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]
