Tuesday Tips - Tutorial on how to secure your thread neatly

I was going to save this post for a later date, but I realized I’ve been slacking lately. So here is my first official tutorial! It is also going to be posted on the Etsy CREST blog this week as part of their needlecraft week. (If you don’t follow etsyCREST, you should! :-) )

Many of my friends comment on how neat the back of my stitching is. True, there is a bit of planning involved in my stitching “trail,” but much of it is how I secure my thread when I begin stitching. This may be non-traditional for many and some may feel that I am cheating. It is a sort of knot, which is a no-no in cross stitch! But it’s a nice flat knot, I assure you! (I’m such a rule breaker!) This was taught to me by a friend of my mother’s when I was a few years into my stitching habit.

Note: This only works if you are stitching with an even number of strands.

1. Start by cutting a piece of floss twice as long as you normally work with. I tend to cut mine about arm’s length.

2. If you are stitching with 2 strands (the most common), separate out only 1 strand of floss. Fold it in half and thread the open ends through the eye of your needle, leaving the loop on the end you will stitch with.

3. Bring the needle up through the back and make your first stitch as you normally would. Instead of leaving a “tail” to stitch over, bring your needle through the loop and pull taught. This creates the flat knot. (Images are of the back of the fabric.)

Note: Don’t pull too tight or you risk pulling the knot through to the front.

4. Continue stitching as usual and when you come to the end, thread the needle behind the last few stitches as you normally would. Be sure to clip the threads close to the fabric so you don’t leave thread hanging out. In the images, I started in the bottom left corner and ended in the top left corner.

So essentially the back looks the same as before, you just have fewer “beginning and ending” spots visible, which makes it look just a little cleaner.

My Boys

Who wouldn't love these guys?  They make me smile.

Friday Fun Finds - Upcycled and Recycled!

I'll be honest:  the most recycling I do is separating my paper from plastic for the recycle guys on Monday morning.  It always amazes me what people come up with for their old stuff that may still have a little life left.  So, what do they do with all those things? Well, these fun finds have found some truly unique uses for old jeans, records, and magazine advertisements.

I don’t have any children myself, but I understand they grow up fast, often before their clothes run out. So, unless you have other children who need the old hand-me-downs, you can find a use for those jeans. For example, Nico Papergoods has made these great little journals out of children’s clothes. They come with a pocket already attached for holding pencils, markers, or other small treasures. Check out the other journal designs and map notebooks from this Swiss-born bookbinder!

Remember those days of old when we pulled out the old turntable to listen to some tunes? Well, those days are gone with iPods and such, but I’ll bet you can’t part with all those old LPs. Reclaimed Wreckage found a use for her’s in the form of a unique purse. Molded carefully and secured with a seat belt, this makes for an interesting accessory. This girl can find a use for anything: plastic shopping bags, spiral plastic rings, newspapers, bike tires. I think she’d be able to turn just about anything into a piece of jewelry, bag, or other accessory.

And finally, you know all those magazine subscription cards that fall out of your favorite zines? Don’t throw them away! Let Make Shop Live turn them into an address book for you! It makes perfect sense: the name, address, and sometimes phone and email lines are already there. Keep checking their shop this summer for more items that didn’t get thrown out!

Now that you’re inspired by all these cool ideas, go turn that old shower curtain into something fun!

Thursday Threads - Kreinik.com

I’ve been spending a lot of time on the Kreinik website lately. This company is mostly known for their metallic threads but I’ve discovered they also have a lot of other cool stuff.

I originally went on there to see if they had any free patterns since I’m always looking for freebies. And they certain have a good selection! Everything from beads and crochet to stamping and scrapbooking. So of course, I headed straight to the cross stitch section where I found a cute Valentine’s Day pattern for conversation hearts (like the candies). It uses Silk Mori thread and Eyelet heart “Tokens and Trifles” sewing cards. Well, I missed Valentine’s Day so I’m definitely keeping this in mind for next year! The heart sewing cards are a bit expensive (about $10 each), but I bet I can do something similar on regular perforated paper with a nice border.

So then, I surfed some more and found a lovely Easter egg ornament pattern. It uses several pastel metallic threads, Stik ‘n Puff shapes, and trim, all stitched on 28 count Jobelan pastel fabrics. Well, I have time until Easter so I thought, “What a great idea!” There are lots of specialty stitches on these so my talents will be tested! Might be good fodder for a future “Tuesday Tips” blog…

I then went to the “Kreinikmall” to place my order for the threads. This is where it got a little confusing. Apparently you don’t buy directly from Kreinik but through stores that sell Kreinik products. So I clicked on my nearest shop, placed my order, and voila! I then got an email from the shop stating they would order it next week and I would get it soon thereafter. I’m beginning to think I might not make it by Easter, at least not for any Easter sales. Chalk this up to experience!

So, what else can you find at Kreinik? Of course, there are the threads and braids: metallic, machine sewing, silk, iron-on, real metal, and embellishments. Then there are color cards, “Tokens and Trifles” sewing cards, various kits, sewing tools, tapes for costuming, paper crafts, and fly fishing.

That’s right: fly fishing. Apparently this company makes materials that are durable enough to make fish flies. Everything from thread to patterns to foam tying discs and special scissors. I don’t think the hooks are included. I guess fish like the shiny threads too. Who knew?

Another item of interest on the website is the Education section. Here you can find videos, a stitch library, and other articles. The stitch library may not always give specific instructions, but the diagrams are nice as are the hints on when to use each stitch.

I will definitely have to come back and see about these new holographic threads.  The flecks of color in them create a 3D effect. Hmmm… psychedelic Easter eggs…