My copy of Doris Southard's book is in the other room, and I'm too lazy in this heat to get up to get it, but I only remember strips. Not the breadboard effect of a strip across the top. Everything gets a lot easier if you only connect the strips along the side edges. Those top and bottom strips are going to be, well, indescribable in polite terms.
Lyn in Lancaster, PA, where we're having summer, but no rain. 86F 27C -----Original Message----- >From: vila <[email protected]> >Sent: May 26, 2011 1:54 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: Re: [lace]strip tablecloth > >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 - 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
