My parents like to use clothespins as bag closers, but it's hard to find nice ones. Most of the ones for sale are too small with weak springs. I know that dryers are rare in Europe. I wonder if you could buy good clothespins over there.

That really is funny, but I thought everyone knew what a clothes pin is. In my city we have a big statue of a clothespin that looks like two people kissing.

I have a lot of clothing that can't go in the dryer. I hang them on a line in the basement using clothes pins. The only things I have hung outside over the years was bathing suits and towels from the beach or pool.

My friend shares a driveway with her neighbor and their backyards are very visible to each other. A darling young couple moved in and they are very conscious of living "green". For awhile they were hanging out their laundry in the backyard. When I went to visit my friend and pulled in the driveway, there would be the neighbor's underwear flapping in the breeze. My friend felt as if she could not entertain in her garden on laundry day, since none of us enjoyed the sight of the neighbor's undies.

I think they gave up on that effort since the weather around here is not so reliable for drying clothes outdoors.

I remember when they put the clothespin there, across from city hall.

I've always liked it - quirky, like Philly.

See? Some of you 'young-uns' don't even know that a clothespin has no metal part -- no spring. It's a solid piece of wood with a rounded top and 'legs' that you 'peg' over the line. Tch!

"My parents like to use clothespins as bag closers, but it's hard to find nice ones. Most of the ones for sale are too small with weak springs."

My clothespins did not have springs.

We also used them for play ... dropping them from waist height into a milk bottle!

"My clothespins did not have springs.

We also used them for play ... dropping them from waist height into a milk bottle!"

Ditto!

Oh, my goodness, I'm feeling old now! LOL

I remember those clothespins.....a single piece of wood with no spring. Fun mentioned the cheap ones that we can buy now. She's right. We have a T-clothesline that I use religiously. There is always a pin or two on the ground, split in 2.

Even on a sunny day, if it wasn't too cold, I would hang the clothes out. A couple of weeks ago, they froze immediately upon hanging them up. They hung there like cement shields.

I brought them in after only a couple of hours. I want the nice fresh smell; they don't need to dry outside. I was VERY careful taking them off the line....I lifted them up and off. I didn't want to snap the corners off my tops, towels and jeans!! I then hang them over my indoor drying rack. Cools the room down enormously, but the smell on the bed and in the linen closet is heaven.

I have a clothes line and I USE IT! I love the smell of towels and sheets dried in the warm sunshine and fresh air. I put jeans and tee shirts in the dryer for about 5 minutes, then put them on hangers and out on the clothes line. When I clean house, I wash any area rugs and hang them out to dry.

what's a milk bottle?

I'm totally kidding!

I hang all my wash outside on nice days--now that we've moved to the country (in the suburbs, the air was so dirty, there was no point in hanging it outside.

I have both kinds of pins--Prefer the peg (solid wood) kind, but use the spring ones for things that are thicker--like bathroom rugs, etc. Made my clothespin bag so it has 2 compartments so that they can be kept separate

I love the Oldenburg sculptures! I'm kind of partial to the typewriter eraser at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. cuz I recall my dad using them (before Liquid Paper! and now THAT is not used so much...).

I'm not sure how old the cashier's son is, but she also said she mentioned something to him about remembering when MLK was shot and tanks being in the streets of Baltimore. She was 6 at the time. (He responded with, "Boy, you are OLD!" I'm sure he said it in a way to avoid getting a welt from a "switch"!)

I was dying to talk to her some more, to hear more about her life, but unfortunately I had to drive back home (more than an hour). I know that the Smithsonian, years ago, did an oral history project, I think on the Mall, during their summer festival, but so many of these stories -- serious, funny, whatever -- are quickly fading into oblivion (other than what historians put into their books). Sad.

I love to hang my laundry out on the line to dry... it smells so deliciously wonderful dried like that... especially love to crawl between sheets that have been line dried..

Carolyn

I bought some with springs. Besides clothes, we also use them as chip clips.

I remember when clothes pin and a clohes line was the only way to dry the laundry unless you counted when due to weather, you strung lines all over the house (from door frame to door frame) and everyone had to dodge dripping laundry.

Clothes pins are still usable. We, machine knitters, use them all the time to hold yarn tails down. I also use them for other craft projects as well. Manufacturers should not do away with them ever!

Pammyfay, you story is cute. It reminded me of when this young cable salesman came by my home tried to sell the service. I politely told him "no thanks". He responded back by asking: "who do you use to watch TV?". "No one. I use OTA", I replied back. He looked puzzled and asked me: "What's OTA?" in which I said "Over the Air channels". Still looking puzzled, I explained further that we use a roof antenna to pick up these over the air channels. He then asked me: "How much do you pay for the service?". "None, it's free" I replied. His final comment was: "Oh, we can't beat that price then" and walked away. LOL...

I only use my dryer if it's pouring rain outside. I have all kinds of clothes pins. I have never bought any at stores but have collected them over the decades at country auctions where I could get a bucket of them for a quarter. I have some real elaborate spring ones and I have many of the peg kind. I have 100's and 100's. In my town there are probably just a handful that hang out. I hate my clothes in a dryer especially towels which are so soft and non- absorbent. Love line dried sheets.

We're not allowed to have clotheslines here where we live. My DH put up one of those retractable lines on the back patio so we can hang up a few things out there.

I used to make clothespin dolls, soldiers & reindeer for Christmas. I even made some reindeer kits for a Christmas craft fair one year at church. People liked them and I had to make up a few more. They liked having a craft they could do with their kids.

You can buy them at craft stores and I've seen several patterns for clothespin doll clothes patters online. Most of them are pretty basic and simple. My best friend's mom used to make the most beautiful clothes for them.

Since I live in a deeded community we have restrictions on hanging clothes out. Line has to be removeable and only hang between certain hours of the day. I choose to use the dryer. :)

I live in an apt with no balcony or deck. I'd LOVE to have a clothesline, especially since we only have a coin op laundry here.

I use my dryer only for sheets. We could put up a clothesline but I have a lot of allergies. We have drying racks in the basement and I do have clothespins that I use for some things. And they make excellent curtain closers in hotel rooms where curtains often do not clothes properly - and like many people I am very sensitive to the light.

Yes, we made clothespin dolls, and played drop the clothespin in the milk bottle.
I love the feel and smell of cotton sheets dried on the clothesline. I have to admit I haven't had a clothesline for quite a few years now.
We live in the country so I still have hopes..actually. ;) Maybe I can talk DH in to putting one up for me this summer.
We use the spring clothespins for bag closures too.

This post was edited by Missy_May on Thu, Jan 24, 13 at 19:02