Make oilcloth (without plastic) yourself
Goodbye to plastic: oilcloth as a base for the Waldkindergarten or for wrapping Stullen homemade:
Instead of putting cling film over the salad bowl or wrapping steaks in it, an oilcloth can also be used. And that does not have to be bought. With fabric scraps and Christmas candles left over from beeswax, you can make such cloths yourself. The cloths are also suitable as a support for breakfast in the forest kindergarten or primary school.
For us, the children in the forest kindergarten and elementary school need a mat for their breakfast. In the woods, so that the food is not in the dirt and at school, so that the table stays clean. I made these documents myself and found that they also wrap bread or cheese and cover salad bowls.
This is how it's done
To cover a salad bowl or as a base for breakfast in the forest kindergarten, I cut fabric sized 36 x 36 centimeters. To cover small bowls pieces of fabric measure 22 x 22 centimeters and to wrap breads 22 x 30 centimeters. Then the tree candles are shredded with a grater. Before that, the wick has to be removed. This is easy if the candle is cut with a knife into three or four pieces. Just cut the wax, not the wick. The small pieces can then be removed from the wick. For a big cloth and two small oilcloths I rubbed about ten tree candles.
The beeswax is melted like chocolate in a metal bowl in a water bath. Add a dash of coconut oil or sunflower oil. I had no coconut oil and did it with rape and sunflower oil. That works too. The oil is important because the wax on the cloths becomes brittle without the addition of oil. Brush the melted wax with a large brush on the cloths. It is best to leave the wax on the stove, lay out the worktop next to it with plenty of newsprint paper and then wax the wipes. Afterwards, the waxed cloth must be ironed between several layers of baking paper. Do not use the ironing board. I put a cotton blanket on the table for safety and laid it out with several layers of newspaper and three layers of baking paper. Then put the waxed cloth on top, place two layers of baking paper over the cloth and spread the wax well by ironing. Attention! Excess wax sometimes swells on the sides. Hang the whole thing for 24 hours to dry.
cleaning
The cleaning is easy. Rinse under running cold or lukewarm water and dry with a towel. For greasy stains, add some washing up liquid. To cover bowls and bowls, a rubber band can also be sewn on. To do this, place the bowl upside down on the oilcloth and mark a circle at intervals of two centimeters. Sew on the rubber band here with a zigzag stitch and cut off the excess edge with a pair of scissors. When sewing, tighten the rubber band so that it later sits firmly on the edge of the bowl.
