During Friday’s reorganization, I gathered all my laying tools.
On the top is an African porcupine quill topped with a bead that was made by Patrick B. The middle row starting on the left has an extra Trolley Needle (went to Ebay; my other one is in my travel tool tote). Next is my fancy Celtic laying tool based on the Trolley Needle design that I use at home (it has a blunt end, and I’ve never come close to poking my eye with it). The “Stitcher’s Best Friend” (SBF) is third and has a nice angled tip, so I brought it upstairs to give it a try. The 4th is the “Best Laying Tool” (BLT), but not for me, although I will keep it in the basement cabinet because it says it’s an American style “Tekobari” with a really sharp tip which is needed doing goldwork.
On the bottom is a double end dental tool that I got as a free gift when daily drawings were held at ANG Seminars. It comes in handy for different things!
Since Saturday was ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter Stitch-in, I grabbed the Adjustable Stretcher Bars by Frank A Edmunds (they didn’t keep the canvas tight and easily got bumped out of shape) and my plastic hoops (I will use Morgan hoops or wooden ones wrapped in twill tape) and dropped them off for sale on Ebay.
I also threw in 1 of 2 Crafter’s Pride “Stitch A Ruler” because I plan to stitch a blackwork piece for 1 of them (I won’t need 2).
It may not be much to get rid of, but it’s some progress in a never-ending goal of getting organized.
I’m using my new mug, Taking it one STITCH at a time, from Linda to help me get organized. This is only one of a few gifts for my birthday, which is one of the big ones as far as birthdays go! Thanks to Linda for thinking of me and for the fun new projects (subjects of future posts).
The mug clears up some table space next to where I stitch. The tall wooden holder outgrew my needs and would periodically tip over. But it’s great for holding my skinny tools and scissors. So, I put the wooden holder inside the mug and added the stuff that had been laying flat.
One of my goals is to get organized. It’s tough to get my mind around this, but taking one area at a time is like taking one stitch at a time – right!?! The rest of the table space still needs to be organized, so I am posting only the mug! But, I am going back to my table space now.
We are getting ready for carpet cleaners next week. So, I had to organize my projects that are accumulating in our dining room. There are eleven projects with threads but not on canvases calling me to work on them next! Since I am almost done with three projects, I put four of the projects on bars yesterday. Also sitting around were the needed canvases, bars, and tacks.
Speaking of canvases, I organized my collection of blank canvases that were in several locations throughout the house. I wrapped them up in acid free tissue paper, tagged each with the color and sizes, and now have to figure out where to store them-all together!
I have a whole bag of threads to put into my thread drawers! All those pinks are for a project that I’ve tried a couple of times but haven’t gotten it to turn out yet. I will get what I want eventually. How does this accumulation happen?? I know. I should put them away as soon as I finish the project but that’s not fun!
What four projects are next you ask? One is for my EGA Master Craftsman program Step 5 regarding appliques. I didn’t submit for the November review. This step is more tricky than the previous steps and isn’t something I have done before (or likely to do again). No need to rush.
Two counted projects are using threads from Australia’s Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes. These are on black Congress Cloth.
Lastly, Razzle Dazzle by Ann Strike-Kurz has intrigued me for years. However, I do not want to stitch the whole piece as originally designed. So, I will make a couple of ornaments and maybe bookmarks of the various patterns. While cleaning up, I found the threads from Gail Stafford’s EGA class regarding overdyed threads which should be great for the design.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Crescent Journey, General comments, Melita's Designs, Organization
I finally recovered from a month long viral head cold to visit people this past weekend. We made up for lost time. I took multiple pieces to our monthly ANG Stitch-In Time sessions (please join us at Starbucks on Lancaster Ave in Wayne, PA on the 4th Saturday 10-2 through April). We had another great turnout. From there Bill & I headed to Delaware for a birthday party where I shared my needlepoint exploits (one is also a stitcher) and on Sunday got together with Linda, my stitching buddy.
Linda and I exchanged gifts belatedly. I am fortunate to be the recipient of her first attempts at new patterns. You’d never guess that by looking at anything I’ve gotten so far. And, these 2 project bags are no exception. The bags have beautifully coordinating colors, a zipper closure, a see through plastic front, and a handle! The backs are quilted. Stunning.
I just put one of my current projects, another colorway of Crescent Journey. The threads fit perfectly in the small bag. This colorway looks fantastic in these bags! Thanks again Linda. This is also the project that Linda is proofreading my instructions as she stitches a third colorway.
