RE: [lace] spangle question
Hi all, I assume you could also use beading thread quite successfully. Andrea, Cambridge, UK - where the weather just can't make up its mind. To: lace@arachne.com Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:01:19 -0400 Subject: Re: [lace] spangle question From: bobbil...@juno.com Hi all, When I did this a few years ago, someone on the list recommended using dental floss. Worked much easier than the wire. Load the floss with the beads... wrap it around the spot that you want the beads to go and then tie a nice square knot. I also threaded the ends through the beads both ways to hide the knot and to give it a bit more strength. So far, none of them have popped. Good luck! bobbi On Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:46:08 -0400 Clay Blackwell clayblackw...@comcast.net writes: I also had several dozen of this type bobbin, and used the same wire that I used to put spangles on Midlands bobbins. I used lots of color combinations (red and white were traditional Danish colors!) and counted out however many beads it took to cover the circumference. Then I wrapped the beaded wire around the grove, twisted it a couple of times, and ran the two ends of wire in opposite directions through the center of the beads, which were now snugly in place. They brightened up the bobbins - and the pillow - quite nicely! Clay Do it right the first time. Click to find contractors to work on your home improvement project. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTJutoMrjXgrh4hBU0HS3jHxjILc YcjC7vGY3cwAzkP40hMRt69pIU/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com _ Share your memories online with anyone you want. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] spangle question
Hello Marji and everyone (sent to me only, I think meant for the lace list) Your bobbins are Danish style. There was some discussion a while back about the best way to put the beads around them. Perhaps someone can help answer your question. On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 10:40 AM, Marji Sakievich marjidee...@yahoo.comwrote: I was recently gifted some bobbins, don't know the type, but you can put seed beads around the base. Any suggestions on the best way to do that? (My husband says they remind him of honey dippers. Marji --- -- Bev in Shirley BC, near Sooke on beautiful Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] spangle question
I also had several dozen of this type bobbin, and used the same wire that I used to put spangles on Midlands bobbins. I used lots of color combinations (red and white were traditional Danish colors!) and counted out however many beads it took to cover the circumference. Then I wrapped the beaded wire around the grove, twisted it a couple of times, and ran the two ends of wire in opposite directions through the center of the beads, which were now snugly in place. They brightened up the bobbins - and the pillow - quite nicely! Clay bev walker wrote: Hello Marji and everyone (sent to me only, I think meant for the lace list) Your bobbins are Danish style. There was some discussion a while back about the best way to put the beads around them. Perhaps someone can help answer your question. On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 10:40 AM, Marji Sakievich marjidee...@yahoo.comwrote: I was recently gifted some bobbins, don't know the type, but you can put seed beads around the base. Any suggestions on the best way to do that? (My husband says they remind him of honey dippers. Marji --- - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] spangle question
Hi all, When I did this a few years ago, someone on the list recommended using dental floss. Worked much easier than the wire. Load the floss with the beads... wrap it around the spot that you want the beads to go and then tie a nice square knot. I also threaded the ends through the beads both ways to hide the knot and to give it a bit more strength. So far, none of them have popped. Good luck! bobbi On Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:46:08 -0400 Clay Blackwell clayblackw...@comcast.net writes: I also had several dozen of this type bobbin, and used the same wire that I used to put spangles on Midlands bobbins. I used lots of color combinations (red and white were traditional Danish colors!) and counted out however many beads it took to cover the circumference. Then I wrapped the beaded wire around the grove, twisted it a couple of times, and ran the two ends of wire in opposite directions through the center of the beads, which were now snugly in place. They brightened up the bobbins - and the pillow - quite nicely! Clay Do it right the first time. Click to find contractors to work on your home improvement project. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTJutoMrjXgrh4hBU0HS3jHxjILcYcjC7vGY3cwAzkP40hMRt69pIU/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
RE: [lace] Spangle Question
From: Aurelia L. Loveman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Oh, I can't agree with you, Robin, that Christine Springett's spangles are loose and floppy. I have dozens of her bobbins, and they are perfect. If there were anything the matter with them (and there isn't), it would only be that we amateur spanglers have a hard time matching their perfection. I don't mean because the wire isn't pulled tight, so the beads move along it. I recognize that's a matter of practice. But I have official pre-spangled bobbins from them and they flop all over the place. There's nothing to keep the wire from rotating within the hole of the bobbin, so when you lift the bobbin horizontally, the spangle flops down. As I said, this is personal taste but I absolutely *hate* when the spangles drag and catch on neighboring bobbins, and flop up underneath or atop their own bobbins. I make my spangles so they stand out horizonally when the bobbin is horizontal. Then I can flip the bobbins over each other without having to lift each and every one 'way off the pillow and carefully lay each and every one back down in its new place. I'm slow enough, without all that extra fuss! Robin P. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA http://www.pittsburghlace.8m.com -Original Message- - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Spangle Question
