One of the many reasons we love silk ribbon embroidery is its transportability! With a little planning
and perhaps preparation, you can take your projects with you anywhere! What a great way to spend a leisurely
evening by the campfire, or share an afternoon iced tea with friends. Best of all, what a way to melt away those
highway miles travelling with the family! ("Are we THERE yet?" Ah yes, you can just hear it now...!)
Check out some of these ideas below for taking your silk ribbon and crazy quilting projects with you as you
head out on those summer adventures!
- Pick up a Victorian Pleasures Kit!
A great convenience, because you have everything you need with you in a neat little bag! No need to scramble
hither and yon to piece together what you might need. From fabric and ribbon to needles and instructions... it's all there!
- Prepare your base work ahead of time.
When crazy quilting, prepare one or two bases to take with you to embellish. Once the base work is done, select
an assortment of ribbon, beads, charms and special threads for your quilt stitches and toss them all into a large
Zip-Lock bag with your base work. (The Zip-Lock bags work great -- keeps everything clean and easy to see what you're
looking for.) Don't forget your needles, embroidery scissors and regular sewing thread!
- Keep basic essentials packed and ready to go.
Have a small tote handy with your pin cushion, needles, scissors, and thread packed. That way, you can just toss in
a project that's "in the works", and you're off!
- Take ribbons off their bobbins.
If you've purchased the prepackaged bobbins of silk ribbon, take them off the spools. They add bulk to your take-along
tote. If you really want to keep your ribbon organized according to colors, pick up some small (2" - 3") Zip-Lock
baggies from a craft store, and place the unwound ribbon in these; then place the small bags into your larger Zip-Lock.
By placing them in the larger Zip-Lock bag, they won't get lost or blow off the picnic table.
- If taking more than one project, keep them in the same color scheme.
Avoid taking along ribbons, threads and materials that you may not need. If your base fabric(s) are the same color
family (i.e., blues and violets), then just take coordinating ribbons for those colors. Don't forget the
greenery and a wee bit of that "sparkle" color!
- Keep projects small.
That just makes sense. Unless you're going to the cabin for an extended vacation, you don't want to be packing a huge
quilt around the countryside! You'll want the projects to be small and portable, especially for travel in the car. You can
quickly toss everything into that handy Zip-Lock bag when you pull into the fast food take out ice-cream bar for lunch!
- Leave the beading until you get to your destination.
You really need a steady surface like a table to do your beading. If you are stitching while you are riding in the car,
wait to break out those little beads until you are at the campsite or checked into the motel. Save your sanity and your eyesight!
- Oh no! My stitching fell on the ground and got dirty! Now what?
Don't panic. If it is just dust, make sure it is dry and brush off as much as you can. If the fabric got wet, allow it to dry
before brushing off the dirt. If needed, soak the stitching in some tepid water and vinegar, and use a gentle dab of spot
remover where needed. Allow the piece to dry flat. Don't rub excessively, as this will wear the delicate silk fibers.
Avoid accidents like this by keeping your stitching in those handy-dandy Zip-Locks when not in progress, and clear it all
off the table come meal time. Be careful stitching around campfires -- those embers pop up out of nowhere and can burn a hole in
your precious work in an instant.
- While on holidays, keep your eyes peeled for new materials!
It's amazing what you'll find, and where you'll find it! I've found the neatest fibers in fly fishing shops and
fabrics at garage sales! Go ahead and try something new! You may make a marvelous discovery!
- Take a sketchbook with you.
Keep a small sketchbook and some colored pencils with you, especially if you are travelling some place new. You
don't have to be a great artist, but you may see something that really "inspires" you. Why not sketch it out and
design your own unique piece of fiber art?
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If you have any suggestions for information you would like to see posted here,
simply e-mail us at silkworm@shaw.ca.
We welcome all input from our customers!