Saturday, January 03, 2015

Beeswax part 2

I completely forgot to mention in my last post 
about ironing your finished stitch once you've completed it, 
and the effects ironing has on the waxed threads ~

~ thank you to all for the questions & gentle reminders!

here are my stitches again ~ 
on the left of the linen is
top: 2 threads ~ unwaxed
bottom: 1 thread ~ unwaxed
and on the right of the linen is
top: 2 threads ~ waxed
bottom: 1 thread ~ waxed…




here is a close up of the threads ~ 
notice that the waxed threads {on the right, both top & bottom}
have a 'lighter' hue to them now with the beeswax on them.




and here they are after a light ironing ~
the waxed stitches on the right now have a 'darker' hue,
but the wax hasn't bled onto the linen.

so all is good when you lightly wax your threads :)




The only time the wax left a mark or 'halo' from ironing 
was when I use a darkened {stained/scented} beeswax, such as the sheep in the photo below.
I kind of liked how that looked, it looked 'ear;y to me so I will use that technique again ;)
~ happy accidents you know!



natural beeswax is usually found locally, in your farmer's market or health food store.
it is also found on Ebay & Etsy.
Stained & scented beeswax, poured into a plethora of different shapes/sizes/colors/scents
can also be found on Etsy/Ebay.

I hope this helps, and that you'll all give it a try!

and ~
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MISS FLEA!!!!!!
I love you my best friend!


~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 
 Lori

7 comments:

denise said...

Happy Birthday to Miss Flea!!! :)

Patti said...

Thank you so much Lori for info on waxing threads! Have been wanting to try this but wasn't sure..now I know! And Happy Birthday Miss Flea!!

scatteredseedsamplers said...

Hi Lori, When you iron your finished work, are you ironing the backside or the frontside? I've always ironed on the backside, but I'm curious if you use a different method? I just finished taking down all the Christmas decorations....what a good feeling!

Unknown said...

I am going to try this out on my next project! Thanks for the information!!

Kimberly said...

So nice with waxed thread. I will try it, if I can ever pull my hands away from wool :) Your sweet for sharing your talent and finding time to do so! Wishing you a blessed day. ~My Best, Kimberly

Unknown said...

Thank you Lori, went out and purchased some bees wax this past weekend and I am loving it.....thank you for the tip, I don't think I want to stitch without it now...

Happy Belated Birthday Miss Flea!!!! I just had one myself, January 2. 😀

Happy Stitching!!!
Rhonda

Karen said...

Thank you so much for this informational post! Very helpful for me. I did want to know if I should store the wax in a bag or can it be left out? I sometimes keep my stitching in a bag and my wax is in a little plastic box. Not having to open and close the box would be nice. (I do not have patience and wish I did!) Thank you! Oh, and I enjoy your photos and farm life and blog immensely! I would love to visit your shop, and since I am a animal lover to pet your animals, especially the donkeys as they are so handsome! Oops, pretty!