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Stitching & Crafting Room:  Knotted mess of embroidery floss!! Help!!  |
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poverty girl
True Blue Farmgirl
51 Posts
Kristin
Fremont
Ut
USA
51 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 10:38:43 AM
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I have been doing some embroidered pillows for my Harvest boutique and my 18 month old daughter decided she wanted to help!! =0) What I've got now is huge tangle of floss. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep embroidery floss neat and tidy, and how to label the different colors? I'm always losing the little number thingys, is that even a word =0( ?? Any suggestions would be much appreciated by me, not sure how my daughter will feel when her abstract art of floss is put away ;0)
Thanks,
Kristin
"There ain't no time for looking pretty when you've gotta slop the pigs."--Haddy Rennet |
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Tammy Claxton
True Blue Farmgirl
1559 Posts
Tammy
Glen Burnie
Maryland
USA
1559 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 11:13:28 AM
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You could recycle some old cereal boxes and cut them into 2" wide by 4" long stips that will allow you to wrap your floss around. You can label each cardboard strip as well with the color/ number of the thread. They would be easily replaceable and inexpensive. Any type of cardboard box would do like oatmeal, spaghetti box, etc.. You could also notch each end of the strip to keep the thread safely on the strip. I've done this and it works. I keep everything in big ziplock bags by color. Hope this helps.
Crafty Bay Farmgirl Chapter
"What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger"
Farmgirl #152
http://countryintheburbs.blogspot.com/
http://bigdogmom130.etsy.com |
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soapmommy60543
True Blue Farmgirl
2197 Posts
Ann
Oswego
IL
USA
2197 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 11:41:52 AM
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Kristin, I remember those days, not as fondly as I probably should, but at least I remember them! I like Tammy's suggestions with the cereal boxes. You could also cut the box into a painter's palette-shape and punch big holes in them to loop your floss through. The palette could then be numbered as well. They sell these palette-things in the expensive catalogs, but a cereal box would certainly work as well. When you're done, you can recycle it!
As for putting her "mess" away, I would put it into a shadow box somehow as her first "real" work of art. I handed my daugher a non-toxic water based marker (in case she would rather eat it than draw) and some paper while she sat in her high chair at the tender age of 11 months. She's been drawing and doodling ever since. She learned to write her name at 2, and has been writing in italic cursive since she was 6 (and boy does she have beautiful handwriting!). Get that baby a plastic very dull yarn needle and some old yarn. Let her play stitch on some old burlap or something. Just be sure to keep a very close eye on her! You'll be amazed at how well she'll be stitching (and with you of course) by the time she's 5. And embroidery and stitchin are certainly better for her than video games.
Well, enough of my ranting. Best of luck with your project and blessings to your family.
Ann |
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ranchmama
True Blue Farmgirl
360 Posts
Elise
Rosebud
MT
USA
360 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 12:05:23 PM
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You can keep the skiens in a little sandwich baggie when you aren't working on your project. Then you can write the number on the bag with permenent marker, or just slip a piece of paper in the bag.
I keep all my floss in binders and sheet protectors. When I have something I'm stitching on the skiens I need, scissors, pin cushion and snip har are all in a basket that I can carry with me and put up our of reach so little hands can't get it. That would be my biggest tip, just remember to put it up when you are done. I am amazed when I look at pictures of my house before kids... I had knick knacs out on the coffee table and the lower shelves of the book shelf. Books and magazines stacked around and not messed up and ripped... lol
And give your dd her own stitching. You could give her shoelaces and big wooden beads to string or punch holes in the cereal box to thread. They do sell those wooden cards with laces. This will keep her occupied and give her something to do that will help with her motor skills :)
HTH
Elise
Every Child Deserves Our Love &
A Bear of Their Own
http://ATeddyForKeeps.org
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ranchmama/ |
Edited by - ranchmama on Sep 25 2008 12:06:17 PM |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 4:19:06 PM
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Interesting enough I just had this discussion on a different board. Here's my thread-
I started out with the cereal box method. Now I prefer the plastic bobbins (I rarely use plastic for anything but this is one thing I do use it for). And I love the stickers that DMC makes to mark the bobbins with.
I use the big boxes (I buy them when ever I have a coupon for Michaels 50% off) for storing and the small box is for the current project. I pull out all the thread I'll be using on the current project and keep them in there while in use. That way I can just throw the small box into a backpack with my current project and go, it makes it much more portable. :)
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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oldfashioned girl
True Blue Farmgirl
2391 Posts
monica
oatman
az
USA
2391 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 4:31:00 PM
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Kristen, I can absolutely sympathize with you! My girls got into mine the other day and I was not in the mood to untangle it so I just shoved back in the box for the time being! The boxes like heather has are the best to me and as she said DMC has little stickers to go with the #s!
