When we heard about The American Patchwork & Quilting® One Million Pillowcase Challenge we knew we had to become involved in some way. In its second year, the One Million Pillowcase Challenge encourages quilting and sewing enthusiasts to continue to help reach the goal of making and donating one million pillowcases to benefit local charities. Almost 250,000 pillowcases were created and donated in 2010.
It’s easy to turn a love of quilting and sewing into messages of comfort, hope and love – for a foster child, a cancer patient, victims of domestic violence, and others. Every pillowcase can make a difference in the local community.
Hearing the stories about how something as simple as a pillowcase to call ‘one’s own’ could so positively impact a person was very moving. That something so ordinary could make a person feel extraordinary was a real ‘eye-opener’. We also like the fact that to sew a pillowcase is relatively easy. Meaning, even the most beginner sewer or someone who has never sewn before can participate. To embellish one with some ribbon, applique art, or embroidery is a lot of fun too. What a great project for a high school home economics class, youth or community group…
We chose to become a corporate sponsor but more than that we want to help spread the word about this initiative. We encourage you to get a small group together to make some pillowcases for a local shelter, retirement home, church group or foster child program (the list of organizations that would gladly accept some handmade pillowcases is endless).
To find out how you can make a difference in your community, visit
allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases.
As suppliers of commercial irons and ironing tables for the sewing, dry cleaning and alterations world it’s only natural that the team here at Reliable would become an ironing resource for those using our home ironing products. As such, we are often asked ‘pressing’ questions. Here’s one:
“Why was the shirt that I ironed yesterday wrinkled when I took it off the hanger today?”
The simple answer lies in the balance between steam and heat. The steam from the iron will relax the fibers of the fabric making the pressing part easier. The key however, is to ‘dry’ the freshly steamed garment with the heat of the sole plate in order to ’set-the-press’. If the garment is still damp with steam after you have pressed it the fibers will simply bounce back to their pre-ironed state while drying in your closet. It takes very little effort to press with a Reliable iron because of the steam quality that they produce (remember: no spitting! no leaking! no kidding!), and the placement of the steam holes at the tip of the sole plate (just like our commercial-grade irons). By placing the steam holes at the tip the remaining part of the sole plate takes on the job of setting the press. It’s that simple. The iron does the work so you don’t have to.
Find out more by reading 5 Reasons to Love Your Ironing and Ironing 101:
http://www.reliablecorporation.com/5-Reasons-To-Love-Ironing
Our juiciest new arrival is finally here! Introducing a powerful cousin to the ever-popular Steamboy T1…the Steamboy T2! Two great cleaning tools for the home in one! The Steamboy T2 is a powerful steam floor mop with hard surface sweeper built right in. Plug it in, turn it on, and in seconds the Steamboy T2 will change the way you clean. It’s great for little spills. Just push the button for a powerful sweeper and then press the steam trigger to clean and sanitize. Say goodbye to the dustbin, broom, and on your hands and knees mop-ups. Saves money on cleaning supplies. Sweeps and sanitizes all sealed hard floor surfaces and sanitizes carpet with steam.
Here’s a look at the Steamboy T2 through the eyes of Homeworld Business magazine… http://www.reliablecorporation.com/What-People-Think
I gave a lawn chair cushion destined for the dumpster a steamy chance at survival this week. I dragged the cushions for all of the chairs from the back of a closet only to discover that our cat (’September’) at some point between last Fall and this week had decided that one of the cushions would be her little ‘nest’. (Now I know where she was hiding every time company came over this past winter!)
So, I vacuumed the cushion. Still, cat hair remained woven all through the fibers. I steamed it with my EnviroMate VIVA’s triangular brush with a terry cloth over it. The cushion looked fresher and brighter after steaming of course but still had too much cat hair remaining on it to let anyone other than September continue using the cushion. A last ditch effort ensued by removing the terry cloth from the triangular brush and steaming the cushion at the same time as gently rubbing the bristles of the brush in a circular motion all over the cushion. The results were fantastic! The combination of steam and the firm bristles of the brush lifted all the cat hair from the cushion.
Getting creative with the steam cleaner attachments spared me from having to invest in a replacement cushion and it renewed my affection for September. Here’s a picture (not for the faint of heart) of the Viva brush with some of the hair it removed. Oh, and a picture of the culprit - who was also given a second chance…she still has nine left.
“No Big Dill” Blog post featuring the Velocity V50 Iron. Fun blog - check it out! http://nobigdill-reviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/neo-reliable-iron-giveaway.html
In honour of Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month we’re giving away a steam cleaning prize pack. To enter - just watch the new EnviroMate PRONTO video on YouTube and post on the Reliable Facebook Fan page one cleaning scenario shown in the video. Randomly selected winner May31st receives a Steamboy T1 floor mop and an EnviroMate PRONTO!
Link to YouTube Video: http://tinyurl.com/3mpnsqj
Link to Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reliable-Corporation/57641116651
Today is World Asthma Day!
World Asthma Day is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world. The theme of World Asthma Day 2011 is “You Can Control Your Asthma.” There are many things that can help control asthma triggers. Steam cleaning will reduce the impact of many indoor allergens, such as dust mites, pet dander, mould and mildew.
www.ginasthma.com
May is Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month. Millions of people worldwide suffer from Allergies and Asthma. There are organizations dedicated to medical research and public education that are helping sufferers manage their symptoms. To learn more about Allergies, and Asthma check out these links:
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=10&sub=99&cont=457
The Asthma Society of Canada
http://www.asthma.ca/adults/
Interesting article about Al Heslop, ‘quilting engineer’. So much more than an art form.
Click on the link to download the story…
http://www.reliablecorporation.com/site/reviews/Macleans_Magazine.pdf
EnviroMate PRONTO P7
The EnviroMate PRONTO P7 video is up and running! Check it out on YouTube - click on the link above.
