Well, new question, let's see what we can do with it. This was a lot of very useful information, but I'm afraid I went and asked the wrong questions. It turns out that the sewings I'm having trouble with are neither top nor edge sewings. Rather, in Russian Tape when the 2 pairs from the filling rejoin the tape as the worker and the edge passive, they need to sew back into the pinhole that they left from before continuing on their way. That is the sewing that has me all confused.
This is what I am doing: The tape has 2 pr regular passives with CTC, and 1 pr each edge passives with CTCT. When there is no filling to be made, the edge is made with: T the worker pair, CTCT, pin, CTCT, head back across (or, translated to open mode: TCTC, pin, TCTC, T the worker pair, head back across). ****************** So from this I understand that the edge is pin under 2 (a whole stitch edge) and that this is a narrow tape. When I need to take the edge passive and the worker out to do fillings, I've been doing: T the worker, CTCT, pin, start plaiting, eventually plait back around to the tape (ending the plain on a T), remove the pin, sew into the hole, make sure the sewn pair has a T, CTCT, take the pair closer to the tape back across as the worker, use the other pair as the edge passive. ******************* First, I haven't done much Russian. Several things in tape of various kinds, but not a lot of Russian. Anyway, when I take two pairs out to work the filling, I add a couple of extra twists to the side I will sew back into. It makes a bigger, stronger hole to work in. Second, when I come back to where the sewing will be, I sew in the middle two threads of the plait, which makes a nice tight join. When I say the middle to threads, I don't mean pull up one thread and pass the other one through, I mean instead that you pull up a sewing loop consisting of both of the middle threads and then pass the outer threads through the loop from the back of the loop to the front of the loop. ******************* But, note, the way Russian Tape fillings are charted, they cross back over themselves when they rejoin the tape. So I'm crossing as I sew. And then if I take the returning pairs *below* the pin after I sew, the join is ugly as it sags down between this pin and the next. But if I take one above and one below the pin after I sew, closing the pin (again) with my last CTCT, I end up with a little circular loop of thread hanging out there. Am I doing too much? The pin ends up having whole stitches before and after it both times (if you count the stitches that comprise the plait). It looks messy. Thanks, Amanda On Wed, Apr 28, 2004 at 03:05:08PM -0700, Patricia Dowden wrote: > Hi Amanda and Weronika, > > A tape usually has a sewing edge. The outside contour is created as a single line > and the interchange of the weavers creates a U around the pin. > > If you sew smack into the pinhole over both the bar and the U, that is an edge > sewing. The finished lace will have the parts that meet there butted against each > other. > > If you sew under one or the other of the bars that make up the U, that is a top > sewing. The finished lace will have a slight 3D effect where the part that was sewn > into will look as if it overlaps the part that was sewn into it. > > You do not sew into an unsupported bar, it leads to unhappiness, ( or at least > distortion in your lace). > > Now let us consider the construction of the edge stitches. There are one or more > twists before the edge stitch, the edge stitch itself (which swaps the weavers) and > then one or more twists after the edge stitch. The number of twists before and > after the edge stitch should be equal. So the bars of the U should have the same > number of twists. > > The following is what I do and doesn't seem to disagree violently with the books > I've read. Take it with a grain of salt. > > To make a sewing, remove the pin where you will sew in. Make your sewing. Replace > the pin. Tension and continue. The tensioned thread is not around the pin (that > would leave it loose and could cause the lace to sag and is the reason not to sew in > to the unsupported bar). > > If two sewing edges are meeting for just one or two stitches, then you can maintain > the sewing edge on the part being sewn in. In this case, the edge pairs don't > exchange. The weaver goes out through the edge pair, makes the sewing and comes > back through the edge pair. > > Existing Tape New Tape > (T)T CTCT Sewing CTCT T(T) <<<<<<< > (T)T CTCT T(T) >>>>>>> > > If two sewing edges are meeting for a long stretch, as happens in Milanese, for > example, then you throw out the edge pair. > > Existing Tape New Tape > (T)T CTCT Sewing T(T) <<<<<<< > (T)T T(T) >>>>>>> > > Sewings eat one twist, so you should add a twist to the normal number of twists > after the sewing. > > Patty Dowden > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Amanda Babcock [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 1:26 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [lace] top/edge sewing > > > All, > > What is the difference between top sewings and edge sewings? Is there > a diagram online? > > I've been doing a tape lace for the first time, sort of experimentally, > and am not satisfied with any of the ways of doing sewings that I've > come up with (which thread gets pulled through, whether they need > twisting afterwards, whether to go around the pin when rejoining the > tape from doing fillings, etc). I would love to see the "official" > way of doing this. > > Thanks, > Amanda > > On Mon, Apr 26, 2004 at 10:28:39AM +0200, J. Falkink wrote: > > Hello Spiders > > > > Im "busy" with the Palm tree from "Milanese Lace: an Introduction". I did > > the first one-and a half leaf, did other things for a few month, then > > finished the second half of the second leaf. But... > > I forgot I did the first leaf with top sewing and did the second with edge > > sewings. I don't have an apetite in undoing, and on second thoughts I > > think edge sewing are better in this case. Could I hide the effect of the > > top sewing for the first leaf somehow? For example by sewing one or two > > threads around the sewing line? > > > > Jo Falkink > > > > - > > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: > > unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > - > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: > unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > - > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: > unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
