Conversion assistance?

On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 18:10:16 GMT, Ruthie wrote:

Do I need to actually separate each strand?
I "discovered" this technique when I started stitching pieces with
blended threads, and noticed that the blended threads tended to lay
better than did the unblended threads, which I had separated from the
main hank (don't know what else to call it) as a joined (twisted
together) pair. So I started separating even the unblended threads.
Then I got online and learned about running each strand across a damp
sponge, then letting the strands dry, before stitching with them, and
lo (yes, that's lo, not low) and behold, the floss railroaded itself
for much of the working length! My answer, after all that unasked-for
verbiage: Yes, by all means, separate each strand. And run each
strand over a damp sponge (or towel) before stitching. Your work will
look *much* nicer.
Darla
Sacred cows make great hamburgers.

Darla wrote:

Your work will look *much* nicer.
Darla
And she should know, considering her recent wins as a first-time
participant at the LA fair!!!!

--
Joan

See my first-ever design he
http://www.heritageshoppe.com/joan.jpg

"Stitch when you are young and poor, frame when you are old and rich."
- Elizabeth's (rctn'r) sister's MIL (Barbara Marr)

Dianne, you are a fount of information, and make me wish I lived near
your shop!

Yes, you can use your thumbnail as a laying tool and you described it
perfectly. Laying tools have several different names and several
different "types", from one that slips on a finger (trolley needle), to
fancy wooden ones to plain stilletos like the kind Clover makes for sewers.

Somewhere - we moved up here (Greeley, CO) a year and a half ago, and I
still have about 80 boxes to unpack - I have a bunch of antique
needlework supplies. Among them were two bone-handled stilletos. One now
lives with my leather-braiding tools, where it's called a "fid." Very handy.

I'm about to embark on a search for that box, because it also contains a
pile of cross-stitch pattern books from the late 1800s - early 1900s.

I convinced myself that I needed
to make it for a wedding present, but the wedding's Saturday, and I
don't think it's gonna happen, do you?


Well, Saturday is rather ambitious, I would think. g

Especially since I haven't started it yet! It's on muslin, and I need a
hoop or scroll bars. I know there are some hoops in that box!


Just out of curiosity, has anyone used one of the plastic finger-picks
they make for guitar players?

Thanks again, you wonderful people!

Ruthie

You might find your very old stilettos are too big for the job. Think
in size of the fattest chenille needle you've ever seen. Or an ice
pick. g

Never tried a guitar pick, but I would think that would be cumbersome.
My husband has some around.

(sigh) My "shop" is only in cyberspace, but I would love it if we could
get together for tea and crumpets and just stitch. A Civil War
re-enactor looked me up today - from 100 miles away, just dropped by.
We had the loveliest conversation. Unfortunately, today is my piano
teaching day, so had to stop. But she promises to come back. In the
meantime, I'll have to practise broderie anglais, since that's what she
wants to do for her costumes. g

Dianne

Ruthie wrote:

Dianne, you are a fount of information, and make me wish I lived near
your shop!

Yes, you can use your thumbnail as a laying tool and you described it

perfectly. Laying tools have several different names and several
different "types", from one that slips on a finger (trolley needle),
to fancy wooden ones to plain stilletos like the kind Clover makes for
sewers.


Somewhere - we moved up here (Greeley, CO) a year and a half ago, and I
still have about 80 boxes to unpack - I have a bunch of antique
needlework supplies. Among them were two bone-handled stilletos. One now
lives with my leather-braiding tools, where it's called a "fid." Very
handy.

I'm about to embark on a search for that box, because it also contains a
pile of cross-stitch pattern books from the late 1800s - early 1900s.

I convinced myself that I needed to make it for a wedding present,
but the wedding's Saturday, and I don't think it's gonna happen, do
you?



Well, Saturday is rather ambitious, I would think. g


Especially since I haven't started it yet! It's on muslin, and I need a
hoop or scroll bars. I know there are some hoops in that box!


Just out of curiosity, has anyone used one of the plastic finger-picks
they make for guitar players?

Thanks again, you wonderful people!

Ruthie

Dianne wrote:

You might find your very old stilettos are too big for the job. Think
in size of the fattest chenille needle you've ever seen.

A who what? g I haven't seen one, yet! Of course, with 6 dogs & a cat,
I avoid anything like chenille. The fuzziest fiber in this house is
Mohair - and I'm allergic to it!


Never tried a guitar pick, but I would think that would be cumbersome.
My husband has some around.

I finally saw a trolley needle - and it looked just like a finger pick
with a yarn needle attached. I could make one from a plastic finger
pick, a plastic yarn needle, and some Superglue!

Well, I have now amassed a small stash of cross-stitchery. I went to my
LNS for advice and floss, and picked up some old copies of JCS, and a
charming kit I've seen and wanted for awhile - a needlebook with lilacs
on it. The Textile Heritage one.

She also has a basket of "scraps." Leftover fabrics from other projects
- remnants, if you will. So I bought a bunch.

Then I went to Joanne's to get some cheap muslins for practice on
non-counted fabric. They had some cheap tiny kits - .99 cents each, and
worth every penny - and no more! I thought they might make nice tree
ornaments. I'm almost done with the first one, and the supplied threads
are so nasty that I think I'll switch to my new Christmas floss
collection. The kitted threads are cotton, like a thicker crochet
thread, except cheap and nasty to the feel.

But they are good for practice. I've already learned a lot - including
that I like cross stitch! - and that I seem to be good at back stitching.

