laundry SOAP!

Before ANYthing is done, I enter the recipe into thesage.com to get the ratio of oils and lye solution correct. The first few photos are the same for all soap.
All the oils have been weighed and then put into the pot to melt.


Here is the electronic scale I use, with all of the 'extra' ingredients used for laundry soap already ready and waiting. The NaOH or lye 'crystals' I wait until THE LAST minute to ready as any sort of living tissue or liquid and NaOH do NOT react well, unless you like having your skin burn and then melt off... The Mr.Yuk stickers are there for my childrens' benefit :)


This is baking soda and borax sifted. Also the thermometer (dedicated to soap making only) that is stainless steel, NOT made from aluminum as that'd ruin the soap!

When I mix the lye slowly into the water, I do it outside, whilst wearing goggles, rubber gloves, closed toe shoes and long pants and sleeves, also my hair is tied back. I do this outside to prevent any inhalation of the terribly noxious fumes. The temperature of the water will climb to about 150 degrees F or more!

When mixing the two, always always ALWAYS add the NaOH to the water slowly (remember: snow on the lake). If the water is added to the NaOH, an extrememly caustic volcanoe would result. Either way, do not breathe, touch or look too closely as even the fumes are hazardous.

So the lye solution (NaOH and water) is at temperature. This is where I drizzle it into the oils that are also at the correct temperature. If the temp is too cool, the lye might not incorporate or mix with the oils completely. Then the soap would burn the skin. Too hot and it will take too long to reach trace (more about that later).
See how the clear oils have become creamy, like pudding. The temperature will rise a bit as the chemistry reaction follows though. Stirring by hand can sometimes take over an hour to reach trace. I have invested in a stick blender (heard that thrift shops or SalArmy is a great place to get them for about $2-4. This particular item needs to be DEDICATED to soap making ONLY). AFter about five minutes with a stick blender OR sometimes upwards to two hours by hand stirring, the consistency of the soap will be thick enough that when the spoon is lifted , the drippings rest or remain ON the surface of the soap for a few seconds. This is trace. Now is when any scents or other additives would be added. Quick five or ten count stir, then pour.

The entire pot is poured into whatever container you are using that is plastic or wood or glass. Do not worry about the actual shape as the soap will be scooped out and ten liquidfied after twenty-four hours.

I place a plastic wrap directly on the top of the soap if I am making bar soap. For this I just put a lid on it to keep the temperature up. Next, I wrap the entire container in a towel to also help keep the temperature up- this will help the reaction to completely incorporate the oils and lye solution over the next 24 hours.

Now after 24 hours, the soap is still very soft, this type moreso than usual. If I were to make bar soap, I would cut it an then leave it to dry or cure. But for laundry soap, it is nearly done, but not quite!
So the soap is scooped back into the cleaned large stainless steel pot from yesterday. Water and vinegar is added while it is heated slowly on the stovetop. Looks like some terrible oatmeal, eh?

Now a bit later and it is looking a bit smoother.

Now it is all done! The soap has completely melted. I pour this into my clean kitty litter plastic container that a nice friend gave me for such a purpose. It will solidify a bit, but it is really more like a gel. It melts well in COLD water, if needed, and only half of this soap is needed when compared to the commercial liquid detergent to clean a load of laundry. My husband loves that no fabric softener is required in the washer or the drier either!

The only drawback that I can see is that the wide elastics of clothes are not as 'elasticy' after this laundry soap is used for a few months... I doubled the entire recipe this time. Next time, I will quadruple it. I should get at least six months out of that size batch laundry soap! :)

Here is Asgar's blue fight tunic. The fabric is twilled linen, washed three times in hot hot water, and my fingers *still* became blue when hemming the neck and sleeves. The dog represents Asgar and the rabbit represents me.


