Sleeping Bunnies WIP ~ Embroidery Floss Dispenser Tip

 

I had a relaxing evening last night watching the Pink Panther on STARZ with my son and working on my Janlynn quilt "Sleeping Bunnies".  This quilt got put on the back burner for a while, because I was having difficulty deciding the color of the bowed border.  Here is the progress to date...

 

 

 

 

Since going out on a limb and veering away from assigned pattern colors, there is a lot of relief in writing that I am very happy with how the colors are intermingling on this quilt.  The darker border makes a nice frame and adds some dimension to the piece.  Hopefully, this quilt will see a finish by the end of May.  :) 

While working on my various baby quilts, I have tried different ways of storing and dispensing floss.  (My storage bins can be viewed here.)  But while working on my projects over the years, I was not happy with the methods that I was using for keeping the floss handy.  The individual baggies worked great for organizing the amounts of skeins needed, but my problems began once the thread was being dispensed.  On lazy days, I wrapped the thread back around the skeins and used a baggie for the odd divided strands.  On days that I was more organized, I tried the small cardboard dividers.  If my work consisted of counted cross stitch, I might have been more satisfied with the cardboard dividers and the cases that could be purchased, but they seemed too small and were just not working out for me...

While catching up on blog reading, I caught one of Lisa's beautiful pictures at her blog Lil' Fish Studios.  She was doing some embroidery on one of her fantastic felted stones and sitting next to her project was an assortment of floss wrapped around clothespins.  It was absolutely homespun dispensing and right up my alley! :)  Maybe this idea was not new, but it certainly was to me.  So I headed out to the store and purchased a few packages, because let's face it... clothespins are cheap and have a 101 uses! ;)

I am happy to report that the clothespins are working out great.  Size wise, they are easy for me to grab and not loose in the couch cushions, and I can still wrap the cut threads onto the pins and clamp them securely into place.  As with everything in life... this method was just suited for me, and I am glad that I stumbled upon it.  Plus... the clothespins look cool! ;)

The handles on the pins are perfect for labeling the floss number with a fine sharpie marker. :)

With the day off from work today, my "Sister's Choice Quilt" will be getting a border to finish it into a flimsy ***Yay!!***,  a few butterflies will get added to my baby quilt at lunch time, and then I have a date with a graphite drawing that has been waiting patiently in my studio... A perfect plan to settle down to on a rainy day. :) 

Free Organizational Printables~ Blogging & Menu Planning

We can all use a little help keeping our lives in order, and the blog By Your Hands really helped me keep my New Year's resolution of  being more organized with a post full of free printables.  (The full array can be found at the By Your Hands post here.)  All of the printables are colorful and fun.  While you are there, browse around their site.  It is well worth your time!   Below are links to two of the printables that I selected to make use of...

My first print out (which made me long to make my dream of owning a book binder a reality) was an awesome Blogging Planner from Jenn at Mama Jenn Blogs.  This is just CRAZY good.  Jenn has thought of everything and anything an organized blogger would like to have.  I think she must be the Queen of Organization.  Let's face it... She has the credentials with homeschooling 1 daughter and 2 sets of twin boys, along with managing her 5 blogs.   The minute after reading her Bio, my printer was humming away! 

If you would like to jump directly to Jenn's printable click here.

Then, I was off to visit Lindsay at Artsy-Fartsy Mama.  She is the talented wife/mom/graphic designer that created this wonderful Menu planner. :)  The pages come in an array of colors or black and white.   (My preference is for the multi colored page!)    With menu planning being a vital part of my New Year, these pages were heaven sent. :) 

If you would like to jump and check out Lindsay's planner... click here.  She also has some FREE recipe card printables that I will be taking advantage of in the near future! ;) 

We are so blessed to share the world with such giving and talented people.  If you have the time, please check out By Your Hands, Mama Jenn Blogs, and Artsy-Fartsy Mama.  You won't be disappointed! :)