Using New Frostings Threads

For some of you, you have gotten the new short run Frostings 5 box.  For those who missed out on the opportunity, I may have some more during the next ordering period for the shop site - but it won't be the level I normally can do.

We are trying to see how much of the threads we can get.  Honestly with the level of unemployment and stock market collapse, I didn't think I could sell 80 much less the 300 I usually try to make.  I am glad many of you are not having a tough time during this pandemic - so many are having trouble as evidenced by the off-the-charts increase in food bank lines.  (Bless you who are still whole and I hope you remember those who aren't with help)

But one of the threads in the box needs a bit of explanation on what other cool things you can do with it.  I will be trying, as raw materials allow, to get more of this in the shop as well as the Frostings 5 bundles that I will make available for those who want as much of what was in the collection as possible.

So in the box was something called Small Silk Laid Down Trim.  It was in five green colors and the 235/2916 pink color.  It is fantastic as a little trim to couch down along things - but even better when you stretch it to make it into a Small Silk Scallop Trim!  In that case, you can use it as the wire outline for needlelace shapes!!  It then gives you this really amazing scallop edge to your pieces.   This video that I made shows how to do it.

The video is also something I have been working towards as soon as the pandemic hit.  I thought I would have all kinds of time to do great video snips to post to my different sites.  Instead I have been in email hell/building out a new teaching site that was forced by internet protocol changes.  I am hoping that some of the changes I have been making will free up some time for these cool things instead.

I bought a new iPad Pro that just came out.  Shockingly its camera is as good as my special macro camera I use for needlework photographs.  But the added bonus is I can draw on pictures and screen record at the same time.  So it is like me standing in front of a big picture in a class room and using my finger to point to things and talking about what we are seeing.  It has been killing me to have it sitting out on the table for weeks with my whitework samplers sitting next to it ready for 'Camera -Action!" and instead walking by it daily to answer emails.  Fingers crossed I have more time for the fun stuff soon.  This is my first video trial - it was all done on the iPad.  Sorry for any choppy voice stuff, I was learning to edit on the iPad at the same time.  But it was quick which was good.

I got an email from someone who took the lack of blog as maybe an indication that we had caught the virus and was very concerned.  Thank you for the concern!  But actually every business that serves a hobby that someone could pick up during this time or return to some really old (I mean really old - like my computers don't have the data on it anymore) have seen business and customer service requests go through the roof several hundred percent.  I hear just puzzle sales are up 300%.  :-)  I have spoken to the distributors and heard from other store owners - no one is able to keep up at all.  We are all drowning.  And the labor I usually hire to help me out when I am crushed can't come into the home (they need some supervision.  I can't give it to most as they have cats or dogs and can't risk the hard fought product to animal damage).  So blog and cool plans for videos went to the back of the line.