Hand sewing thread

when working with rayon ,hand stitching, I keep a wt makeup sponge
handy and simply wet the thread. does it for me.
ruby

Pati, in Phx wrote:
Yep, beeswax needs to be warmed into the fibers of the thread to work.
G In the old days of not as tightly wound spools of thread, the
whole spool would be dropped into melted beeswax until soaked through.
The basis of the "glazed" thread. G

However, I prefer using Thread Heaven, which is made to work into the
fibers with just finger heat. G Lots faster and easier, especially
when not near a heat source. Thread Heaven is a silicon based product
that work well for me. I have even tamed rayon embroidery thread with
it.

Have fun,
Pati, in Phx

Polly Esther wrote:
Hey, now. Really? I had no idea rayon embroidery thread had ever been
tamed with anything. That stuff has a life of its own. Polly

The best thing to tame rayon floss or thread is good, old fashioned
SPIT -- like from your tongue!!! When I do needlework with rayon, I cut
my length of floss, run it through my mouth (AFTER I make sure I don't
have anything but spit in there -- LOL) and then lay the piece of floss
aside to dry -- only take a minute or so. Then I do as Pati in PHX does
and run my length of floss through Thread Heaven. This keeps the ends
of unraveling, etc. and the floss doesn't tangle much at all.
FYI, when Thread Heaven first came on the market, the folks over at
RCTNeedlework were up in arms arguing about the pros & cons. Those
folks stitch with silk floss on silk fabric and expect their stuff to
hang around for several generations. The thing most folks were upset
about is that TH DOES NOT WASH OUT -- ever, under any circumstances --
and this bothered the stitchers. We even had one of the TH Customer
Service people posting to the group answering questions!! IIRC we were
told that TH was developed at the request of the textile restoration
experts at the Smithsonian. They wanted something that would protect
the textiles from sun, dirt, dust and other environmental nasties. At
the same time, the substance had to be totally inert, colorless,
odorless, acid free, chemically stable, etc. so that it didn't react
with the textiles it was used on or yellow over time as beeswax does.
It helps keep sewing thread & other fibers from tangling and helps the
fiber glide through the ground fabric more easily. I use it on the
silk, cotton, rayon, metallic & linen fibers that I stitch with. The
only time I don't use it is when I stitch with one of the fibers that
has any sort of fuzz or texture to it.
Thread Heaven is great stuff and the little tiny bright blue box
lasts a looooooong time. It is well worth the money, especially if you
do a lot of hand stitching of any sort. CiaoMeow ^;;^

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their whiskers!
Visit my Photo albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/tiamary