This week’s giveaway is a big one – The Quilt Genius Design Tool Kit – perfect for those of you who want to unleash your design potential. The tool kit features five reusable stencils with shapes for popular quilt layouts and blocks, graph paper in three grid styles, and an instruction booklet. Kit includes: 9.5″ x 11″ folder, 5 stencils and an 8″ x 10″ graph paper pad. Guess what?! We will give away another one of these later this year. So keep your fingers crossed and watch for it to show up in a future newsletter!
I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!
We love this Handheld Eraser from Blackwing! It is made of a special soft material that erases dark graphite lines cleanly and easily. It works so well on both paper and fabric. And the sleek holder now comes in 3 colors: black, grey, and white! Our lucky winner, joanfiglar, will receive a grey holder. The holders are made of durable aluminum that lets you get a solid grip while erasing. You can see all three colors in our store by clicking here.
I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!
We love hearing from you when you let us know that you love something and also when you have an issue to resolve. Lee was the first to ask about this:
“I love my Lolo thread tamer, but I have a question. After several months of use – there’s a distinct thumbprint – it feels like the product is dry and a little gritty. Is it just time to replace it?”
Lorna talked to Kismet at LoLo who offered to replace the Thread Tamer but also suggested gently warming and stirring. Lorna relayed that info and here is what Lee did!
“So you can pass along to others, I ended up melting mine down on a candle warmer and adding some more extra-virgin olive oil. It’s worked perfectly since then.”
Thank you so much, Lee, for sharing! And it’s good to know how to keep LoLo’s Thread Tamer supple, no need to replace.
I did something similar to make a very small container of Thread Tamer to travel with. I carefully warmed up the original tin until I could scoop some out to put into a tiny little jar. That’s just one more idea to add in.
More about Thread Tamer from Marie: “I’m so glad I purchased Lolo thread tamer. Received today and immediatelytried it. What a difference as I’m sewing. Smooth, no tangles. I absolutely love it!!! Thank you for recommending a great product.”
For your body, you will love LoLo Bars (a moisturizer in a convenient bar), Cuticle Intensives (love these miracle sticks!), Soaps, and LoLo Feet. But don’t just take my word for it…
From Cathy: “I ordered the LOLO bars and LOVE them. It works so well on my split finger tips, I can stitch!”
Cathy also said that it’s amazing how after applying, LoLo doesn’t rub off on the wool or the thread she’s working with. She went from needle-turn appliqué to wool because of eyesight problems. Wool appliqué is “so forgiving,” she says, enjoying her afternoon hand sewing ritual.
Hand sewing is a calming focus when the world might not be calm. I’ve enjoyed evening hand sewing for decades. It’s what we do.
To quote the Met: “This exhibition features approximately 220 garments and accessories spanning four centuries, all visually connected through themes of nature, which also serves as a metaphor for the transience of fashion.” It is worth a visit!
These are works of art intended to be worn—maybe only once—but they are built for a human body. They are relatable in a way that flat canvases are not.
Gucci cape, 2017-18
Many/most sported beads and sequins in designs and colors that celebrate the theme of nature. Needle, thread, beads, and sequins are very accessible… just think of the things we can bling up!
Conner Ives, 2021-22
I walked the show thinking about how heavy and hot the dresses would be, how they would limit movement. But if I were going to a gala, I would put up with all of that :-).
Marni, 2024. There are arm holes, but I am still puzzling over what you would have to do with your arms to keep them from getting cut on the metal edges.
feathers and paint
Dauphinette, 2022-23. White silk organza with brooches of gold metal and jewel-beetles
And hats! I should have taken more photos of them all.
“It is the hat that matters the most,” notes Rezia, the Italian milliner in Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway (1925). Rezia’s observation was echoed by Christian Dior in his 1954 Little Dictionary of Fashion: “[A hat] is really the completion of your outfit and in another way, it is very often the best way to show your personality. It is easier to express yourself sometimes with your hat than it is with your clothes. “
Next is a cautionary tale for quilters who use starch. We’ve been told that starch can draw bugs, but I’d not thought about it discoloring and damaging fabric. Polysaccharide gum is different from corn starch and I am not a chemist but it does raise questions in my mind.
