Another Finish: Floss Sorted

Any links in this post are not affiliate links.  They are just there to help you if you are interested.

Yo!

I finished my most recent project:  bobbinating, sorting, and storing my DMC floss!  Yes, I know bobbinating is not a word, but I'm using it anyway.  :-)

Here are all my skeins and cardboard bobbins put on plastic bobbins:

Here's how they look in a box.  They are all sorted by number including the duplicates.  To me, it just makes sense to have them all together.

Yes, I have a lot of DMC 800.  No idea why.  I left room for the bobbins that are in use on my various projects.  

I also entered my entire stash into my XFloss app by Coffee Shop Works.  While this app covers DMC, Anchor, Gentle Art Sampler Threads, and Week's Dye Works, I only use it for my DMC.  I have so many other companies' threads that I keep the rest of them inventoried in AirTable.  I use AirTable to inventory my charts as well.

Here's my collection of DMC.  It only took 7 ArtBin Super Satchel Slim cases to hold it.  ;-)

I bought my plastic bobbins (1,000 at a time, twice) and the Slim cases from Joann's.

My next project will probably be to finish the small quilt on my design wall.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Orts

Hello Fellow Stitchers!

Only stitchers would have a clue about the title of this post.  However, there are a lot of misconceptions about the word itself.  It is a word!  It is not an acronym!  (gasp!)

No, it doesn't mean Old Ratty Threads (I've seen that one and many others).

According to my Oxford English Dictionary (two volumes in a case with a drawer to hold the magnifying glass!  Yes, I'm a nerd!):

Ort  [First found in 15th c. in plural ortys, -us but not usual till end of 16th c.]
Fragment of food left over from a meal; refuse scraps; leavings, broken meat

It has since come to mean pretty much left over bits of anything, we stitchers use it to refer to our clipped thread ends.

On the Heaven and Earth Designs FB group, the question came up about what we each do with our orts.  I mentioned I keep my orts in a bowl made from...orts.  I was asked to show a photo of my ort bowl so I thought I'd share here how I made it.

I don't have any photos of the process but it's pretty straightforward.

Supplies:

• White glue (like Elmer's)
• water
• orts
• balloon (or a bowl, I like the balloon though - it ends up being less messy)
• paint brush, popsicle stick ,etc.
• plastic container for mixing
• gloves to keep you clean

In the plastic container, mix some glue with a little water.  You want to thin the glue just a little bit so that it's easier to spread.  I'd say maybe a ½ teaspoon of water at the most.  I'm guessing about ¼ cup of glue.  It's better to start with too little glue/water.  You can always make more, but it's a messy bother to dispose of any excess.

Blow up and tie off the balloon.  A helium or mylar balloon is really not going to work.   If you use a bowl instead, turn it upside down and cover with plastic wrap (cling film).  The bigger you make the balloon, the wider your ort bowl will be.  You need to be the judge of how big your bowl can be with the orts you have.

Putting the tied end into a bowl will help keep it steady while you're working on it and while it dries.  Using a brush or stick, spread some of your glue mixture on the top of the balloon.    Lay some of your orts on the glued area.   "Paint" some glue on the orts.  Add more orts.  Repeat the glue/ort process in the size and shape you want for your bowl.  When it's the way you want it to look, finish with a layer of glue.  Leave overnight or longer until it's dry.  When you're sure it's dry, pop the balloon.  Enjoy your new work of "ort".  lol

Here's mine:

The coin is a US quarter for scale (about the size of a UK 10p piece).  This bowl measures just under 5" (12cm) in diameter and is just over 2" (5cm) deep.  As you can probably tell from the bowl's shadow, it's not a solid bowl, it's kind of lacy.

Here's a picture of it from the bottom:

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

This and That with Photos!

Hello Fellow Stitchers!

If you're like me, photos of stitchy stuff are almost as good as the actual thing.  Not quite, but close.  ;-)

First off, I forgot (hangs head in shame) to post my last page finish on QS Dragonflies.  This is page 4 done.  The fabric is from Picture This Plus and I purchased it from 123stitch.com.

Once I started on page 5, I realized I was one row too low on most of page 4.  In order to get everything to line up properly, I'm adding a row of stitches as I go.  As least I'm not frogging!

Next up, the pretties that arrived in today's mail from 123stitch.com:

The bunch on the right is part of what I need for an autumn-themed project in the future.  I figured I'd start buying a few each time I place an order.  That way my Paypal account isn't screaming.

The colors on the left are for a project of my own design.  These are all Gentle Art Sampler Threads (GAST).  There are 2 Forest Glade, 1 Acorn (brown), and 7 Weathered Barn.  The WB was a bit darker than I thought it was going to be but looking at it, I think it's going to be perfect!  No, I'm not telling what it's going to be.  No, there won't be any progress photos.  This is for a pattern that hopefully, I'm going to eventually offer for sale so no previews apart from the threads.

Last, but not least, is a photo of the cabinet where I store some of my supplies.  I've redone the look of it after browsing ideas on Pinterest.

Here it is before:

...and here it is now:

The top drawer has miscellaneous "stuff"; second drawer is all my tools (hammer, pliers, etc.); third drawer holds my collection of Mill Hill beads; fourth drawer has stock size frames and mats; fifth drawer is the few cross stitch kits I own; long drawer is stuffed with crochet thread (bedspread/doily type).   The door has been converted into a chalkboard.  Behind it I have a shelf of my glues and paints and the rest is my floss and Kreinik collection.

The bouquet on top is my wedding flowers.  So glad I opted for silk.  After all these years (21 this month), they'd look awful if they'd been real.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy