Snap tape

Kate Dicey wrote:

snip

Cat solvent! Ouch, that made my face ache with the giggles! But I do
know what you mean. Kitties are not permitted on work surfaces here,
and Cornflake may be thick as tar, but he has a reasonable grasp of what
I won't allow, and has never tried to get up there. Sugar Puff, on the
other hand, is just so nosy that she has tried. Not often, as she isn't
fond of flying lessons!


OK all you cat persons! You seem to know about cats and house interiors
and how to combine the two. How on earth do I prevent my younger cat
from making - ah - withdrawals from the kitchen garbage bin? I mean,
it's not as though I don't feed her or anything! She has food twice a
day. But if I don't make sure the garbage bin has been either emptied or
lashed shut for the night, she'll have a trail of revolting garbage bin
innards leading from the back door to the front! What can I do????

(NB. Dogs aren't sneaky like this! If they're going to raid your garbage
bin, they'll do it right before your face, not when you're safely
installed in your bed, sleeping the sleep of the Just! Is it any wonder
I find cats just that teensy bit awful?)

--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Geez, Tom, I wasn't saying that I wouldn't wear anything that I'd put a
kid in, or vice versa. On the self-extinguising part, a child wearing a
fairly form-fitting (not necessarily tight) cotton knit sleeper that
catches fire will not suffer the same injuries as one that is wearing a
sleeper made of a highly flammable synthetic. The whole flammability
issue is incendiary, anyway, since it's full of debateable illogic, but
frankly, I'd put any child, but especially a newborn, into natural
fibers over synthetic, any day. And that's what I prefer to wear myself.

And of course the priority is to keep a child safe, at all costs. What
kind of a mother do you think I am? (None of my three children ever
caught fire, by the way, and the last one is almost an adult.) I think
most of the flammability laws for childrens sleepwear came about as the
result of the popularity of indoor space heaters, especially the propane
ones. There must have been some pretty awful fires to have spurred these
lawa. Apparently, loose nightwear coming in contact with these heaters
were the culprit; more fitted things would not brush against them so
easily (children don't get too close to things that are that hot), and
were not as muche of a problem, but the law included it all anyway.

As to the relative merits of Polarfleece vs. other types--if you buy a
fleece sleeper at a store, or buy fleece yardage at one of the chain
stores (Jo-Ann, Wal-Mart, Handcocks, etc.), you are not likely to get
real Polarfleece. Even LL Bean, a company that used to use more
Polarfleece than almost any other, no longer uses just their fleece.
Anyone who takes what you quoted on the Malden Mills website as
assurance that *no* fleece is flammable is literally playing with fire.

Karen in Ohio, too busy to defend her assertions further


Tom Farrell wrote:

Karen Maslowski wrote in message .. .

Cynthia, I think Polarfleece, et al, are even more flammable, and on the
body they are not self-extinguising the way cotton is. Instead, it has a
very low flashpoint, and melts into a disfiguring mess of super-hot
plastic. I absolutely do not understand this love of Polarfleece and its
cousins for baby and infant wear, in light of this.


I'm not going to try to address every brand of fleece on the market,
but I'm talking here specifically about Polartec, from Malden Mills,
in Lawrence, Massachusetts. I'm not discussing their older Polarfleece
brand products.

Here's their web page about their features:
http://www.polartec.com/fabrics/technologies.php
I quote from the web page:
" * Will not melt or drip on the skin
* Flame resistant properties do not change after use or repeated
launderings"

That kinda surprised me actually, I figured they'd just claim a high
melting point or something. I may have to burn a scrap sometime to see
what happens.

And, I don't know where you get self-extinguishing cotton, but my
experience is that cotton is, plain and simple, fuel, and flannel is
the worst of all. Does this mean that I think we should keep cotton
away from baby? No, I don't. Frankly I think we should, instead,
prevent baby from catching on fire.

I don't understand *your* belief that we have to select different
fabrics for babies than for everyone else. Babies are people and are
just as valuable as other people - no more and no less. If a mother
doesn't believe a fabric is safe for her baby, she darned well
shouldn't be wearing it herself (she has to live to be there for the
baby!) or letting anyone else in her family wear it. Either Polartec
is safe for everyone under appropriate circumstances, or it's not safe
for anyone.