A close up of the dog. The hind leg was not completed when the photo was taken, but has since been finished. The animals are cut from white wool, thicker than most wool I see, perhaps even blanket weight (I do not even pretend to know how to determine weights of wool).
I used a single strand of black paternaya wool thread to stitch the animal on. Both stem stitch and back stitch were used for the outline within (ie the eye, mouth, etc).

My son thinks the bunny kind of looks anime (Japanese cartoon). This was a farily quick project, with each part quite different than the next. Very low on the boredom factor! :)

beaded leather SCA favors

These were made for the winners of the youth combat torchlight tournament for last year's local SCA event. I used yellow suede that I was given awhile ago, and have been hanging onto for that "just in case" project... I used size 11 blue and green seed beads, attached with nymo thread. Yello DMS floss was used to attach the folded over flap that the belt goes thru.


This is the back view. See the flap now? I traced the design in reverse. I used a leather sewing machine needle without thread and traced the design with the machine to make holes for the bead needle.

Another shot of the backside.

I have been busy...

American Indian inspired necklace and earrings. Jet dbl AB 4mm bicones with freshwater pearls and black-core deep red glass size 11 seed beads. Silver clasps and crimp beads. Surgical steel earwires. The earrings will most likely be reworked with silk thread as I think the tigertail used just does not agree with me.
Double strand necklace, made with freshwater pearls (3mm and 8mm), jet dbl AB 4mm bicone Swarovski crystals and silver heishi beads. A silver chain, cones and clasp finish it.
Silver wire weaving necklace with silver clasp and silver cones. This is done with two different weavings: the core is a 28G silver wire double weave with a 28G silver wire single weave wrapped around it. A closer view of the cones and clasp. I made this one whilst on vacation around Labor Day :)
This is a necklace with matching earrings. Silver beads, fresh water pearls, flat oval Indian Jade and fine silver chain and clasp. Surgical steel earwires.

Not a very clear photo of a 28G silver wire triple weave with silver cones. 18G silver wire for findings except the silver cones, silver disc beads, and, obviously, the flat teardrop-shaped Indian jade stone. These are matching earrings similar to the flat oval jade necklace above, but without the pearls.
A bracelet por moi to wear whilst filling my SCA addiction. Carnelian carved bunny with ruby dbl AB 10mm bicone Swarovski crystals. 20G copper wire.
single weave wire necklace using 20G copper wire. Hand made clasp using 18 G copper wire.
Double weave with 28G copper wire.
Bracelet flat weave with three loops across. 20 G copper wire. Home made soap used for display.
These are the tools I usually use: pliers, wire, dowels of different gauges and a draw plate. The square with the holes drilled within it is the draw plate and it was made from horn (given to me by Valhalla Horns). The weaving - not the flat one done for the bracelet - is repeatedly drawn thru the plate, starting with a hole that matches in diameter, working/pulling the wire thru smaller and smaller holes, until the desired outcome is achieved.

silver wire weavings, & crystal/pearl weaving necklace

For some reason I am unable to rotate these photos!



Above is my double-woven wire weaving necklace that I attempted to make in the likeness that ancient Vikings would have worn - or my interpretation of one necklace, anyway. All of the beads I have made, except the large carnelian carved rabbit and the brass rose on the bottom.
Materials: 20 and 28 gauge sterling silver wires, silver cone finding, fine silver head pins, carnelian rabbit and small round beads, solid fine silver beads. This has been a project that I have repeatedly gone back to to adjust and change as I learn new techniques.



A closer view of the lamp work beads I have made. The color here is not good; I think they are so vibrant in person. They are bright blue, aqua, red, and the bottom tear drop shaped one is plum purple with dark sparkly blue stripes top and bottom.
Below is a close up of the above necklace.



Below is a necklace I plan to sell. I used the wire weaving technique but triple wove it. It was a lot more work and the weight of it is not insignificant. The bead is African Jade.
Materials: 20 and 28 gauge sterling silver wires, silver cone findings, solid silver beads, fine silver jump rings. I think the design possibilities are really limitless by exchanging the center bead with whatever suits one's fancy.



