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Do you know what an “ort” is? According to all the crossword puzzles I’ve done over the years, it’s a scrap or bit of food – even a crumb. But, for needleworkers, an ort is a bit of thread that isn’t long enough to use any more. When I started doing more needlepointing last year, I soon got tired of the piles of little orts that appeared next to whereever I was working. Even worse was trying to pick up all of the little bits and pieces later on, because inevitably a few of them would wonder off and set up there own little households a few feet away. So, I decided to make an Ort Box. 
I picked a punchneedle design for the top insert and a Sudberry House Shaker style round box. I use my ort box all the time – as you can see from the collection inside the box!
The great thing about ort box projects is that they are quick and there are many options for the top – needlepoint, cross-stitch, punchneedle, hardanger, etc. But, even better, they’re functional!
Now, I’m planning on making boxes for teacher gifts – probably not for orts, but you never know…
