2024 Deliveries & Stash Acquisition

[Steam.Jo]

I've finished putting the frame top together only to find it is 3" shorter than my existing base so I will need to use some of my table mounts with it.

I have won another item on Fleabay, the seller did not do a good job of either preparing it for photographing or describing it. This is it:



and the only other clue is this 2nd photo:



Which shows the charts are in the bag but it was a risky bid but I got it for under £10 and fingers and toes it is all there... Waiting for it to arrive. If it is not there I have got a bag of threads and a piece of brown Aida.

Jo

[Serinde]

You're braver than I am!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Hope it turns out well!

I got my Madeira silks from Barnyarns - with their bulk discount (you get a percentage off depending on the number of items you buy) on top of the sale these cost me 50p each!

[Serinde]

Oh, my! Don't those look delicious!

[Roland]

Good luck Jo. Hope everything is there.

Mabel this look lovely.

[Steam.Jo]

Its arrived:



If they had put as much care and attention into presenting this kit as they did wrapping it they would have got a lot more for it



I've been cheated: the needle is missing


Time to give it an air: one of the risks of buying second hand is sometimes they smell musky or smoky. Then I will need to oversew the edges and press the evenweave fabric - it is not Luguna it is a new one on me?? The charts were a bit dogeared and it has been put back together using magic tape. I will be enlarging it further onto multiple sheets of A3 when I get round to it (or possibly this afternoon while I still have the itch )

I am calling that success

Jo

P.S. The condition of the chart was not the worse I've had one Bothy kits if you remember that seller's puppy had chewed the stitching chart leaving the back stitching chart intact )

[Serinde]

This has worked out very well, hasn’t it! No needle? Send it back, I say!

[Roland]

Glad to see it looks worth the investment.

[Steam.Jo]

I've just finished off preparing this kit.

With Thea Gouverneur's kits they never give you the colour numbers and I always worry about pulling out one thread and a load of others falling out on to the floor, and loosing their identity, so I have added the DMC numbers to all of the thread holders. There was one suspicious hole in one thread holder right in the middle of a run of threads and one odd strand of metallic silver so I have written that on the hole and left the single silver strand in with the masses of gold.

The fabric that came with this kit is 20 count Jobelan fabric. Its a new one on me but I am suspicious that the fabric I chose for my HAED piece is the same. Size for size it seems a lot heavier than evenweave or Aida and much softer. Did I mention it is rather big

It might be a good one to use my new frame 'top' with

Jo

[Mabel Figworthy]

I used 25ct and 28ct jobelan (a cotton/modal mix) a lot for cross stitch and really liked it, it's got a nice weight to it and isn't too stiff. I fancy the 20ct will be much the same.

[Serinde]

Jobelan was really popular for cross-stitching a while back. Good fabric; a good drape, I thought.

[Steam.Jo]

I treated myself to another pair of scissors this week. (I am still trying to find a pair of the sub 3" scissors used by some of my friends)

While I love my Carbon steel Tendris stork scissors and the cheap (and nasty ) Dental curved scissors made of soft stainless steel. I purchased a set of these vintage Gold Scissors at the bottom of the pic:



They are made of J2 420C Japanese stainless steel. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1283790 ... ing-sewing They feel rather nice so I am hopeful they will last and am tempted to buy another set

Jo

[Engineer mode ] Metallurgy: Carbon steel is very good for keeping an edge, easy to sharpen and will probably last a life time. J2 420C is a stainless steel used for surgery it is good can be sharpened (carefully as it will wear and is not as good as carbon steel or High Speed Steel) and is designed to be "disposable". The Dental scissors are designed to be used a few times (possibly once ) and ditched as sterilisation is expensive so why bother making scissors that last. If you need to "sharpen" these cheap scissors just run a piece of carbon steel once along the edge to take off a wafer of steel and they will be good to go (for a while the metal is too soft to last)

[Serinde]

Tiny scissors like these? https://www.inspirationsstudios.com/pro ... sors-grey/?

[Steam.Jo]

Wow those are small

More of just under 3" and really sharp

Jo

[richardandtracy]

Those sweet little micro scissors reminded me of a fountain pen I once saw.

It was about 25mm (1") capped and about 43mm (1.75") when 'posted' (when the cap is put on the end of the barrel). It was made from mottled green hard rubber and had a nib about 6mm (1/4") long. The ink it stored was about half that of a normal short cartridge. Think it was from a short novelty production run for a US shop, 2010 possibly. Anyway a dear little thing.

Regards,

Richard

[Steam.Jo]

If anyone wants a new sewing magnifier I have just picked up a purelite tri spectrum rechargeable magnifying lamp for an offer price of £35. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335571681782 Amazon want £72 each for them. The mains adapter is missing, I know I can come up with an alternative for the £5 I knocked off the price

I have some of the other Purelite magnifiers but this is the first rechargeable one, with a rimless bottom. I'll let you know what I think.


Bad girl, bad girl, what else could I buy

Jo

[Mabel Figworthy]

I've never been able to get on with magnifiers, but for those who do that seems a very good buy!

[richardandtracy]

I have used a head magnifier, and can cope with one for an hour or so. Any longer and I get a migraine.
As for a big stand magnifier like that, I've never had a chance to use one.

Looks interesting.

Regards,

Richard

[Steam.Jo]

I love them and have three One in each sewing location.

My justification, if I needed one, for this new one is my 25 year old one has standard LEDs which are so old I keep having to replace them and with the old technology LEDs is not as bright as my other two.

Jo

[richardandtracy]

We're convinced..

Regards,

Richard