If you spend much time in the needlepoint world, just as in any other world, you will find stitcher’s have some special terms for things. This is a list, by no means complete, of some of those words.
Stash – Your accumulation of stitchy stuff of all kinds from threads to projects you hope to stitch someday. Whether you want to or not, you will accumulate a stash even if it is only bits of thread leftover from projects.
Some stashes are so large that people stitch whole projects from them. I’m a great one for this.
SABLE – An acronym meaning Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy. I don’t remember who coined this (if you do, please speak up in the comments), but it’s what happens when your stash is large and continues to grow. I am clearly at this point with threads, but I’m working on whittling down the canvas and project piles, but slowly.
UFO – Another acronym, meaning UnFinished Object. Most of us have many of these. If you like starting projects, you may have more than most. If you are like me, you may want to start something new everyday. I made one tiny project yesterday, started another last night and want o start one right now, which is bad, as I need to clean the house.
FLUPPY – My friend Coni Rich (Spinster Stitcher) had this on her blog post today and I think it’s perfect. A UFO becomes a FLUPPY when you have finished stitching it, but not finished it into something. I have two boxes full of this stuff.
Frog stitching – The needleworkers term for removing incorrect stitching, no matter the reason. It’s called “frogging” because you “ripit,ripit.”
OK, enough of this. If you have other great needlepoint slang, add it in the comments. I’ve got to get ready to help my DH (dear husband) and DS (dear son) clean.
Related posts:
SABLE. I know I first became acquainted with this term on RCTN. I don’t see it listed in a 1997 dictionary of abbreviations for stitching terms. But by the year 2000 people were using it all over the place. I might look around newsgroups more later and see if I can pinpoint it.
Hello! I’m pretty much a newbie so I’m dying to know what does ORT stand for? thanks! Kathi
Ort, if I remember correctly isn’t an acronym or abbreviation. I think it’s a Latin word meaning “little bit” and is one of those crossword puzzle words, now adopted for the little bits of thread.
Anyone know more?
Keep Stitching,
Janet
Ort, per the dictionary, is an archaic term for “a scrap or remainder of food from a meal”. We use the term ort in needlework to describe those little scraps of threads and findings that have left as we are stitching. In Victorian days, a woman’s dresser might have held a little covered box to hold bits of hair that were loosened after brushing. These scraps were often put together to form a base for a bun. Looking around antique and second hand stores you can often discover a beautiful rounded container with a lid that has a large hole in the center. Victorian ort containers make beautiful containers to put your thread scraps while you stitch at home. For me, they are prettier than putting a plastic bag in front of you. The ort that I use at home is made out of a pretty wood. When not in use for thread scraps, it displays my pretty scissors, needle case, threader, bodkin and other tools.