Silk Chenille for Embellishment & Stitcher's Sugar Scrub

Sugar Scrub

We've been busy lately with a new sugar scrub in several delicious scents, one of which is Blackberry Sage.  The ripe, sweet blackberry tempered with just a hint of herbal sage.  Our sugar scrub is made with a whipped body wash base with added butters of cocoa, mango and shea with two kinds of sugar.  The butters leave your hands feeling ultra moisturized after being exfoliated gently with the sugar.  No silk threads sticking and catching on your smooth skin!  An added bonus is that if you use it as an all over body sugar scrub it emulsifies with the water to leave less oils to cause a 'slippery slope' in tub or shower.  Visit our etsy site www.soaponawhim.etsy.com which is our body care shop Mathair Earth (Mother in Gaelic).

If you are into wool applique or embellishment our Silken Chenille might be just the thread you are looking for to surface couch, make some fantastic spider web roses, or simply make some incredibly tactile colonial knots.  I've been using the Silk Chenille a bit more on some wool applique I've been stitching and I love it.  I just added it to our Thread Gatherer etsy store.  www.linenweaver.etsy.com.

Pincushion and Silken Pearl 15/3

It is always a pleasure to receive an email from a needle artist and learn of yet, another way our threads find their way into your projects.  The picture attached to the email was of this beautiful pincushion crocheted by Maxine Perotto of Rupert, Idaho.  Maxine used our Silken Pearl 15/3 (100% silk thread)in colors:   SP5 111 Old Lace, SP5 012 Vintage Brown and SP5 00B  Ink Black. The value contrast of the colors do make the flower pop.   I love,  love the added touch of the beads around the edge.  Best of all Maxine gifted this to me.  What a lucky lady I am - thanks again Maxine!

A Wool Christmas Stocking

 

 

I Spent part of the Christmas Holiday Making an all wool, embellished Christmas Stocking.  It all started with the circles, simply making a few embellished with beads, Silk Ribbon Colonial Knots, and Silken Pearl Bullion Stitches.   I then had to decide what to do with those circles.  I had a lovely piece of wool I had hand dyed so I made a Christmas Stocking.  I plan to hang other 'dangly' items from the ribbon loop, but for showing purposes I attached the wonderful Christmas 'Nice' scissor fob decoration from the Shepherd's Bush Retreat.  Someone came by the house and said, "You've made a Dr. Seuss Christmas Stocking".  Well, not really my intent. . . .but it is rather playful I have to admit.
I used the new color of 'Red' Seagrass for the straight stitching at the top of the stocking and I lined it with a cute quilting fabric.  It was fun to make. 

Still Dyeing, Threads That Is. . . .
Until Later,
Cecelia

A Christmas Reindeer

 

A Christmas Reindeer

A Design & Kit By Charland Designs

While teaching at the Shepherd's Bush Retreat this fall I purchased this darling and quick to stitch Reindeer Kit from Charland Designs.  Although it came with a different fabric for backing the finished cross stitch I used a different finishing technique using some wool fabric I have on hand for wool applique.  I thought I'd share the results with you. 

 

 

 



Sheep's Silk

Sheep's Silk . . .

                               

Our Sheep's Silk is pictured at one of the local quilt shops where it is displayed near the hand dyed wool for wool applique.  This very versatile thread is perfect for blanket stitch when layering wool for wool applique, needlepoint, and cross stitch on 18-ct fabric especially.  The soft hand and gorgeous  dyed colors are due to the 50% silk and 50% wool content.  If you've never used this thread you simply must try it.  Available in a palette of palest to vibrant hues.  See the colors on our website - www.threadgatherer.com


Sometime later this fall I will have wool dyed to match some of the Sheep's Silk colors and available on our etsy site - www.thethreadgatherer.etsy.com as fabric and thread as a combined set.

Still dyeing - threads that is.

Until Later,
Cece

A Hornbook in Beeswax

Beeswax Hornbook

What an incredible hornbook in beeswax this is!  Measuring approximately 6" x 6" and weighing almost 6 oz.  This original design was actually an antique springerle mold (cookie) from which I  had a professional silicone mold designed for beeswax.  Such incredible detail:

I dusted the beeswax with gold mica so that the detail would show up in the pictures.  I showed this at a needlework trade show, but didn't get any shops really interested due to the cost and shipping of this heavy an item.  I'm thrilled to offer this for sale now on our etsy site which is:  www.thethreadgatherer.etsy.com.  If you love hornbooks, this is certainly a must for your collection.  It would be functional to actually wax your threads, but we will be offering smaller beeswaxers for this purpose.  I think it is too beautiful to use!  When you consider this was all hand carved in wood (in reverse) it is quite amazing.

Still dyeing. . . .threads that is

Until Later,
Cecelia

Old. . . .And New

I love Everything that's Old:

Old Friends. . . .

Old Times. . . .

Old Manners. . ..

Old Books. . . 

Old Wines. . .

-Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774)

And I might add:

Old Recipes. . .

Old Colors. . .

Old Violins. . .

Old Letters. . .

Old Familiar Scents. . .

Like:

Pumpkin Lavender. . .

One of our new fall scents (old favorite from last year) is Pumpkin Lavender.  This year we also added a touch of vanilla to the mix and what a scrumptious, to dye for (forgive the pun) scent.  Available now in our etsy store for our side business, Mathair Earth (Mother in Gaelic).  Visit us at www.soaponawhim.etsy.com to see this selection and other enticing Autumn offerings.

Also, something new:

Our Etsy site for exclusive Hand dyed items is now open.  Visit us at www.thethreadgatherer.etsy.com

This is our Hand-dyed knitting yarn.  This is a 100% superwash Merino Wool fingering weight (sock) yarn.  This color we are calling Strawflower.  There are several skeins available.

Also available are our Odds and Ends Bags:

A great value at only $15 each plus shipping.

Lastly. . . .perhaps my favorite autumn color we dye in Silk 'n Colors, Ribbons and our Silken Pearl - Acorn Woods

Enjoy all the 'old' things in life you love today!

Until Later, 

Cecelia