If you have long used the Stitchbow system of keeping your DMC floss, then no doubt you have lost labels! So many times my DMC labels just pop right off when I don't notice, and then I really have to track down what color I've got on there!
But see the one in the middle? Yep, that's pink washi tape. It wraps around there easily and I just write the DMC number and wallah...it doesn't fall off! I think I'll eventually have all the ones I'm using right now relabled this way. And the washi tape is cute, you could color code it for different projects you have going on, and as long as it's a light color you can easily write on it.
Just a little Tuesday tip!
Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch
Look at these gorgeous spring sorbet colors! You could just, well, eat them up! Or, grab a piece of fabric, a needle, and start painting with them. It's that simple. I've displayed the DMC numbers--so go grab them for yourself! The other day, I saw some beautiful flosses on a website, packaged up in color combos (and of course a very marked-up price)...soooo...I went to my local Michaels, and had fun looking through the DMC bins to recreate this fun colorful spring grouping for about 1/4 of the price of that packaged online floss. Now, I'm ready to make some spring bouquets on my jeans! You could stitch a tee-towel--stitch on a white shirt--or even your boring blank lanyard!
It's no secret, I LOVE floss--and I love to floss shop. Even though the price has gone up a bit over the years--embroidery is still probably one of the most inexpensive hobbies around that gives you
1 - gorgeous results (as in hangable, loveable, wearable art)
2 - unlimited imagination--if you can dream it up kids, you can embroider it
3 - a way to create beautiful, meaningful gifts--even if you embroidered a paper bookmark, they love it!
4 - lower blood pressure (that's right, sewing lowers blood pressure, and this is sewing at its finest)
5 -a portable hobby
6 - the ability to go as big or as small as you wish!
Lately I have found myself sketching away little embroidery designs in a little book--as I pulled out a new, blank pair of jeans to embroider (I'll keep you posted on that project), I realized my little book might become some published designs--who knows! I get an idea, I sketch it down, and then when I'm ready to embroider, I have my little design collection. So fun.
You can read my floss story right here--how it all started.
This weekend I stocked up on my clothespins, and wound up some more. Even though I have a wonderful DMC stitchbow bag (all organized for a certain book of projects), and a big library of flosses I started many years ago--pre-internet, through mail order, I bought the entire DMC collection for $15! full skeins!--I keep floss stashed everywhere. But that first big floss purchase formed the basis of my library and I keep the bulk of the collection in a huge tub filed in little bags.
But, at the same time, I love also having a tin of flosses...a basket of flosses...and even some stuffed in a jar. I have some floss in my wallet with a little tiny square of aida to stitch a heart if I'm ever stuck somewhere and bored--and I carry a project with me every day.
I can't help it. I love floss. It's a skein of happiness...or...lots of skeins of happiness!
Eat, Write, Dream on a Skein, Stitch
A little bird told me that embroidering on felt can be very habit forming! I have had a lot of fun crossing over into the world of embroidery, from my safe nest in cross-stitch land. Felt squares at my Hobby Lobby (we affectionately call "Hobb Lobb") went on sale, and I loaded up. Like cross-stitch, embroidery lets you paint with threads--DMC floss being my choice. The difference is, embroidery seems more free, and goes a lot faster. Learning some of the classic embroidery stitches takes no time at all, and you will love the results. Recently I heard a lady DJ on a local poprock station talking about how people should get over their failed love lives, even if they have to do something as boring as go to the Library and attend a lecture on needlepoint. I thought that sounded rather exciting, I wish we had more workshops on needle arts around here, so I guess I've officially become totally boring! (Woo hoo! I'm doing the "boring" dance) Actually though, what we do is not your grandmother's needlepoint--it is an art, and if we do something "grandmotherish" we call it "vintage." So there, lady DJ. I challenge you to an embroidery session with boring me! Ha! Anyway, I I did send off to the DMC people to become a DMC mentor. When I get my free kits in the mail, I'm thinking about holding a cross-stitch/embroidery workshop at my church. I think that sounds like a great way to connect to other embroidery artists and create new ones!
Needless to say, I couldn't wait to gather some branches and hang my little birdies, as soon as I had stitched up several. They were so easy to make--I just cut a pattern in the shape I wanted for the bird body and the wings, cutting a total of four bodies and four wings for each bird, two in ecru and two in a color. I embroider some of them on one side, and then stitch it all together with a ribbon hanger. So fun! And a great way to help me recover from my yucky cold that plagued me for over a week. I'm still stitching birdies, but I've also moved onto owls--ornaments for our themed Harry Potter Christmas tree! My craft corner is quite the Santa's workshop lately.
Stitch up a little joy.
A little bird told me that embroidering on felt can be very habit forming! I have had a lot of fun crossing over into the world of embroidery, from my safe nest in cross-stitch land. Felt squares at my Hobby Lobby (we affectionately call "Hobb Lobb") went on sale, and I loaded up. Like cross-stitch, embroidery lets you paint with threads--DMC floss being my choice. The difference is, embroidery seems more free, and goes a lot faster. Learning some of the classic embroidery stitches takes no time at all, and you will love the results. Recently I heard a lady DJ on a local poprock station talking about how people should get over their failed love lives, even if they have to do something as boring as go to the Library and attend a lecture on needlepoint. I thought that sounded rather exciting, I wish we had more workshops on needle arts around here, so I guess I've officially become totally boring! (Woo hoo! I'm doing the "boring" dance) Actually though, what we do is not your grandmother's needlepoint--it is an art, and if we do something "grandmotherish" we call it "vintage." So there, lady DJ. I challenge you to an embroidery session with boring me! Ha! Anyway, I I did send off to the DMC people to become a DMC mentor. When I get my free kits in the mail, I'm thinking about holding a cross-stitch/embroidery workshop at my church. I think that sounds like a great way to connect to other embroidery artists and create new ones!
Needless to say, I couldn't wait to gather some branches and hang my little birdies, as soon as I had stitched up several. They were so easy to make--I just cut a pattern in the shape I wanted for the bird body and the wings, cutting a total of four bodies and four wings for each bird, two in ecru and two in a color. I embroider some of them on one side, and then stitch it all together with a ribbon hanger. So fun! And a great way to help me recover from my yucky cold that plagued me for over a week. I'm still stitching birdies, but I've also moved onto owls--ornaments for our themed Harry Potter Christmas tree! My craft corner is quite the Santa's workshop lately.
