At the Hop: Stitching Tools and Aids

So I was reading Meari's blog, and discovered there was a Blog Hop going on!  Loretta over at Stitching the Night Away is hosting the blog hop, and if you were wondering what a blog hop is, here's how Loretta explains it:

The idea here is to pick a topic, sometimes a specific question, everyone will blog about the topic and then come back here and enter a link to their blog post in the link widget on the current post. That way everyone can check out the participating blogs, meet new blog friends, and comment on each other’s work, etcetera.

Now, I'm a little late to the party - the other stitchers are already on question nine, but hey, better late than never, right?  I figure I'll start with question nine, then work backwards (and forwards).  And away we go.

Question #9:  What are your must-have stitching tools and aides? Other than your trusty scissors, of course. Is there a problem you have had when stitching that you created your own solution for, or have you purchased a tool that helped?

My must haves include at least a dozen John James petite 28 needles, usually purchased in packets of 50 from Anita's Little Stitches.  I like to thread up a few needles at a time so that when I get in a rhythm while stitching, I don't have to break it by taking time to thread new needles.  If I'm working with 2 strands, I'll thread up 3 needles of the same color, and stitch as much as I can of that color to use up the needles.  I have been known to stick the threaded needles back into the pack, but I do that mostly when traveling.  At home, I use a biscornu I stitched as a pincushion.

Another must have when working with metallic threads is Thread Heaven.  Occasionally I'll use it on cotton threads, but for some reason, I find it makes them tangle up more than usual.  I generally only use it for metallics as I find it makes them SO much easier to stitch with.

I am, in general, a fairly organized person, and I have two items that help me keep my stitching organized.  (These tools are just for the act of stitching - we won't talk about my obsessive excel spreadsheets or my underbed storage boxes, at least not in this post).  Since I occasionally suffer from a short attention span, I like to have a few projects kitted up and within easy reach of my stitching chair.  I also have a 3 year old, so I need something that allows me to put things away quickly out of his reach.  For this, I use a Vera Bradley Little Travel Case. I've been using mine for several year - they're hard to find now as this is a discontinued design, but you can still find them being sold on eBay.  If you do come across one at a good price, it's very handy to have.  It zips around 3 sides, has a few mesh pockets inside for holding the aforementioned bags of needles and thread heaven and leaves plenty of room for my kitted up charts.

At home, I also use a square Rubbermaid container to contain my scissors, pincushion, needles and other stitching bits while I'm working.  I don't have to worry about my scissors falling off the table, and when I need to put it away, I snap on the lid.  As an added bonus, I don't have to worry about my scissors accidentally putting a hole through my fabric or in my Vera bag.  (I have yet to find a good sheath for my scissors).

Another kitchen product that comes in handy are snack size ziploc bags.  I am a fan of winding threads on bobbins, but my husband (also a stitcher) is not - he doesn't like the kinks in the threads when he unwinds them to use.  We looked at the baggie systems put out specifically for stitchers and decided instead of paying extra for that, we'd just use what we already had - the snack size bags.  They work out GREAT - colors are sorted out, easy to access, and no kinking involved.  We'll leave either the DMC color band with the number on it, or if using an overdyed, the color card, right in the bag with the thread.

Finally, one more tool that I find incredibly handy is a box of page protectors.  I rarely, if ever, stitch from an original chart - I will usually photocopy the chart, put the copy in a page protector and keep the original stashed safely in one of my storage boxes.  The page protector protects my copy, but if something happens, it won't happen to the original chart, and I can always make another copy if necessary.

And if the chart happens to be a freebie or a chart I've modified in PC Stitch and printed, the page protectors make it very easy to file the chart in one of my 3 ring binders when I'm finished stitching.  If I ever want to stitch the chart again, it's already printed - no wasting paper printing it up again.

So these are my slightly unconventional, but highly useful, tips and tools for stitching.  Be sure to make the rounds and see what the other participants have to offer - who knows?  You might find the perfect solution to a problem that's been a thorn in your side!

