Needleminders

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So, a needle minder is a handy tool to have while working on your   cross-stitch piece. They are available in a wide range of styles, colors and prices, and can be very collectible as well. I myself own couple of them; this one is on my wish list next.

The minders are attached by “sandwiching” the fabric between the decorative top magnet and the plain backing magnet. Main purpose of the needle minder is to hold your pre-threaded (that’s a real time saver!!) or any extra embroidery needles securely in a place while you stitch. But an awesome add on is that the magnet itself won’t pierce or puncture your embroidery fabric. However, before you attach it to your fabric just wash the magnet and test it that it doesn’t leave any marks (it never happened to me before, but better safe than sorry).
Using a needle minder allows you to pre-thread several needles and “park” them, which keeps them handy and ready for use while working on your cross-stitch piece. They can also keep your needle safe if you need to stop working on it and set it aside for few moments, as the magnets will hold the needles in place.

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Just make sure to remove the needles and the needle minder from the fabric before putting it away when you’re done for the day as they might come off while stored in a bag and you might loose your needles.

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Needle minders can be used while working on any type of needlework, including all types of embroidery, needlepoint or cross-stitch. They’re also known as Needle Keepers, as they’re keeping your needle safe.

Q snap vs. Hoop

Q snap or a hoop, one might wonder?
There is quite a few pros and cons for either of them but at the end it all depends on what works for you the best.
When I learned embroidery and single stitching years ago I used hoop and I loved it, but recently I’ve purchased a Q snap and I must say I love it even more.

If we’re talking controlling tension… then hoop might be a better bet as you can easily do that but what I found out is that not all of the wooden hoops are good in quality and quite often you can find a round mark on your work that will take forever to clean up (if you manage to do it in any case).

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My favorite size to work with is 7” hoop its big enough but not too big and it fits in your hand easily.






On the other hand, Q snaps… are just too cute. As hoops they also come in various sizes.

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My favorite one so far is 11” q snaps but I’ve just ordered 6” & 8” as well. Beauty of them also is that they’re interchangeable so you can easily create a size that fits your current project best.






What I like the BEST is the ability to make it personalized…. Look how cute this is…

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A matching Double zip bag to store you project while not working and a q snap cover… This particular set resides in South Africa....









Until we "meet" again.... keep on stitching