Ever since I bought sticky-back foam from them for our church’s Christmas Craft Event last year, Yellow Moon have been sending me their catalogue. Nothing stitchy, really, but lots of felt and foam and paper and things like that. It turned out to be really useful for the people doing Sunday School and the Mother & Toddler group, which was a nice side effect.

I do like looking through the catalogue myself, even if I don’t really expect to find anything in it that I could use. But this time I noticed a few things which I thought might be fun, and even useful, for stitchers. One of the things we always run up against when we finish a piece of stitching is that irritating question non-stitchers always ask, “what are you going to do with it?” Personally I think the fun I had stitching it is the great thing, and I’m not overly worried if I end up not doing anything with it at all. Do people ever ask someone who has been to a beautiful concert what he is going to do with the music he so enjoyed?

Even so, it’s nice to be able to use completed projects in such a way that they give enjoyment a second time round, as a card for someone special, for example, or as a needlebook, coaster, lap tray, or thread box. And as there are only so many needlebooks, coasters and boxes one can use (although cards always come in handy, however many you make) it’s satisfying to find a possible new way of “finishing” one’s work.

I did briefly toy with the idea of a snow globe – you know, one of those glass (or more likely perspex) domes with water inside, and when you shake them it snows. They sell those, with a slot in the middle for your own artwork. The picture showed a foam insert, so obviously the thickness of a piece of stitching wouldn’t be a problem. In the end I decided against them because at 65mm high they are really a bit too small for anything but the tiniest piece of Hardanger. Two other things I did order, though – foam notebooks, and foam purses. A lot will depend on how securely I can attach the stitching to the foam, but if it works they should make lovely stitchers’ notebooks (for noting down all your projects, with or without pictures) and little project pouches (to hold needles, threads, scissors, needle threader, beads etc). They need a fairly small projects, so I’ve been designing a few especially for these objects; if they turn out well, perhaps I could make them up into kits!