[lace] polystryene pillows
Does anyone have any suggestions for reviving the centre of a polystryene pillow when it has been overused in the middle? Maureen East Yorkshire where it is warm but cloudy - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] polystyrene pillows
Maureen wrote: Does anyone have any suggestions for reviving the centre of a polystyrene pillow when it has been overused in the middle? The only thing I can think of is to remove the cover, cut out a square where the bad bit is and replace it with a square of high density polystyrene from packaging - you'd need to get that first so you know how big a new square you can make. The stuff you buy for insulation isn't dense enough. I wouldn't have thought you'd notice the joins if the square fitted tightly enough, because we cope with the joins in block pillows without difficulty. Jean in Poole, Dorset, UK - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Block joints (was polystyrene pillows)
Jean Nathan wrote: I wouldn't have thought you'd notice the joins if the square fitted tightly enough, because we cope with the joins in block pillows without difficulty. I was just about to email you lovely people to ask how to deal with those joins. I have just received my birthday present (it was in June!), part of which is a block pillow and I wondered what to do when pins co-incide with the gaps between the blocks. tia Lesley Marple UK - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] polystyrene pillows
My previous suggestion was if you don't want to spend any money, but you could buy a square from SMP Lace http://www.smplace.co.uk/sfr_cat.htm (and probably other pillow suppliers as well) who sell spare blocks for block pillows - square ones are 5 and a half inches square and cost £1.50 each plus postage from SMP. They will cut any square of any thickness to order. No connection with SMP - just a satisfied customer. As for dealing with the joins in block pillows, I have never noticed them because I've always found that the pricking card holds the pin securely enough if it happens to be at the join. If the blocks are pressed tightly enough together, the pins probably pierce something, even if it's only the block cover. Jean in Poole, Dorset, UK - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] polystyrene pillows
Jean Nathan wrote: As for dealing with the joins in block pillows, I have never noticed them because I've always found that the pricking card holds the pin securely enough if it happens to be at the join. If the blocks are pressed tightly enough together, the pins probably pierce something, even if it's only the block cover. Thank you, Jean. I assumed it would be something like that. I'm still new to all this and wasn't sure. Lesley Marple UK - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Re: Polystyrene Pillow (renewal)
polystryene pillows: Does anyone have any suggestions for reviving the centre of a polystryene pillow when it has been overused in the middle? Maureen Or perhaps if you can make a clean horizontal cut across the entire pillow, find a piece of 1 thickness of ethafoam (often in packing for better electronic devices) and use the (special) glue they use for polystyrene (as many dissolve it). Then cut and file down the edges of the new ethafoam (or renewed layer of polystyrene if that is the only option) to your liking. It seems like thick wool felt, or machine felted knitting would add a layer of protection for many types of pillows, regardless their content? (Similar to what is commonly done for sawdust, etc.). But that is my opinion, and perhaps others with older pillows are of a different perspective. Best,Susan Reishus - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] polystryene pillows
Dear Maureen, I assume you're asking about a pst. cookie pillow. When this has happened to me, I remove the cover and cut white felt - several thicknesses in graduated sizes to mimic the shape of the pillow - and place over the worn part of the pillow. Works like a charm and is an inexpensive solution to a problem. Happy lacemaking, Betty Ann in Roanoke, Virginia USA Aug 14, 2009 03:31:57 AM, maur...@roger.karoo.co.uk wrote: Does anyone have any suggestions for reviving the centre of a polystryene pillow when it has been overused in the middle? Maureen East Yorkshire where it is warm but cloudy - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] polystryene pillows
It's only inexpensive if you have a stash of white (or any other colour) felt. If you need to buy the felt it would probably be as expensive as buying a new polystyrene pillow. You just have to accept that polystyrene isn't as durable or long lasting as chopped straw or hay. Brenda On 14 Aug 2009, at 16:46, Clive Betty Rice wrote: I assume you're asking about a pst. cookie pillow. When this has happened to me, I remove the cover and cut white felt - several thicknesses in graduated sizes to mimic the shape of the pillow - and place over the worn part of the pillow. Works like a charm and is an inexpensive solution to a problem. Brenda in Allhallows paternos...@appleshack.com http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] polystryene pillows
I have also used thin sheets of Foam (about 1/8 inch thick) in this way, with considerable success. It is the sort of coloured foam that is sold for kids to cut up and decorate items and make pictures. Search the following website for Foam sheets to see what I am talking about: http://www.michaels.com/ Sue - Original Message - From: Clive Betty Rice dol...@verizon.net To: maur...@roger.karoo.co.uk Cc: lace@arachne.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 10:46 AM Subject: Re: [lace] polystryene pillows Dear Maureen, I assume you're asking about a pst. cookie pillow. When this has happened to me, I remove the cover and cut white felt - several thicknesses in graduated sizes to mimic the shape of the pillow - and place over the worn part of the pillow. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Early laces. - also frustration !!!
