Quality Needlework Supplies

Circumstances are difficult now, for everyone and just about everything. One of the things that has been a hurdle much of the time is getting supplies via internet. Let's face it, for many of us ordering on the world wide web is usually what we have done in the past for many of our needleworking supplies. I do not have a local needlework shop and sometimes have to rely on big box stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. The problem is they do not stock a very comprehensive supply of needlework supplies like they used to. Typically they are down to half an aisle at best. I used to go to them all the time for my fabrics in the 80's but now my best bet is to shop online for them. I use larger pieces of 14 ct. Aida and most places do not stock it. I have noticed that online shops do not stock it like they used to either and those that do are usually sold out of it, especially now. Many times you are not even sure about the manufacturer since they don't list it. I asked to be notified recently of a sold out large size 14 ct. Aida. I was notified alright, but it seems hundreds of others were on that list because when I checked my email that same day and went to order it, guess what, it was already sold out! 

So, I can opt for a much larger piece than what I need and pay a hefty price for it or I can keep hoping and praying that suppliers will start making sure that we have good quality supplies available when we need them. I understand there are delays due to COVID19 and we are all in the same boat when it comes to shipping. Believe me I get it because I am always waiting on something to be delivered in 4 or 5 weeks that used to take one. But there is a bigger issue here that concerns me. What kind of quality are stitchers getting in their supplies? Why has there been such a slowly diminishing pool of them, especially with retailers?

I'll be honest, I personally don't see a shortage of stitchers, especially counted embroidery. When I shop online, even before the pandemic hit, many things were always sold out and you had to wait on them on reorder. Social media platforms have no lack of cross stitch sites and designers with thousands of followers. So what's up? I know there are lots of great small businesses that have sprung up that dye their own fabric, but I'm just looking for plain old white 14 ct. Aida. And who knows who makes it and what kind of quality it is. Charles Craft, Wichelt, Zweigart and MCG were the go to companies but Charles Craft has been absorbed by DMC and MCG is no longer in the counted cloth business. Here is what I found when just trying to get a high quality black 14 ct. Aida. If you don't think there are differences, think again, this should change your mind.

Here are 3 different pieces of 14 ct. black Aida.
As you can see, the darkest black is on the right. 
That piece was made by MCG and I was lucky to
have it in my stash, otherwise I would have to
settle for the others. So why can't I get a truly
black piece of black Aida? 

My question is simple. Why aren't manufacturers giving us the best quality for our money? Why should we settle for varying degrees of gray when we actually need black? Counted embroidery is important, I don't care if it is an ornament for grandma or a museum collector piece, and deserves the high quality you would find in paints, sculptures, ceramics, basket weaving, etc.. Our ingredients determine the quality of the product we produce and we need high quality. 

My goal is to not only produce my own artistic interpretation of counted embroidery but to also make people aware that this is a serious art form. Whatever label you want to attach to it, Fine Art Craft or Fine Craft, it is Art and it is about time it is given the place it deserves in the art world. Right this minute, we have thousands of people, men and women, doing cross stitch. They may not ever want to do more than stitch ready-made patterns and kits. But there are others that are going to expand on what they have learned and decide to do more with it, and those others deserve to have a place in the world where they can show what this art is all about. The difference between paint by number and fine art is no different than stitching a kit versus making a piece of original counted embroidery art. Give us the tools we need to make it so and let us thrive. Let others enjoy the beauty we create and let our fellow stitchers cheer us on in this journey. What I do now I hope will make a difference for everyone else that follows and that is worth the fight. In the meantime, what do we do now to make suppliers realize it and produce what we need? 

Happy Fall to All and a First Look at "Star Maiden"

So here we are again in the fall season and I don't know about you but I am glad to see the end of 2020 getting nearer. What a crazed filled year it has been and I look forward to 2021 with hopeful expectations.

Right now I am going through some transitions with my art and art career. I decided last September that I was going to step away from my column on Mr. X Stitch and devote my full time attention to creating art work. So far I have completed two pieces (one of which is at the framer's) and working on the third which is in its final phase. The work at the framer's is not part of the series, it is a stand alone piece that I started then stopped quite a few years ago. I revised the fibers and their colors and started fresh with it. The title is "La Petite Fleurs". I'll get to that in future posts. 