Oh yes, Alice - you're so right! She has her custom-made T-squares which work for everything she does! But what she hasn't said (at least in a long while) is that she also has a full array of spangled Midlands bobbins, which she used when she first started making lace... until she realized that Milanese was her forte and that spangles and sewings just don't work together. So long story short... she now uses bobbins of her own design. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the recent availability of square bobbins in the US is a result of Tamara's numerous comments about the superior qualities of her bobbins!! Clay - Original Message - If people weren't different, then life would be dull indeed. I could see Tamara roll her eyes at this discussion. She avoids the whole problem by using unspangled square bobbins for all her lace. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Spangle Question
I have wondered about that too - and now use the bobbins with lighter spangles on finer thread eg finer than Brok 100, and the Springetts'/ Fountain's ones on anything thicker than that. I have used the Springett's ones on finer threads too and the lace is good - but definitely tighter tension than the same pattern worked with continental bobbins (having been in a class with people working the same piece. Yes, there could have been a difference in individual's tensions, but I also suspect that the weight of the bobbins was the main reason. after all when you use 140 thread you can't pull hard to tension it!) Sue [EMAIL PROTECTED] Is there a general rule about the weight/size of a spangle? I used to get spangled bobbins from Springetts which were made with a size 10 or 12 mm bottom bead then two size 8s two size 4s with metal beads as spacers. Shirlee Hill - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [lace] Spangle Question
From: Shirlee Hill [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] I'm thinking the answer might be do whatever makes you happy, but I'm wondering if there should be a certain weight to the spangle or if the weight matters at all ... Weight does matter somewhat. Fine threads can be stressed by heavy bobbins, and they're easily broken with relatively careful manipulation. Very coarse threads need heavy bobbins to keep them under control. The bobbin is more than just a handy way to move the threads about--it's also weight to keep the thread under tension, to help make the lace crisp and tidy when it's done. Too much weight/tension breaks threads, but too little can leave puckers and wiggles in the lace. A bobbin too light for the thread also allows the thread to jump its hitch and you have a renegade bobbin dashing for the floor. That being said, there's not an exact weight necessary for each thread. Just heavier bobbins for heavier threads and lighter bobbins for lighter threads. A given bobbin can be used for a wide range of thread weights, and a given thread can be handled nicely with a wide range of bobbin weights. The Springetts published a booklet, Spangling Bobbins the Springett Way, and many people learned to spangle from that book. Those beads are what Christine prefers for the range of thread sizes she uses. Some people prefer a variation on her method, some pay no attention to her method. Antique bobbins have all sorts of spangles, with buttons, beads of all sizes and shapes, big loops/small loops, loose wire, you name it. You can spangle with whatever you want, it's just that Christine's method makes a nice rule of thumb. The most common mistake I've seen in spangles is making them too big. All those lovely beads, you want to use them all on a spangle. Big spangles get in each others' way on the pillow, and I found I had to re-do many of my early bobbins and some I bought because the spangles were too big in diameter. Also, big means heavy, unless you're using plastic or other light weight beads, so you're back to breaking fine threads. The other common mistake I see is choice of doo-dads to put onto the spangle. I put tiny seahorses onto a pair, and the stupid things keep grabbing each other's tail when I try to separate them. Also, a really big bead sticks up from the pillow and, like a big loop of beads, gets in the way--especially when there are lots of bobbins on the pillow. Sometimes you find a really neat doo-dad that's enough weight all by itself. You can make a spangle out of just that, but be warned--it will roll. Some people like spangles specifically because they stop the bobbins rolling about the pillow (untwisting or overtwisting the thread), so they will hate this 1-bead kind of spangle. Some people just use seed or rocaille beads, but you need rather a lot of them to provide weight, and you're back to the big-ring problem. However, these small beads are good for a heavier bobbin, such as brass ones. A small ring of them will be enough to control rolling without making the bobbin even heavier than it already is. Personally, the thing I don't like about the Springett method is that the spangle is loose and floppy. When I pick up a bobbin, the spangle dangles and catches on the one I'm trying to flip past. So I bring both ends of the wire through the bobbin hole and around to the side of the bobbin, where I twist them together. I bend the twisted bit down against the wood so it doesn't catch on things, and then the spangle sticks straight out from the end of the bobbin as a single, rigid unit. Beyond that, my spangles vary tremendously, depending on the beads I have, my mood the day I spangled them, and what goes with the bobbin. But I generally have the largest bead on the bottom, medium beads to the sides, and a smallish bead against the wood (the last is because that's what fits best against the wood). But there may be disks or other shapes in there, and there's often not a smooth progression of sizes. I like the variety. Everybody has personal taste in spangles (except, perhaps, the people who prefer unspangled!), in diameter of the ring, diameters of the largest and smallest beads they're willing to use, kinds of beads, and how they're attached. Much of spangling is personal taste, and you should experiment to find the design you prefer. The Springett method makes a good starting point, but it's not the official spangle design. Robin P. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA http://www.pittsburghlace.8m.com - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [lace] Spangle Question
Oh, I can't agree with you, Robin, that Christine Springett's spangles are loose and floppy. I have dozens of her bobbins, and they are perfect. If there were anything the matter with them (and there isn't), it would only be that we amateur spanglers have a hard time matching their perfection. -- Aurelia - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
