In a message dated 7/30/05 3:38:41 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Just wondering - re inserting the cut-end of a thread into a needle, is > that affected at all by Z vs S twist, or would that have already been taken > into > account by the manufacturers? > Dear Jen, Brenda may have something to say about this. My take is that it is the way thread is twisted in the manufacturing process that matters. You want to thread it in a needle in the same direction as it comes off the manufacturer's spinning equipment. The tiny fiber ends will lay down better in that direction and not be bent backwards (against the grain). The first way to test is by pulling it through your thumb and index finger to see which way feels smoother. With fuzzier "designer" threads you might use in modern needlelaces, it may not matter at all because you probably have to use shorter lengths to maintain the "fluff". However, if it starts to kink up on you and the simple twist of the needle does not help, you are probably buttonholing against the grain. There are threads that are spun for sewing, weaving, knitting, etc. that were never intended to be used for movement through a woven textile or threading in a needle with an eye and coaxed to create buttonhole stitches in the air. There are so many thread combinations out there, that you need to *exercise some common sense in the selections process.* You cannot expect all thread experiments to work, or for us to give you ways to make them work for lacemaking. We have creative people and students using very unconventional materials, especially since the 1970's, encouraged by educational schemes that stressed "originality" over tried-and-true methods and materials. Students were not even taught the principles of lacemaking or embroidery before they dove into "inventing". Gives a conservator nightmares. Many materials cannot be wet cleaned, and when combined with various unrelated materials, you are dooming whatever you are making to a shortened life-span. Unrelated materials expand and contract at different rates when exposed to changing temperature and humidity conditions. Some need to be cleaned by different methods but have been coaxed into tightly-entwined stitches. Velvet or leather or mohair threads mixed with cotton or linen or silk would be examples. So would the addition of embellishments - feathers, beads, stones and twigs being examples. If embellishments are too heavy, they will pull on finer lace threads (gravity being what it is). Results are sometimes constructions that used some lace techniques - but they should never be called lace. They do not possess the visual design elements we expect lace to display. I was taught to *think about future care* when designing and deciding on which materials I would use. I recommend this to all adventurers, especially those who think they will invent something new. Example: What will happen when lace earrings become stained from makeup, blown sand, sea spray, soiled fingers, etc? Can they be wet cleaned? I am absolutely against substances like hair spray being used to stiffen something that will not be washed out with the same frequency as human hair. There are alternate solutions, as we learned last week from Greet. She described a Belgian stiffening product to us (by its commercial name), that does not seem to have an equal in the U.S. (and probably your Australia, Jen). They still make more lace in Europe than in North America and Australia, dear lacemakers. So, perhaps we should at least take a look at what they are using (excluding the scary lacquering process we saw in Czech Republic last year, maybe). I would like to learn from this list. I would like to hear from textile conservators in Europe about how they are maintaining modern 20th C. laces and embroideries. What are the products being used, books to read (in English), etc.? If this list is for all of us, is it too much to ask that you please provide some information - to me? You can be sure it will be shared. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace & Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
