tied up with string...

"Brown paper packages tied up with string... these are a few of my favorite things."

~Sound of Music

Not long ago, I was looking at a site (ok... more like drooling over a site) that sells beautiful colors of bakers twine.  Bakers twine has become a very popular embellishment, and I must say, I love how it looks with buttons, hand stitching, and in tiny little bows.  I love all the beautiful colors that have recently become available to crafters. What I don't love is the price. The site I was looking at blew me away with the prices... To get multiple colors would have broken the bank (and let's face it, I love color, so how could I possibly survive with only one color?? LOL)

And so... this technique was born.... Yes, it is a bit of work, but your wallet will thank you, you have the advantage of endless color combos instead of 15 or so choices, and it's sparkly! =)

What you need:

White Crochet thread *

Creative Inspirations paint

Water

Heat gun

Masking tape

Tweezers

*crochet thread is found with the knitting and crochet things in local craft stores and some Walmarts. It is a thin twisted cotton thread that is very inexpensive. 

 Step 1: Cut desired amount of crochet thread from spool. I usually do about 12-14 inches or so.

 Step 2: Carefully separate the twisted strands. The crochet thread is made of 3 twisted strands similar to the way embroidery floss is made up of multiple twisted strands.  The cotton strands are easy to tangle or break, so do this slowly, one strand at a time. (if you have ever done embroidery, this should be second nature!)

 Step 3: Make a puddle of Creative Inspirations Paint on a non porous surface, and add some water. This is a lot easier if the paint is juicy instead of thick. 

 Step 4: Run your first strand through your paint puddle.  By pulling your thread through the puddle, then under your finger, you can squeeze out the extra paint, although, you tend to get messy that way... 

Step 5: Traditionally, bakers twine is candy cane striped with 2 or 3 colors. Repeat Step 4 with the 2 remaining strands and desired paint color(s).   

*yes, it is important to paint all 3 strands even if you want some of them white. Use Winter Frost or Fairy Dust, but paint them!

 Step 6: Carefully dry each strand. Use Tweezers to hold your strands without burning your fingers. Keep the heat moving so you don't burn your strands. To avoid color contamination, dry each color separately.

 Step 7: Hold one end of each strand in your fingers and gently twist. Tape this twist down to a secure surface with masking tape.  Continue twisting the strands back together until you have reached the end. This part reminds me of making friendship bracelets back in elementary school. =)

 Step 8: While holding the end of your twist to keep it tight, run your heat gun slowly over the length of your string. You do need to be careful with this step since cotton can burn.  If you watch closely, you will see the strands shrink and tighten up against each other. 

You now have a fabulous, perfectly coordinated, sparkly, CHEAP, homemade bakers twine.  I like to wrap mine around small pieces of chipboard or those little cards made for embroidery floss... this keeps them from getting tangled and makes storage a breeze. 

*like any twisted thread, the strands sometimes start to separate again... just re-twist, and reheat. 

Enjoy!

~Kassi