I decided to work in a series I call The Maiden Series. The first was "Iron Maiden", the second is "Star Maiden" and the third is "Flower Maiden". These works have been in progress, design wise, for years, so it was about time to get it down on paper and stitch them up. Now here's the thing about needlework art, speaking exclusively to cross stitch, it is slow going. That means only a handful of pieces can be produced in a year. I have found that in making my own work, and doing it the right way, is a back and forth of design changes, fiber changes, and fabric changes. Some designs, such as "Star Maiden" that I am working on now, is a difficult one because my stitches have to lay all one way, yet my design is sideways and upside down. It is also on black Aida which is extremely difficult for me since the holes are near impossible to see and that means stitching by feel of where the needle goes more than seeing it. Oftentimes the needle finds the wrong hole and it has to be redone. Sometimes more than once. Very time consuming indeed. The struggle is very real.

Speaking of the black Aida, I went through three different kinds of black Aida before I found one that was truly black, which of course took about two weeks since I had to order them. The best pick was by MCG, which I had in my stash all along and was very fortuitous since they stopped making it two years ago. If I ever have to use black again, and I am hoping I never do, I will probably have to dye black Aida even blacker. That's crazy, but that is what I have to do in order to keep quality standards high. So be warned that black Aida is not that black with most manufacturers now. 

This brings up another topic I will address more in future blogs, that of quality supplies for cross stitch.

I will update soon on the project and posting more on important subjects of needlework art in the future so stay tuned!

Progress so far of "Star Maiden"

Framed and matted "Iron Maiden"

SHARP AND TO THE POINT-SCISSORS AND OTHER MUSINGS

 

The Scissor Squad
I love a good pair of sharp embroidery scissors and although I love all the different styles and decorative effects they have now, I am going to talk about my squad of scissors and why I chose them to be at the ready whenever I stitch.

I have five pairs of scissors handy whenever I stitch, although the fifth pair is kind of a standby of sorts. I have two pairs of Havel's scissors, one is notched and the other has a curved tip. These are the two most important pairs because they both are less prone to accidentally cut stitches that shouldn't be cut. Stitchers know that it takes one little misplaced snip to cause a catastrophe on a project. These are not expensive scissors and easily replaced if they get lost or become dull.

 Next up is a pair of serrated embroidery scissors. Why serrated? Because they are ideal for cutting metallic threads, like the DMC Diamant, Kreinik metallics, and Glissen Gloss Rainbow Filament. This is what they are made for and saves the rest of the squad from getting dull quickly. I'm not sure who made the pair I use, the only mark is it was made in Italy. They are very well made because I have used them for years without any problems and still cut like new.

The next is a small pair of Fiskars that are perfect for cutting out small items such as for applique, snipping those stray bits of material that come loose, and any other miscellaneous jobs that I don't want to use for my mainstay embroidery scissors. Small, sharp and a handy size, in other words perfect all purpose work horse.

Lastly is a pair of Clauss, Titanium, non-stick scissors. These are really great scissors, well-made and very sharp, and I specifically got them for snipping through sticky labels and such. However, I rarely have to cut through sticky labels or glued things, so I just keep them around just in case. I do use them for other things too, but I think they were more of a want than a need purchase. I would probably get more use out of them if I was a paper crafter.

In addition to all these I have a nice pair of travel scissors. These were probably the most expensive of my squad I guess because they are compliant with commercial travel requirements as well as just being good for travel in general. Since these were so pricey though and I don't like to fly, they don't get much use at all, which is good I guess since I would be very upset if I lost them because of the replacement cost.

Large or Small Squad
Do I have scissors in addition to what I have mentioned? Of course I do but very few are decorative. I've got a large and small stork as well as a rooster scissor. The rest are just good utility scissors that can be used for hand stitching, some I don't even have a clue as to their origins, they just appeared in my studio. Maybe they're from the same dimension my needles disappear to! LOL! Although I think it would be cool to have scissors decorated for each holiday or a cute theme, quite honestly I just don't have the room and I would never use them except to maybe take Instagram photos. Besides, I would rather spend my hard earned money on fibers or fabric. Those I would get some use from.

