What makes your heart sing?

What makes your heart sing?  What is that one thing that when you see it you just stop dead in your tracks?  I have many things that make my heart sing, in fact, while antiquing in New Hampshire last week I had one of those moments.....you know.....where there is a ray of light shining down on that one thing.  It was a very old hooked rug.  I digress....I'll talk about that later.    I have to say that for me and many of my customers one of those things that make our heart sing is thread!  I love it.  One of my favorite ladies, JoAnn, came in the shop yesterday and when she saw my new rack filled with Valdani she stopped short.  I knew she could relate....she felt it.....her heart was singing.   

Thread!!  I love it!!!!

Valdani thread........I am an addict.  I want them all, every color.  Ok, maybe not the brights, after all I am still a primitive gal, but many of our customers enjoy the brights and I think they are pretty too, so, the more the merrier, lol.   For Mom her thing is wool, and don't get me wrong, I love it too, but thread.....oh boy.  Every time I walk by this rack and these colors I have to run my fingers over it.

 I fought the urge to bring in some solid Valdani but soon it got me.  Look at those colors!

...and then a little bit of whimsy.  After all, for me thread is eye candy, so what better display than an old gum ball dispenser?  Fun!!

As you know, I'm a puncher.  That is craft of choice for my threads.  I mean, just look at those tiny little loops.  

This one below shows a mix of different styles and sizes of Valdani (3 strand, #8 Perle and #5 Perle).  You really would never know.  It's really kind of like a symphony of thread.....the harmonies are perfect!

Even solid skeins tug at my heart.  Is there anything more comforting than having a pretty antique wooden sewing chest, box or basket filled with skeins of thread?

Then there are the hand dyeds.  Oh, just look at the color.  This is my own hand dyed brown/blacks thread.  I started dyeing threads years ago and though when I brought Valdani in to the shop I would retire it, but I just can't let it go.  It also yields a different look when punched, more spotty.  It's own individuality!
  

Then there is the new kid on the block.....100% wool Moire thread.  This thread is equally fabulous but just a little bit different.  Not for the faint of heart.  Because of the fact that it is 100% wool this thread requires a soft hand.  We are willing to be a bit more gentle with this beauty because of it's purity and beauty.  

Thread has become such an omni-present part of my life in my everyday work that it is now a big part of our booth when we travel to hook-ins.  Ladies who attend hook-ins love texture and color and are immediately drawn in by the eye candy as I am.  

So, that's just one thing that makes my heart sing.  What is yours?

Until next time......