But I wonder about my backs. I found out quickly that I could not run my
end under the stitches without major distortion, so I switched to
catching my tails under as I went. But in several places on this tiny
design, I've had to catch in 3 or 4 threads at once, making a ridge
fatter than any knot I've ever made! If the piece was something I really
cared about, and wanted to frame, I'd be in despair!

Any ideas?

Speaking of newbie questions - is there an archive, or a FAQ, somewhere,
that I can refer to? I'm sure I'm not asking any *new* questions.

TIA,

Ruthie
alowan "at"-symbol earthlink small-round-thing net

Ruthie, you are a scream!! What a hilarious post.

You call them "yarn needles". They're technically "chenille" needles.

Now you're ready to learn about a waste knot. Honest. There is such a
thing. I'll let all the counted stitchers here tell you all about them.
Best thing on three wheels.
I left your post below because if anyone missed it, they'll want to be
sure to read it. I haven't laughed this hard . . . well, that's not
true. Had a good laugh this morning. g
Dianne

Ruthie wrote:

Dianne wrote:

You might find your very old stilettos are too big for the job. Think
in size of the fattest chenille needle you've ever seen.


A who what? g I haven't seen one, yet! Of course, with 6 dogs & a cat,
I avoid anything like chenille. The fuzziest fiber in this house is
Mohair - and I'm allergic to it!


Never tried a guitar pick, but I would think that would be cumbersome.
My husband has some around.


I finally saw a trolley needle - and it looked just like a finger pick
with a yarn needle attached. I could make one from a plastic finger
pick, a plastic yarn needle, and some Superglue!

Well, I have now amassed a small stash of cross-stitchery. I went to my
LNS for advice and floss, and picked up some old copies of JCS, and a
charming kit I've seen and wanted for awhile - a needlebook with lilacs
on it. The Textile Heritage one.

She also has a basket of "scraps." Leftover fabrics from other projects
- remnants, if you will. So I bought a bunch.

Then I went to Joanne's to get some cheap muslins for practice on
non-counted fabric. They had some cheap tiny kits - .99 cents each, and
worth every penny - and no more! I thought they might make nice tree
ornaments. I'm almost done with the first one, and the supplied threads
are so nasty that I think I'll switch to my new Christmas floss
collection. The kitted threads are cotton, like a thicker crochet
thread, except cheap and nasty to the feel.

But they are good for practice. I've already learned a lot - including
that I like cross stitch! - and that I seem to be good at back stitching.

But I wonder about my backs. I found out quickly that I could not run my
end under the stitches without major distortion, so I switched to
catching my tails under as I went. But in several places on this tiny
design, I've had to catch in 3 or 4 threads at once, making a ridge
fatter than any knot I've ever made! If the piece was something I really
cared about, and wanted to frame, I'd be in despair!

Any ideas?

Speaking of newbie questions - is there an archive, or a FAQ, somewhere,
that I can refer to? I'm sure I'm not asking any *new* questions.

TIA,

Ruthie
alowan "at"-symbol earthlink small-round-thing net

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:27:30 GMT, Ruthie wrote:

Then I went to Joanne's to get some cheap muslins for practice on
non-counted fabric. They had some cheap tiny kits - .99 cents each, and
worth every penny - and no more! I thought they might make nice tree
ornaments. I'm almost done with the first one, and the supplied threads
are so nasty that I think I'll switch to my new Christmas floss
collection. The kitted threads are cotton, like a thicker crochet
thread, except cheap and nasty to the feel.

Sounds like you got some NMI Stitch N Hang kits. I agree, worth the
low price tag but not much more. Some of em are kinda cute, though.
I tend to buy them at the FibreCraft outlet store in Niles, IL when
they have their semi-annual clearance frenzy, because then I can get
them for 33 or 50 cents each.

Jenn L.
View My Webshots: http://community.webshots.com/user/jaliace
Current projects:
Chicago Skyline (The Needlecraftsman)
Lady of the Flag (Mirabilia)

Jenn Liace wrote:

Sounds like you got some NMI Stitch N Hang kits. I agree, worth the
low price tag but not much more. Some of em are kinda cute, though.

I had to go check - you're right!

2 of my 4 have nice little designs - the french horn and the candle. I
also got "Beary Christmas" to use as a gift tag on my best friend's
present - she's a teddy bear collector.

I'm also planning on practicing my finishing skills on them, as a step
in working up to the pillow I need to make next month. Practicing
machine stitching things together.

As I was gazing at the first completed one, thinking about that, my mind
made an intuitive leap. I'm great at complicating things, and have been
thinking from the point of view of stitching fabric to a piece of
needlework - i.e. fabric on top, so I have to guess where the edges of
the needlework are.

When my complicated brain makes a leap, it's always to a simple answer.
I suddenly realized that, as the stitches show on the back of the piece,
all I have to do is have IT on top of the fabric!

That gets the V-8 salute! (Picture me slapping my forehead)


I tend to buy them at the FibreCraft outlet store in Niles, IL when
they have their semi-annual clearance frenzy, because then I can get
them for 33 or 50 cents each.

Woo - when are they? And where's Niles? I may be passing through the
southern tip of IL next March.

Ruthie in Colorado
alowan – “at” symbol – earthlink – small round thing - net

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 04:28:10 GMT, Ruthie wrote:

Woo - when are they? And where's Niles? I may be passing through the
southern tip of IL next March.

Well, you'll be at the wrong end of the state to get to FibreCraft =(
Niles is a northwest suburb of Chicago, and I'll be going to
FibreCraft with my mother this coming weekend (the 26th). Gotta see
what new NMI's are out LOL

Jenn L.
View My Webshots: http://community.webshots.com/user/jaliace
Current projects:
Chicago Skyline (The Needlecraftsman)
Lady of the Flag (Mirabilia)