Needle in a Haystack

I went to Needle in a Haystack (http://www.needlestack.com/) on Saturday to pick up some threads for embroidery & also some of the wonderful Zweigart linen that I hand dye. I have a love of Caron's Impressions 50/50% silk wool blend threads. They are soft and smoother than plain wool & glide wonderfully when I do bullion stitches but have enough tooth from the wool to stay in place. I picked up several variegated colors:




As you can see I also picked up some other 100% cottons, silk perles, & wool. The organdy ribbon is a new type of thread for me. I saw someone do some beautiful embroidery with it & decided to give it a try.



I dyed the linen last night:


Living in an apartment complex I don't have the room to dye fabric traditionally. So I use Ranger's Adirondack Color Wash Sprays. They were made for the scrapbookers but it is a pigment dye so can be used on fabrics. No soda ash or other chemicals are required however I find it will continue to bleed even after setting with an iron & rinsing; I use Retayne after the preliminary rinsing & let it soak for 20 minutes & that stops most of it.