One of the hardest parts about working with upcycled denim is the variation in color you get not only between pairs of worn out jeans but within the jeans themselves. That makes choosing the thread colors difficult. A thread color that stands out on one shade of blue may be dull and lifeless on the next one. Occasionally I come across a color that translates well to most. The gold used in this ray gun badge is one of those colors.
It was a random event that lead me to this color. I bought it at a shop that was selling off a huge selection of odds and ends spools. It was a large spool. I have been using it for a couple years. It is almost empty. I went searching for a replacement.
Because it was a remnant spool, the labels were not very clear. I knew what brand it was but the numbers on the spool turned out to be size and type but not color. They lead me to a page from that manufacturer with 20 shades of gold. Many of them were close but the images were color swatches and not actual thread. Without the sheen of the real thread it is very hard to tell if it is the correct one. I had a flash of inspiration and looked inside the spool. There was a small sticker with more numbers. Fortunately, those matched the color numbers for the brand and I was able to find what i believed to be the proper color.
Finding that, lead me to a search for a vendor who carries the thread. That lead me to Amazon where I found a spool! I ordered it. It arrived four days later.
It arrived with a return address for a shop less than 10 miles from my house. A shop* I have been to before. A shop I could have gone to with my almost empty spool to see if I could find a match. A shop where I could have had the thread in hand immediately. A shop I would have gone to last year.
But 2020...
Next time I need new thread I will call them or go directly to their website. I need to shop local. I need to do what I can to support the small local businesses that I used to depend on and want to be able to depend on in the future**. There is no place like home.
*Remind me to tell you the story of my first visit to this shop and my first impressions and how they came back to haunt (or maybe just amuse) me some time.
**This badge is one of my favorites. It is from a series of Steampunk badge I designed specifically for a Steampunk Festival a few years ago. I am going to have to design a steampunk sash next!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/471612650/steampunk-spaceship-ray-gun-iron-on?ref=shop_home_active_2
