I use an ordinary round embroidery frame, with a bound inner hoop, for Coggeshall and haven't had any trouble with the net slipping. Use a screwdriver to tighten the screw. It's obvious once it's been pointed out, and all but the cheapest frames have a screwdriver slot cut in the turney thing (mind's gone blank) but until someone passed me a screwdriver one day in an embroidery class, I was forever having to undo and reposition the fabric because it had slipped just that little bit.
As I'm only doing little bits of tamboured lace (as little as possible!) I don't want to set up a slate frame, but I do see it could be better for a bigger project, once you have made sure you have the net straight and the right way round. In a round frame you need to take care not to distort the holes in the net, but once it's in place you can turn the frame to get the hexagons lined up properly. I hold the round frame in the slate frame holder on my Lowery stand, which means I can also get the light exactly where I want it. The pattern I tend to do largely freehand but as Margot says, I bring the 'cartoon' up behind to check I'm on target. I don't think I'd be able to cope with white behind the net (unless the net was coloured) and was taught by at least two different teachers (probably three) to have a dark cloth over my knees so I could see the net better. As with a lot of these things, I think it's a case of trying different equipment and methods and seeing what suits you. Jacquie - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
