approve of unconventional uses for safety reasons. However, for making tea and instant beverages, it would be perfectly fine, and even in the best equipped kitchen, one more option for cooking is great to know about when all the other appliances are busy.

I'd like to add that if you have a vacuum sealer device, the bags from that would be much stronger and will hold up to whatever beating kids might want to dish out. Seal it with little air space, but don't vacuum, of course. I let them make deviled eggs in them, so I know it would work for this.

I'm especially grateful for this because I was going to do this with a young grandson. It will be fun to dig out mittens in July. Thanks!

This looks amazing and much more practical than trying to find and retrieve miscellaneous things from my usual pencil cup that tips too easily. Can't wait to try it. I might need a couple of these in the sewing room, too.

This is a nicely presented instructable for when the big crop of tomatoes comes in during a rainy period or when a person's schedule might only allow for after daylight hours, and I'll bet very few of the nitpickers would be able to taste the difference. Perhaps the title should be simply "Dried Tomatoes".

I have used Mod Podge to adhere fabric to a vinyl suitcase, and can testify that it was easy and has lasted several years without yellowing or cracking. For framing, possibly acid free mat board would be a suitable base. I've been thinking of doing a quilt with my kid's old keepsake t-shirts, but this would be so much easier and probably last longer. Thanks for the inspiration.