Disposable plastic bags vs PEVA vs Silicone

About four months ago, I ran into a problem getting affordable Ziploc bags in the sizes I use most frequently. This led me to rethink my use of Ziploc bags. Yes, I know that they can be washed and reused but I've had problems with holes appearing or bag seams ripping when I do that. And my most frequent use for them is the freezer.

So I went online looking for replacements that were made to be reused. I found PEVA bags and Silicone bags. So I decided to try both.

The first problem is that neither of those bags are sized like Ziplocs, regardless of what their listings say. Whoever writes the ones for Silicone bags is smoking something really good. You'll understand what I mean when you go looking. So my first task was to grab a bag of each size Ziploc that I frequently use and measure them. That was helped by the fact that most of the bag listings, PEVA and Silicone, will have an image that shows you the dimensions of the bags.  After that it was just a case of deciding which ones I could afford and ordering them. Manufacturer doesn't really appear to change the quality any that I've noticed. Stasher silicone bags are way out of my price range so I bought generic.

After a few months of using them, I've learned a bit.  PEVA bags are okay. The problem with them is that while they can handle the freezer great, they can't handle heat. So I can't use them for leftovers or ground meats or anything that will fit itself to the bag unless I am willing to allow those to defrost naturally in my fridge. Anything that doesn't "form fit" I just pull out of the bag before I defrost it. They are absolutely great for pre-making my baking and granola mixes though. Also for doing homemade bacon in. Or marinating. And they are easy to clean, easier than Ziplocs. So I will get good use out of what I ordered and probably order more as needed for pre-made mixes.

Silicone bags are great, but they are expensive, replacement clips are nowhere to be found, and the sizing on them in no way matches Ziploc bags. They can take all temperatures but are not quite as great about getting air out as Ziploc bags or PEVA, unless the item itself is softer. But I love them because items can go from the freezer to the fridge to being cooked. I am mainly using them for leftovers because I can just grab the whole thing and toss it in the microwave or into a pot of water (with my steamer piece on the bottom). I will definitely, slowly, add more of these over time. And eventually get some of the large ones that will actually hold a gallon of something.

Oh, and before I forget again, you will want a roll of freezer tape to label both of these bag types. On the Silicone bags you'll need to put the tape on the clips because it won't adhere to the bags at all. Or if anyone knows of a better way to label them, please let me know. But writing directly on the bags isn't something I want to do, although I've debated trying china marker on them and seeing if it washes off okay.

Now, Ziploc bags are still around in my house. I just don't use them quite as much. I save them for things where I expect to toss the bag afterwards. And the form fitting freezer stuff until PEVA bags solve that temperature issue. (Some manufacturers are working on that.)

I bought all of mine through Amazon and I wasn't picky about manufacturers. Everything I received has so far performed identically regardless of manufacturer. And I gifted family members with Silicone bags for Xmas because they would find them useful for their lifestyles.

Oh, and before I forget yet again, the longer handle version of the tea tongs are very useful for grabbing items out of deep jars, and for wet items they leave the excess moisture behind. But they don't really work well for holding items while I slice them. Oh well. They have proven very useful in the kitchen though and I will continue to use them.

I hope you are having good and productive days.

Makeover for Curtains

I haven't forgotten about the blog. It turns out that my continuing illness has been due to an allergic reaction to a medicine that I've been taking for a long time. And the past few months have been really, really rough. Fortunately, I am now off that medicine but it's going to take time for the body to heal the damage that was done.

But as my energy has been coming back, I've been working on my son's bedroom. And last week's project was modifying/recreating his curtains. He has room darkening curtains, for multiple reasons, and they've seen much better years. And he absolutely love Little Mermaid. So I found one of those underwater tapestries that has the reef and critters and ordered it. And then I ordered 8 yards of double sided fusing web. (Think 20" wide stitch witchery.)  

I'm going to be honest, this project took quite a bit longer than I expected and had some challenges. I decided to fuse it instead of sew it because of my son. Fused, he wouldn't be able to get the materials apart. Sewn, he'd be able to rip a seam and I'd come in one day to find him sitting inside his curtain.

The first thing to do is measure the curtains that you want to fuse the tapestry to. Then make sure you order a tapestry that will work. I was going to do double sided curtains but my brain flipped the numbers on the second tapestry. So that one got used elsewhere in his room. The one that got used is about 4" too short and wide, which was fine. I left borders of 2" on the outside edge of the curtains and let it stop about 4" from the bottom. If I did it again, I'd probably leave those 4" at the top instead.

Fusing large pieces of fabric takes a lot of patience. The second thing was to check and make sure that neither item was going to be damaged by the temperatures that are needed to fuse them. I probably should have done this before I ordered the webbing but I didn't have the tapestry at that point. Turns out the tapestry was very plastic-y. I really was worried about it melting. Fortunately, using a damp ironing cloth helped a lot.  In the case of mine, they would handle it without the damp ironing cloth but it caused the colors to bleed through onto the ironing pad and the light blocking portion of the curtain. And, to be honest, the ironing cloth helped me keep track of what areas I had done as I went along.

Third, wash the curtain and the tapestry. Once they are washed and dried, iron them. Get out every single crease/wrinkle/whatever.

Next, cut the tapestry to the size that you need for each curtain. For me, that was cutting it in half. Cut carefully and don't leave any frayed edges. The fusing web will anchor down things enough to stop any fraying in the future.

Now here comes the long part that requires a calm head and a lot of patience. After doing it two different ways, I can tell you that fusing from the top down is the best way to go. First, just to be sure, pin the tapestry to the curtain where you want it. Make any adjustments then because once you start fusing changes aren't happening. I pinned all three layers together, curtain on the bottom, fusing in the middle, and then tapestry on top. Then I very, very carefully laid the first top side section on the ironing mat and smoothed out every single wrinkle and fold. This takes time and you are going to be doing it repeatedly unless you are blessed with a surface and ironing mat large enough to do most of it at once.

Then you lay the damp ironing cloth on top and fuse that first section. Get close to the edge and the pins without actually hitting them. The slowly and carefully pull the pins. Once you pull those pins, get those edges fused solid. I didn't need the pins again after the first section on each curtain but if you need them go ahead and keep using them. Just don't make creases with them.

For the next few hours I just repeated the move, smooth, fuse steps. Over and over and over. I set the stopwatch on my phone and would move the iron to the next section every 20 seconds. The iron was on the hottest setting and using steam, which was probably overkill. When I'd finish the section that the ironing cloth covered, I would go rewet the cloth while allowing the section to cool a bit before I moved it.

When the one piece of webbing was completely fused, I'd fold the tapestry up, apply a new piece of webbing, and repeat. It took 3 sections of webbing to go from top to bottom.

This is long project and needs care taken to avoid wrinkles and creases, but it's not particularly hard. And the results, well he loves the results. So do I. (And that big blue blanket underneath? That's his quilt which he is also quite in love with.)