I think stranding is the pits! For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, stranding is the process of pulling apart a "clump" of fibers into its smallest pieces. For example, Splendor by Rainbow Gallery is a 12 ply fiber. It easily splits into 3 sections of 4 strands each. On 18 mesh, you need to use 1 section, or 4 strands. Are you still with me???
I like to stitch fast and sometimes, just sometimes, I sacrifice perfection in favor of time. That means I typically use 1 section of Splendor and don't bother to pull all 12 strands apart and then mate up 4 to stitch. The Point of It All's decorative stitch teacher, Regina, has a cow when I don't strand. She absolutely insists that stitches look better and lay better when you strand. She's right of course but honestly a girl can't be perfect!
Puffin and Co. makes a fantastic thread separator which makes stranding a breeze. I've done a poston this marvelous invention. But what to do when you're in a pinch?
One of my favorite customers, Sarah Linton, improvised and came up with a terrific idea! See the picture above. She pre-stranded all of her fibers at home and then cut slits in a piece of paper and anchored all of the already-stranded fibers in the slits. Now when she's traveling she can just grab a set of Splendor and begin stitching. I love it!
Try it! Maybe this invention will get me to strand!
Happy stitching,
Susan
