GetCrafty Craft Facts

Q: Here's a little discovery I made the other day after hubby's snoring drove me nuts and robbed me of sleep (hey, I might call myself a "creative insomniac", but the beading juices just weren't flowing that night, I was grumpy and mad!! LOL).

A: So, I went out to buy some Silicone Earplugs, and looking at the stuff, I noted a remarkable similarity in texture to 'Thread Heaven'(TM). So, the next day I tried it on my beading thread, and BINGO, it worked just as well! So, I ditched my very old and dirty lump of 'Thread Heaven' and stuck an earplug into the little blue box instead. Granted, the 'Thread Heaven' has lasted me a really long time, but you can get 4 pairs of earplugs for $2.50 at your local 'Rite-Aid', and replace it when it gets dirty and a little worn-out. I'm not saying put the 'Thread Heaven' company out of business (no don't do that, it's great stuff), but you might want to try it out... I saw your post in the newsgroup, and funny thing, I wrote about the same thing to the people who sell 'Thread Heaven', and wow... did they give me an earful about that little bitty stuff! I told them the earplugs were the same thing, and they said: "No"..their stuff was different and the earplug wax would break down the thread! Who knows!! :-) They had to make sure their formula was different than the plugs to please the earplug people. Imagine that! All over some threading wax! Ah well... they made a big fuss over it to me, but... I STILL think it's the same! You're like me... always thinking about other things to replace the expensive ones (I even told my husband I had the original idea for Pantyhose when I was a kid 'cause I hated the garter belts!! LOL!!). Have fun. Write if you like! I got a kick out of your letter. I know most of you don't know me.. I am 'Barb Grainger', author of "Peyote At Last!".. I was a member of Prodigy when this product was being developed, and so was 'Roni', the owner of 'Thread Heaven'. We were the original testers for the product, and I know that it took a while for her to perfect it. She worked with a professional person (a chemist I think) to develop it. I don't think this is the same as the plugs, even though they may look alike. I am not a chemist, so I can't vouch for that, and I have no idea what is in the product. One thing I do know is that you do have to be careful about certain chemicals which will cause the thread to break down eventually, so please do make sure that the product you use will pass the test of time. I personally still use the old time tested beeswax, but most of the beadworkers I know love 'Thread Heaven'...