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:

Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

Question about BAPs and Q-Snaps

DH and I have finally decided to get started on Long Dog's Paradigm Lost. We're stitching with DMC 823 (a dark navy blue) over 2 on 28 ct. Antique White. The piece of fabric we're using is 36x40 (which gives us a 5-6 inch border on each side of the piece).

I've already been advised to grid out the project using a contrasting thread, so I picked up a skein of DMC 666 to do the gridding with. Since it's one strand, I assume one skein should be enough to grid out the fabric (I've never gridded before either). The woman at my LNS assures me I should have no problems at all pulling the grid threads out once we're done with it. And we purchased a whole pile of the DMC 823 a while back so I know it's all come from the same dye lot and we should have plenty to get through the project. When I bought it, the stitchers at my old LNS said they used about 23 skeins for the project, but we bought 30 just to be safe.

This is by far the largest project we've ever taken on, and there's no way it's going to fit on our usual scroll frames. I have a very hard time stitching in hand - my hand cramps up and it's very uncomfortable for me, so we've decided to try Q-Snaps for this project. I've never used Q-Snaps before, so any advice on using them would be most welcome, as would advice on stitching a project this large. Do the Q-Snaps stretch out the fabric or the stitching? What's the best way to deal with the excess fabric not being stitched on? Is there a better way to stitch a project this large?

SBQ: Threads

8/7/08: What do you do to your thread clippings? Do you just scrap them or do you use them in something else? (submitted by Outi)

May I present my ort jar?

I've posted this before, but this is a picture taken a few months ago of my ort jar, a repurposed candy jar. It contains most of the thread clippings from almost 5 years worth of stitching. A small bit was taken out as an experiment with our local wild birds to see if they would be interested in using the threads for their nests. They were not, so I stopped offering. And the clippings from the wedding record piece DH and I stitched for ourselves are inside a glass ornament that gets hung on our Christmas tree. Which means most of the rest of the clippings are in that jar, and pretty tightly packed in there.

I don't know what I'll do when I just can't pack any more in there. Probably cap that jar, put it on a shelf and start a new one.

And yes, I do gather up my clippings when I travel and put them in the jar when I get home.

PS - Some people say that ORT stands for "old raggedy / ratty threads". Anna contends that its meaning stems from the Middle English / Low German use of the word, a small bit or left over scrap, usually from a meal.

I have a new LNS, and a whole bunch of other things

Yesterday, DH had to be at the hospital early for a test, so while he was having the test done, I was in the waiting room stitching. First, one of the receptionists came over to me and asked what I was doing. I showed her Home by the Sea, the project I brought with me. She was just amazed at the work I had done and asked if it was very hard. I said it wasn't hard once you got the hang of it, but the key was paying attention and rechecking your work every so often to make sure you were on track. She said she would be too anxious and impatient to stitch, and I told her it would probably help calm her down as the repetitve motion of needle through fabric can be quite soothing. She also said I could probably sell my work, but I told her that it takes too long and requires too much effort for many of the large pieces to make it worth selling (not to mention all the copyright issues!) I did say that there are some stitchers that worked on commission, and that many of my pieces are given as gifts, highly personalized to the recipients.

By the way, I must once again plug my Vera Bradley Little Travel Case. Sadly, the piece has been discontinued, but you can still find some on places like eBags, eBay, etc. If you don't have one and you like Vera Bradley, you might want to pick one up. My small size scroll frame fits perfectly, though my medium one doesn't quite get in there all the way. It keeps my charts flat and has plenty of room for my tools and threads. I've used this several times now - down the shore, weekend trips, and waiting rooms, and it's been fantastic. And since eBags has it on sale for $25, well worth it! (the color selection is limited though)

A little later on, another woman in the waiting room came over and asked if I had scissors she could borrow. She was using perle cotton to hemstitch some receiving blankets and had forgotten to pack scissors. She said she did a lot of traveling and got tired of having her scissors confiscated at the airport. I told her she could get a clover cutter, and she said she never heard of one! I told her any sewing store should have one, and if she couldn't find one, needlework shops would have them as well. And since the blade is completely enclosed and can only be used for threads, she should have no problems at the airport. As you can imagine, she was quite happy to know there was a solution to her problem and said she'd be going out to get one ASAP.

