Making My Mark

In 2013, I wrote an article about my favorite textile markers, and I remember all these delicious choices like sewing brand porn. At that time, I used a number of working plastic sewing markers. I never liked these knife marks because I saw them so ugly, but I liked the fragility more. They looked like little swallows, but they broke so easily that I tried not to close or open them, and often when I kept the needle open where the marker was, I saw that one of them was broken by a little pressure from my hand. . I never lost a needle marker, but they broke one by one until I was about two hundred at first, until I reached the last eight or nine. Then it's time to think about choosing new ones - and I can't say I'm sorry I had a reason to replace the old one. Finally, I wanted good sewing markers!

Looking at this old KNDD post on which sewing markers to buy, my own research reminded me that I could make my own sewing markers. I make beads and I already had the tools and knowledge and the only thing I had to do was find the right beads .





I was looking for medium-sized, smooth beads that didn't stick to the thread I used for this project. I have tried to minimize costs and if you have basic beading tools, it is quite possible to make this simple project for very little money. I also knew that I needed multi-colored markers, so I was able to color them when marking different objects (for example, a single transparent marker to start the line, or a set of top-down project sweaters). .

In January, when I bought a necklace and a set of earrings for my cousin's 10th birthday, I chose the Czech orange glass bead necklace you see above as "my free necklace" in the "Buy 1 necklace, buy a grain" section. Free sale at Michaels. I found two red beads and the two colored jasper beads you see above in a bead box - these were the only ones of their kind. The ivory bead necklace left in the photo was a $ 2 necklace I bought from Value Village with a "$ 2 discount" coupon from them to complete the online survey. I was very pleased with myself that I was collecting free beads for this project ... until I tried to make needlework markers and it turned out that the holes in the ivory beads were too big for this project. ah. I wrapped these ivory beads and put them in a bead box for an as yet unknown future. Then I bought another used necklace for $ 2.25, and this time I checked the holes to make sure the beads were straight before I bought the necklace.





To make sewing markers, you will need pins, wire earrings, and some simple beading tools: wire cutters, needle-nosed pliers, or pliers (not in the picture). Place the beads on the pins, attach the earrings, and then wrap the tip of the pin around the needle nose until it forms a small circle. Cut the excess length of the head with a side cutter, tighten the resulting circle with pliers or clamps, and you're done.





These are ready-made knit markers. Since twenty weaving markers are enough for me (I rarely work on more than one weaving project at a time), it's unlikely to break, and if it takes a long time, I'm not the type to lose things. . If they look like earrings to you, it's because they're basically like that, although I'd put a little more effort into the design of the earrings than these sewing markers. less effort to shut down.

I kept two Czech orange beads with me so that one day I could make earrings for myself ... otherwise I would be reluctant to borrow two sewing markers for a special occasion with an orange dress.