If you want to treat un-meltability as your primary criteria in
selecting fabrics, okay, that's fine. But, my firemen friends wear
Polartec and other fabrics not made of natural fibers, so I feel
Polartec is good enough for myself, my family, and friends in that
regard.

Tom Farrell
http://www.SewingWithTom.com/

Cat solvent! Ouch, that made my face ache with the giggles! But I do
know what you mean. Kitties are not permitted on work surfaces here,
and Cornflake may be thick as tar, but he has a reasonable grasp of what
I won't allow, and has never tried to get up there. Sugar Puff, on the
other hand, is just so nosy that she has tried. Not often, as she isn't
fond of flying lessons

Gee, I thought our cats were the only ones that take flying lessons. vbg
Often off the bed in the middle of the night for the bladder stomp. g
Seriously, the whole incident with Catkin's tail took less than 10 seconds.
I was washing dishes, he'd jumped up on the counter next to the stove
(which he'd *never* done before) and while I was still telling him to "get
down" and pulling my hands out of the dishpan, I noticed the smouldering
tail fur. Quick grab for cat, tail dunk, and he never again got up on the
counter. At least while I was a witness. (Whew!)

BTW, do you know that cats breathe through their paws? That's why
they're afraid they're going to drown if they have to walk on wet surfaces.
It must be true, all my cats have told me this. vbg

Kay, who spent last weekend explaining to cats that it was just as wet
outside no matter which door you wanted out.

Kay Lancaster wrote:


Gee, I thought our cats were the only ones that take flying lessons. vbg
Often off the bed in the middle of the night for the bladder stomp. g
Seriously, the whole incident with Catkin's tail took less than 10 seconds.
I was washing dishes, he'd jumped up on the counter next to the stove
(which he'd *never* done before) and while I was still telling him to "get
down" and pulling my hands out of the dishpan, I noticed the smouldering
tail fur. Quick grab for cat, tail dunk, and he never again got up on the
counter. At least while I was a witness. (Whew!)

snip

.... and another thing: why do cats seem to be fascinated with the human
activity of washing dishes? My young one rushes from wherever she is
when she hears the dishes in the sink and parks herself right at my
elbow, front paws folded in a comfy sort of way and then she - well -
watches me! The only time she moves is to reach out and touch the
dishmop if it gets a bit passionate in its swishing motion. And she
might try to lick the pan if it has gravy or some other tasty morsel
stuck to it. This cat just behaves as if the Act of Washing Up is better
than prime-time drama! Why???


--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Trish Brown wrote:

Kate Dicey wrote:

snip

Cat solvent! Ouch, that made my face ache with the giggles! But I do
know what you mean. Kitties are not permitted on work surfaces here,
and Cornflake may be thick as tar, but he has a reasonable grasp of
what I won't allow, and has never tried to get up there. Sugar Puff,
on the other hand, is just so nosy that she has tried. Not often, as
she isn't fond of flying lessons!


OK all you cat persons! You seem to know about cats and house interiors
and how to combine the two. How on earth do I prevent my younger cat
from making - ah - withdrawals from the kitchen garbage bin? I mean,
it's not as though I don't feed her or anything! She has food twice a
day. But if I don't make sure the garbage bin has been either emptied or
lashed shut for the night, she'll have a trail of revolting garbage bin
innards leading from the back door to the front! What can I do????

Buy a tall metal bin (Brabantia do good ones) and a padlock...

I have a metal Brabantia with quite a close fitting lid. The cats
cannot get into it, and nor can their ecapee mice! I don't need a
padlock as the cats cannot open it's flip-up pedal operated lid.

(NB. Dogs aren't sneaky like this! If they're going to raid your garbage
bin, they'll do it right before your face, not when you're safely
installed in your bed, sleeping the sleep of the Just! Is it any wonder
I find cats just that teensy bit awful?)

Yeah, but they are sooo cute!



--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

OK all you cat persons! You seem to know about cats and house interiors
and how to combine the two. How on earth do I prevent my younger cat
from making - ah - withdrawals from the kitchen garbage bin? I mean,
it's not as though I don't feed her or anything! She has food twice a
day. But if I don't make sure the garbage bin has been either emptied or
lashed shut for the night, she'll have a trail of revolting garbage bin
innards leading from the back door to the front! What can I do????

