flossie

Awhile back, I mentioned a quick and easy substitute for seal fur, floss. 4 strand rayon floss works great, and most fly shops carry it for a $1/spool for 10 yards of material. For those of us without access to a nearby shop, embroidery floss will work just the same. For one dollar you can get an 8 yard skein of rayon floss that is between two to three times the amount of floss of that four strand floss. Better yet, your wife or significant other may already have a stash hiding in her sewing kit. If you get caught yoinking her floss, however, don't go blaming me for the idea. Just tell her that you wanted to make her a "friendship bracelet". Yeah, that's the ticket...


If you want to get an even better deal on floss, then look no further than some twisted lip cord. Found in the fabric section of most craft and fabric stores and even some big box stores, this is the motherload of cheapo DIY floss. The cord at the Hobby Lobby runs $0.99/yard, plus there was an additional 30% off sale price; can't beat that. There are many varieties out there so keep a close eye on the composition of the cord materials. Many will contain a cotton blend; stay away from those. Look for cord made up of rayon, nylon, polypropelene or a blend. I opted for a rayon/polypro blend, as the cord can serve double duty. The cord is composed of a polypro core, coated with a rayon outer that easily separates from each other. I can use the rayon and the polypro for dubbing, but I can also use the polypro for wings or posts.



I love a good bargain.