A goal and a finish

The turtle quilt is finished. I added a border to the pattern. Again, it was an excellently written pattern. I really enjoyed making it. It can be found here.

I am quilting the butterfly quilt. It should be finished completely by the end of the month. Which means I have met my goal for the one monthly goal and then some. I am thrilled with the progress I have made for the month of January. Especially since I have had the flu.

And I have made over 100 bars of soap and a dozen bottles of lotion for the winter months. This is the first I have tried of lotion bars. They are more shelf stable and hold their firmness until applied to the skin, and then they melt into lotiony goodness. I still need to get rid of the soaping stuff that I am not keeping and packing the rest away for another day. Next month, we will be concentrating on canning and jars.

I am linking to:

Jos country junction

Making Monday  link in sidebar

Moving it Forward Monday 

main Crush Monday   link in sidebar

show and tell monday

design wall monday   

boms away   link in sidebar

 and One monthly goal

Lotion Making

My Favorite lotion recipe uses mango butter, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, and glycerin. It includes citric acid, stearic acid, and emusifying wax.   The recipe is here
The difference between lotion and cream is that lotion has more water than oils and cream has more oils than water.
Generally, a traditional lotion will have water + oils + emulsifiers + preservative.
And water and oil don't mix so
I have a dedicated cheap blender that I use to mix the water and oils.

After I melt the oils and water in the microwave, blending for a few minutes help them get to know each other and make lotion. LOL The emulsifying wax helps keep them mixed.

Citric acid is an aid to give the lotion a longer shelf life. It can be dissolved in the water before adding, but I find it unnecessary. The is so little needed, and the whole liquid solution is blended eventually.

When I am making for others I use Germaben
It is very possible to make a water-based lotion without preservatives, but it isn’t going to last very long. Within a few weeks (or less) it can start growing mold and bacteria. Properly using a preservative ensures that your lotion will not grow bacteria or mold and will last as long as the oil with the shortest shelf life.
Stearic acid is traditionally used as a thickening agent in lotion, this vegetable derived waxy substance is also used as a hardening agent in soap.

Glycerin especially used with stearic acid moisturizes the skin

Mango butter is silky smooth and yummy for your skin and fairly affordable.

I use this awesome glass measuring bowl for melting

I use a scale that weighs in both grams and ounces. I thought I needed to convert all my recipes to ounces, but, quickly, learned that with the scale set properly, grams is much more efficient and effective.
Making lotion can be messy business, but cleaning up makes your hands feel really great.

There are fragrance oils available, but I started making lotion for my sensitive skin, so I am very conservative with that. I have been experimenting with essential oils and have not had a reaction so far. This batch has a blend of essential oils that are good for muscle relief.
I made a couple with sweet orange and tangerine. They smell as yummy as they feel.
 I have friends who ask if we are close to a lotion making day. They will be glad to get lotion in time for the winter days ahead.
Quilting news :
 I found a civil war reproduction bundle at Whittles and have decided to make that color way as well
for the Bonnie Hunter Mystery En Provence. So I will make two. I have to decide if I will make one at a time or do both at a time. I'm so excited.

I am linking to:
TGIFF
Finished or not Friday
Whoop Whoop
Fort Worth Fabric
Crazy mom finish Friday