News

I (Carol Bildahl - Maker) attended the FOOD52 Makers conference.  Excellent Food of course, Makers that have created products to support and enhance our lives.  The speakers were some of the best in NYC from very successful companies (i.e. Kickstarter, Design within Reach, Warby Parker, and Poppin).  It was a lovely day, I learned huge amounts from this gathering; put together by the two founders, Amanda Hesser, and Merrill Stubbs.

Sunday, I was fortunate enough to visit Block Island and ride my bike around the island. Block Island reminds me of Ireland, rolling hills and lots of stone walls. But for me one of my favorite sights are the clothes lines.  Everyone has a clothesline since energy is very expensive on the island.

I was "drying” to know what they did with their laundry when a northeast wind blows and winter arrives. New market for me to tap into, island homes!

As I rode around the island viewing the scenery and clothes lines it made me think about how many Americans can not have clothes lines due to zoning and homeowners associations.  A new movie “Drying for Freedom” comes to your local theater please plan a movie date to view it.  Here is the trailer http://www.dryingforfreedom.com check it out.

At The New Clothesline Company we are always creating inventive ways to help the world air dry, legally.  The Design Department has created an exterior mounting system for the LOFTI and WOODI.  Simple shelving knees, from Home Depot with a 2x4 cut in half screwed on top.  Just screw our pulleys into the wood, run the ropes through, attach to your drying rack. This is a very pleasing air drying system with 21 linear feet of hanging space, be sure to attach a DUO or the birds clips, to handle the small items.

Hopefully this new system with keep us air dryers out of jail!

In the summer we all have routines that we love to do.  I love to wash my bed linens with a drop of Lavender and air dry them outside. They smell fantastic!  But, my families favorite summer activity is fruit picking and then pie baking or jam making.

Years ago I was fortunate to work at The Good Food Store in CT.  I worked with a pie baker with the last name LOVE.  Hence LOVE PIES. she shared her crust recipe and I have been making LOVE Pies for years.

Makes 2 9” pies:
3 cups of All Purpose flour
3/4 cups of Whole wheat flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup of butter wicket cold, I like french or Irish (higher fat)
about 3/4 cut Ice water
Cut fat into dry ingredients
Stir in water, mix, cut in half for 2 crusts.
Chill it and roll it out. Always keep your rolling pin in the freezer.

Just pick your fruit usually 4 cups will fit into this crust, 2 tablespoons of flour mixed with fruit and a cup of sugar, load it into the crust and put a top crust on it , bake it, photo it, and eat it. 

That is summer!

The New Clothesline

About 40 years ago American’s decided it was not fashionable to air dry laundry. It might have had something to do with the size of Grannies Panties.  But, lets not blame Granny she saved huge amounts of energy air drying laundry.  Forty years later many of us live in neighborhoods that ban air drying.  I find this regulation one of the worst in America!

Now I have to admit I do partake in some criminal activities.  I pond poach: swim in a private pond near my home, and I “knit bomb: cover small structures with knit designs (actually very artistic and is usually removed in a couple of weeks).  So, what I am saying is this...it is OKAY to hang out a little laundry on your patio.

I would like to show you how to hang dry with our LOFTi and not commit a neighborhood offense.  Here on this patio we have a LOFTi and a DUO hanging.  We have installed a very reasonable twig shade from LOWES.  The shade allows air to flow, drying the laundry, and also hides it from the public eye.

Fours years ago I met a young man that had agreed to help me cut my first 100 plastic ends for my first designed rack.  He said he would be happy to do the job on his “off” time at the factory. I asked him what his company manufactured and he said Gun holsters, “Really? So you have some down time to take on my job? He said “not really, I would be doing this at night” “Can I ask you how many gun holsters does your company make a week?” “5000” Of course I said, “you mean a month?” “nope a week”.

That was it! If the world is demanding 5000 gun holsters a week I would hope that the world would want 5000 LOFTI’s in a month.  I am still keeping my fingers crossed.

Changing America, One Laundry Load At a Time.  Please visit Carol's performance at Pecha Kucha Bozeman and let us know what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvlmtFUKX84