Bakers' Twine Substitute

[Blue-Spruce]

I was in the middle of a project and had no bakers' twine, so I used cotton embroidery floss as a substitute. I used three plies of white and three plies of red and twisted them together to get a reasonable facsimile.

Admittedly, the floss does not stay twisted as well as the real thing (I'm working on solving that flaw) but it will do in a pinch--like when you need it NOW and can't wait for an on-line order, when the weather is near-blizzard or 20 below, when the nearest crafts store is 30 miles away, or it's 11 at night, etc.

You can also create whatever color combo you wish for a certain project.

And if anyone can figure out how to the keep the "twists" properly twisted, I'd love to know how!

[buggainok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue-Spruce

I was in the middle of a project and had no bakers' twine, so I used cotton embroidery floss as a substitute. I used three plies of white and three plies of red and twisted them together to get a reasonable facsimile.

Admittedly, the floss does not stay twisted as well as the real thing (I'm working on solving that flaw) but it will do in a pinch--like when you need it NOW and can't wait for an on-line order, when the weather is near-blizzard or 20 below, when the nearest crafts store is 30 miles away, or it's 11 at night, etc.

You can also create whatever color combo you wish for a certain project.

And if anyone can figure out how to the keep the "twists" properly twisted, I'd love to know how!

Good idea! Here's another one for DIY Bakers' Twine:

Life {Sweet} Life: DIY Baker's Twine

[Blue-Spruce]

Boy, I like that! I do have a roll of crochet thread--been in my stash forever. Thanks for the improvement, as this solves the twisting problem. I'll try it!

[buggainok]

Blue Spruce, I've made some of this with crochet thread, and loved that I could make any color that I had a marker for.

The downside, though, is that the crochet thread I had seemed a little thin. It was Size 10. I think I will check the needlework section of Mikes and Hobby Lobby and see if they make a gauge that is a little thicker.

When I used what I made, I felt like I had to use a couple of strands wound around the card to get the effect I wanted.

[fougeram]

I would use this technique when making pompous and tassels. I would tie a small knot at each end . It would never unravel.

[gabalot]

I saw the DIY post. I used it once w/"white" kitchen twine. Colored lines at an angle. Was okay for the project I was working on. One thing I did in a pinch ... I wanted to use twine as kite tails. I braided three strands of two each (white/blue/white) and then tied it at each end. I used pop dots to position the kites and glued one of the tied ends under it. I tied a bow w/the blue at the end of the "hanging tail." It served the purpose and looked good. Wish I had taken a pic of the card b4 I send it so ya'll could see it.

[Pennys2U]

Although not tried, you might use a little bees wax rubbed down the thread. It would seem to me that it might cause the various single threads to "stick" together. Just a thought for a pinch.

[arkip]

It's not DIY, but Sugar'n'Cream cotton yarn has a good substitute, also in several colors.

[montemom]

The Life Sweet Life tutorial explains the awesome idea! I'm SO grateful!!!!!
TFS!

[scrbkred]

Crochet cotton works really well also if you do not need the twist effect for your card. I just recently hand sewed a telephone cord using black crochet cotton. I used the heavier crochet cotton (size 3). Worked for me. Have also used other colours of crochet cotton to tie around a card front.

[craftymomto2]

I've used this method to make my own baker's twine, the only downside to the Sharpies is that it only colors the side you apply it to, it doesn't go to the backside of where you applied the color. If that doesn't bother you, this is a great method! I would not recommend using water based markers, they bleed too much.

[Atucsonstamper]

i love bakers twine I found some but its so expensive for $14. Pretty colors.

[keeka2]

Hope this helps... holding the 3 pieces of floss together, tighten them into the end of a battery powered screwdriver base (or battery powered drill). Attach the loose end to something stationary and and turn on the screwdriver. It will automatically start to wind the 3 pieces together. You can adjust the amount of twist by how tightly you wind them. Hope this make sense! You should start off with the floss or string longer than needed as you lose some length as it twists.

[Mayita1951]

Awesome, always looking for new ideas and techniques. Thanks

[uncbballfan]

I wanted to add to this post the other day, but couldn't think of the name of the tool I used to make my own cord: it's called "Spinster" and here's the link: Craft Town Hobby Land USA - Where it pays to shop with a friend!
I've had mine for several years, and the instructions that come with it are fantastic.

[shazsilverwolf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue-Spruce

I was in the middle of a project and had no bakers' twine, so I used cotton embroidery floss as a substitute. I used three plies of white and three plies of red and twisted them together to get a reasonable facsimile.

Admittedly, the floss does not stay twisted as well as the real thing (I'm working on solving that flaw) but it will do in a pinch--like when you need it NOW and can't wait for an on-line order, when the weather is near-blizzard or 20 below, when the nearest crafts store is 30 miles away, or it's 11 at night, etc.

You can also create whatever color combo you wish for a certain project.

And if anyone can figure out how to the keep the "twists" properly twisted, I'd love to know how!

Just read this post, I have a little tutorial here on my blog for how to make braided cords that stay braided, and I used embroidery floss for them too!

[Gildnee1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shazsilverwolf

Just read this post, I have a little tutorial here on my blog for how to make braided cords that stay braided, and I used embroidery floss for them too!

Thanks Shaz! I was using your method and it works. Not being sure of whether to invest in a spinster or not, I tied the cord-end to a fork (for ease of twisting lol) and followed your instructions. As other had mentioned before, this forum is amazing, one can get the answer for everything.

[cteena]

My first thought was to say that if you were to try to emboider with it, it would twist up just fine.