Re Usable Food Wraps

I have a love-hate relationship with paper towels. I love how convenient they are, but I hate the waste and expense.

Several years ago I stopped buying and using throw away towels and started using cheap wash cloths. I bought a bundle of wash cloths and keep them in a basket inside a deep kitchen drawer. They have been easy to use and wash.

Lately, though, they have needed some replacing. They are very worn out. Well I got the grand idea of making some "paper towels" from fabric this time.

I bought some yardage of diaper fabric and used my serger to go around the edges. I absolutely love these towels! I cut them to be the size of a real paper towel too, so they are a nice size. I was able to make 25 from 5 yards of fabric. I plan to buy more fabric and make another 25.

I really need to make some baby wipes too!

This project got me thinking about other throw away items I could start eliminating from my house.

Enter reusable plastic wrap.

There are a few companies that sell fabric soaked with beeswax that can be used to cover dishes and food, etc.

I thought this was a perfect opportunity to go through my own fabric stash and make my own.

The results are fabulous! I spent some time online and decided to add tree rosin and jojoba oil to my beeswax mixture. 

It did take me a few tries to get the right balance of wax in the fabric, but they do work!

I made some sizes in 13"x13", 10"x10" and 7"x7". I also made one that is 15"x13".

I was able to pull some really pretty fabrics from my quilt fabric stash and used some fat quarters that have been sitting around fro years.

My first use was to wrap up some left over egg rolls.

The wraps can be used in place of plastic wraps. They are not water proof, so wet foods are not good for the wraps. They do allow the foods to "breathe", so food will dry out in the wraps eventually.

To clean the wraps I just rinse them with cool water. If they must be soap washed always use a gentle soap like Bronner's Castile soaps. 

I am going to keep using them and if they remain fabulous I will make some to sell at a farm day this summer. 

In the meantime, if you want to make some yourself, just look through Pinterest. There are several tutorials. I read through several before deciding how to make mine.

Next I plan to make reusable sandwich wraps. I will post an update once I finish sewing them.

What else can we reuse and recycle?

Here's an updated picture of Bucky Bear.

Happy Wednesday Ya'll!