Try some cayenne, liberally sprinkled over all. Or a good covering
of citrus peels. Or a spritz of citrus room deodorizer spray. Repeat
as needed. Or small pieces of masking tape, sticky side up (especially
good for kitchen counter training).

Kay, in Oregon where the sheep are putting on their winter sheep suits ASAP,
and so are the cats

"Karen Maslowski" wrote in message
...
Anyone who takes what you quoted on the Malden Mills website as
assurance that *no* fleece is flammable is literally playing with fire.

Karen in Ohio, too busy to defend her assertions further


About 3 years ago I decided to make sleepers for a few Grandchildren. I
searched high and low for "safe fabric" for the children and couldn't find
much out there, so I contacted my local extension service looking for
assistance. They did a lot of research for me and came back with: A newborn
should not be wrapped, swaddled or blanketed in anyway in anything that is
loose, flyaway or nylon. It was best to use light weight naturals and
swaddle babies, newborns, in receiving blankets.
For walking children it was best to use sleepers made of Polar Fleece,
making sure that the clothing was not loose, or a "sloppy fit." They
finished the answer to my questions with Never allow a child near a space
heater, fireplace or electric cord that might be frayed. They also said that
sleep clothes are for sleeping and all children should be dressed as early
in the day as possible. Now that might sound obvious but, how many of us
have let little ones run around in footie sleepers when they get up and
not dress them in day clothes until we were ready to go out or start our own
day wide awake.The other caveat was watch your children carefully No
clothing is really safe when fire is involved but well fitting, clothing is
safer than ill fitting clothing.
HTH
Juno

Kate Dicey wrote:

Trish Brown wrote:

snip

(NB. Dogs aren't sneaky like this! If they're going to raid your
garbage bin, they'll do it right before your face, not when you're
safely installed in your bed, sleeping the sleep of the Just! Is it
any wonder I find cats just that teensy bit awful?)


Yeah, but they are sooo cute!


Ka-aa-ate! Not when they're looking innocently but dyspeptically in your
eye with a great wad of yesterday's meat-wrapper dripping from their
mouths! =:-0

--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 02:05:08 +1000, Trish Brown wrote:
... and another thing: why do cats seem to be fascinated with the human
activity of washing dishes? My young one rushes from wherever she is

My dishes get done in the machine, now. But there are plenty of
other water-requiring activities that seem to be equally fascinating,
including Watching Your People Shower, Watching Your Male Person Shave
(my DH's introduction to cats included one who walked between his legs
with her tail up, as he was shaving after showering), Walking Around
The Edge of the Hot Tub And Occasionally Falling In, and Other Bathroom
Activities Requiring Flushing Water. But then, mine also don't object
horribly to being bathed in the shower, as long as I keep them up
out of the main drainageway. However, they do object horribly when
the water comes out of the sky. I am expecting the annual winter-rains-
returneth lecture from the cats, soon.

I've also had numerous cats over the years who thought sewing machines
and sergers were quite fun to help with. Finally took the needle out
and got out the can of compressed air, so they got hissed every time they
started to put a paw out towards the machines. They still want to
help with cutting-out, however. Sigh.

My cat also loves the shower, the toilet, the sink etc. As far as sewing
goes...he wants to lay either on the pattern, or the cloth I am
attempting to lay out for cutting...

Kay Lancaster wrote:
On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 02:05:08 +1000, Trish Brown wrote:

... and another thing: why do cats seem to be fascinated with the human
activity of washing dishes? My young one rushes from wherever she is


My dishes get done in the machine, now. But there are plenty of
other water-requiring activities that seem to be equally fascinating,
including Watching Your People Shower, Watching Your Male Person Shave
(my DH's introduction to cats included one who walked between his legs
with her tail up, as he was shaving after showering), Walking Around
The Edge of the Hot Tub And Occasionally Falling In, and Other Bathroom
Activities Requiring Flushing Water. But then, mine also don't object
horribly to being bathed in the shower, as long as I keep them up
out of the main drainageway. However, they do object horribly when
the water comes out of the sky. I am expecting the annual winter-rains-
returneth lecture from the cats, soon.

I've also had numerous cats over the years who thought sewing machines
and sergers were quite fun to help with. Finally took the needle out
and got out the can of compressed air, so they got hissed every time they
started to put a paw out towards the machines. They still want to
help with cutting-out, however. Sigh.