Sandy's Stitching

Beautiful day in Kentucky - Sunny but crispy cool!  Has an edge.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite toys with you this posting.  I have not done that in a while.

You know how big the fad is for needle minders.  There are clubs and fun competitions amongst members of various groups, etc.  There are all kinds of themed ones, ones with sayings, pictures of project one is working on, travel ones, plastic, metal, wood,  etc.  While I too have a collection, it has no theme.  I do try to get a magnet from each shop where I teach as a reminder of great memories.  Sometimes I pick up some where I travel.  But most of these are on my magnet board.

The toys I like to work with have a totally different purpose, including my needle minders.  Some of my most favorite and practical toys come from Merry L. Needlework Accessories.  My first introduction to Ellen's fabulous fun things were her Cozy Needle Minders. How can you not be happy when stitching with one of these colorful beauties on your canvas?

 Then I discovered that there is also a larger version.  This picture shows how the needles can be held by the magnets, laid inside against the bottom and even stuck through the felt.

Additionally she has fobs of all kinds.  Holiday fobs, fobs that match beaded minders, etc. for scissors, zipper tabs, and more.

 

Another innovative item Ellen came up with was to magnetize the end of a laying tool!  This allows us to keep track of where our laying tool is at all times by laying it against our magnet so it stays right on top of our work.

Lanyards are another of her wonderful products.  In fact, she generously helped me put together make-your-own-kits for one of my stitching cruises so I could surprise my participants.  That was much fun - and much work on her part.

This is a pic of the lady herself setting up her trunk show and you can get a small glimpse of her creativity.

Another producer of some of my favorite toys is Accoutrement Designs.  Lisa comes up with some of the cutest magnets.  These can be beautifully painted enamels or encrusted in bling gems!

Some of my very - mostest!- favorites are the beading and/or needle cases.  These are just perfect for working with beads on your canvas.  She makes them with all sorts of cute sayings, wonderful characters on top, etc. And you can put together sets.

Here is a picture of my personal case (it has a horse on top) that I use when beading on canvas.  Notice how it can be held in place on the canvas. I use magnets to hold on top.

There is also a case that does not have the sticky mat on the bottom but another magnet and it is used for needles and pin.

Another real plus for this beading tray is that it is shallow and you can access your beads without flipping them all over the place while trying to get them on the needle.

I have tons more favorites but these are two of my tops that I will share with you this week.  I'll try to remember to throw some of these types posts in from time to time.

Have a great weekend!