HI Liz and Hina - et al, I gave a wry smile when I read about not liking the frustration of too much of the same disaster!One of my students is making one of Jenny Hester's lovely wall-hangings, and is using Madeira thread, which I recommended, and which I very often use, with no problems at all. However, my student is experiencing problems with the cream thread, which is breaking far too often - maybe bought from a supplier who keeps it on the stall for too long, or in sunlight, or some other disastrous venue for threads.She is still continuing with it, but I am sure I would have given up long since, and used the scissors. On a happpier note, I contacted the makers and, although we hadn't a clue who the supplier was, they kindly sent another reel, so by the time we get back to classes after the summer break, I am hoping she will be finding this new reel a lot less trouble! Carol - in Suffolk UK 'Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day.' - Original Message - From: Elizabeth Ligeti lizl...@bigpond.com To: Arachne lace@arachne.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:55 AM Subject: [lace] Early laces. Gina, I like a challenge too, - but not one that gets me too frustrated. I take on challenges all the time - but Fun challenges, not Grr! ones!!! Regards from Liz in Melbourne, Oz. lizl...@bigpond.com -- - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Breaking threads
Breaking - snap, snap - or falling apart because the thread is untwisting? I have seen this lots of times and Madeira is nearly always the culprit. Colour seems to make no difference; in fact most people use the white thread. Jacquie in Lincolnshire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] polystyrene pillows
Sue Babbs wrote I have also used thin sheets of Foam (about 1/8 inch thick) in this way, with considerable success. But if you have to buy it, in the UK anyway, then it's could well be another example of Brenda's comment. We don't have Michaels here, and Hobbycraft (our equivalent) is not so inexpensive. You will need to cost it out well, otherwise you will find that you are spending as much money (and a lot of time) on the cure, when it would be far more satisfactory to buy a new pillow. Depending on the size of the worn patch, you may find that you can use the pillow a couple more time to make an edging, where the pricking surrounds the soft area rather than crossing it. Or it may be alright for another piece or two if you choose one that uses thicker pins (and therefore heavier thread) than you usually use, or just push your pins in a little further than normal. What I would say though is to take measures to make your new pillow last longer. Buy and uncoverd one, and first of all use a couple of layers of the felt suggested previously as a cure to your problem, as a prevention instead. This will stop your pins penetrating so deeply while still giving a good grip. If you make a variety of lace, use it first of all for those that use fine pins. Avoid using thick divider pins on a polystyrene pillow, and although you should use heavier pins to pin your cover cloth so you can stretch it tightly, make sure that these pins are pushed in on the vertical face of the very edge, not on the top of the pillow at all. If you choose the shape of cookie pillow that has a bigger flat top rather than a domed one, and you make a lot of bookmarks and similar, you can often position the pricking slightly off centre to use as much of the area as possible. When it becomes softish for fine pin lace, use it for the heavier laces such as Torchon and Cluny where you use thicker pins, and also push them in a bit further. Sound familiar? Here we are around the full circle. And of course, if you get a block pillow, you have both sides of the blocks to wear out. Jacquie in Lincolnshire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] polystryene pillows
I would urge you to evaluate the pillow carefully before spending time and money on a 'fix'. Foam pillows are relatively inexpensive. There is a difference in various polystyrene pillows. The ones I get in the USA made of ethafoam last a long time. I'm still using ones I got 15 years ago when I started making lace. This foam is self-healing. A pin makes the foam separate, and when the pin is removed, the foam closes the hole. The polystyrene pillow I bought in the UK for the Arachne 98 conference class lasted only 3-4 years before the center deteriorated too much to be usable. Each pin in this foam breaks down a bit of foam to make the hole, and the hole stays there. 