Continuing on with the ABC Archive Dive here on Needle ‘n Thread, I’d like to introduce you to O for Orts!
Orts, if you’re not familiar with the term, are leftover scraps of thread. Way back in the history of philology, orts were leftover scraps of food, but somehow, at some point, the word was adopted for thread.
And I know not when, nor why, nor where.
Nor do I care.
I like the word orts. And I like the fact that my laptop tries to auto correct the spelling of it. Oh, you ignorant piece of technology!
Here at the studio, I keep my orts. And I know this is the habit of many a stitcher. I’ve had all kinds of recommendations on how they can be used, these orts.
But strangely enough, I just keep them in jars and clear containers and such on our cubby shelves, because I think they’re pretty. The layers of colors remind me of the layers of colored sand in sand art jars (remember those?).
They call to mind projects we’ve developed and worked through. Each collective color layer represents a lot of work and a lot of fun!
We use the orts, too. Mostly, they show up in our holiday Eye Spy puzzles. They make colorful little heaps along the edges, where they serve as nests for small things, to enhance the hunt.
Occasionally, I use them for other photo styling and whatnot, too.
So they come in handy, and not just for decor.
Over the years, folks have recommended using orts as pincushion stuffing, as filler for clear glass or plastic ornaments (that can be stuffed with them and added to your holiday tree), as filler in the base of clear lamps. Some folks have strewn orts onto soluble interfacing and machine stitched over them and rinsed the interfacing away, to leave colorful “fabric” made of bits of thread. There are many creative ideas out there for the use of orts!
Probably my greatest tribute to humble orts is my Ode to Orts from way back in 2013. Though it will never reach the august heights of Poetic Acclaim, I figured the little scraps deserved a bit of a nod to their colorful existence.
Looking for More ABC Archives?
If you’d like to explore the archives of Needle ‘n Thread through this ABC Archives series, you’ll find the ABC Archives Series Index here. There’s a lot of useful information in the archives, and the series points out some good content that you may have otherwise not seen yet. It’s not all just fun and games, after all!
Coming Up!
We’re pretty far behind this year at Needle ‘n Thread. I explained here what’s going on in my life (with “Dad Care”), and that situation has not changed. It’s, in fact, becoming more demanding as time progresses. Yes, I have family help, which is great – and it will all work out. It’s definitely a lesson in patience all around!
Still, I’ve been working on some things in the background. Plique-รก-Jour will launch very soon. Next week, I will give you the launch date and time for the kit, with details of what’s in the kit, and what you can expect with the project. It comes with full-color, full-size, 29 pages of instructions, too – along with full skeins of silk, all the goldwork threads, the pre-printed silk ground fabric, linen backing fabric, beeswax, silk couching threads, needles – everything you need to complete the embroidery project. It’s quite a kit – the most extensive one we’ve produced! So I’m excited to launch it.
Unfortunately, I can’t take pre-orders for that kit, and we will not be sending out individual emails to notify about its availability. Instead, early next week (Monday morning, specifically), I will announce the launch date and time that the kit will be available on the website, along with all the details about the kit and project. If you are keen to work this gorgeous project, keep an eye out on Monday for that information!
And besides that, there are other bits and bobs coming up on the blog. I’ll eventually sneak peek the next stitch-along for you as well! We’re doing some preliminary stitching on it and working out the kinks. (There are always kinks.)
I hope you’re doing well and that the sun is shining on you in your neck of the woods! I think spring weather returns to Kansas today! Woohoo!
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