After our adventures at the hospital, DH was feeling up to it, so we dropped off a prescription, went for breakfast, then stopped by AC Moore. I wanted to pick up a linen tester that I had seen on several other blogs. A few people have had serious issues when they discovered the fabric they were stitching on was a different thread count than it had been labeled. I used my 40% off coupon, so for under $3, it's cheap insurance that I don't start stitching something only to discover I'm about to run off the end of the fabric.

We also wanted to look at some dollhouse things. Now that we've moved, DH is itching to start the lighthouse dollhouse we bought 2 years ago. When he was younger, he helped his grandfather build a house for his cousin, and has always wanted to do another one. When we spotted this lighthouse at AC Moore, we knew it would be perfect for us. (Now to obtain the keeper's cottage). We're still deciding on paint colors and how we're going to do the inside, but we'd like to keep them simple. This is a New England Lighthouse, after all! I'd also like it to reflect some of the lighthouses we've visited, so we'll flip through our photos and try to pick out details from our travels to incorporate into the light.

And FINALLY, my new LNS. I was sad to leave The Strawberry Sampler, as they always had a ton of great stuff there, and an incredible staff, but the 90 minute drive to visit them can really only be done occasionally, especially with the price of gas. I had to find something closer, and to be honest, the selection at the mass market stores like Michael's and Joanns has been disappointing. Sure, for DMC and some tools, they're great, especially with sale prices and coupons, but their selection leaves much to be desired. And the stores closest to me only have a bare minimum of the bare minimum. I have to go 20 miles to get to a half decent selection at a Joann Superstore as my local Joann's seems to only carry sewing items (fabric, patterns, notions) and seasonal decor. Their cross stitch stuff is some DMC, needles and Aida fabric. I don' think they had even 1/2 dozen charts in the store.

Anyway, short of ordering on the internet, the situation is somewhat dire, but we stopped by Just Cross Stitch in Royersford. It's on the small side - basically 2 rooms in a former house converted to commercial space, but they have a fantastic selection and the store is well organized. Everything is accessible, and while there's a lot to look at, it doesn't feel too crowded. And they have all the specialty threads I need, and a HUGE selection of fabric. Even better than the Strawberry Sampler had, plus they will cut and serge the fabric you need for a chart on the spot, a service the Strawberry Sampler didn't offer.

The woman working there was also quite friendly and helpful (I wish I could remember her name!). Apparently the owner just had knee replacement surgery that morning, so two of her friends were actually volunteering to keep the shop open for her - and being paid in charts and discounts instead of a salary. She also clued me in to a few local stitching groups and said that the shop sponsors a big "stitch in" in the fall at a local park that always has a good turn out and is a lot of fun. The shop doesn't have their own website, but they do have an email list, so I signed up for that, of course! And I picked up a grab bag of odd cuts of 28 ct. fabric in assorted colors. One of the pieces in the bag appears to be a hand-dyed piece in a gorgeously soft linen, so I am looking forward to finding something to stitch on that. It was $7.50 for the bag of about 10 pieces, all about the right size for ornaments / fobs / small pieces, so I think it was quite a bargain, and it will help me branch out a little with colors.

So it looks like the voting is coming down to the My Big Toe Designs piece and the Bent Creek "I Do". I hadn't mentioned it earlier, but DH picked I Do as his favorite, and it looks like I'm leaning towards that one as well. But I still really love the Big Toe one, so I ended up buying that one yesterday for my stash. The I Do wasn't in stock, so they're going to order it and let me know when it comes in.