Tweezer Picking
I couldn't let tweezers get left out of this discussion because they are an important tool that is sort of, kind of, in this category. This is strictly a subjective tool because I know so many stitchers that use so many different tweezers and they all work for them. My go to tweezers are a pair that I get in the cosmetic section of just about any store and are a scissor type tweezer. They are easy to hold and grip great, I mean they have to if you are going to pluck your eyebrows with them, right? LOL! I have a pair dedicated for needlework and one for eyebrows and do not interchange them.

Needle News-More to Come-
I received a recent order of DMC #28 Tapestry Needles and being anxious to try them out, soon discovered they wouldn't fit through my Swarovski crystal 2.5mm beads. I tried a package and a half out of 5 and figured that was enough to determine none of them would work. So although these needles are still going to come in handy for a lot of other projects, I am going to look into some #28 John James Tapestry Needles to see if they will work instead. I want to note that the DMC #28 Tapestry Needles work great with the Miyuki 11/0 Delica Beads as will the #26.

I am also going to test the Sullivan's Easy Guide Ball-Tip Needle. I've been curious about whether these are easier to use so it will be interesting to see how they perform. News on this next time.

The Wrap
In the end these are scissors that I have found to work the best for what I make. Like any good artisan, quality tools help put out quality work, so they hold a place of great importance. I recommend having these, or similar, cutting tools for your needlework, out of harms way of children of course, but someplace handy too where you can grab all of them at once. It saves time, which we never have enough of, and headaches, which we don't ever have time for.

Till Next Time-
"I have a profound interest in embroidery, as I have female ancestors on both sides who embroidered their way through great trials."  Emil Ferris, American Writer, Carrtoonist, and Designer

Keep Creating!

IT'S A NEEDLE THANG!

Hello All My Wonderful, Creative Stitchers Out There and a Big Happy Valentine's Day! Can you believe we are halfway through February already? 2020 is already flying by fast and there is so much to do and talk about this year so let's get to it shall we?

I have to tell you that after a year of doing the Mr. X Stitch column, "Confessions of a Cross Stitcher", I am ready to get back to my blog and business. It was a wonderful opportunity and of course I loved working with Jamie and Ailish, but I really needed more time to devote to getting work done with my cross stitch and business so it was time to retire and get back to them. If you haven't had a chance to sign up for the Mr. X Stitch newsletter and visit the website, I would encourage you to do so. Jamie is truly dedicated to the needle arts and works hard to showcase their diversity in the 21st century and possibilities beyond it.

Getting Stuck on Needles 101
I'm not going to get into the history of needles since the beginning of time, but I will tell you something amazed me about the importance of them while I was reading David McCullough's book John Adams. In a letter from his wife Abigail, she asks him to bring back sewing needles for her since they were getting scarce where she was. That really struck me! I mean, here she is at their home, battling disease, raising a family with an absentee husband, worrying over the talk of war with England, and she is requesting needles. I never realized their value until I read that since we take them so for granted now. What a revelation! So let's give these little, hard workers their due.

So I've used a lot of different needles because there all different types for different sewing jobs. Here I am going to specifically talk about tapestry needles for cross stitch.

Thankfully we have a lot of different needles to choose from when stitching, in a lot of different price ranges. I am going to speak about my personal preferences and what I use since this has proven successful for me and my own experiences with them.

Sticking Points
Let's talk about the different brands. There are several to choose from. I haven't used the Bohin or Tulip needles, but I have heard they are very nice working needles. My preference turns to brands that are inexpensive and widely available. That includes John James, DMC, Boye, and Sullivan's (although Sullivan's isn't as available as they used to be-at least here in Oklahoma). They all come in a wide variety of sizes in tapestry too. Personally, I am very hard on the smaller needles, sizes 26 & 28, and being able to replenish my supply quickly is an advantage for me. Right now my go to needles are more the DMC brand. They are well made, strong and available just about everywhere.

