I was inspired by so many things in Greece, one being hanging laundry out to dry. I think many Americans take their clothes dryers for granted, running them all year for the convenience. Today I hung my clothes outside, on two folding hangers, with clothespins I brought back from Athens. It was really amazing how quickly they dried and how simple it was to change my habits. I'd love to get a clothesline for the yard, but I still haven't found one that seems reliable. My requirements: strong enough to hold a wet quilt. Is that too much to ask? Do you have any recommendations?
A clothesline would of course be useful for photos of dry quilts as well..but for now, I'll just share this one that I took of Merrill and I this morning during our playdate.
I cannot live without a clothes line. There is nothing I look more forward to in the early spring than being able to wash our bedding and hang it on the line to dry, even if it is just a little above freezing out. The only time my dryer gets used in the non-winter months of Minnesota is when it is raining out and a I absolutely cannot wait to have something dried. I’m not sure how big your yard is, but we just have the simple T shaped clothes line poles with 5 lines of clothes line cable going across them. I hope you are able to get something situated so you can enjoy all of the benefits of having a clothes line. You will thoroughly enjoy washing your quilts and hanging them on the line to dry and then cuddling with them in the evening and enjoying how fresh they smell. It also works great for hanging quilts on to photograph them as well!
ReplyDeleteI never use a dryer, gave mine away.
ReplyDeleteHere in Australia we have what we call a Hills Hoist, maybe if you google it you can see what a great clothesline this is. Hope you find a good one.
Christine
Pity you can't get a good old Aussie hills Hoist over there or can you? I love mine and I can can fit three or four large wet quilts on it. LOVE those quilts!!!! Seriously lovely - and love the photo of the little one cooling down - what a classic!
ReplyDeleteI've never not had a clothesline. Most have been the standard metal T frames, and with a good clothesline wire (I prefer the plastic covered wire rather than cotton rope), they handle wet quilts just fine. My aunt has an umbrella clothesline, and my mom wants a retractable one. I don't know how they'd handle quilts, though.
ReplyDeletebuild my clothes at this point is covered in snow ..
ReplyDeleteI'm another Aussie who LOVES my Hills Hoist. Unfortunately I've been using the dryer a bit lately because of my broken arm. Pegging is toooo hard.
ReplyDeleteLove how your quilt is coming along :) I can also see an end to my star quilt - what a journey it has been.
ReplyDeleteIn Denmark it is common to use a dryer only in the winter. Besides the electrical bill it is also a good for the environment. And on a warm, lightly windy day its faster than a dryer anyway :) In Denmark we have lots of outdoor models that you stick in the grass but I guess the most common thing is to hang lines in the carport, betweeh poles or trees... or like I do hang lines under the 1st floor terrase - it prevents the laundry from getting wet in sudden rain.
Can you believe that there are many communities in the US trying to outlaw clothes lines! They say it's tacky & they don't want to look at other peoples' underwear. My response: Well, then, don't look! I enjoy hanging clothes out on the line & not all of us flaunt our undies. I would think that in this day & age of "going green" more communities would be encouraging us to hang clothes out to dry naturally.
ReplyDeleteWe also have the T-poles with coated wire. It is definitely strong enough to handle quilts, wet or dry. My grandparents had a similar set up & when the wires began to stretch, as they sometimes do, they had straight poles with notches in the ends to that helped to boost up heavier loads. I just re-tie the lines if/when they get stretched out.
It may be silly, but one thing I like about hanging laundry on the clothesline is that it feels like I have a direct connection to all those women who have come & gone before me who have worked so hard to raise & care for their families. We are very fortunate to have the option of using a dryer if we need to, but in some things, it is nice to do things the time-honored, old fashioned way, don't you think?
Regards,
Heather B.
