Maxwell 47: Vestigial Tales of the Messy Towel Drawer

[Coconut Flan]

Continued from here:

Thank you, @JermajestyDuggar

Edited April 1, 2021 by Coconut Flan

[Lady Grass Lake]

We are larger people in my home, and like bigger towels.   I always looked for single color or simply striped beach towels for our bathroom, but they are expensive, and rarely go on sale after the summer season.   When I needed terrycloth for a craft project and saw the bolts of wide width terry in all kinds of bright solid colors, I started using my 60% off one item or 1 cut of fabric and would buy an entire 8 yard bolt of fabric.  I cut them in 2 yard lengths then use my serger and matching thread, and serge the cut edges so no unravelling threads.  I have 3 sets of 4 towels for 4 of us.     I found a Dollar store that had things priced in even dollars in Canada, and completely restocked all my kitchen towels and dishcloths at once.  For years everything I had was ratty, unmatched and faded, and it's so nice to see all those pretty colors and prints  and my rag drawer got all the discards.  

I do have one set of really nice bath towels that I will put out if we have company, but decided that they can use my homemade towels and my sister even asked me where I got them, and started making her own.  

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

@Lady Grass Lake, in the last thread you said

Quote

Now if I could just train them to stay away from my good scissors, I would be a much happier person.   I have even written on the blades with shapries to say TOUCH THESE AND DIE, and find little knicks and burrs in my nice expensive fabric scissors because someone wanted to snip off a piece of wire.   GRRRRRRRRR

You reminded me of my mom's quest to keep track of her pair of pliers that belonged in the tool drawer in the kitchen. She didn't really mind the rest of us using the pliers, but it really irked her if they didn't get put back where they belonged. We were also strictly forbidden to use her sewing scissors or pinking shears on paper. (It’s actually a happy memory.  )

I have a slight advantage as a mom, because I have both right-handed scissors and left-handed scissors. (I'm left-handed, but I taught myself to cut right-handed as a young adult, because I didn't own any left-handed scissors that weren't child sized.) As I'm the only lefty in our house, my kids and husband generally leave my scissors alone. They don't know how to tell which scissors are which!

[Bethy]

I always miss when you're asking for vest titles so I never send mine so I'm posting them here:

Now You Know The Vest Of The Story (With Apologies to Paul Harvey)
The Vest Years Of Our Lives
Saving/Saved The Vest For Last

[Black Aliss]

I really don't care whether someone folds their kitchen towels or not (for the record, I do fold mine, in thirds lengthwise and then in half) but it does make me twitchy that there are other things, I can't tell what, but maybe some appliance parts, in the drawer with the towels and dishcloths.

I'm just going to lie down with a cool cloth on my forehead. I'm sure I'll be fine.

[Coconut Flan]

I laughed yesterday as I sort of folded the housekeeper's cleaning cloths.  I can do a lousy folding job before tossing them in the basket and she's fine.  Leave them crumpled and rumpled with wrinkles and she makes a face at them and flaps them around straightening them out.  

Edited April 2, 2021 by Coconut Flan

[IReallyAmHopewell]

7 hours ago, Bethy said:

I always miss when you're asking for vest titles so I never send mine so I'm posting them here:

Now You Know The Vest Of The Story (With Apologies to Paul Harvey)
The Vest Years Of Our Lives
Saving/Saved The Vest For Last

Terri Maxwell" "I gave you The Best Years of My Life..." [apologies to the GREAT movie]

[PennySycamore]

we have more towels, but I almost always use my beach towel that is covered with kittens.  One of my daughters bought it, but left it at the house.  It must be hung so that the kittens that are visible are not upside down.   It makes the kittens look like they'll get a headache.  (Yes, I know the kittens I don't see are upside down.)  The towel is getting a bit worn out and eventually I'll need to get a replacement.  Maybe I should get my daughter to help me shop for a new towel.  

[Bluebirdbluebell]

We laugh but the towel post was a hit! It has twice as many comments as many of the other posts! Yes some are Teri but there's still more comments. The other posts also had comments from the family. 

[allyisyourpally5]

I think it was a bit because for once, the post wasn’t condescending, patronising, they weren’t trying to shill anything, and , however dull the subject really is, it was actually something that a lot of people can relate to (because to be honest many people have a “pointless” house hold thing they spend their time on - I have lost Lord-knows how much of my life arranging cushions and blankets on my bed and couch a certain way). Well done Maxwells, you’ve actually made yourselves somewhat relatable!

[browngrl]

I have opinions on towels and I feel the need to share. 

I don't fold my kitchen towels nor do I just dump them somewhere. I  pile them up flat so that they fit neatly into a drawer. However I do fold the bath towels into  rectangles (NEVER squares or polygonal shapes - I'm not a heathen) so that they fit neatly into the shelves designated for towels. 

I also have opinions on peanut butter, where to squeeze the toothpaste tube, sock folding. and more. Please set aside some time and a large bottle of wine so that I might opine to my heart's content.

