First Needlepoint Finish 2020 - Two Cabins

It's back from the framers and I loved stitching it.   I figure I'd share the finish after framing was done with all the information shared at the same time.

Designed by Nancy's Needle and the stitching started on December 23, 2019 would you believe it was finished on January 12, 2020 (it's a first for me tracking the start and the finish dates of a project - I probably will continue doing this).
Stitched on 20 Count Mono Canvas as instructed with the called for threads using a #22 Tapestry needle with one strand of:

Snow 09 - Silver 
Watercolours  063 - Black Forest

Watercolours  083 - Pine Forest

Watercolours  136 - Cedar

Watercolours  137 - Copper

Watercolours  159 - Silver Blue

Watercolours  196 - Sable

#5 Perle Cotton 4045 - Evergreen Forest

#5 Perle Cotton 4140 - Driftwood

#12 Tapestry Braid 3203 - Cat's Eye

DMC Floss #310 - Black - 2 strands used with #26 needle

Stitched with the called for Stitches:

Slanted Gobelin

Bargello Tuck (securing tail ends of threads)

Mosaic Stitch

Long Stitch

Horizontal Straight Stitch 

Overall I enjoyed this project and it was easy for me to focus on.
I'll be gone for about a month visiting with my Mom.
TTFN,

Jane

Managing and Tending Leftover Threads

With the assortment of threads I use with my needle arts, for many of them I contain them in a DMC box on bobbins with a "like with Like" mentality.  Seems simple, but it works for me.  As shared previously on this post:  my DMC are all bobbin wound and stored in containers so it's easy to find the thread I'm looking for when starting a project.

When I got into  working with wool and needing the heavier threads I found it easier to  use bobbin buddies while stitching to eliminate any Perle cotton thread tangles yet store them within their weight classes in the compartmentalized boxes after their use.  The warmer colors in one or two containers with cooler colors in another.  Labeling the boxes with their weights 5, 8 or 12.  Then I have another container to hold the specialty fibers such as watercolour/snow/metallics and some of the DMC leftover bits.

I purchased a bobbin die for my Sizzix Big Kick and love how it works for making cardboard bobbins.  When done stitching a project, Typically I'll print out the design I stitched and will use that image glued on one side of a bar coaster and oak tag heavy duty paper glued on the back side.    

You heard that right, a bar coaster.  It's heavy duty enough to hold up to use/abuse with those heavier threads, looks nice and an easy reminder of where I used that particular thread to bout.

I note the type of thread with the color name and number on the oak tag side of the bobbin and store it in a case that's not quite deep enough for them to stand upright in unless they're tilted a tad in the compartment.   I don't go through a lot of these as I just make one to however many more are needing a bobbin when finishing a project.  When asking the bar/restaurant owners and managers if they mind if I take one or two while eating out at their establishments, they'll respond positively to my request - thankfully.

The DMC and Valdani 8 and 12 that I use as they are sold on the ball skeins (how they come) and when in use I will store the balls in the bobbin buddies (seen in the first photo setting on the very top proortion of that stack of plastic boxes in a netted bag)  I purchased those through Bird Brain Design many years ago.  She is selling little glass jars now to contain the skeins of thread with a jar lid having a centered hole.  I don't see the style I use as available anymore on line anywhere, but they are similar to the "toy coin machines" with the colorful capped bubbles with a little prize inside.  The only difference is that there is a hole drilled into the bubble part to allow the thread to be pulled out when needed.  You can actually see those ball skeins in the first photo shared and stored in either warm or cool color combos.  I also love the Wunderlist app on my smart phone (now known as Check it app) to document which brand, color and weight threads I already have on hand.   I use this app for my Accuquilt dies, threads, etc..... I  LOVE IT!!

Recently I thought of color coding my hobbies so am using Orange for Needlepoint.  Anything to help me easily transition from one project to the next besides know at a glance which bag to grab as I head out the door is a boon in my life.   This is probably way more info than you need or want to know, it's just how I roll.  

TTFN
Jane    

I have a whole different system I use for Eleganza (my Sue Spargo) threads I'm using on my current wool project but that  topic is for another day!  Share more later.

Upon reflection and DMC,

After my post on Sunday, I did ponder how I ever got started on my collectives and why.

After much thought, (quite deep and it hurt just a little.. VBG :~) Hopefully I think I have figured out the why of some of it. I have always led a rural life which is one I am blessed to have grown up in and also have raised my family in. As far as great and big selections available locally though, there are limitations in many areas not just threads. So, up to that point I just planned ahead and waited until I went to town to purchase the required pieces needed to do my craft. Then it changed in the summer of 1983 or perhaps some year quite close to that.
I was doing CXS and when finishing a project, I would quickly want to stitch something else. I used to always try to keep my hands busy and actually had trouble stopping and just being at that point in my life. Too much to go into the whys of that now, perhaps a bit of my self proclaimed ADD or OCD was kicking in. Anyways, it was a major hindrance when I didn't have the required threads in stock at home and wouldn't be going into town for several more days. To compensate for that I would routinely buy 10 or 20 skeins of colors I knew I didn't have (courtesy of keeping track on the little DMC cards they used to have available) hoping to acquire the full collection of DMC skeins. Then eureka!  A family vacation to Myrtle Beach and you know about their Wakauma Pottery retail and their prices? Egads!  You'd think I had died and went to heaven.
They had DMC threads priced at 6/$1.00 a too good to be true price, so at that time I finished filling in my collections of DMC.  And you know what they say....THE REST IS HISTORY! Here is my stack of boxes of regular DMC and some of the Kreineks for cross stitch.



The DMC 8 is in another tote in my sewing studio for crazy quilting. Now mind you, they have all different sorts of threads, brands and I continue to do my part in supporting our nations economy, but perhaps I'll challenge myself to brazen away from following these charts so closely and start making the stitchings MY OWN. The next photo is how I organized my other "cross stitch" threads.



The rings seem to work the best for me. On E bay I found a seller that was auctioning off some thread tuxes. The tuxes are actually a long thin bag to hold a skein of thread with a punch hole in it to pull the thread from. That would work for storing, but with a plastic baggie the thread package would be slip siding every witch way. Not great in my mind's thinking. With storing my threads on these rings in a large plastic bag, I can locate what I need quickly (If I have it) and then it can slip on to my thread ring of the current project I'm working on. I did punch an additional hole into the cardboard tags that the threads came on to slip the parts used back onto the bobbin.




Of course with working on a couple of quick Halloween items, I became aware of the Kreinek Glow in the Dark and the DMC Glow in the Dark threads so I did order the Kreinek filament blenders in all the available colours besides a couple of Prairie Schooler patterns, and 2 pairs Kelmscott scissors of LOVE and spiderweb. Drool!

Check out how cute they are next to my recent find at Michaels. When I saw it I thought  Eeeks! a seasonal pincushion. Isn't that sweet, oops I meant kreepy! LOL



Now I'll have to try to wip up an appropriate scissor fob to complete "the package". This is what I'm currently working on.


It a freebie called Boo Thyme from Sandra S. of Homespun Elegance. Love the look of this and since it has a key too, it just appealed to me. Thanks to Berit from the blog of Along the Paths of Pins and Needles is where I found a link to it after my webbing hopping from blog to blog.

And lastly, I just have to share about a fantastic giveaway of HalloweenY items and treasures be given away over at Missy and Annette's ~ 31 Days of Halloween Giveaway!



Check them out for yourselves and good luck! They are both really creative and have a lot of eye candy to check out.

Jane