Welcome back!! What a hilarious photo of your little buddy... love the relaxed pose and the sunglasses... :-)
ReplyDeleteNo need to put underwear outside if you don't want to offend neighbors- I've got one of those little folding racks (current one made of bamboo from Bed Bath & Beyond) and I always put things with lots of elastic on there instead of in the dryer- makes them last longer! It's just set up in a corner of my bedroom when I need it but fits easily in a closet when I don't. Things dry overnight no problem.
I have to say I'm not so great about putting other things out to dry but I am thinking about getting an outside line too. My new neighbors have one and it's inspiring! Plus the silver lining of all this blacktop just outside my back door is that things would probably dry in a snap... :-)
I got a beautiful sun tan each summer just hanging diapers. It was also good exercise. I also had two notched poles to keep the sheets straight for folding. When you are here again, I must show you the pictures grandpa took of me hanging clothes before we were married.
ReplyDeleteOur 2nd Christmas he gave me a wooden rack that fit in the tub for drying. I told my friends I had gotten an automatic clothes dryer and they thought I was so lucky. I didn't speak to grandpa for several days.
Grandma K
i love the quilts! hurray for the end being in sight! what a happy day that must be.
ReplyDeletei'm still plugging away at mine, but yoyo's have edged their way in for the time being. pesky little things!
George is adorable! You were very productive in Greece, the quilts are looking great.
ReplyDeleteI am also a big fan of clotheslines - a tip for towels: after washing I'll put them in the dryer for a few minutes to get soft and then hang them to dry. (I don't use fabric softener.)
Welcome home! I totally agree with you we do take our dryers for granted. Using them all year. I don't have a clothesline, but I do take advantage of drying shirts and things by draping them over the chairs outside. Dry in a wink. The quilts look fabulous and the end is definitely in site!! Yay!!
ReplyDeleteThe quilts look great!!! Welcome home!! That pic is just the cutest!!!! Stay cool!
ReplyDeleteI haven't ever hung a quilt to dry... I might worry a out the heaviness
Stretching out the quilt??
George looks adorable! I love that you are hanging your clothes to dry outside - very "green"! I have a bunch of folding racks that I use to hang out clothes and I can set them up in the kitchen when it rains (they do take longer to dry inside and don't get that lovely fresh smell). I still use the dryer a lot in the winter and for large things like sheets and quilts since my racks aren't big enough. I also use it for Will's work clothes (I found that taking the shirts out of the dryer while they are still hot means they don't need as much ironing as when they are hung to dry and I just don't have a lot of time to iron).
ReplyDeleteMy mother ALWAYS hung clothes out to dry! I do so miss it! I have ZERO yard! Nowhere to even think about putting a clothes line! There is nothing like a crisp sheet hung outside! Good luck finding one!
ReplyDeleteThe quilts look beautiful! I started quilting along with you about two weeks ago and I have 8 stars completed and a big week of vacation by the lake ahead of me to work on some more.
ReplyDeleteWow, we rarely use dryers in Australia - so environmentally unfriendly when we have the drying conditions outside normally! these look cool - haven't tried them - http://www.ezyline.com.au/
ReplyDeleteI'd look for some plastic coated wire to string up - that's probably your easiest option. there are retractable ones but probably hard to get in the states. It's nice to know we have SOMETHING easier to get here as quilting fabric is certainly not it!!!!
I laughed out loud at that picture of G., what a cutie! Mr Joe Cool, literally. That one will become a classic when he's older. ~ I've had good luck hanging wet quilts on the line by draping them across two or more parallel lines, it supports the weight more evenly so the stitches aren't strained. Also if you're concerned about fading, it's easy to spread a white sheet over the quilt draped across the lines, peg in place. They smell so good when they're dry. :)
ReplyDeleteHave you tried Ezyline? www.ezyline.com.au!
ReplyDeleteWe are an Australian company and Ezyline holds very wet heavy items. All UV stabilised and comes in beautiful colours!
Feel free to contact me info@ezyline.com.au
Kindest regards, Susie Rourke (Marketing and Adminstration - Ezyline)