I appreciate the thoughts I have received so far on this project. I'm going to start a smaller version to test the construction techniques. Hum?? - is 25" x 20" really a small version? but would it look lovely on my dining room table in case I never tackle the full size one. :-)
The steps I see so far 1 - Make the outside edging the dimension I decide to tackle for now - complete with four corners. This is the easy part. 2 - figure the pattern strips needed to fill the width of the piece - a combination of different width pieces should help fill it evenly. Sounds like a lot of math. 3 - start making the strips and decide whether attaching as I go or sewing together later is the best option. I like Alice's comments about this part of the process. 4 - figure out how to attach the top and bottom of the strips to the edging piece. This is the part that has me stumped at the moment. Do I make the pieces a little longer and then figure out how to tack them to the edging securely and trim off the excess? I keep picturing a good glue to be sure the ends of the threads don't start fraying out. Maybe surge the ends of all the strips at the right place for a neat edge to tuck under the edging piece. I'll make a short test piece by piecing some strips and see what technique works best - More suggestions and thoughts about this step would be very welcome! I don't have a problem with long pieces of the same pattern. I just completed four yarns of a lovely edging from Lorelie's book to put around the dust cover I'm making for my newest pillow. Alice - thanks for your interpretation of the note in the book. I read it, but your comments made it clearer to me. Where are you in Oregon? I've been looking for experienced lacemakers close to where I am in Boise Vila On Thu, 26 May 2011 17:02:31 +0000 (UTC) [email protected] wrote: > I have seen that picture. It's lovely. > > One of my concerns with making separate strips to connect later would be > consistency in length of strips. Of course, some easing can be done to > adjust small differences, but the cloth would be smoother if matched pinhole > to pinhole. For a solid lace-strip tablecloth, attaching as you go would > assure the lengths match and are mated smoothly. > > However.. back to the tablecloth in Southard's book. There is a brief > description with the picture. The maker of that cloth sewed the strips > together by hand. It says she made the edge first. I assume that's around > the whole intended cloth, with corners, to establish the cloth size. Then > she worked the inside strips, starting next to a long edge. The new strip is > worked almost long enough, then while still on the pillow, the new strip is > sewn to the edge strip as far as possible. The remaining needed length of > new strip can be determined, and a line drawn on the pattern for the end row. > The last bit is finished with all the lace hanging around the pillow, then > sewn together. > > This method lets most of each strip be worked by itself, and only the last > several inches made while dealing with excess fabric. Each strip in the > cloth is a different pattern so there's variety in design and width. It > would be less boring than just one pattern. (I can do about three yards > before I get bored with a pattern. Only the outside edge would require more > than that. <G>) (Hmmm... just thinking a bit. There could be two or three > strips in process at one time, on different pillows. Trading off would also > prevent boredom with one pattern. And the strips would make great demo > projects... ready to go at a moment's notice.) > > It seems the cloth maker has figured out a way to have both ease of working > strips, yet accuracy in the lengths so they lie flat. Ahhh... and there's > the note that the maker, at the time of book publishing, had made FIVE > tablecloths like this. That's a lot of lace. > > Having said all of that, I'm reminded of a tablecloth my friend has been > working on. She's making long strips of lace but plans to insert a strip of > fabric between each of the lace strips. She is using a single lace pattern, > so only has to count the number of repeats to have each strip the same length. > > Thanks for reminding us all of this tablecloth. > > Alice in Oregon ... where it's raining again, until next Sunday when they > claim we'll have several days of no rain. I won't believe it until I see it. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "vila" <[email protected]> > > ... Right now I have a huge project in mind. While I was browsing through > my various books on bobbin lace, I found a table cloth I love and want to > make a similar one. It's on page 205 of my copy of Lessons in Bobbin > Lacemaking by Doris Southard. Does anyone know of a place for directions or > suggestions on how to complete a project like this. I have found articles > and patterns from Florence Sweetland in the old International Old Lacers > Bulletins, but the information on the table cloth construction is very > limited. It sounds like each new strip was joined to the edge of the > previous piece as it was made. Would that be necessary or can the pieces be > joined successfully after they are made? > > Has anyone done something similar and do you have tips of what worked well > and what didn't. > > > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 10.0.1375 / Virus Database: 1509/3661 - Release Date: 05/26/11 Vila Cox Warped & Wonderful - Handwoven Treasures http://www.warpedandwonderful.com - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
