How to Collect Leftover Thread and Why You Might Want to

Do you keep your thread ends when you finish a cross stitch project? These little leftover bits are sometimes referred to as ORTs (short for old ratty threads or old random threads) and some stitchers like to keep them and use them in projects, too.

I’ve seen people keep their ORTs in jars or even make them into Christmas ornaments (the one shown here is from Caterpillar Cross Stitch, instructions in the blog post linked below).

I don’t keep mine with any particular purpose in mind. They go into a container that also includes the ends of yarn from knitting and crochet projects, and when I need to stuff something I’ll turn to that material before I use storebought stuffing (unless the stuffing needs to be white for some reason).

But every time I see cute little jars filled with bits of thread I wonder if I should save them more deliberately.

Caterpillar Cross Stitch has a great post all about what ORTs are and different ways to use them, from the aforementioned jars and holiday ornaments to making a patchwork project stitching at random with all those little threads.

Check out the blog post for more tips and ideas. As it notes and I want to point out, too, leaving your random threads out for the birds to collect is not recommended as even short fibers can be a tangling hazard for babies, and brightly colored threads can attract predators to nests.

I also love the idea mentioned here that looking at your remnants over the course of a year can tell you things about yourself as a stitcher, such as what colors you prefer, which might inspire you to mix things up a bit and pick a project outside your color comfort zone.

If you save your ORTs I’d love to hear what you do with them!

[Photo: Caterpillar Cross Stitch]

The movie Project Hail Mary came at the perfect time for us to continue our space joy after the Artemis mission, so let’s keep the fun going with some Project Hail Mary themed cross stitch projects.

Of course a lot of these projects feature the words “amaze amaze amaze,” like this one from Sew High School, which just features the words worked in a range of planetary colors. The design is 105 by 72 stitches, and uses a whopping 60 colors, but you could always use fewer if you like. Having each word in a single color or using variegated thread would be nice, too. On 14 count fabric this one measures 7.5 by 5.14 inches, or 19 by 13 cm.

Or stitch Rocky along with the iconic phrase with this design from John Gudmann Art. The pattern listing is low on details such as size or number of colors used, but it’s such a cute one I wanted to share it anyway.

There’s also this one from Milo Can Stitch, which is 89 by 91 stitches, so just about 6.5 inches/16.5 cm square. It uses 17 colors and looks like Rocky is doing a little dance, which is fun.

Another classic line from the book and the movie is “You sleep, I watch,” which feels kind of perfect for a baby’s room. This design from Carefree Cat Shop uses 11 colors and measures 49 by 37 stitches. That’s 2.8 by 3.7 inches, or about 7 by 9 cm, on 14 count fabric.

Soft Muse Studio Store reminds us you sometimes just need someone to be brave for with this design featuring Rocky and Grace. At 215 by 215 stitches, the finished project uses 13 colors and measures 15.4 inches, or 39 cm on 14 count fabric, which will fit in a 10-inch hoop. Other fabric counts are included if you want to make it smaller. (This designer has several cute Project Hail Mary cross stitch patterns so be sure to check them all out.)

I also love this colorful spacewalk design from Mercury Stitches. It is 50 by 70 stitches, which comes out to 3.6 by 5 inches (9.1 by 12.7 cm) on 14 count fabric. It uses 17 colors and is all full cross stitches, as well as some backstitching.

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