Mischief On Map

Every once in a while we have an activity on MAP that does not seem to be really stitching related. These little Off Topic Events are much enjoyed by the membership as they are usually done at the expense of our List Mom's embarassment. They mostly occur when I, fondly called Ms. Mischief by the members, come up with something a bit sticky to get into. This past week I came up with the idea of having a contest for which I would offer a skein of floss as the prize for everyone with the right answer. The idea came to me while I was watching a late night movie starring several classic western heros.

One of the actors in the movie I was watching was someone I knew that our List Mom, Shari, had a big crush on when she was younger. So, I devised a way to let the ladies tease her while trying to win the floss. I am sure we have all had similar crushes on movie stars or musicians, etc. My own crush was a rock singer who gave my mother the fits....David Lee Roth. I remember I had a great poster of him that my mother really did not like! But, back to torturing Shari.......

The next day I posted an email to the members that contained a list of characters in the movie. They were to guess the name of the movie. Whoever guessed the name of the movie right would win a skein of DMC floss which would be sent in the mail. Can you guess the movie?? Here are the characters:

John Wayne
Dean Martin
Walter Brennen
Ward Bond
Angie Dickenson
Claude Akins
Ricky Nelson.

Of course, I had to ask them who they thought she had a crush on and why they chose that particular person. In the end everyone had so much fun teasing her about her crush that they lost sight of the movie title. Like Mischief sometimes does, it took on a life of its own and became more of a contest for guessing her crush guy than the movie. Shari, with great humor, regaled us with stories about this fellow. In the end I sent everyone who even responded a skein of floss (everyone became a winner!) because I so enjoyed the hilarious comments they made about the fellow and Shari. Could you have guessed the name of the movie? What about her crush guy?

Let this be a lesson to everyone......it can all be brought back to needle and thread somehow. Don't miss a chance to play with Ms. Mischief on MAP from time to time.

H'mmmm.....Can anyone remember a David Lee Roth song? (Shhh.....don't get me started!)

Have a great day!

Lyn G.
aka; Ms Mischief

Pins - Get It Straight

PINS! Have you ever contemplated this seemingly simple little thing that you probably use every day when stitching or sewing? Where was it made? How was it made? What is its story? Am I the only one who does this? I don't think so. However, I like to peak the intrest of those who don't wonder about these things. I want to urge people think about this stuff.

Happily, I run the StitchMap Teaser which is run in the even numbered months. I get to exercise my desire to make the members think about the small stuff associated with needlework. Most of the time the subject is more currently relative, like a certain designer or quilt pattern names, etc. But, sometimes I do pick some off the wall/crazy subjects for the Teaser. You learn so much from researching them! This month, April , I chose the topic of Pins for the StitchMap Teaser. The ordinary little straight pin.

Everyone uses pins for sewing and other things. Pins are an everyday object used in sewing of all kinds and Quilting. Have you ever wondered how such a useful item came into use? What were the first pins made of? Did you know that in some early cultures they used thorns for pins? Here in Texas with all the mesquite trees we would have had an endless supply of those pins!

My own intrest in pins was sparked by a TV show on the History channel called The Worst Jobs In History. The particular episode was on The Tudor Times. In this episode they had a segment on manufacturing pins. Did you know that in Tudor Times pins were made in little dank rooms with no light? The hours were long for the pin makers and they only made pennies a day. Just enough to buy a loaf of bread, maybe. It got even worse when King Henry VIII put in effect this law: "No pin should be sold unless they be dauble-headed and have the headdes soundered faste to the shanke of the pynne."

Would you be surprised to learn that they needed pins in those times to literally stay dressed? Yes, all those ruffles were held onto the wearer by -- you guessed it -- pins!

That is where the saying "pin money" came into our language. People had to set aside an allowance to buy the little pins just so they could stay dressed! It also did not help that those pins were expensive.

We learned in this month's Teaser that at one time the USA was a major producer of straight pins. Now there are only a few US manufacturers. Most of the pins made today are made in Asia. One pin factory can produce 3 million or more pins a day. We also learned how the metal is made into a long wire, how it is cut and treated. There is more to that little pin than most of us ever thought about.

Have I caught your intrest yet? Did you learn something new? I hope so! I also hope that you will be able to participate in the next StitchMap Teaser. If you are not a member you need to join now......we have so much fun learning together!

Congratulations to MAP members Theresa E. and Angela W. They were our Teaser winners this month. Great research skills, ladies! Each of you will receive a stitching related prize for your efforts.


Lyn G.
aka: Ms Mischief.

The Art of Repurposing

In these times of having to stretch the dollar everyone everywhere is probably stepping back and taking a long hard look at the objects that they are getting ready to throw away. They are most likely asking themselves, "Can I reuse this? Is it worth repurposing?"

If you spent any amount of time with your grandparents while you were growing up you might have seen lots of repurposing going on. I picked up the habit of keeping and finding new uses for butter tubs. Both of my grandmothers did this all the time. It drives my husband a bit crazy but it does save him money when compared to my buying lots of Tupperware or bead storage containers.

Keeping in step with the times, StitchMap recently had a repurposing contest. The ladies of StitchMap were asked to send from 1-3 pictures of items that they had repurposed. They were to tell the original function or use of the item and then share how they converted it to use for needle work. There were 20 ladies that answered this challenge. Between them they shared 39 great ideas for repurposing everything from tape rolls and ice cream cartons to rain gutter sections and furniture pieces. Many of the ideas were truly inspired!

All of the ideas were so great that we took the names of the ladies who so generously shared and put them into a drawing to win some great prizes. We had two winners:

Erica C. - who shared how she repurposed some silverware divider trays for storing sewing supplies in her drawers. They held everything from pins & needles to knitting needles, scissors to rotary cutters and so much more.



Ginny M. - who shared how she took a walk in closet and converted it to a place for her computer and sewing supplies. The shelf was lined in storage containers for beads and supplies and there were plenty of peg boards filled with spools of thread mounted on the walls. There was even room for her computer! This was less expensive than adding on a new addition!

Another idea shared was from Merle R. of Australia. She used a half gallon ice cream carton and repurposed it as a current project box. She simply cleaned it well and then added a decorative fabric covering. She carries her current project and supplies around without worry.

Theresa E. showed us how she uses peg style clothes pins as bobbins for her silk ribbon and her laces. Here is a picture of her silk ribbon wound on the newly repurposed "bobbins".


The final idea we would like to share with you is from Rhonda P. She loves to keep her spools of satin, wired & novelty ribbons stored in some repurposed rain gutters that her husband cut and capped the ends of for her. He then mounted them on the wall in her sewing room. This keeps everything fairly tidy and within easy reach.

If you would like to know all the other great ideas that were shared during this contest just join StitchMAP and check out the Photos in the Repurposing Album. We learn so much from each other it is amazing!

Lyn G.........Ms Mischief.