I had a moment of excitement followed by a fairly swift disappointment this evening. When we moved into the house ten years ago, I’d been making spinach pie, only to discover that the oven didn’t work. However, whilst making beeswax wraps tonight I started twiddling around with the knobs on the cooker and I thought I’d discovered the solution.
As you will have realised, this was not to be. The iron I had acquired through Freegle hadn’t been hot enough either, though it did melt the wax sufficiently to spread it around the fabric. So, I will hold onto it for emergencies.
The good news is that, because wax has a low melt point, by covering the wrap with baking paper to protect it from the glare of the grill, a minute of so under the grill brought pleasing results.
The fabric was another matter. Being very thin, it proved rather difficult to draw the outline and then cut the wrap out. The pinking shears could also probably do with sharpening, if that is possible, but at least there is now another beeswax wrap to add to the collection.
Apart from being compostable and a fun winter evening activity, making such wraps is a great way to prolong the life of a favourite item of clothing, as long as the fabric is 100% cotton (I guess linen would also be fine). I’d bought this top from an interesting service station off the A9 near Perth – after a foray into the Highlands of Scotland – and it was sad when it became unserviceable. But now I can continue to use it, albeit in a different form.
Growing out of chaos 
Have you been without an oven for 10 years? I could not survive without an oven for 10 days let alone years… ours is on its last legs now and soon to be replaced. Not bad, though, it’s 30 years old.
Nice that the wrap got finished, one method or another, anyway.
Yes, no oven for ten years. I’ve actually lived without an oven for most of my adult life – not provided in the accommodation I lived in – so even though it would be great to have one, I’m used to this state 😊
Great recycling.
Thank you, Derrick!
Wraps are another thing on my ‘must have a go at’ list that seems to grow faster than I tick things off it! Very creative of you to use the grill when the oven and iron both let you down. Like Mrs Snail I would find it hard to live without a functioning oven but maybe if I didn’t have one I would eat less cake!
I make cake in my breadmaker 😉
I hope you get round to making the beeswax wraps!
I have often wondered how pinking shears are sharpened. I also would miss my oven but we cope well without it during power-cuts and we used not to have an oven in our old caravan.
What a pretty wrap!
Thank you, Clare. How long do your power cuts last?
If we’re lucky just a few minutes but often they last a couple of hours and rarely, much longer. So far, this winter we haven’t had any.
We get them, too. The other day my daughter experienced the first one she was aware of and blamed me for switching the WIFI off!
Typical daughter behaviour! Haha! Both mine have done the same at some stage.
Well, from their point of view, that’s the obvious solution 😊
😀
Great re-use! Wow you went along long without an oven, but OK, the breadmaker makes sense.
I’m not sure if the breadmaker is cheaper to run but it saves work making bread (not so much cakes).
That’s good info Helen. I’m just learning how to make them myself
Good luck and have fun 😊