Regroups a range of synthetic materials that are malleable–easily able to be molded, formed and shaped.
Plastic describes anything that can be manipulated.
I found this is in Israel – extraordinary….
Plastics have, without doubt, spawned many of the great changes of the 20th century. In our kitchens alone we have plastic bowls, that we would not know how to manage without, with or without the lids that keep liquids in and food fresh. We depend on plastic for our milk bottles and lunch boxes, water bottles and picnic plates – how much crockery did babies and small children drop and break in the days before plastic? And most packaging is still plastic – despite good intentions, paper, fabric bags and wicker baskets haven’t yet re-gained their pre-plastic status.
I now have the lovely wooden carved chairs from my grandmothers kitchen – they’re still in the store waiting to be re-covered, and I need to strip them of their rather nasty 1950’s ( I’m guessing) varnish. My vision is to bleach the oak that was stained darker, that the covers will be light – probably a linen rather than the bomb-proof tapestry that she chose. But that’s by the way, the reason they came to mind was an abiding memory of her in her 80’s complaining how heavy they were and saying how much she would like some ‘nice plastic chairs.’ Even then, aged about 10, I was pretty horrified, but I can see her point. They are heavy and awkward. Plastic is light, and easy to move.
We wrap our curtains, blinds, cushions and chairs in plastic bags- we tried plastic coated ( oil) cloth but they kept getting nicked ( yes even our lovely clients liked the look of them ) and they are expensive to replace. We’ve also tried loom state linen cloths, but even with our name on they end up as someones dust sheets…
Woven plastic, though is extremely useful for floor mats and garden furniture as it withstands all manner of dirt and weather and can be hosed and brushed down like a farmyard. I’ve recently supplied two floor mats made of woven plastic tubes. They’re full of air, resilient and very good for knee joints; they are to stand on for vegetable preparation and ironing. Perhaps we should have them in our workroom too, as it can be tiring to stand on hard floor, even suspended wood, all day.
Section of a floor mat woven with plastic tubes – full of air and good for the knees …
Dining chairs ready to leave the workroom – all wrapped in plastic !