Swim Crafting

 

This was the view into my bedroom at 1:20PM today!  I'd been busy working on laundry and getting my swim bag set up, and little Miss Frankie was up to her usual practice of unmaking the bed. It would be annoying if it wasn't so cute.

I machine stitched the lining I had sewn back together by hand. Switching to another bag made no sense because this one has a plastic compartment that is great for after swimming. My suit can be wrapped in a towel and stuck in there. Everything else will stay dry.  

In order to keep my cap from ripping, It's important to prevent it from sticking together, which happens when it dries if two rubber surfaces are in contact.  In the past, I put a piece of paper towel inside, then wrapped it in another section outside.  One problem was that sometimes (often, actually) the paper towel dispenser was empty.  Because of that, and to avoid waste, I made a sleeve out of an old and discolored pillowcase, along with a cloth insert.  I also made a sleeve for my nose plug so I could dry that and keep the strap unwound too.  That will keep the rubber from getting brittle.  I absolutely cannot swim without a nose clip!  Without the strap, the main clip often falls off, which is not fun when you are swimming in the deep end.

These are the supplies I was able to dig up.  Just prior to COVID, I'd ordered two new caps and a couple of goggles, along with a bunch of nose clips. You can't find the clips in stores, so when I order, I get multiples.  I do have about four or five more sets of goggles because I raided the clearance shelf at Walmart and got them for a couple of bucks a piece.

This time around, I am making use of microfiber.  One square will be used to clean and wrap my goggles.  I'll store those, along with my shower sponge and face pad in a mesh laundry bag.  I've also swapped out my terry cloth towel for a microfiber one.  It'll be more absorbent and take up less space in my bag.  It was nice that it ended up being a match for the hair wrap that was in the bag.  All of this will be taken out to dry when I get home from the pool.

The only thing left for me to do, is get my soaps, shampoo, conditioners, etc. set up. I'll need to dig up smaller refillable containers.  After swim supplies are key for me, as I like to take advantage of the sauna and use the heat to slough off dead skin and deep condition my hair, so all the products need to be right too!

Since I don't wash much of my wardrobe after I wear it, there's always a few steps that need to be taken before I put a piece away.  First, I spray it with a 50-50 mix of water and vodka to attack any odors.  After at least a day of airing, I iron before putting each piece away.  I don't wait until I want to wear something to iron it, otherwise I'd avoid wearing any piece that needed it.

I also ironed the thrifted pocket squares I got for Frankie while away.  They are just long enough to tie around her neck.  While I was crafting my bathing cap sleeve, I came across a small, embroidered napkin.  I folded it on the diagonal, pressed it then sewed the ends together.  It fits over her head and makes a pretty neck kerchief for her. Isn't she pretty?

Dinner was a red pepper and onion pizza, using Flashfood dough and cheese.  It was a side to a bowl of pasta made using frozen tuna and tomato sauce (with green olives, capers, lemon, and more).  This was the remaining jar of a bigger batch from a few weeks ago.  It really is delicious.  Yes, this is a carb heavy meal -- but with lots of fibrous veggies and healthy protein tuna.  Whenever a health professional wants me to cut back on my food, I tell them no because food is where the nutrition we need lives.  There are at least two meals to be had out of what we didn't finish.

There was stuff I wanted to get to around the house, but I got sucked into crafting solutions for my swim bag.  My challenge is to not deprive myself of creative tasks just because I feel that chores need to be done.  Does that happen to you?  There's nothing irresponsible in making things I am going to use for a good purpose -- yet I feel I shouldn't not get a chore done.  Oh well, I'll vacuum and mop downstairs tomorrow!