Sanitize or Allergene cycle for sheets and towels. Hot/boiling water works; I'll only consider washers with an onboard heater. Double and triple rinse; I won't buy a washer without multiple rinse options. Get a washer with super high spin speeds to extract as much soapy water as possible with each rinse. The drive toward energy savings, specifically less water and cold temps, has resulted in filthy laundry with detergent residue. If the detergent were really being rinsed out with just the standard cold wash, one rinse cycles, why would so many people need "Free and Clear" detergents? I actually read advice online that said when your towels start to smell bad, you know it's time to replace them. Huh? Send them through the sanitize cycle with a commercial laundry detergent instead. If washers have gotten so energy efficient that we're throwing out perfectly good towels, you have to wonder just how much eco-savings we've achieved.

Oops. Somehow wandered over to conversations by accident. I don't think I've ever noticed it before. Interesting stuff! I wanted to pipe in to tout the Uggs. I'm not really the slipper kind, but we moved to the country and sand burrs seem to find their way even into the house (this probably says more about my housekeeping standards than I should confess). Bought a pair of the Uggs to avoid painful surprises. I think the style was called Coquette. LOVE them! So cozy and comfortable. And relatively cute ... for slippers. Got them last Christmas and they're still in great shape. The fleece lining is holding up well. I'm definitely not a teenager, alas! And I definitely think they were worth every cent.

I didn't put a protective coat on mine. MBR has never been an issue. Foyer I wasn't sure if it would be. We have no kids, but I have a DH who has to place his palms on the walls as he bolts up the stairs *rolleyes* . No harm done. I used the RL regular size roller for suede and mini roller. Wash walls with Dirtex, spackle any holes, prime with primer as recommended on can. First roll of paint looks like caca. (Do not despair, it gets better ;). You start at the top, apply on the roller from ceiling to floor, then do one final roll all the way from top to bottom. Then move to next strip and repeat, overlapping a bit. 2nd coat is where the effect comes in. I used a 4" wide brush, generously loaded, and you make random "X" patterns, working in about 3'x3' to 4'x4' sections (no bigger than that). When you move to next section, you overlap the prior section a bit for blending. This is where you have to watch for missed spots (easy to do). If you try to go back after it's dried and put more on, it will look like a spot of grease on the wall. I had two tiny areas I missed on the foyer. 14' wall no less. I was not about to do that puppy over. So I took one of my art brushes, gently applied the paint, then pounced it off with a bit larger art brush. I found if I didn't play with it much, I could get it to blend in with the pattern. I know where those spots are, but no one else does ;) acoreana: So you covered the textured paint with just primer and regular latex? I heard someone else say they did that, too. I can't grasp how it would cover and look like a smooth wall because the suede has the little bitty sand grits in it, but hey, if it works, great news for me if I ever change my mind! ;D mlraff53: IMHO it would be ideal on a textured wall, because it's paint with texture anyway. ;)

You sound like me when I first started. I did all my sewing by hand - both piecing the blocks and quilting - because I didn't have a machine, and used scissors because I didn't have (and was sort of afraid) of a rotary cutter. (still am, mostly!!). I found that measuring before sewing was the most important part or else squares and edges won't line up. The measuring is key. Jeanne's suggestion to make templates is a great one, and something I used a lot. I used to draw both the outer measuring 1/4" line AND the inner sewing line that I would match up on 2 squares, then sew together. I have eventually gotten myself a machine because I found that hand-sewing just didn't hold up that well under alot of washing, for those items that were meant to be used (and therefore washed) a lot. So I machine sew the blocks together now, although I still like to quilt by hand whenever possible. I like the old-school feeling it can give to a quilt, something handmade that helps to connect you to a past where this was a much more common skill. This forum is a great resource ... I learned just about everything I know about quilting here, from reading all sorts of posts and also from asking my own questions. Everyone is really helpful and patient with beginner's questions :) Also, the block lottos are a great activity to join ... they encourage/force you to try new block patterns and designs, so you can get a lot of experience that way ... only 1-3 blocks at a time ... and you start feeling more comfortable with your skills and ability to make a block when you start making more this way. Plus, there is always the possibility of winning the lotto! I still get by ok without using my rotary cutter all that often (it is very sharp and I've heard so many horror stories that it scares me, lol). I think a good plastic ruler is essential. I only have a 12" but I'd really like a longer one. If you're going to buy one, get a longer one. A cutting mat is nice too, they have measurements on them to help you out. Also they have some really nice square quilters rulers to help you make half-square triangles and other shapes for quilt blocks. I don't have any of those either yet, but one or two are next on my "to buy" list, so if you see any of those ... they might help get everything the right size too. My first couple squares looked absolutely AWFUL :) But you learn from your mistakes, and get better!! And it is an amazing feeling when you finish your first (couple) projects ... especially if they are made to be used and you can actually curl up underneath or on top of them!!