I've just discovered sticker tweezers. They have an angled head and are perfect for pulling the cut thread from hardanger.
Of course, I didn't find them in an embroidery shop. I was with a friend who is busy making jewellery, so we were in a craft shop (who knew there were so many beads in the world?) which specialised in the aforementioned beads and all sorts of paper crafts. These are made by a company called Provo Craft, if that's any help.
Everyone must have a favourite gadget that makes stitching and finishing easier. What's yours?
My fave tool is the hemostat. Yes the thing they use in surgery to clamp off a blood vessel. I love them as i can lock it to the needle and pull especially if its a tight fit. Also great for pulling waste away canvas when done your design.
If I have trouble passing the needle through fabric, then I use the body of my scissors to push it through. I use eyebrow tweezers to remove waste canvas. I use a needle for unpicking. I put a white towel on my lap when stitching on dark fabric. I have a long, flat magnet for stitch + park and a pair of white cotton (right one fingerless) gloves so I bearly mark the fabric.
I suppose we all have certain things we need and probably couldn't do without.
Lead me not into temptation; I can find all by myself.
If I didn't have my natural light stand with the floss and scissor holder I would be lost also my chart holder stand is very important. It is free standing and has a 14X20 metal sheet and about 8 magnets to hold charts and color key codes.
I love my Mag-eyes. It's a magnifier that goes onto your head like a visor and the magnifiying part hangs down in front of you. You can even use this with your regular glasses-it doesn't interfere.
I also can't live without any type of ott-light. I have a floor model right now that sits right above and over my shoulder-NO Shadows
Then of course my star detailor to pull thru short ends of thread-I LOVE THIS!
There are so many little gadgets that I like I won't list them all.
I will end with a final necessity though-a comfortable spot to stitch in.
I have all this frogging to do on the Thistle Stop. It was a real pain. I had been using the special little scissors to frog and tweezers but it was areal pain. Last night I decided to use a pair of embroidery scissors, really small longish tip for cutting and then hemostat for pulling. Couldn't wish for anything easier except that I don't keep stitching next time when I am second guessing myself on color choice of the chart.
Oh the other thing I won't live without again is that when I have difficulty seeing with my specs and think I need magnifier, etc I hike myself down to the optometrist and get it sorted right away. I wasted quite a few years not stitching because my optometrist kept telling me my sight was fine. So I believed it was old age. Not so. It was an optometrist that was making mistakes. I changed optometrist, got new glasses and am happily stitching again as long as I have a bright light. Don't need the magnifying or Ott light though I have both. The Ott light is may take with me light when travelling. I used to travel with a larger light bulb. This is better.
Granny,
I can't do any close work without my "extra" glasses. I buy them at Joanne's and they clip over my regular glasses. I've lately seen them at Hobby Lobby. LOVE LOVE them. I even have trifocals and still need the extra help.
Linda
Someday I may be in the class, too, of needing extra glasses. Twice in my life I totally gave up on cross stitch because it was just too hard on my eyes. Both times with the change of optometrists and new glasses I was good to go. That's why I was saying I needed to change optometrists first if I run into sight problems. I know, not everyone is that fortunate. I just am so thankful that my sight is still good with progressive bifocals. I'm not as fortunate in the hand department but with my arsenal with gloves and extra supports I can still stitch.
I wear bifocals and find that if im doing anything smaller than 18 count i have to have my magnifyers that go on over my glasses it just makes it much more easier for me. I recently had to frog and used a seam ripper it was so much easier . I keep hilighters for marking off what i have already done. Plus I have now learned how to enlarge my charts so that i can read the symbol easier and boy I dont know how ive stitched all these years without doing it. lol
Just found these the other day.. used last night and quickly fell in love. The side of my second finger is what I push my needle against and gets chewed up if I have been stitching alot. I just cannot get used to wearing regular thimbles.. they just do not feel right. I have used bandaids in the past but they never seem to fit your finger properly, too wide, too square, just not right. These I can put at whatever place works best.
I have used those stick on pads. Great for finger stabs but not good for my skin. What I do is use the dots embedded in a "tape" I got from Lee Valley. It has no stickiness but adheres to itself and build myself a "thimble" that fits me and I am comfortable with. The "tape" is commonly sold for woodcarvers. I tried to find the specific name so that's the best I can do at the moment.
i use the adhesive finger pads too. i can usually get about 3 sessions out of each one. i only use it when i'm working on my xs collectibles piece. i don't find that i need it on my smaller pieces esp. the ones that i'm just using one over anything.
April
Nora Corbett Winter Fairy, started Jan 2013
Family Reunion, Rosewood Manor, waiting on fabric
