In a message dated 7/10/03 11:54:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< I was writing a private message to someone about the threads I'm tracking for my upcoming Convention workshop (stranded, high-luster silk for gimp), when I suddenly remembered Zwicky... >> ------ Dear Tamara, When you first inquired about a silky thread to use at convention, I wrote you a long memo about Zwicky. But I decided not to send it. I remembered you knew about Zwicky (from some old correspondence you had originated) and I thought you had rejected it as a candidate for your project. Zwicky (Swiss-made) is a favorite thread of mine for embroidery. It comes in skeins. It can be washed (carefully) which would be an advantage when used as a gimp with a lace made of cotton or linen threads. It comes in an extremely wide range of colors, all delicious. Oops! I mean Delicious, with a capital D. If you choose to use a medium-to-dark color, pre-soak it in a little distilled water, then lay it between absorbent white paper towels and press out the moisture - to test no dye is going to run in a later washing. I had a feeling you must have rejected Zwicky, Tamara, because it clings to less-than-smooth hands. I mean, what we call "dishpan hands", or hands that do a lot of gardening. If you use lotion, it will transfer to the the silk. This has been tested by American embroiderers who used lotion specially formatted for silk embroidery one day, and not the next day. The colors were different. It would not matter in a gimp, so much - but if you are embroidering a stitch like the satin stitch, where the light travels across the embroidery, the color change would be apparent. Zwicky would be my choice for what you described. I do not like the use of synthetics as gimp threads, because if an iron comes anywhere near the lace in the future, when cleaning your laces, a synthetic may react to the heat! If you choose to use any synthetic thread with linen or cotton (which you know can be gently pressed} you really should test it with an iron before you use it. Place the thread to be tested between two layers of paper towels, so you will not damage the sole plate of the iron or surface of ironing board. As you know, I recommend blocking and finger-pressing after washing lace, but some people will reach for an iron! Best to anticipate in advance - conservation begins with selection of materials, before a lace or embroidery is started. Zwicky can be found in shops that sell fine embroidery materials, not in craft shops. Sometimes you have to ask the proprietor for Zwicky, because it is not openly displayed. This is because handling by customers can damage it (rough hands, dirty/oily hands, pronged rings). A google search for Zwicky thread will turn up lists of purveyors of this thread. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED]