Heather, my boxes looked like yours before the girls got them!
Please check out the farmgirl fund thread under Gathered Up Forum
Monica
farmgirls rule!
www.justducky48.etsy.com |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 4:38:29 PM
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PS I tried to find the original pics I took of the above and can't. lol Otherwise I would do a close up of the bobbin with the stickers.
Any way, I wanted to add, the numbers are very important if you plan on doing counted cross stitch, as most the patterns you need the exact numbers to get the proper shading and what have you. At least for very detailed cross stitch, there is some simple cross stitch where it doesn't really matter.
I was more of a cross stitcher then a embroider till about 2 years ago so I always made sure I kept all the numbers (wrote them on the home made bobbins when I made them, before switching to the plastic bobbins and stickers).
With embroidery I don't find it as important to keep the numbers but it is nice so that way when I do want shading or varying colors it's much easier to stay with in the exact same color scheme family. Sometimes they look simular but one pink may have more yellow in it while a different one has more blue in it, and putting them together as shading and all don't work so well. But, when you know one is 680, next is 681, then 682 and so on, you get a much nicer shading appearance as they are all the exact same color scheme (maybe that pink is more on the blue side) and the final product looks nicer.
Most the time it doesn't really matter with embroider though. But it is nice.
And my daughter (now 2) has done all kinds of things with my projects. lol I've lost more needles! And found them in the oddest places. I've been very concerned and hoping she didn't eat them! Then my husband finds them in his socks! lol haha
Any way, needless to say I've learned to keep my projects put away now in a back pack by my chair. lol So far she can't get into the back pack!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 4:40:45 PM
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LOL Monica my daughter has done that a few times. I finally wised up, by getting the smaller box, then I keep the big boxes in drawers way up high where she can't get to them. The thread really intrigues her! lol haha
The thing is when I go to pick out thread for a new project I have to make sure she is napping or oh boy! lol haha
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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katie-ell
True Blue Farmgirl
1818 Posts
Katie
Illinois
1818 Posts |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
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poverty girl
True Blue Farmgirl
51 Posts
Kristin
Fremont
Ut
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2008 : 5:09:57 PM
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Thank you girls for the great suggestions!! I've dreamed of having my thread look like Heather's =0) Can you get the plastic bobbins at most craft stores? Are the boxes pretty cheap? Maybe Clancey will get her own special box with a tangle mess of thread!! Not much patience right now to untangle it ;0)
Thanks again to all you wonderful farmgirls!! I'm so glad I found you!
Kristin
"There ain't no time for looking pretty when you've gotta slop the pigs."--Haddy Rennet |
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Jana
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Jana
Eau Claire
Wisconsin
USA
482 Posts |
Posted - Sep 29 2008 : 4:26:54 PM
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I've seen the bobbins online (sometimes called "floss keys") in bulk bags of 500.
I personally use gallon size ziplock bags punched to fit 3 ring binders with the floss in numerical groups (100's, 200's, etc) in each bag. I don't wind them onto bobbins. They are separate enough to keep from tangling but I don't have to sit there and wind and wind and wind when I could stitch and stitch and stitch!
Jana
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2008 : 1:27:50 PM
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Yes, the bobbins can be bought pretty much any where. I bought mine at walmart, especially when they were on clarence when they stopped selling that kind of thing. But, Michael's and the like still sell them. I thought at first they were a little expensive, but when I think they will probably last forever, and I do like using them, and like how neat and tidy they look. It was worth it.
The boxes are very cheap. Walmart still sells them. BUT, I don't like their brand as well. I like the DMC ones the best. I used to only buy the cheap ones, once I bought a DMC one I will not go back, it snaps shut easier, and all the little cubby holes are better, not as uneven and such as the cheaper ones. But, still each box is around 2 dollars! (used to be like 1 dollar). lol But, like I said, I always collect every one around here's 50% off coupons and use them. But, I do that for anything. lol I rarely by from craft stores with out my coupons! lol Almost all of them have coupons. Most will send you them in a email, and you can print as many as you need! lol You will have to go back through the line to use each one. But, it's worth it to me! lol I like to keep as much of my money as possible! lol
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Stitching & Crafting Room: Knotted mess of embroidery floss!! Help!! |
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Knotted mess of embroidery floss!! Help!!
