Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 04:11:57 -0700
To: "Diane Z" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
From: Patty Dowden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: 3D Edges
At 06:35 PM 10/15/2003 -0400, you wrote:
I think that this swan mask is just wonderful.
But when reading the directions, it says that "Edges are rolled at the same
time as the braids are made"
What and how are "rolled edges". Does it mean that a thread is twisted
around the wire on the edge to hide the wire?
Can someone advise me?
Thanks
Diane Z
Lubec, Maine
Hi Diane,
Rolled edges, now there's a subject. The following remarks are just my
opinions.
In Milanese, which has a pretty stable number of pairs, edges are rolled
mostly for effect, to make the design have more texture. In figural tape
lace, the illusion of actually depicting a figure (of a person, animal,
flower, etc.) is strengthened by side sewings (which make one tape edge
lay in front of another) and even more so by a 3D rolled edge, which is a
group of threads that the workers wrap around instead of working stitches
through.
Bridge Cook's "Practical Skills in Bobbin Lace" shows many of the
techniques to achieve the 3D edge. To my mind, I see edge techniques as
flat (ten stick), rolled (where the edge pairs are worked in a technique
where the worker goes through all the pairs, but doesn't turn and work
back. Instead the worker jumps back to the side it entered and works
through the pairs in the same direction as the first time. This produces
a hollow tube at the edge. The last is carried, usually called rolled in
most techniques, but in this case, you simply lift one worker thread and
enclosed the edge pairs or sew over them. These edge pairs are truly
passive, in that they don't work any stitches with the worker. Sometimes
the edge pairs are used as a place to park unneeded pairs and carry them
to next place they will be needed. The book "Special Effects in Bobbin
Lace" by Sandi Woods shows Milanese with rolled edges in color using
techniques similar to Honiton and Withof.
Honiton, Duchesse and Rosaline make use of a ten-stick outline of a motif
to make a raised edge outlining a motif and then work all the way across
the motif in half stitch or cloth stitch to produce a two layer
figure. Sometimes, in addition to the raised outline, additional
ornaments are worked in the center of the motif and when the full motif is
worked, are just tacked down to produce almost free floating elements on
the front of the lace. I have some great Duchesse study pieces that have
this complicated arrangement. Honiton and Duchesse may use different 3D
edges in the same piece. I have a piece of Duchesse that uses all three
methods. Being a part lace, Duchess could easily have been made by
several different lacemakers, which may account for the multiple edge
techniques.
The Italian lace of Cantu uses rolled edges extensively. The rolled edge
provides the backbone of lace for its swirling stems, flowers and
leaves. I've made some Cantu and I eventually started to feel like the
rolled edges were my anchor line, holding it all together. So for Cantu,
the rolled edge is structural.
Back to you original question of including a wire in the rolled
edge. Since the rolled threads don't work any stitches with the worker,
it would work very well to include a wire in the edge pairs. This would
allow the wire to hold the shape of the piece or to allow it to be shaped
after it was worked. I've used wire gimps this way using a raised gimp
technique where the worker only encloses the wire every couple of rows and
just gets passed on the back of the work the rest of the time to the wire
is more clearly exposed and seems to float. If you don't want to see the
wire, it is pretty easy to keep it hidden in the rest of the edge pairs.
Patty Dowden
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