While this nautical-inspired ensemble remains in good structural condition, its visual appearance no longer represents the clean aesthetic of Norman Norell’s original design. Scientific analysis of the organdy has revealed that the discoloration is occurring not in the cotton fibers themselves but in a starching agent (polysaccharide gum) added to the cotton to provide sheen and stiffness. Although it is not unusual for starched cotton to yellow over time, the severity and the unevenness of the discoloration has made this dress unsuitable for display, as it distracts too much from the designer’s intention.
Norman Norell, 1968
There was more… so much more. I got lost amid Impressionist paintings, then remembered to visit the roof to garden.
Edouard Vuillard
I visited with a guard who loves her job, spent a bit of time and money in the gift shop, and walked the 2 miles back to Jeff’s apartment. What a great way to spend some hours of my life :-).
This week’s winner will be able to make a sweet foundation paper pieced block inspired by Ruby Star Society’s new collection Eye Candy! The giveaway comes with the Eye Candy Mini Charm Pack and FPP sheet to make an 8″ block that will be a wonderful addition to small projects such as a patchwork duffle or handbag.
I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!
Have you made one of these cute needle caddies yet? If not, you can find the FREE ePattern for the Big Needle Caddy at pieceocake.com, While you are there, you might be interested in the other FREE ePatterns. But you don’t have to make a needle caddy to be interested in knowing more about hand sewing needles.
I am careful to pair a needle with the kind of sewing I am doing, and the thread that goes with it. Since I do a variety of kinds of stitching, I like to have a variety of needles to choose from with me when sitting down to sew. This is how I filled my own needle caddy.
First, you need to identify each needle so that when you need more, you know which package to choose. Cut a strip of paper to write the needle particulars on, grab a pen or pencil, and gather your needles. Which needles, you ask? Why… these needles!
#9 Crewel Needle by Bohin: This is a very versatile needle with a long eye and strong body. Use it with wool thread, perle cotton, and 30-40 wt cotton thread. Great for embroidery, big stitch hand quilting, and some hand sewing.
#9 Piecing Needle by Tulip: An all-purpose needle good for a variety of hand sewing jobs, especially hand piecing. This needle is a little long, with a sturdy shaft. If you have trouble handling smaller needles, this and the crewel needle above might be good choices.
The next four needles will work better with fine thread like Superior’s 50wt/2-ply thread that only comes on prewound bobbins. Presencia’s 60wt/2-ply thread, Aurifil’s 80wt, and Aurifil’s 50wt/2-ply thread are also good choices with these needles.
#10 Big Eye Appliqué Needle by Tulip: Tulip applique needles are smaller and finer than their size number would indicate. The big eye on this needle makes it easier to thread. It is longer than #11, but not as long as a milliner’s needle.
#12 Black Gold Appliqué Needle by Clover: This needle is tempered and honed to a very sharp point. It is rigid, not bendy. I get a very nice, small stitch with this needle.
#11 Appliqué Needle by Tulip: Very much like the previous needle, but this one is more flexible. I use them interchangeably except that sometimes my fingers have a preference. I don’t know why, but that’s true.
Note that when the package says “appliqué” needle, it is often a sharp. A sharp is a needle most often associated with hand sewing. It could also be a longer milliner’s needle which is associated with hat making. Look close and the package will probably tell you which it is.
One of the best features of this needle caddy are the little pockets, shown in the photo above. Mine pockets hold round wooden toothpicks, Leather ThimblePads, and 1-2 flat needle threaders like Roxane’s RX Needle Threaders.
Each caddy has two bamboo felt “pages”. My 2nd page holds needles I use less often. Any of the first three listed below would be good with strands of embroidery floss.
#24 Chenille Needle by John James (JJ): Chenille needles, with their big eyes, are designed to carry thick thread. They can get clunky but this one is finer than most. Good for a #8 or #12 perle cotton.
#12 Black Gold Between by Clover: Use this needle for finer hand quilting. It is sharp, very short, and used for fine hand quilting thread.
These are applique needles that I sometimes use:
#11 SuperGlide by Colonial: I almost never use this needle. It’s bigger than my preferred appliqué needles, but not as big as the #9 piecing. It is easy to thread!
#12 Appliqué Needle by Mary Arden: This is an excellent, inexpensive needle. The eye is kind of big which is not a bad thing. The needle is a good size, fine, and sharp.
There are two more little inside pockets inside the back page on the other side. I will add a Domed Under Thimble with adhesive pads in one of them.
Click the names of individual needles above to find them on my site or go to Everything In My Needle Caddy, to find them all.
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