In addition to some non-needlepoint gifts, I will enjoy these gifts from my husband and sister. How did they know?? Happy Holidays!
Shapes of Needlepoint, Series IV, by Sandra Arthur makes it my 3rd of the series I own now. Great books.
These are the 4 tools that I asked Santa to bring after seeing Linda’s tools at our ANG Main Line meeting. As Buff said, I had tool-envy! The needle storage tubes have magnets to prevent the needles from falling out. I have a seam ripper but the rubber tip on these grab and “erase” the loos threads away. The thimble pack is one I’m not sure I’ll need or use but worth trying. And, I hope the Hummingbird will be helpful threading really small eyes in needles.
There are 12 designs by Madeline Lake that features a different stitch of the month. Each is on 14 mesh and are 5×5 designs. There is a stitch guide on the back of each.
An alphabet book with clown letters – someone needs to have a baby!!
And, a clear plastic project bag. Never have enough of these because apparently, I find starting projects more fun than finishing them!
There are 18 drawers from IKEA with solid color thteads and 6 Like-It drawers from The Container Store on top with various overdyed threads for a total of 24. I still had to have a drawer for EdMar threads for Brazilian Embroidery and threads for 13/14 count canvas in the basement. And, more than likely, the white drawer is too full. So, I am contemplating what to do.
I put 2 hanging magazine holders on the left with velcro to hold thread cards.
Let’s hope this works for awhile. I did find a thread I needed for a project!
I had a great day yesterday with Linda. We looked through the threads I had & found a variety of threads that I must have inherited from others stash. The most interesting was some Belding Corticelli twisted silk on old wooden spools. Since Linda sews she had heard about the threads & knew that it is a strong thread used for making buttonholes. Mary Corbet wrote a great article on the history of the thread. What I have was produced in the U.S. between 1925 and 1932. You can still find some on eBay. I will hold on to this for finishing when I bind edges. I received an interesting note based on experience from a reader: “Be very careful if you use them. The wooden spools leach acids into the silk and not only weaken them but change the colors as well.” So, I think I’ll get rid of them – why take a chance.
Linda is also an amazing sewer and she made this wonderful Catch All Caddy for my retirement. It is just what I needed for my stitching tools and fits perfectly in the living room coffee table. I love the colors and pockets. Inside are cute Stitch Happy items and a cute golf piece that I can stitch for Bill. There is also a bag of spool stockings for contolling threads. What a fantastic, practical gift!
We spent a good amount of time walking around The Container Store and found drawes, drawer dividers, and a couple of bins. Great store. We even had time to organize some of the drawers.
Thanks to Linda for her valuable input, suggestions, and especially the caddy.
All cabinets are done! No major glitches. Didn’t use the feet because I gained just enough space for 2 drawers that will fit on top of each cabinet. Heading to The Container Store tomorrow.
I’ve been sorting threads into color families for several hours on a daily basis and may be not even half done. I didn’t expect it to take this long. Within each major color like red or blue, there are so many color families (10 & more).
In about an hour & a half, I put the IKEA Helmer drawer unit together without swearing or bleeding! Not many screws (only for the feet and handles). Mostly, I just bent metal. Seems very sturdy too. Another day, I will put the other two together. That will give me 18 drawers for my threads.
Each drawer maximizes the available inside space compared to other units I looked at. And, there is a handle instead of an opening which could let dust in. Also, there are small gaps on each side where the drawers were bent allowing the threads to breath. I am putting the 3 cabinets side by side under a counter. But, if I need to expand, they could stack. I would just have to find somewhere else to put them. The overall dimensions are width 11″, depth 16&3/4, height 27″ (with 1″ casters); inside, each drawer measures 9″, 15″, and 3&1/4″. I should be able to use inside dividers or maybe a tray to help keep things neat. That will probably depend on what threads I have in my stash now.
I am going to arrange by color and decided to follow the DMC floss color chart. I sent more time rearranging the flosses than putting the cabinet together. But, I can see color families now which will help me with figuring out color combinations. My stitching buddy, Linda, has graciously agreed to help me sort through all my other threads! Isn’t she wonderful!
Before and after . . .
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 
Filed under: General comments, Organization, Threads
With multiple finishes over the past few weeks, it leaves me with a pile of threads to be stored away. I do it by color. What a mess! I wish I were disciplined to put them away after each project.
How do you manage your threads after finishing a project?