Two Fabric Ort Containers

Recently I bought two fabric products made to catch bits of thread. Neither was made for needlework (they were made for quilters) but both are wonderfully useful. I’ve combined my reviews for both here.

Snippet Catcher

The Snippet Catcher from Nonni’s Attic Shop on Etsy does not look like much. It came folded flat in an envelope. It did not feel very firm, but it was easy to stand up on the table next to my chair. Much to my surprise it sat and stayed open.

The Catcher is 5″ wide and 2 3/4″ tall with an opening that is 2 1/4″ on all 3 sides. As you can see from the picture the flaps are held in place with buttons. It’s made of two coordinating quilting cottons and can be washed in cold water and dried flat.

The open pyramid shape of the catcher meant that thread scraps stayed inside, even after it fell on the floor. I don’t fill it very full, but it contained even stitching lengths of threads easily and neatly. If you are handy and have a sewing machine you can even buy a pattern to make one for yourself.

I am sure there are other makers and additional patterns to make these containers. This is the one I bought, however.

Ort Book

While I was skeptical about the snippet catcher, I was even more doubtful about Allegro Stitches Ort Book, above. It consists of a page of white felt, sewn down the middle, enclosed in a lightly padded cover that snaps shut. I could easily see it sitting next to a sewing machine and keeping those constant bits of thread that always littered my grandmother’s sewing machine — but embroidery threads? Why would they stick and stay stuck on felt? Could a solution for orts be so simple?

Yes it is. I used on a day when I was cutting and using lots of thread. The book sat open on the table. I put the threads in the book. From time to time I would loosely gather them together so they would be easier to throw out. To my surprise this was also easy to do. The fibers of the felt as just enough to hold the thread orts but not so strong a to keep them held.

The real genius of these books is the padded cover. Because they snap shut, you can use these easily when traveling or at a class. Snap it shut once you are done and pop it into your bag. You can throw the orts out once you are home.

It will not hold as much as the Snippes Catcher, but that’s fine. Even in the worst case traveling I will be able to empty it every couple of days. it’s not become my default traveling ort container.