by admin on January 5, 2009
Do you have a number of projects on the go at a time? I know I do. I have a several projects ‘on hold’ while I complete some Christmas cards and tree ornaments. There are some disadvantages of putting away your long term projects, however – not least being that the momentum of my work is lost, and it takes a lot of willpower to get back into the swing of my former projects. Is it the same for you?
There are a number of tips for storing your projects to enable them to remain in the best condition, ready for when you can return to your project with fresh determination:
1. Between your stitching sessions, store your project flat, or better still, rolled up – with your stitching facing outwards. This will prevent your stitches from being crushed or distorted.
2. Keep your project away from direct sunlight. Store it in a pillowcase or large zip-lock bag to keep dust-free. A dry, sealed container will prevent visits from moths.
3. If you use an embroidery hoop, remove your project from the hoop between stitching sessions. If you use a tapestry frame, then either loosen its side bars or remove the bars completely. You can roll your stitching around the rollers during storage. Never fold your project. This may leave creases that are difficult to remove.
4. Never leave a steel needle in your work. Any moisture will cause the needle to rust, and this will stain the fabric. Either use gold-plated needles, or park your needles at the edge of your stitching.
5. Store every item you need for your project in one place. Keeping threads separately – or the chart (pattern) – in a separate drawer may result in confusion or loss.
If you store your project well, then it will be a delight to return to.
Happy Stitching!
Iona
by admin on January 5, 2009
Regular readers of my Blog will have guessed that I am a bit fussy when it comes to choosing threads. It’s not that I always go for the most expensive things (- in fact in lots of ways, the opposite is true of me), but it’s a fact that when it comes to stitching something really special, I think that it is worth buying threads that look wonderful, and which can produce the very best design possible. After all, a stitched picture will take hours. Is it really worth buying threads that will look lacklustre, or buying threads that are not colourfast? The answer surely must be ‘no’. Not only that, but buying wonderful threads will make a great difference to your finished work.
It is worth looking around to find beautiful threads – and not compromise with the cheap and/or ordinary offers.
For example, I have discovered ‘Hand-Dyed Fibers’ a couple of months ago, and these threads are wonderful, even though I have to order them from halfway across the world. They are truly worth it. They supply highest quality hand dyed silk aimed at stitchers who wish to to create heirloom quality products. Hand Dyed Fibers has over 300 colours in its silk range including variegated colours. These comprise colours from the solid range so it’s easy to mix them and get the look you want.
Silk floss, the most popular item, comes in two weights:
- Regular floss is for one over two stitching on 36-42 count.
- Premimum floss is for one over two stitching on 28-32 count.
Both weights of floss have a monthly assortment at a reduced rate, which can be autoshipped or bought from the website.
The colours used will remain unchanged for 50 to more than 100 years of light exposure with proper mounting and display, and are rated as suitable for artistic use by both the International Standard ISO 105-B and by the ASTM D5398. Perfect for heirloom and reproduction stitching!
The entire colour line was recently reformulated with these dyes, and colours are now based on the DMC colour card by using a machine that scans thecolour. This gives a lightwave read-out of its particular and unique wavelength. The information is then usedto recreate that wavelength read-out on silk, by dyeingthe silk and scanning it until it emits the samewavelength of light as the colour originally scanned.
Hand Dyed Fibers provide conversion charts and packs of threads for popular designs. They also carry a wide range of stitching supplies, including floss and silk perles, silk ribbon and chenille, mother of pearl and finishing items, along with linen.
Check out Hand Dyed Fibers at
www.hand-dyedfibers.com
Perhaps you have a favourite threads manufacturer that you can share with us at Patterns Patch. I’m sure we’ll all be interested to hear of them.
Happy Stitching!
Iona
