Tarnished

There was a time when I used metal buttons more frequently. Now I try to use other natural materials (horn, shell, wood, etc). Here are the wooden buttons on Willingdon, from an old stash of Missions Falls buttons. Boy, were those fantastic! There was always a Missions Falls button for whatever you were working on. Mags Kandis, the founder of the now-defunct Mission Falls, lives in nearby Prince Edward County, and last summer when I asked her where she sourced the buttons, she said (unhelpfully), "Oh, everywhere".

Here's one of the major problems with metal. See the tarnish, not just on the buttons, but on the wool?

So, this morning I cleaned the buttons and then rubbed all the stains with Sunlight bar soap (love that lemon scent!) and then soaked the sweater for a long time. I think I've cleaned everything up, but I need to see the sweater dry before I'll know for sure. If not, I'm pretty confident a second treatment will do the trick. This is how this sweater should look:

Since I was in the mood, I also pulled out my Glenora, one sleeve of which is on the verge of developing a hole.

Some of the strands of wool have worn critically thin. This is just about my last chance to repair with duplicate stitch as opposed to a full darn job. I'm onto it.
Finally, I thought I might as well finish up my "housekeeping" by cleaning and oiling my sewing machine. There are some super videos on YouTube on how you can do this on your own and save the money you would otherwise spend paying to have it done. Here's the frightening look under the plate that houses the bobbin. Avert your eyes if you're sensitive to grunge!

Eeek!!!

 I'm happy to say that all is cleaned up and oiled, and the machine is humming away like new.  I feel so virtuous!