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Beeswax wraps are squares of cotton coated in wax. Warm them in your hands and they cling to a bowl, a jar or half a lemon, then hold their shape as they cool. Janelle from Rosery Apparel shows an easy iron method using grated beeswax, baking paper and fabric scraps. She was surprised how quick it was, and you will be too. A batch of three takes well under an hour.
Use 100% cotton. Polyester blends will not soak up the wax and the wrap stays slippery. Quilting cotton is ideal: tightly woven, thin enough to fold and sold in pretty prints. Pre-wash new fabric to remove sizing, then dry and press it. Old cotton shirts and pillowcases work too, as long as they are not worn thin.
Janelle cut three sizes. A small 15 cm (about 6 inch) square covers half a lemon or a small jar. A medium 25 cm (about 10 inch) square fits a cereal bowl or a sandwich. A large 30 cm (about 12 inch) square covers a mixing bowl or wraps a block of cheese. A set of all three makes a good gift.
Plain beeswax works and is the easiest place to start. Many makers add a little pine resin and jojoba oil to the wax for more cling and a softer wrap. If your wraps feel stiff or do not grip well, try a premixed wax bar with resin and oil in it. You use it the same way.
Fold a small, medium and large wrap into a stack and tie it with twine. Tuck in a card with the care notes below. Pick prints to suit the person: lemons for a keen cook, florals for a gardener, plaid for the holidays.
Leftover wax? Try rolled beeswax candles. Scraps can turn into a scrunchie or a drawstring bag for produce. For more of a zero waste kitchen, crochet a dishcloth or block print your own fabric for the next batch.
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How to make beeswax wraps with cotton scraps, grated beeswax and an iron. An easy project: about 45 minutes, plus 15 minutes to dry or set. Materials cost about $6 to $15. You need 12 things, including 100% cotton fabric, beeswax block or pellets and parchment baking paper. The 9 steps start with measure and Mark Cotton Squares for the Beeswax Wraps, grate the Beeswax Block Into Small Pellets and set Up the Ironing Board With a Towel and Baking Paper.
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Pick 100% cotton fabric for your beeswax wraps. Scraps are perfect. Lay the fabric flat and use a ruler or measuring tape with an erasable marker to mark out each square. Janelle made a small 15 cm square, a medium 25 cm and a large 30 cm. Cut along the lines with sharp fabric scissors. Straight edges are fine, since you can trim them later.
Pre-wash new fabric so the wax can soak in evenly.
Grate your beeswax on the large holes of a box grater over a cutting board. Small shavings melt fast and spread evenly, which is what you want. You do not need a lot. A small handful covers a medium square. Use an old grater if you can, because beeswax is hard to clean off. Some kits come with pellets ready to go.
Chill the wax block in the fridge for 10 minutes and it grates more cleanly.
Cover your ironing board with an old towel. Wax can soak through, so do not use a good one. Tear off a sheet of baking paper a little bigger than your fabric and lay it on the towel. Place one cotton square on top and smooth it flat with your hands. This sandwich keeps wax off your board and your iron.
Parchment baking paper works. Wax paper does not, because its coating melts.
Scatter the grated beeswax across the fabric. Spread it out so there are no big gaps, and go right to the edges and corners. Less is more here. You can always add a pinch later, but too much wax makes a stiff, cracked wrap. A light, even scattering is the goal.
Do a test with one square before you grate wax for the whole batch.
Lay a second sheet of baking paper over the wax and fabric. Set the iron to its hottest setting with no steam. Move it slowly over the paper. You will see the wax melt into pools through the paper and spread as you go. Keep ironing until the whole square looks evenly darkened and wet with wax.
Push the melted wax outward toward the corners with the tip of the iron.
Peel off the top paper and lift the warm wrap off the bottom sheet. Hold it up for a few seconds so the wax starts to set, then lay it over a drying rack or clothes line. It feels firm and dry to the touch in about five minutes. Repeat the paper, wax and iron steps for each fabric square.
Peel it while it is still warm. Cold wax glues the fabric to the paper.
Check each wrap for pale, dry patches where the wax missed. You can lift the top paper to peek while you iron. If you find one, sprinkle a few more pellets on the bare spot, cover it again and iron until the wax spreads across. Keep going until the whole wrap has an even color.
Hold the wrap up to a window. Light shows any dry spots clearly.
Once the wraps are cool, trim the edges. Janelle used pinking shears to give each wrap a zigzag edge. It takes a couple of minutes, cleans up any uneven cuts and stops the fabric from fraying. Regular scissors are fine too if you do not have pinking shears. Snip off any loose threads while you are at it.
Keep these shears for craft use. Wax dulls blades over time.
Your wraps are ready. To use one, lay it over a jar or bowl and press around the edges with your hands. The warmth softens the wax so it molds and sticks to itself and the container. Wrap cheese, half a lemon or a sandwich the same way. Wash in cool water and let dry before you fold it away.
Hold your hands on it for a few seconds. The longer you press, the better it sticks.
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How to Make Beeswax Wraps at Home With an Iron
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