Floss Leftovers

I'm embarassed to tell you that it took me several hours to clean off my sewing table. I had to sort through several projects worth of floss orts and filled plastic bobbins, extra plastic bags, charts, etc. I sorted and put away all of the floss bobbins into their plastic storage containers, then tackled the leftover threads lying around.

After holding each piece of floss up to each storage box of bobbins, I was still left with all of these "orphan" pieces. I cannot match the colors. I realized that the reason I have these continues messes is my habit of taking the floss out of the needle every time I want to switch colors. No more! I have enough tapestry needles now to be able to thread up 5-6 needles with different colors of floss. Oh, I guess I will use this big bunch for something--some kind of motif sampler wherein I can use up all of the colors.

Happy stitching!

DMC Scented Floss

Can you believe this?

Imagine lavender-scented lavender floss tags, lemon-scented lemons on an apron . . .

I belong to the DMC Club online and received an email about their new scented floss. I really need this! Especially the floral scented ones. My gifts would be even more appreciated when stitched with this, as I do a lot of flower motifs.

DMC says the scent will last through 20 washings, but most of my stitchery does not get washed after being received. I hope this means that the scent will last a long time.

My DMC Master Chart

Yesterday I began "Garden Gate," by Elizabeth's Designs. I did the birdhouse in the wrong color and it is in the process of being ripped out.

I spent several hours yesterday afternoon learning to use a spreadsheet in my Microsoft Works. I created a master list of all of my DMC floss colors. I had paid my granddaughter a penny per skein for writing down the color numbers of all my floss (stored by color family in plastic bags). Yesterday I entered several sheets of the handwritten numbers into the computer and printed a master sheet that runs from lowest to highest label number.

When I find a chart I want to stitch, all I have to do is consult my master sheet and I can see immediately: (a) if I have the thread
(b) how many skeins of each color.

No more guessing for a project, no more buying the same thread over again at the craft store!