Rooted in Mississippi

Lynn asked me how I keep track of my threads, which leads me to another detail. I actually use special software for tracking my needlework supplies. I wrote a review, including screen shots, in a past issue of CQMagOnline. I have been using Organized Expressions for Needleworkers Personal Inventory and Journal Software by LNS Software for many years and it is a wonderful tool for keeping track of threads, personal projects, books and magazines.

The software can even provide a valid inventory if you ever have to file an insurance claim. The one draw back is that you have to actually use it to make it a worth while endeavor.

LNS Software also offers inventory software for Quilters, People who Sew, Knitters and Crocheters, and even Scrapbookers.

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Printing on fabric.

I love to create my own silk prints using Bubble Jet Set 2000 and my inkjet printer.  BJS2000 is designed for use with silk and cotton, but I have also used it successfully with rayon.  Printing on smooth fabrics, like habotai, will allow for more precise detail.  Textured fabrics, like dupioni, give a more vintage look, because the slubs change the quality of the print.  Maureen Greeson suggested silk pongee, and I bought some from her but I have not actually tried it yet.

I tend to print on fabric in spurts and I tend to do it in batches.  I soak a bunch of fiber in BJS2000 at once, set it out to dry, iron it, then cut it to size and mount it onto freezer paper.  I have a 8.5″ by 11″ template for cutting the fabric and freezer paper to size for the printer.  The letter sized template and rotary cutter are indispensable if you are printing a bunch of motifs.

I use both Epson and HP Ink Jet Printers.  I tend to prefer the HP, because it uses less ink.  The irony there is that I used to be a complete Epson devotee!  I still use my Epson photo printer and I now have their wide format printer, but can not find ink for it anywhere locally and have not had the courage to send off for any.  The wide format printer can handle a maximum of 17″ x 22.”

I use a photo editing software to set up a letter sized page and add as many images as will fit comfortably.  My first efforts were too crowded, because I was overly frugal.  I also discovered a trick for printing a single small image. I print the image on regular paper, then tape a piece of fabric treated with BJS2000 directly over the image with packaging tape, and then run it back through the printer.  This time the image prints directly on to the fabric, with very little waste or trouble.  I was shocked the first time that I tried this method and it worked.

I also learned that even though the directions for BJS2000 recommend using all the treated fabric within a few days of treating it, I have used treated fabric that was stored for nearly a year with excellent results.  Of course, your mileage my vary.

Do not forget that your print is not ready to use until you have washed it in BJS rinse or synthrapol.  You need to disperse any ink that did not bind with the fabric.  The rinse usually turns pink, since reds tend to slough off.

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I already knew that peau, as in peau de soie or peau d’orange, means skin and is of French origin. My husband, ever the cunning linguist, just pointed out to me that it was pronounced “po.” I could not resist looking it up, so I checked the Bartleby/American Heritage Dictionary website and there was a audio clip of the pronunciation of Peau de Soie! Click here to listen to the audio clip.

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A word about satin. I use a lot of bridal satin, but I am picky. I do not really like Silk Charmeuse, because it is too slippery for easy sewing and piecing and too thin for surface embroidery without using stabilizers. I prefer Duchesse Satin and Peau de Soie, which are medium to heavy weight satins, with a slightly delustered finish.

While these fabrics are available in 100% silk, often it is rayon backed, rayon blend, polyester blend or even 100% polyester. This is one case where I am not a silk snob. Be very careful, because even though soie means silk, many companies sell Peau de Soie that is 100% polysester. That is okay, just be sure you know what you are buying. Avoid acetate at all costs. While I prefer 100% silk; at $45 to $100 a yard, it is a rare treat and I use it exclusively for special hand embroidery. The good thing is that it is easy to determine if what you have is really 100% silk, because it rolls up, no matter how much you press it!

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Since Nan asked…

In reference to the last 100 Details in 100 Days entry, here is a photo of part of the tower nestled between the window and the bookcase.

For more photos, check out the Studio Page on my website.

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A word about storage…

I love storage bins with clear plastic drawers. I have small ones on my cutting table. I have letter sized ones on a bookshelf for ribbon, wool and motif storage. But my favorite size is 12 x 12, because there is more room to store all my different threads! I have six of them stacked up, each filled with a mouth-watering display of threads.

Of course, those threads are also sorted! Here is a drawer by drawer breakdown, starting at the top:

1. EdMar rayon, Iris and Glory
2. EdMar rayon, Lola and Frost, plus a few skeins of Boucle and Cire
3. Oliver Twist Threads
4. YLI Silk Thread
5. Eterna Stranded Silk
6. Hand-Dyed Silk
7. Au Ver a Soie and Kreinik Silk – Silk Mori, Silk Serica, Soie d’Alger
8. Assorted silk – Silk Madeira, Cascade House Silk Perle, Rainbow Gallery Silk Grandeur & Elegance, Trezibond, Thread Gatherers, and Gloriana
9. Caron Waterlillies
10. Caron Watercolors
11. Needle Necessities
12. miscellaneous Over-dyed floss and cotton
13. DMC Flower Thread
14. Assorted Floche & DMC Broder Special Coton a Broder/Brilliant Cutwork Thread
15. Miscellaneous cotton threads and flosses
16. Perle Cotton size 3 and 5
17. Perle Cotton size 8
18. Perle Cotton size 12

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1. card holder
2. check book
3. meds
4. stamps
5. pen

1. driver’s license
2. my husband’s business card
3. credit card
4. insurance card
5. frequent buyer cards

1. half and half
2. fruit
3. TaB
4. eggs
5. mineral water

5 Things always in my closet:

1. athletic foot wear
2. clean clothes
3. spare bedding
4. dehumidifier
5. boxes of clothes in the wrong size

5 Things always in my car:

1. sunglasses
2. proof of insurance
3. cell phone charger
4. change
5. sun shield

5 (or more) Things always on my desk:

1. printer
2. laptop dock & accessories
3. ink jet paper
4. cardstock
5. pen, pencils, paint brushes
6. watercolor & oil paint, inks, dyes
7. task lamp
8. mountains of unsorted junk

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