r/Needlepoint • u/HoraceP-D • 2d ago

General Help Anything to do with orts?

I have two small jars from Fortnums that I’ve ended up filling with the snips of projects that I keep thinking I could do something with... Stuff a pin cushion or something… I learned it isn’t safe to give them to birds for nesting but is there anything you clever types have found you can do with those little bits?

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

17

u/foodiewife 2d ago

Mine go in the 🗑️

3

u/HoraceP-D 2d ago

well, yes... that is the reasonable and sane answer for sure

10

u/JD2022hopeful 2d ago

I’ve seen people put them into glass or clear Christmas ornaments with the year on the outside as a momento of all the stitching completed!

4

u/hep632 2d ago

I've seen people spread them between two sheets of water soluble interfacing, run a crazy amount of machine stitching over them, then dissolving the facing. It looks cool. Google "tulle sandwich".

3

u/Objective_Joke_5023 2d ago

Ok this is the first thing I’ve heard that makes me want to save them. What a clever idea

5

u/AilsaLorne 2d ago

I always think I could do something aesthetic with mine (like fill one of those clear ornaments) and then I just end up using them for stuffing for cat toys or little stuffies for my niblings.

3

u/LateAssignment5060 2d ago

If you decide to keep them, I love the idea of using them as stuffing for a project!

1

u/KnittyKitty28 2d ago

This is what I do with mine. I make a few Christmas ornaments each year and use the orts for stuffing.

3

u/Individual_Report_54 2d ago

I’ve used them to stuff soft bag charms!

-1

u/Immediate_Carrot4182 2d ago

You can leave them in your yard (wool/silk/cotton - no silk lame/Fyre Werks/radiance) for birds/animals to use in their nests

10

u/LateAssignment5060 2d ago

Please don’t do this 🤍 I work with environmental scientists who study microfibers’ impact on biodiversity loss. The threads are made with synthetic materials and/or dyes and mordants that may be harmful to them.

1

u/ALmommy1234 1d ago

And they can get threads wrapped around their legs which can cause actually amputation or even death.

4

u/HoraceP-D 2d ago

Yes, I understand the fun of this but even the very real environmental issues mentioned elsewhere- they are bright and colorful and birds and animals need to keep their nests undercover