
Ruth Schmuff has added a new tool to her Bedecked & Beadazzled site, a Thread Index. In her blog post announcing it, she says: “Threads, threads, threads, how we love them. There are so many brands and types and sizes. It can be overwhelming. Some of us have been around long enough to know our threads and what works where. For others this is all new.”
Right now the Index is set up for Basketweave and for threads Ruth carries.
On her home page, go to Threads and look at the drop-down menu. The first choice is Thread Finder. Choose that.
You’ll find two questions that will narrow your choice of threads. You are asked about mesh size and if you want to ply threads. The site will return a summary page listing thread suggestions, all as clickable links. If you want strandable threads, the summary page will also give you the suggested number of strands.
Click on any of the listed threads and you will go to the page for that thread. Unhappily many of these threads do not have pages showing the colors available.
It’s a good start but it has flaws. First off, while I realize that this is a sales tool and closely linked to the shop’s products, it still should have a base thread for reference. In the needlework world, this is DMC floss, but it is nowhere to be found.
I also found the lack of detail pages for many of the threads bothersome. If Ruth is still populating the site I would like to see, either a link to the manufacturers site or an “under construction” notice. Instead I got the loading screen setting up an expectation that there would be information. When none appeared I was disappointed.
Finally, I found many of her choices for 13 mesh canvas threads to be odd. Often they were the same threads as suggested for 18 mesh. While I know this is true of many threads, it felt very much as if these choices weren’t thought out. Perhaps adding some kind of note indicating this on the results page.
Weaknesses aside, this is a good start to what could become an outstanding resource for stitchers.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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