Preparing fabric for the indigo vat

I'm going to set up an indigo vat out on the patio when it's a bit warmer and I want to have lots and lots of fabric prepped with stitch resist and batik. So I've been hand stitching in the evenings and I forgot how enjoyable it is!
Actually I don't think I ever really enjoyed it before -- well maybe when I was a little girl. Anyway...it's kind of soothing and I'm liking it quite a lot.
I've wrapped some poles too and and have done some clamping.

I found this AWFUL quilting thread that I bought when I first started quilting and it say on the spool that it's 'glaced'. Whatever that means, it's awful, but very strong, so should be good for gathering the fabric.

Little wrappy thingies (not the real name for this technique...)

Still have to pull and knot the threads