THE BUZZ FROM THE HIVE

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Boy Bunny......and a Stroll Addition (450)

Greetings from cold and... two days ago.... snowy Richmond. We had  an unexpected snowfall of approximately 3-4 inches on Monday. I had checked the weather report that morning and it said we were only in for some rain, possibly some sleet late afternoon. Well, after lunch, the snow started, heavy and wet, and lasted until dinner time. It was beautiful while it lasted, but was gone the next day. 

In the midst of the storm, I was working on my second bunny, a  dapper Henry O'Hare, by Lizzie Kate. He is all stitched now and waiting to be finished into a stand up with his mate, Clara. I picked some backing fabric from my stash and perle cottons to make cording. Hopefully I will be sharing them soon and officially adding to my Stroll. 

   
And, speaking of my Stroll, I was pulling out my spring/Easter pieces and found one I hadn't shown. This is Chocolate Hare, an old Ewe and Eye and Friends Black Sheep Night kit. He was re-published in a leaflet called Black Sheep Redeux. I framed him in a deep frame because I added some wool for his tail and didn't want it squished.



I'm still keeping up with the Red Sampler Band SAL and completed week 10. I so look forward to finding this in my e-mail every Friday morning.


Here's a question for you all. I was reading Mary Corbett's blog today and she was discussing the use of synthetic thread conditioner, such as Thread Heaven, and beeswax. Now I have never used either, but did happen to have some Thread Heaven on hand and have been using it on my red silk for the SAL. In the past, red silk in particular,  has left "fuzzies" on my linen causing a "pinkish" cast around the stitches (this was a problem on my Beekeeper's Cottage specifically). I thought I'd try the TH on the SAL piece and it's working nicely keeping the "fuzzies" away. So my question....what do you all think...do you use thread conditioner/beeswax and what is your experience with it?

Hope you are all warm, cozy and anticipating spring! Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

6 comments:

  1. Henry is so cute! And I love that he has a pocket watch. :) The fuzzy tail on your Chocolate Hare is a cool idea and looks great.

    Thread Heaven - yes! I don't use it all the time, but probably should. I've found that some threads and sometimes just some *colors* tangle more than others and the TH makes that happen less frequently and also makes the tangles easier to undo. Definitely helps with the fuzziness too. Never tried beeswax on stitching threads, just sewing.

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  2. Henry is very dapper and congratulations on getting him stitched up. Chocolate Hare is a cutie. Your red band sampler is looking super.

    I haven't used Thread Heaven in years. Have never used beeswax. You had way more snow than we did on Monday.

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  3. First of all Henry is a darling. I love him. That pocket watch just takes it over the top for me...perfection. Did I say I LOVE him. He is so adorable. I have stitched a bunny pair that we will be showing next week that I love too but he doesn't have a pocket watch (boo hoo). Stasi this pair of bunnies you have made are really special. I love them

    Also like your chocolate bunny...very cute. Love the deeper frame even if it didn't have a fussy tail.

    And no I have not used Thread Heaven or beeswax but am very happy to hear it helps. You need to come over and copy down Mary's Irish Soda bread. It is soooo good. RJ

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  4. Henry is adorable! I know he and Clara will be quite the dashing pair!

    I use beeswax all the time to tame threads that don't cooperate--it has saved my sanity more than once. I generally brush the area with a very soft cosmetic brush after using it; that removes any excess and avoids the darkening that Mary mentioned. I never used Thread Heaven because I was a little concerned about the long-term effects and the lack of research--glad I didn't after reading about the conservation concerns!

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  5. Snow in Richmond this time of year--crazy? Glad it melted so quickly and that you got some extra stitching time as a result, Stasi. Henry is so cute with all of his accessories! How tall is he?

    I've not used Thread Heaven, but do have some. Was gifted some beeswax for Christmas, too--need to try them both very soon :)

    Happy St. Patrick's Day--enjoy your weekend!

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  6. I have used Thread Heaven but not recently, and not often. In the last four years or so, if I've needed to use something, it's been beeswax. Mostly because I'm a firm believer in one-ingredient, naturally-occuring, simple solutions. I also don't worry about my needlework lasting forever, because I know that the only item my daughter wants in my family sampler, and I didn't use anything on that. Everything else that I've stitched will probably end up at Goodwill :(

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