I was taught that the sewing made when you are joining ends together is effectively a half hitch, and to secure that with another half hitch - then to darn the ends in (one of a pair going forwards, the other back). This is strong enough to withstand washing. Many times we are making pieces that are not going to be entered into competitions or subject to frequent washing, so we just tie off the ends and trim close - after all the time we have spent making the lace this 'short cut' can often ruin the look, unless the knots can be hidden along a gimp line. If the piece is to be framed (and stay in the frame) or sewn onto something then you can sew the ends through the fabric you are mounting it on and hide them that way. Of course, if you are making an edging that will be sewn into a seam at either end there is no need to tie off - think of how you would treat a piece of machine lace - the construction is virtually the same, but we think nothing of just cutting to length - a! nd neither would the lacemakers and dealers a century or two ago when a certain amount was made and cut off the pillow for a customer - tying knots in the ends was then an unnecessary waste of precious time! Ends were cut and seamed together as with any fabric.
Jane Partridge On 15 Aug 2016, at 22:59, J Reardon <[email protected]> wrote: When ending a project, I tie a square knot and sometimes another knot, so there are 3 half hitches, with each pair, as I've read that is what should be done. - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
