NQF: How to dye an Ikea sheepskin in the washing machine

 Not Quite Freestyle (NQF)

How to dye an Ikea sheepskin in the washing machine

The cat is a pampered cat, as befits his status as undisputed apartment ruler. As he has demonstrated a fondness for fleecy and wooly things, his human servants thought he would appreciate a sheepskin.  The human acquired a RENS sheepskin from Ikea for the cost of approximately some-amount-that-the-cat-doesn't-care-about.  

Tag on back of Ikea sheepskin

Upon close inspection the cat commented that he didn't think the sheepskin coordinated properly with his eyes, so we decided to dye it purple as befits his royal majesty.

Inspection 1.

This was pretty simple, fill the washing machine with dye and hot water, but pause the wash cycle before it agitates. Put the sheepskin in, and swish it around with a stick every once in a while. While wearing gloves, pull it out to look if the color is getting any darker.

In-progress view

After a good bit of siting in the washing machine (maybe 2 hours), add some gentle soap, close the lid, and let the gentle wash cycle continue.

Once the washing machine cycle is done, DO NOT PUT THE SHEEPSKIN IN THE DRYER.  Instead, place it somewhere it can fully air dry, like on top of a bucket inside a bathtub.  Wait for the sheepskin to air dry, this could take a while depending on the humidity level.

Drying time

After the sheepskin has dried, fluff the wool generously, then present it to his royal majesty for final inspection.

Satisfaction

Conclusion

With its new purple wool the sheepskin passed inspection, and the sheepskin was granted a charter bestowing upon it the royal cat-nap privileges in perpetuity. 

After completion of this project, the humans ran an empty load in the washing machine to flush out any remnant dye, and all was well in the land.

Shades of blue scrapwood table

The Find

I had a bunch of scrapwood not doing much of anything except gathering dust and pollen, so I decide to make a lightweight table for the patio. This was also a convenient and low-commitment way to experiment with a bunch of 99-cent paint samples I had on hand.

scrapwood

The Re-use

This project didn't require too many cuts using the jigsaw, but it was more than I would have wanted to do with a handsaw.  The first cut was the large piece of pinkish plywood, cut approximately in half. The second set of cuts were for the legs, made out of various 2x4s. The pieces were assembled with glue and screws, then it was time to paint!

Three-legged table made of scrapwood

The painting was done in a gradient, I wouldn't attempt to call it ombre, but the inspiration was an overhead view of the ocean. The Glidden paint sample colors from lightest to darkest: 

Serene Sea (flat finish)

Cosmopolitan (flat finish)

Blue Oasis (flat finish)

Stunning Sapphire (semi-gloss finish)

Painted table top

Painted table, side view

Conclusion

With access to power tools the cutting only took about 10 minutes, the paint was allowed to dry for at least a day, then the top was covered with a coat of water-based polyurethane to improve water resistance.  Now I have a useful table at just the right height to serve as an occasional outdoor desk. Happy freestyling.

Repurposing old wooden blinds

 The Find!

A bunch of rolled up wooden (or wooden-ish) window coverings were sitting in a pile of other junk. You know the type of pile I'm talking about, clearly from someone's home renovation project -- with scrap lumber cut to odd unusable sizes, some empty paint cans, maybe a fish tank or two. Window treatments can be expensive, especially custom window treatments, so I was surprised to see a pile containing two different types of wooden slat rollup shades.

Wooden blinds rescued from trash.

The Re-Use of Old Wooden Blinds

As soon as I saw the pile of wooden blinds, I knew knew knew exactly what they could be repurposed into - a patio privacy screen!  The old wooden window coverings would be perfect to screen the edge of a deck that looks towards a view of a dumpster - not really conducive to the restful garden feeling I'm going for.  

This re-use was really simple, here's how I did it.

Step1) Remove the majority of the blinds yardage from the top section that held the shade control mechanisms (the part that would be mounted to a wall). For these blinds that meant cutting the 'warp' in a few spots. Save the original pull cord.

Step 2) Tie together any loose ends (the warp) of the cording that runs between the slats to hold them together.

Step 3) Fold the length of blinds in half, or to the desired length.

Step 4) Run the original pull cord through the folded section of blinds and tie it around the fence support. This allows the blinds to hang without requiring any hardware installation. Check the blinds for level-ness if that matters.

Step 5) Enjoy your new privacy screening.

Newly installed privacy screen

Conclusion

If you're getting rid of window treatments, try offering them up on a local 'buy nothing' group before tossing them in the trash. Someone else might be able to give them a new purpose and extend their useful life! Happy freestyling.