Get to the Finish
While different brands come in different finishes, this really is subjective as to preference and performance. I know stitchers that swear up and down that the gold and platinum finish needles are so much better to work with and enjoy using them, and they are not wrong. I have bought and used them and for me and the way I work, the finish doesn't make that much difference to me. I consider my needles collateral damage in my projects because I either break them or lose them, so investing in top notch, expensive needles is not practical for me. When I say break, I am talking about the eye of the needles. The actual shafts in the smaller sizes I manage to bend, another cause for replacement.

Size Does Matter
Tapestry needles come in thick large sizes to petite thin sizes. The larger the number, the smaller the needle. I have accumulated a large range of tapestry sized needles because I use a lot of different fibers and the fiber is what essentially determines the size needle you will use. The larger the needle the larger sized fiber you can use or a larger number of strands. Something really important to consider in counted stitch is the friction of the fiber going through the hole of the fabric. The larger the needle, the larger the hole it will make for the fiber to stitch through. The less friction, the less wear and tear on your fiber. 

My go to needles are sized 22 to 28. I stitch primarily on 14 ct. Aida (because I love it) so I can use a larger needle usually 22-24. When I bead with Swarovski crystals or Miyuki Delica beads, I use a 28. No, I don't use a beading needle and here's why. Have you seen them? They are extremely long, not very stiff, and the eye of the needle is almost microscopic. I have tried them and for stitching on counted fabrics they did not work for me at all. First of all I don't string my beads in a group and then stitch them on. I stitch each bead individually because I like that sturdiness you get when you do it. If one bead falls off, chances are the rest of them will stay put instead of a rope of them spilling off the work at once. The size 28 needle I use is the DMC brand. I have found that eye to be the best when going through holes of beads, especially the Swarovski, since the holes are not very consistent in size and some are too small for even a size 28 to go through, which is why I always purchase extra Swarovski's for a project to compensate for those I can't use. Some Swarovski will be a tight squeeze for the needle but it can go through. This is hard on the more delicate eye of the needle and causes it to break more often.

Something I have noticed here recently, like as of this week recently, is that it was hard for me to find the DMC #28 Tapestry needles. Many places I shop online had all the other sizes but were either out of stock on the 28's or you couldn't find them at all, even on the DMC website! That would be a shame if they stopped carrying them because for stitching beads with counted cross stitch they more than fit the bill, especially with the Swarovski's.

Also, don't worry too much if you get your needles mixed up in the different sizes. You can pretty much tell the 26 and 28 from the larger 22 and 24. I was so anal at one time about having the right needle with the right fabric but in time I learned that the right needle with the right fiber was even more important. If you keep that in mind, you will know which needle to use no matter if you know the size or not.

Where to Stick It


My mini pin cushion along with two needle threaders I use.
You can't see it but the large Dritz threader is well used and
bent up. The smaller threader is handy but seldom used. An
"if needed" standby.

It really doesn't matter if you use a pin cushion or a needle minder or just stick it in the arm of your couch, use whatever you enjoy the most. I have tried and tried to use needle minders (needle keepers) because they are pretty cool and come in so many wonderful designs. However, I am notorious for losing needles, even right off the fiber, and soon learned that needle minders would have to be electromagnetic for my needles to stay on them. So I use pin cushions and usually have several different sized needles in them for using with floss and beads.
 

Front of needlebook I recently purchased from a shop on Etsy. Very well made
and reasonably priced. Love it!

 

The inside and first "page" filled with needles and ready to go!

I recently purchased a needle book on Etsy where I can put my needles and won't have to keep going through the needle supply drawer whenever I need one. Since I am always losing or breaking them, I decided I just wanted to put a bunch of different sizes in one place that I could carry with me from room to room or even when traveling. The needle book is perfect because each sized needle has its very own page in the book. So my first page has 28's, second page has 26's, etc.

Accessories for Needles

When dealing with needles these are indispensable. Magnetic wand on top and
rubber gripper on the bottom.

What do you need to have on hand for working with your needles? How about a needle threader?! With my eyesight I have to have one now at all times. It saves time and gets the job done. I have torn up a lot of those little wire threaders and so now I just use the big Dritz one that is just about a one size fits all. I still keep a wire threader for those teeny tiny eyed needles that the Dritz is too big to fit.

