The Taming of The Thread

by Jen_F | Blog, Fabric, Jen_F, Our Art

LOL – this is so incorrectly titled, it makes me laugh.

Honestly, there IS NO taming of a thread, not when we’re talking about upcycling fabric.  But let’s start at the beginning instead of the end, ok?

Two mantras:

Clip your threads as you sew

Press as you go

Those were the two mantras I learned over time and they repeat in my head every time I sit down at the sewing machine.

However, since I probably do the most seam ripping of all four of us, I probably have the most to lament about here … I know, I know, Shari would say differently since when Deb and I visited with her for over a week, the guys had to vacuum daily just to keep up with the threads we were tracking into the guest bedroom.

And it starts out so innocently….

A thread here, a thread there.

Next thing you know, you see one on your sweatpants leg.

little later, you look down at your leg and there’s a gathering.. for thread escapees?

Then you start to see them on the floor.

Then at some point you realize that it seems NOTHING is safe ….. the slippers have even fallen victim

But I guess the most perplexing case is outside….  I don’t EVEN know how to explain the mess I’ve got growing on my outdoor mat.  What’s worse is, I go out that door at least 2-3 times a day, how did I not notice something of such epic proportion going on right in front of my eyes?  What the heck is THAT all about?

.

I guess this would be the best place for me to confess that I HATE stray threads… So I am constantly, I MEAN CONSTANTLY picking threads.. and around my house, that’s almost a full time job in of itself.

What’s worse though is standing in the checkout line somewhere and glimpsing a stray thread on the stranger in front of you.

First thought that goes through my head is, “OMG, did that come off me?”  – rofl – and then the second is “Do I dare reach out and pluck that offending thread off?”

Then I start having this inner battle with myself … do I or don’t I.  To pluck or not to pluck.  Sometimes I just have to look away and try to find something else to get my mind on… If I don’t – that stray thread is likely to drive me crazy.  Can you imagine standing in line and the person behind you taps on your shoulder and says something like “Excuse me, but you have a stray thread on the back of your jacket.  I’m just going to take it off for you, OK?”

Honestly, I’ve never known myself to be obsessed by such things, and maybe it’s only gotten to this point because I rip so many seams now days.

How does all this obsession with stray threads impact YOU when you buy something we’ve made?

I know I am speaking for all of us here at 4TxSisters, but I’m going to say with confidence that we ALL do our best to keep our little stragglers from becoming a part of your household, because frankly, I’m beginning to think they’re like those Gremlins in that old 1984 movie.  They seem to multiple all on their own.  However, also honestly speaking, it’s possible that one, maybe even two are going to disguise themselves and slip into your things…

There’s a a few ways I’m going to ask you to look at these little escapees.

#1 Please forgive us, we honestly hate to know that you’ve received one(or more)

#2  Please don’t send them back… as we have plenty already.

#3 …  and this is really important

#3  PLEASE DO NOT FEED THEM !!!!!

All kidding aside, the bottom line here is, no matter how much we try to capture every little thread we pull or rip, there ARE going to be those who make the great escape and one little straggler or two might just end up on something we send you.

Oh, and I’m not even going to go there about trimming all those threads the Manufacturers leave dangling.  I mean, seriously?

I guess some are wondering WHY I even mention this bizarre phenomenon .

Well, besides the obvious- I live in a house of untamed threads, there’s another reason why —-

I was reading some reviews on another fabric upcycler’s Etsy shop page not long ago and evidently one of the buyers was actually ranting about how tacky it was to receive an item with a “thread” just sitting there loose.  GASP!!!!!   “Sloppy workmanship” she called it.

Once I got through GASPING at how AWFUL that must be (yes, there was sarcasm in my thoughts and GASPS), all I could do was shake my head.  If you don’t rip seams for a living like upcyclers do, then you have no earthly idea of just how messy the job is that goes on behind that beautiful product that person has made for you.  Not only is it messy. but it’s time consuming and that fabric artist very likely is NOT charging for the amount of time it took to take something apart and put it back together in a new and exciting way… but there again, that’s not what this post is about, so getting back on track … and getting to the point/moral/whatever …

Here’s how I feel about the things we upcycle:

We put all our love and attention to the detail as is humanly possible into everything we create… be it with new items or ‘lightly used/slightly used’ items.  I can safely say that NONE of us like stray threads and will always do our darned-est to make sure we don’t share them with you; however, it’s also possible that one (or two) may sneak a ride from our house to yours.

If that bothers you, or makes you think we do sloppy work, then … well, I’m probably going to recommend you look somewhere else for whatever it is you’re wanting to purchase.  Because — in the world of seam ripping, there’s just no guarantee that those pesky little removed threads are ALL gonna go where they belong…. in the trash.

So, in the mean time….

Live Every Moment, Love Beyond Words, Laugh Everyday,

~Jennifer

4TxSisters at Etsy

PS:  I was just taking pics of some small Crossbody Cell Phone bags I am going to put on Etsy… and LOOK – those threads were trying to creep onto my bag while I was taking a picture of it — smh smh ….