Embellishing with Beads

Feb 012012
 
 February 1, 2012  Tools No Responses »


At Wild Thymes we have gotten more and more interested in enhancing our designs with beads.  Some of our kits include the beads for your convenience especially when we recommend 2 or 3 colors.  Any place on a wool appliqué design, that calls for a French-knot, can have a bead stitched in its place.

We use size 6/0 beads because they are a little bigger and show up nicely on the wool.  They will also go through the larger embroidery needles so you don’t have to change needles and thread before stitching them in place.

We are often asked the source of our beads, we get them from Beyond Beadery,  www.beyondbeadery.com.  Their toll-free phone number is 1-800-840-5548.  They DO NOT have a paper catalog, but the Web site has good descriptions.  If any of you have been to the Houston Festival, they are the BIG booth with every imaginable bead available.  They also have a show schedule on their Web site and may be in your area sometime.

Moth Proofing

Jan 312012
 
 January 31, 2012  Wool No Responses »

This seems to be a big problem in the wool industry.  Here in Montana we don’t seem to be bothered with moths because our atmosphere is so dry; however, in most places it is a big problem.  Some wool from the vendors has been chemically enhanced to repel moths, but there is no sure way to test it to know if a piece has been protected.  If you have moth problems in your area, it would be wise to protect your wool in a more traditional way.   Cedar always comes to mind when wool and moths are in the same sentence.  If you are lucky enough to have a cedar hope chest, you could use that to store your wool appliqué’ projects and stash.  A cedar-lined closet is also a great place to utilize.

I was in Seattle a few weeks ago and found (in a kitchen shop) “Cedar Papers”.  They are thin red cedar planks for cooking but are the thickness of maybe 3 sheets of copy paper.  Thin enough to wrap a piece of salmon in for cooking!  These sheets can be cut (with scissors) and placed in each project basket, tucked in your wool drawer, or any place you have wool fabric.  Be aware that they are natural wood and could leave oils on furniture or other porous surfaces.  The company that produces them is called “Fire & Flavor” and can be reached at www.fireandflavor.com.

There are also cedar sachets and cedar balls that will work in the same way.  They can be purchased in most linen shops.

Moth Proofing Update

We have touched on this topic before but I have a small amount of added information.  While on my travels this Summer (2011), I was in a “Container Store”.  They had a whole section of mothproofing stuff!  There were several types of cedar – balls, planks, and shavings as well as a whole selection of other products – none of which smelled bad!  You can Google The Container Store on-line and type in mothproofing under the search area.  This is just an FYI for anyone looking for help.

Giving Yourself Permission

Jan 062012
 
 January 6, 2012  Wisdom - My Way No Responses »

As quilters (and mostly women) we tend to have a need to follow the rules or directions.  What happens if we don’t like the directions or want our finished product to look different than everyone else’s?  We panic!  Then fall in line with everyone else and hope no one noticed our lapse in judgment!  What we are all missing, is that most ladies in your classes are thinking the very same thing!  We all want our projects to be original and just a little different than our neighbor.

People – GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO BE DIFFERENT!
Change the colors, use different thread, add more flowers, sew beads and embellishments on – BE DIFFERENT!  Make it your own design.

Any design or pattern you purchase from Wild Thymes, is considered a beginning for you to change as you choose.  We encourage you to add more flowers or leaves, change the colors, use a different background – anything goes – just be happy with the end result.  And, if it turns out just like mine, then it means you liked it exactly as it is, which is also fine.

The most important factor is that you enjoy the process, and stitch for your personal satisfaction.

Where Can I Purchase 100% Wool?

Dec 222011
 
 December 22, 2011  Wool No Responses »
100% Wool

100% Wool at Wild Thymes

Wool is hard to find, mostly because of the cost; however more and more quilt shops are stocking a few bolts of background colors, and then filling in with some smaller hand-dyed pieces.  Check around your area to support your local shops before you look elsewhere.

The Internet has been a good source for finding wool.   Just type into Google or your favorite search engine and presto – up come several options.  Here at Wild Thymes we stock over 400 bolts of 100% wool.  Our selection has been collected from 4 different wool vendors and includes tweeds, solids, textures, natural, black & white, and heathers.  In addition we offer a full line of hand-dyed woolens.

Another place to find wool is at thrift shops.  Read the labels, if it says “dry clean only”, that is usually a sure bet that the garment will shrink/felt.  If the label says “washable wool”, pass over that piece, it has been treated to NOT shrink or felt.  Once you have purchased a garment, cut all the seams out before felting it.  Any sewn seam will cause the wool to ripple and you will never get them apart.  Cut off the waistbands, cuffs, hems, darts, collars and separate the larger seams – then felt the dickens out of the remaining fabric.

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