Have a needle puller or grabber on hand since sometimes those needles get stuck behind those stitches on the back and you need that extra grip to get it through. I just use the little round rubber gripper.

Get a magnetic wand! You have to have one of these to help you recover your dropped needles. They aren't expensive and come in handy for other things too, like grabbing screws from small areas. My couch eats my needles so I discovered the wand doesn't work in whatever dimension they go to, they are just gone for good, which is why I buy a lot of needles. If they ever do reappear, I'll be the first to know it since I'm the only one that sits in that spot.

Recycle Them

Handy-dandy recycle for your needles.

Yes you can recycle them! I found a Needle Recycler at Marilyn's (Stoney Creek) website that is made by Singer. It is a plastic vial that comes with the address of where to send it when you are done filling it up. You can put any type of needle in it, so even machine needles can go in there as well as any type of sewing needles. How eco friendly is that?!

Finale
So there you have it, all the information I have about needles that I have learned over the last 25+ years. They are wonderful little work horses whose value we often overlook, until like Abigail, when we are not able to easily get them.

Have a wonderful week! Next week we will discuss scissors! Like the potato chips, you can't have just one!

Keep Creating!

I'm Back!

Hello, Hello, Hello, all my wonderful, amazing stitchers! I have missed you and my blog but have been so busy with so many things it was hard to keep up with it all but even in my absence I was thinking of AND missing my blog. So here we are coming into spring and new beginnings. I just love this time of year when things turn green and lush again. So let's get started on fun stuff for spring shall we?

PAINTS, PAINTS, AND MORE PAINTS!
I love the fact that there are lots of paints out there that can be used on fabric and can add so much to cross stitch. But let me stress before I go further that it is IMPERATIVE that the sizing be washed completely out of the fabric before paint can be applied. The best way I have found to do this is to let the fabric soak for a while to loosen the sizing and then I use dish detergent to wash and then rinse it several times. I can hear gasps out there at the mention of dish detergent but that is what I have used for decades and it works great for me. Aida cloth, to me, is like the "bulldog" of cross stitch fabric, it is tough and takes just about anything that is thrown or sewn on it.



A sampling of all the beautiful colors this amazing paint comes in!

You can see here the whipped consistency of the paint. The sample in the middle shows an Aida piece with the sizing still on it, as well as some gilding flakes. Although the sizing didn't seem to affect the gilding flakes, it certainly made the paint chip off. Lesson learned!

I recently ran across a product by Viva that I believe is nothing short of fabulous! Inka Gold is a creamy paint that takes on a metallic or very shiny appearance on Aida fabric. It comes in nice sized jars and has bee's wax as one of the ingredients. That has to be what gives it the buttery consistency. It comes in a very wide range of colors so a great palette to choose from. This will NOT adhere to sized fabric, trust me, I learned the hard way. It will just chip off. It stays beautifully when the fabric has all the sizing removed. What is so lovely about this paint is that it is multipurpose so you can put it on just about any other surface as well. It can be applied thinly and then cross stitched over but then you really do miss out letting the true beauty of this paint come through. From what I have seen on the videos, I will caution you to not put your fingers in the paint. Get a clean tool of some kind (small palette knife is perfect) and get the amount needed out of the jar with it. DO NOT put your fingers in the jar because it can, and does, transfer cooties from your fingers that results in mold growing in it, and who wants to deal with that mess?! You can play with your fingers in it outside of the jar just don't put anything you touched back in the jar.

Here are some of the Viva Pearl Pens. Nice size so you get a good amount for your money!

Great examples of the lovely little pearl drops the pens make! Love this product!

Viva Pearl Pens
I am absolutely astounded by this product! Why haven't I seen this before!!! So I this product on sale and decided to give it a try. It does what the name says, makes those beautiful little pearl domes on a surface. After giving the first one a go, I ordered a bunch more, because it is amazing. It does make perfect little domes and is super easy to use. The tips are already on it and the size you need to make multiple sizes of pearls and it does settle into the dome without the Hershey Kisses twist at the top. It comes in a great assortment of colors too and here is the real kicker (drum roll please!), it comes in a transparent version that looks like drops of water. So you can use this to look like rain drops, dew drops, or whatever your imagination can dream up!

