and one more leaf on my basket of flowers block. It should be a peaceful Sunday afternoon or evening.
I've been thinking about the wonder of thread this week and last as I sewed a dress and hand appliqued flowers, stems, and leaves.
Isn't it amazing that something so fine and thin can hold two pieces of fabric together? Really! When you think about it -- the seams in clothing or three layers of a quilt, all held together with one narrow length of almost-nothing. And just as amazing is that those fine threads, or sometimes finer than the ones we use for sewing, are woven together to make fabric which is both durable and beautiful. (I'm one of those who thinks plain, unprinted fabric is beautiful, too.) I'm so thankful to whoever imagined and invented thread.
I love that there are so many colors of thread. I love that some threads have a chameleon-like quality that allows them to blend with whatever color of fabric they're sewn onto. I accidentally bought an extra spool of apricot thread. I've been using it to machine-stitch light-colored fabrics. It leans toward whatever light fabric I'm sewing -- pink, yellow, cream, tan, even light green. Amazing! I used a light green thread to bast a brown basket. It looked cream. And I'm using a green to sew the blue dress for my granddaughter. On the spool it looks green but when stitched it looks like a perfect match. (I do usually match thread when I sew clothing but not in this case: it's a play dress; I didn't have a match on hand; and I didn't have time or the inclination to go to the fabric store to buy a spool of thread of which I'd use less than a bobbin's worth. For a play dress it won't matter.)
I continue to be amazed and thankful for thread. Without it there's so much I wouldn't be able to do. If you're sewing today, I hope you enjoy the thread that your needle pulls through the fabric to hold two pieces together.
I'm linking this post to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.
Happy Sabbath to you!
--Nancy.
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How lovely to take time to think on the amazing qualities of the 'simple' materials we use.So many reasons to be thankful as we stitch and make ☺
ReplyDeleteWell, Allison, when I slow-stitch, I'm really slow and seem to have lots of time to think and ponder, not just about thread, of course, but a world of thoughts and ideas.
DeleteThanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.
Thank you for lyrical "Ode to thread". This is perfect thought for a slow Sunday. I love thread also-its texture, sheen, source. I have a large box of dmc embroidery thread all wound on bobbins. I call it my jewel box because that is what appears when I open the box. Since I am an appliquer, I am privileged to be able to use lots of threads.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this reflection on a slow Sunday!
Thanks, Pam. There are times when I'm just struck with the amazing qualities of simple things I so often take for granted. I, too, have a box of DMC embroidery jewels. I don't use them very often but I love seeing them all neatly settled into the box. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
DeleteWhat interesting food for thought. Thanks for getting me to thinking about the joy of thread.
ReplyDeleteI know, sometimes I let my mind wander and think of the most unusual things, Kathy. I guess thread isn't always wonderful, especially if it tangles and knots, or if it breaks because it's old. I sometimes use old thread on wooden spools, the kind we used when I was a child. The other day I knotted some green and pulled it into the fabric. It pulled right through. I thought perhaps I hadn't made the knot large enough so I made another. It too pulled right through. Then I realized that the thread was breaking. Needless to say I set it aside, its only use to look pretty. And I do wonder how old clothing and quilts stay together with old thread when old thread on a spool breaks so easily sometimes. Ha! Enough wondering for today.
DeleteInteresting pondering S on thread. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I adore the fabric in that sweet little dress!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennie. I found the dress fabric at Walmart a few years ago in both blue and pink and bought some of both. I know it's not the very best quality of fabric but it will work for a play dress. I think it has an old-fashioned quality about it, pleasing to me but maybe not to my daughter and granddaughter. I hope they both like it. (I've found that if mom doesn't like something (book, fabric, toy, etc.), child usually doesn't get a chance to decide for him/herself. The item just goes by the wayside.)
DeleteWhat a lovely post: I really enjoyed your train of thought. Love that picture of the yellow-y spools of thread too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kaja. Sometimes I think too much and it spills out through my fingers and then I hit "publish." I've been considering using spools of thread (those or some others) in my blog header but haven't managed to make the change yet. I love the golden ones, too. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
DeleteYour words resonate with me alot. I do alot of hand embroidery and hand stitching and yes, I do contemplate these things too! Lovely post and I'm a new follower.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Caroline. It's good to hear from a like-minded stitcher. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment and thanks for following my blog, too. I appreciate it.
DeleteWe are kindred thread spirits. =) dezertsuz at gmail
ReplyDeleteLol. Good to know!
ReplyDelete