Well, I was somewhat stunned after going upstairs today and checking the digital thermometer/humidity indicator I'd left next to my thread stand yesterday, after my little water jar fix-it.
It hadn't moved a single percent.
That's right...not even one percent. It started out reading 42 percent 'dry' yesterday--and that's exactly what the reading was after an entire night with that little water jar sitting next to it and my thread spool.
As I've said before, I'm nothing if not stubborn. Time for the big guns.
Meaning....
...putting a flower pot, filled with water, right under the heat vent. Thaaaat's right. And then I turned on the ceiling fan....oh yeah, I am one tough broad...
And guess what. It worked.
Seriously, after waiting a couple of hours for the warm air to blow over the water in the flowerpot and for the ceiling fan to disperse that water vapor evenly throughout the room, I went back upstairs and found that the digital readout on the humidity indicator had moved from 42 percent ('dry').....to 48 percent ('comfort').
Green light!!
Long story short, the stitching went smoothly from that point on--no fraying, no breaking. From what I understand about water dissemination, the container's surface needs to be wide enough to make any real difference. My little 1-1/2" diameter jar just wasn't doing the job. The 7-1/2" wide top diameter of my flower pot, however, especially sitting directly under the heat source, allowed the water to vaporize in a much greater quantity at a much faster pace, not just around the thread but the entire room. And the ceiling fan did the job of equalizing that humidity. (I did turn it off before sitting down under it and stitching, though. Who needs air blowing directly on her/him when it's 22 degrees outside?)
Linda
Never thought about the humidity! Glad you solved your problem. The humidity here is running 18%, so maybe that is one of my problems - lol. But then we are in a drought. I'm so enjoying reading about this quilt you are making. Thank you for sharing the process. I'm learning a lot.
ReplyDeleteOh my, 18%, yikes!! You're welcome, I love sharing what would otherwise be a very solitary process.
DeleteI wouldn't have thought of the humidity being a factor, either. Glad you shared!
ReplyDeleteGlad to! Yes, and this new nylon carpet is probably making the static electricity worse. I got a somewhat painful spark when I turned off the wall switch for the ceiling fan just now.
DeleteWell, that makes sense! I'll have to keep that I mind if I have thread breakage. Right now I just have the kitten chewing through my thread. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteNow that IS a problem! LOL
DeleteI bought a few small humidifiers not too long along and spread them around the house to help with the dryness of winter. I should actually turn them on! lol!
ReplyDeleteYes, they'll probably work a little better! lol I should look into that for the quilting studio. We can get by with water bowls/vases in the rest of the house (and our cats love them).
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