Slow Stitching - Leather covered thread cutter - tutorial

For the project I am workig on I needed a compact tool which allowed me to cut my thread while I was doing my slow stitching embroidery.  After a bit of brainstorming and a lengthy online research session I came up with this idea.  It is a regular sized single edged razor blade with a leather sheath with a hole in it to allow you to cut your thread by pulling it across the very small part of the blade which is accessible through the hole.  

Here are the supplies I used:  

Leather - 1.5" x 2"

Single edged razor blade

Sharpie marker - any marking tool would work

Awl - a large sharp needle could be used instead

Wood block

Japanese Screw punch

Needle

Heavy duty thread

Not shown - glue

I folded the leather piece in half to 3/4" by 2" and used my awl on my wooden block

to make three evenly spaced hole on each side about 3/16" from each end. 

I threaded my needle with my heavy duty thread and stitched each end and tied the end off at the top. 

For the stitching I started on the top hole from front to back, thorough the second hole from back to front, through the third hole front to back.  Across the bottom fold and through the third hole from the front to the back, through the second hold from back to front and lastly through the top hole from front to back.  That leaves your two ends on opposite sides and then I tied them off with three knots.  

I threaded both ends through my needle and slid it along the seam on the outside and came 

out at the fold which nicely hides the threads between the two layers of leather. 

 I decided to run a bit of glue in the gap and secured both ends with little bull clips until 

the glue dried. 

Once dry, I trimmed off the ends of the threads even with the fold.  

I used the marker to indicate the middle of the fold and used my 

screw punch to make a small hole overlapping the fold of the leather which 

leaves a little gap.   

 I trimmed corners a bit to smooth out the sides of the gap.  You then insert

the blade into the sheath with the sharp edge in first which allows it 

to be accessed through the little hole.  You simply hold your thread

 on one side and pull the length across the blade in the gap to cut your thread. 

Easy peasy!!!  I love that this cutter is so small and effective.  

It will work very well in my new little project.  More to come later!!

Therese

Slow Stitching - Needle Keeper and Threader

I had the inspiration to work on a project that I have been thinking of for some time now.  

I made these needle keepers as part of this project.  These are wooden beads which I trimmed with a 1.4" forstner bit to create a cavity which would hold a small rare earth magnet and a piece of thin wire to make a doubly useful tool.  I drilled the holes centered on the holes in the beads, formed the wire hoops for the threading part and then used Goop glue to hold the pieces together.  The two beads each have an indentation.  I placed some glue in the bottom of one, added the magnet, then the folded wire with the ends to each side then looped them around the magnet.  I added glue to the other bead and pressed them together tightly which had glue coming out of the holes that needed to be wiped away.  I made severn of them.  The bottom one was my first and I used thicker wire which won't accomodate all the needles I might be using so I switched the thinner wire for the subsequent ones.  It is a double duty tool in that it will hold your needle when you are not using it and also help you thread your needle when you change threads.    I have a few more ideas which I will see about doing some R&D on later.