Future Posts
Since I have been busy in the studio and doing the monthly "Confessions of a Cross Stitcher" column on the Mr. X Stitch site, I will be posting on my blog at least once a month and possibly twice if I can pull it off. More than likely these posts will be at the end of each month, so I will be posting here again the end of May.

KEEP CREATING!

Fun Stuff!

Okay all my lovely creatives out there let's have some fun and fun this time means let's make some needle minders (or needle nannies if you prefer). Now I found this fabulous website called Stitched Modern and she had so much neat stuff it was hard to pick and choose while on budget. However, one of the things that really caught my eye were these button covers. Now I know these things have been around forever but I never really paid much attention to them figuring they would probably be too complicated for me to deal with but when I got to looking at them this time I realized what terrific needle minders they would make.

So let me explain. I am a pin cushion kind of gal, not surprising since I was raised with them. So when needle minders first showed up in the cross stitch shops I was eager to try them out. I got a couple but soon realized the magnets were not very strong considering the amount of tossing my projects get. So I went back to my pin cushions. Fast forward to now and they have come a long way. The magnets are improved and they come in a gazillion different shapes and sizes. I even know needle workers that collect them! For me, and maybe it's because I like things a bit more personalized, they just didn't ring my chimes. The button covers changed my mind. I thought about all the amazing fabrics that were out there and how much fun it would be to use them. So the first one I made was an experiment with the fabric I had on hand. It was Halloween bat fabric and I couldn't believe how easy it was to make and changed my mind about needle minders forever.

Here is what it took:
Dritz Button Covers in three different sizes.
Fabric scraps I got at the Wal-Mart paying about 0.99 each
Earth Magnets in various sizes in a tin from Amazon (Can't recall the price)

Following the instructions, I traced a round circle from the template on the back of the package. Then I cut a piece of cloth to the template size. Now there is a shank on the back of the top part of the cover. It is so easy to just push it down flush to get it out of the way. For the larger size I pulled the wire out. Next you just push the fabric onto the teeth that go around the top part, doing opposite sides first and then the remaining sides. They say you can use a pencil eraser but I just did it by hand. Once you have the fabric on and centered the way you want, you just push the back onto it. Then just glue your magnet on the back. Voila! A needle minder customized to your taste. I love this idea! Plus after you buy the covers and magnets, you can make several cheaper than sourcing them from retail. I realized that smaller patterns work best since these are buttons and not huge if you have a repeating pattern that is spaced significantly on the fabric. Just something to keep in mind.

Here are the different sized button covers, a nice variety.

Here are the backs with instructions and the templates.

Here is my first needle minder with the bat fabric I had on hand. Perfect for Halloween!

I got this tin of different sized Earth magnets since I didn't know what size I would actually need. These are incredibly strong and stick together hard so it takes some work to keep them apart! I used Gorilla Glue to fasten them to the cover.

There were lots of fabric samples to choose from but these caught me eye. Less than $1.00 each!

Here is the wire shank. It was easy to remove from the middle sized cover.

This is the shank wire after removal.

Just cut the material to the size of the template then push it onto the teeth of the top cap.

 

Here is the final product. Crayons always make me smile!



So here are the four finished needle minders. I can always make more if I get tired of these designs and use them for refrigerator magnets!

Okay, onward and upward. A few other things I purchased was a 3"x3" wooden square that is used to measure where to start on your fabric. Why is this great? If you are like me, you are used to starting somewhere in the middle of your fabric after you have folded it twice to determine the middle, hoping beyond hope that you folded it correctly and got the right size cloth. With this, you just put it up in the left corner of your cloth and start at the bottom right hand corner of your wooden square. You are starting your stitching where you are supposed to be, including your three inch margin for finishing it. Easy Peasy!

Decorative as well as functional, this thin wooden 3" guide is a real time saver.

Love the imaging!

It also has measurements for 1 inch and 2 inch borders you can easily mark on fabric through the holes. They were easier to see from the back side.

Now there were some others that I will share in a future post but we have to get to other business here.

