Taking the Plunge

I have spent the afternoon plunging threads.

 My little hummingbird looks much neater now.

If you've never plunged threads, it is a process. It is a very fiddly process.

What you have to do is make a lasso from thread--you cut a piece of strong thread (I use Coats Craft thread), double it, and put the two free ends through the eye of a big needle. Then you insert the needle into the spot where you want to sink (or plunge) the metal thread ends, lasso the very end of the metal thread, and pull the metal thread through to the back of the work. After you get a few ends plunged, you turn the work over and sew those ends to the back of the work.

Sounds easy-peasy, right?

Well, maybe if you're not a klutz.

And it helps if you have lovely long, slender fingers. (I have short, pudgy tot hands.) 

If you don't leave a long enough tail on the metal threads, it is very difficult to grab the very, very end of the metal to get it through the lasso. If you're not careful, the metal wrap around the base thread of your thread will start to unravel, and then you won't have shiny metal on the front of the work--you'll have the yellow string that the metal is wrapped around.

So, basically, I found I need to leave longer ends so my short, fat fingers can actually grab the end of the thread, and I need to trim the ends before I pull through so I have metal wrap all the way to the end and I have to use a humongous needle to make a big enough hole to get the ends through to the back. And sometimes a thimble to push the humongous needle through the felt padding.

And bandaids. I need bandaids. Because there is no doubt that I am going to stab myself at least once if not more with the humongous needle.

And this is why it can take me an entire afternoon to plunge threads.