Dear Sun Spots: I am writing in reference to your Sept. 14 column headlined “Pie Cover Prevents Burned Crust.” You advised shopping at Vermont Country Store. I guess you were not aware that the Pie Saver was invented and is manufactured right here in Lewiston! There are three foil shields in a package that fit 9-inch to 10-inch pies and are disposable or reusable. They are sold at many Wal-Mart stores and Hannaford Brothers, and also at www.betabake.com. The price is around $3 a package. They have been featured in Good Housekeeping, and even on “Made in Maine.” I hope this helps! I am Nancy Beaule and can be reached at BetaBake Products Inc. Check out our Web site at www.betabake.com or call us at (207) 783-1729. – Nancy Beaule, No Town.

Answer: Sun Spots would like to thank you, Nancy, for the wonderful history on the Pie Saver. She loved the information and would like to share some with column readers, especially with those wonderful bakers out there who are getting ready for apple tart season!

The first prototype was made in Beaule’s basement in July 1996. The savers are cut from sheets of lightweight aluminum foil on a machine called a die clicker (which should be familiar to many L-A shoe workers).

The Pie Saver is generally a seasonal item, Beaule says, with a lot of shipments going out in September and October. However, the Lewiston and Auburn Hannaford stores carry the product year-round.

The answer came one day – Beaule noted in a March-April edition of Family Money – as she was baking cupcakes in aluminum muffin cups. She squashed one flat and cut the middle to create a tiny tin doughnut to protect the edges of a very small pies. After much research via stores, catalogs and Web sites, Beaule eventually began to make them herself. Her son drew up plans for a mold, and a moldmaker made one out of plaster. The first was a disaster but Beaule persevered. In 1997, she sold about 3,000 packages in one eight-minute presentation on QVC.

Dear Sun Spots: For the past two years, my mother has been trying to finish crocheting a tablecloth. She is unable to finish it due to her arthritis in her hands. Would you or your readers know of anyone that would be able to finish this for my mother? She would be willing to pay someone to do this. Thank you for your help. Please call 784-3346. – No Name, No Town.

Dear Sun Spots: I’m trying to find the woman who came to my moving sale Saturday, Sept. 17, on Scribner Boulevard. She bought three tables and was supposed to pick them up the next day. I don’t know if she lost my phone number but, I need to get these tables out of the garage by the 30th of this month. I hope she sees this and calls me at 783-3090. Thank you for your help. – Diane Beaucage, Lewiston.

Dear Sun Spots: I have a numerous amount of elementary size desks and chairs. They are free for the taking. They are located in Lewiston and would be good for a day care. Please call Margo at (207) 783-8482. If not available, please leave a message and I will get back to you. – Margo Ferracci, Lewiston.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be posted at www.sunjournal.com in the Advice section under Opinion on the left-hand corner of your computer screen. In addition, you can e-mail your inquiries to [email protected].