StitchedModern.com
https://stitchedmodern.com/#

More Blithe Stitching (or BLT Stitching for Short)
Remember I mentioned this type of stitching in my previous post? Well I received the fiber I told you about and here it is:

The floss on the bottom is the one I am BLT stitching with. and the other two above it I am experimenting with for a design. I ordered them from Colour Complements on Etsy. She has all kinds of sizes and colors for any kind of needle art.

You can really see the beautiful colors after it was stretched out.

It's easy to keep track of what you're using with the information labels the fibers come with.

So I busted out one of my small hoops and just started stitching. Didn't matter where and it doesn't matter how big or small. I find this kind of randomization a true adventure and very relaxing. When was the last time you did something without expectations?

I have absolutely nothing I could use this with but I had to stitch with it because of it's lovely colors!
This is so relaxing to do because you really don't stress over a pattern or using different types of stitches. It is you, the needle, the fiber and the cloth. How much simpler can it get than that?! The lovely thing is you can take it with you wherever and start on it right away. It is surprising how much stitching you can get done in a short period of time when you aren't working from a pattern. It's kind of like doing a color study and if you decide you like it enough, you can still frame it and hang it! It's all good no matter what you decide. So grab that beautiful piece of fiber you have been hanging onto but no way to use it and get stitching the BLT way!

I have more fun stuff to share with you and will get that to you soon so stay tuned!

Thought Nugget:
"The principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke."
~Jerzy Kosinski

Keep Creating!

An Intro to "Blithe" Stitching

Hello, Hello to all my lovely creatives out there! I know it has been a while since posting, but I plan on making up for it. First of all I want to talk about "mindful" stitching. Being in the moment when you are stitching. Now anyone that follows a pattern knows that you have to be mindful of what you are doing or else your work is going to be a disaster. Even if you don't follow a pattern you still have to stay on top of any free-style work as well. Now I don't care if you are making pottery or jewelry or the next Banksy art, sometimes don't you just want to make something for the sake of making without any preconceived notions of what it "should" be? I have been thinking about this for a long time. For me, I see these beautiful dyed fibers and think how much I would love to use them but don't have anything they would go with and sometimes I just want to stitch for the sake of stitching and not worrying about a pattern. I believe I have hit upon an answer!

Say hello to "Blithe" stitching! The formal definition for the word blithe follows:

blithe

[blīT͟H, blīTH]

 

ADJECTIVE

blither (comparative adjective) · blithest (superlative adjective)

showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper.

"a blithe disregard for the rules of the road"

synonyms:

heedless · uncaring · careless · casual · indifferent · thoughtless · unconcerned · unworried · untroubled · nonchalant · cool · blasé · devil-may-care · irresponsible

literary

happy or joyous.

• "a blithe seaside comedy"
  synonyms:

  happy · cheerful · cheery · lighthearted · jolly · merry · sunny · joyous · joyful · blissful · ecstatic · euphoric · elated · beatific · gladsome · mirthful · carefree ·

So I prefer the happy/joyous definition rather than the callous or improper one! LOL! To demonstrate, I have ordered a skein of hand dyed fiber that contains some of the most beautiful colors ever that I just had to stitch with (I will get a picture up as soon as it arrives). It will just be a square of some sort that I will determine as I stitch.  I plan on doing this while watching TV in the evenings because quite honestly, I'm just going to do cross stitches with it and won't have to pay any close attention to it. This is quite the opposite of when I am following a pattern and have to have a quiet atmosphere to concentrate. What is so great about this is that it is stitching for the sake of stitching and being creative without any structure. The reward is purely in the doing of it. Now this doesn't just include stitching, oh no! If you work with any media, try working without constraints. If you are a potter, throw some clay on the wheel and just play with it, if you are a woodworker cut and stack pieces of wood in a wonky way--no measuring, and if you paint, grab a color you love and just make brushstrokes on a canvas. This allows your inner child to celebrate creating without limits. You give your brain a rest and allow your soul free reign and isn't that just a lovely thing to do for you!
So grab your media and try it with a "blithe" take on it and I'm sure you will find yourself enjoying it in a whole different way!