[Lgirlrocks]

19 hours ago, Bethy said:

I always miss when you're asking for vest titles so I never send mine so I'm posting them here:

Now You Know The Vest Of The Story (With Apologies to Paul Harvey)
The Vest Years Of Our Lives
Saving/Saved The Vest For Last

Here are some I have: 
save the last vest for me

the vest has yet to come

in(vest)ing in Jesus 

Jesus will take care of the vest 

the maxwellhood of the traveling vest 

 

 

 

[MamaJunebug]

Ha! I disagree yet again with Maxes, one and all!

#1–folded towels set KonMari-style provide such a happy slash of colors when you open the drawer

#2–i dont Just have towels. I have terrycloth, waffle-weave, bar and hybrid. Not only do I stand ‘em up KonMari style I organize them by type!!

Time spent folding & arranging is NEVER time misspent. Time spent rooting thru a messy mess: wasted with a capital Teri !!!  

[PennySycamore]

As far as kitchen towels, most of my main dishtowels are from Williams-Sonoma.  None are terry cloth towels as I have two dogs and a cat and terry cloth is awfully hard to de-fur.  I do have some microfiber bar mops for the countertops and two green microfibers cloths that are really meant for the MINI's windows.  I use them on the counters at times.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

I wonder if any Maxwells were at Jed Duggar's wedding today.

[kpmom]

I'm as lazy as they come, but I do fold dish towels because otherwise they don't fit in my drawers if I just stuff them in.

I definitely question her estimate of 20 min. a week folding dish towels though.  Even if I include hand towels and bath towels I don't spend anywhere near that amount of time.  5 minutes I'd estimate.  10 minutes tops.  And I usually have an audio book or tv program going while I fold, so it's not wasted time.

The Maxwells either have a ton of dish towels or only use each towel only once if it takes 20 min. a week to fold them.

[HoneyBunny]

Y’all, I’m a mess.  The only towels I can stand to be patterned are beach/pool towels. All towels in the house must be solid color. The bathroom towels are white and the kitchen towels and dishrags are tan microfiber.  It goes without saying that those must all match. All towels are folded military style so no edges show. As I’ve mentioned before, I won’t claim to have OCD because it’s a serious medical condition.  I’m just damned persnickety about some things. Towels are among them.  It would take several bottles of wine, or, better yet, pitchers of margaritas to get through the rest of them. 
 

But I will add that those appliance parts in the Maxwell towel drawer are all kinds of wrong. 

[PennySycamore]

Julia Collin Davison from America's Test Kitchen was doing a segment about the dishtowels she has in her kitchen. She uses microfiber on her countertops and to clean the stove, flat weave linen dishtowels and flour sack towels.  What I love is that Julia keeps a basket in the corner of the kitchen and when one of the towels gets dirty, she shoots it into the basket.  She admits that she goes through a lot of towels.

[Hane]

Apparently in Maxhell towel maintenance and storage are more important than commemorating the resurrection of their lord and savior Jesus Christ.

[fundiewatch]

Right? Where is the picture of the three children still at home with their parents? With a Bible verse and “He is Risen Indeed”? The follow up this week will be pictures of the “extended family” crew who came.

[Black Aliss]

18 hours ago, HoneyBunny said:

All towels are folded military style so no edges show.

I didn't know it was called "military style". I know it's how Martha Stewart says they are to be folded, not that I GAF what Martha thinks. I think they just look nicer that way and when they are stacked the stack is more stable than when they are folded haphazardly. 

I stopped getting high at parties years ago, after I realized the morning after one such party a thoroughly loaded me had refolded all of my hosts' towels the way I thought they should be folded.

 

[anjulibai]

It is very odd that there is no "Resurrection Sunday" post. They do that every year. 

[church_of_dog]

On 4/2/2021 at 11:31 AM, Bethy said:

I always miss when you're asking for vest titles so I never send mine so I'm posting them here:

Now You Know The Vest Of The Story (With Apologies to Paul Harvey)
The Vest Years Of Our Lives
Saving/Saved The Vest For Last

I want a future thread, especially one where the recent Maxtopic includes mention of the different rules for different genders, and perhaps with a wedding in the recent past where Steve gave his standard vasectomy speech, to be titled  "Vive Le Deferens"

[Coconut Flan]

We'll see, we'll see.

I have saved the suggestions.  I, too, am waiting for the He is risen post.

In other news, I'm going to go hug Mom and tell her it's Easter.  She'll be happy for a couple of minutes.  

[Howl]

On 4/3/2021 at 10:17 AM, MamaJunebug said:

I have terrycloth, waffle-weave, bar and hybrid.

I just recently started using a waffle-weave kitchen towel that I had stored away and, wouldn't you know, I've developed a THANG for waffle weave. 

We also stayed somewhere that had waffle weave bath towels, and now I'm jones-ing for some on the home front.