Below is another necklace I plan to sell. In this photo, it does not appear nearly as shiny or sparkly as it is in person.
Materials: fine silver chain, all silver findings, solid silver beads, fresh water pearls, black AB 4mm Swarovski crystals (oooh sooo sparkly!), silver crimp beads, tiger tail thread for stringing.



And another one I plan to sell. The materials are the same for this necklace as the one above, but an off-loom Indian weaving technique was used. There are matching earrings, but I am not particularly fond of them, so will probably reuse the materials and redo them.



Below is a close up of another way to use the wire weaving. This is done very similar to the necklace, but is worked quite differently afterward. Pliers are used instead of pulling the weaving through decreasingly smaller holes. I have made a few of these rings and I like the 20 or 22 gauge wire for this, making two rows across; the look is less fragile looking, I like it better. Below, I used the 28 gauge wire to make three rows across.



For something like this, and for nearly any project when one works the wire, it 'work hardens' it just by moving it. Even this tiny and lighter than air ring is very strong.

The wire "ropes" or necklaces are quite thicker when compared to a regular ole silver chain necklace. And their weight is significantly heavier.

Any questions? I think this could be a good place to show step-by-step how-to's for this weaving technique, if I can get better resolution from my camera, if that's even possible...

Previous Projects of varying ages

Please excuse the image quality. At the time I did not have a digital camera so I used the computer's scanner and scanned them in.





The beaded drawstring bag with the dragon is made with glass seed beads size 11 and nymo thread. Stitch: peyote tube. Size: 7inches tall, 4 inch diameter bottom.










The beaded bag necklace is also made with size 11 glass seed beads. Stitches: brick for bag body and 8-bead daisy chain for strand. Also, the larger bead for the clasp was made from a beaded pony bead. Measurements: bag 2.5 inches by 3 inches.















The silver wire weaving, also called trichinopoly, is an ancient craft. This necklace was made as a thank you. The wire is double woven silver craft 20G wire. The green, white and blue is a spiral peyote woven bead made from size 11 glass seed beads. The wire necklace measures approximately 24 inches. The peyote tube bead measures about 1.5 inches long and slides freely on the wire.






The black necklace is a pattern from a beautiful bead book that I modified to be a bit less flashy. This was a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law. It is fireline(TM) fishing line and various shaped glass beads: size 11 seed, triangular, round, square, faceted, tubes, teardrop. This also uses a beaded pony bead as part of the closure. Measures 26 inches long.







The green, blue and pink necklace is a combination of an off-loom netted weave and a daisy chain. Materials: nymo thread, glass seed beads (sizes 11 and 8). Simple silver toggle clasp. It was fun to figure out the way the needle and thread should weave to produce such a pattern. Measures 18 inches.







The white netted bead necklace has since broken from use - see the small areas that are mising beads? Materials: irregular size 11 glass or stone seed beads similar - looking to a sort of coral(?, but I don't know). The string was cut by the sharp edge of the beads, hence the hole there.. I have restrung it since, luckily I had saved the few extra beads of this kind to fill the hole! Measures: 20 inches.








The belt-looking multi-colored strap is also an ancient craft called tablet weaving. This is my first attempt. Materials: cotton crochet thread, and used 25 cards and measures 1 inch wide, 10 feet long. The warped threads initially measured 14.5 feet, but the process shrank the overall length due to weaving.







The purple, clear and yellow leafy-looking necklace is off-loom seed bead weaving. Stitch: Apache leaf. Materials: glass seed beads size 11, teardrops. Measures: 20 inches.

Projects

I have been creating whatever suits my fancy if I am able for years now. Luckily I lead a life and have a hobby that allows me to come in contact with some very talented and knowledgeable people who do not mind sharing.

I will add projects as I create them, posting prior efforts if I can locate photos. It'll be a kind of resume of crafts that I have personally created - here in one place!