1000 pinholes later there is nothing left to hold more pins. If your pillow is like the one I got in the UK, then it's probably not worth trying to fix, or at least not putting much money and time in it. Any thing you do to fill in the center section will only last a little while because the foam will continue to disintegrate. It may be time to start thinking about a new pillow, and consider getting one with movable blocks in it. It's fairly easy to replace a block if it wears out, and less expensive. The outer edges of our pillows get much fewer pinholes, so they last longer. I feel free to use divider pins to herd my bobbins as much as I want because it's the center that will show wear first, not the edges. I guess my time and convenience are worth more than the foam pillow so I may as well take advantage of the pinnable surface. Besidesmost of my pillows will probably last longer than I'll be able to make lace. G There will be plenty left for the local guild to inherit when I'm through with them. Alice in Oregon ... where it's a chilly gray day - Original Message From: Maureen Bromley maur...@roger.karoo.co.uk To: lace@arachne.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 12:31:19 AM Subject: [lace] polystryene pillows Does anyone have any suggestions for reviving the centre of a polystryene pillow when it has been overused in the middle? Maureen East Yorkshire where it is warm but cloudy - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] threads for UFO
In message be4a294088974226996cf2b48...@suzyf9f7c645ba, Sue hurwitz...@talktalk.net writes Obviously when I get the inner footside on the pillow that will be tighter/firmer but the outside will be even more open/sparse. Looking at the picture which came with the pattern card it does look firmer (but maybe mine will improve once more of the pattern is done.) Have I got the count wrong, do you think? Sue T, Dorset UK When you are working a filled in circle, unless the centre pins are spaced to take account of the tighter area, you need to consider those first when you are choosing thread thickness - too thick, and the centre will rumple rather than lying flat. This naturally means that by the time you get to the outer pins, which are spaced further apart, the lace is quite sparse. Sometimes it will look right, but, by careful choice of stitch, you can use different thread thickness' which will create a more textured effect, and fill in the gaps. Use of half stitch, or cloth and twist, will also minimise the effect that a threadbare area of cloth stitch has. Adding gimp threads, or an extra outer passive, might also help fill the gaps. Careful use of colour can also deceive the eye into thinking something is not as sparse as it is. Choice of thread can also have a bearing. For the UFOs, you need something that will hold its shape well because it doesn't have a lot of support, hence cotton is suggested - the designer may have decided that linen was just that bit too crisp, but if it is mangled, it might well behave much the same as the cotton. If you want to go slightly thicker with something that will snug together without looking too thick in the centre, I would experiment with silk - possibly, in this case, a raw silk which has a little more stiffness to it than spun. -- Jane Partridge - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Breaking threads
Several years ago I heard Tim Parker speak about threads, from a supplier's point of view. One thing I clearly remember him saying was that one year when the cotton crop was poor and therefore commanding a high price Madeira tried to offset the high price by using a proportion of cheaper, shorter staple cotton in the mix for their threads with the result that a lot of people were getting breakages and of course it was the retailers who were at the sharp end of the complaints. It could well be that some of this lower quality Madeira thread is still around. Brenda On 14 Aug 2009, at 18:26, laceandb...@aol.com wrote: Breaking - snap, snap - or falling apart because the thread is untwisting? I have seen this lots of times and Madeira is nearly always the culprit. Colour seems to make no difference; in fact most people use the white thread. Jacquie in Lincolnshire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com Brenda in Allhallows paternos...@appleshack.com http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: Re: [lace] polystryene pillows
I probably posted before I realized that Maureen was in the UK. Perhaps felt squares are not so readily available in the UK although I did buy felt at John Lewis when I lived there and it must not have been too expensive - we were living on the military pay then and it wasn't that great In the USA one can purchase the 6 inch squares of felt of any color in any fabric or craft store for minimal cost and one white square will repair a center. Betty Ann in Roanoke, Virginia USA Aug 14, 2009 12:18:01 PM, paternos...@appleshack.com wrote: It's only inexpensive if you have a stash of white (or any other colour) felt. If you need to buy the felt it would probably be as expensive as buying a new polystyrene pillow. You just have to accept that polystyrene isn't as durable or long lasting as chopped straw or hay. Brenda On 14 Aug 2009, at 16:46, Clive Betty Rice wrote: I assume you're asking about a pst. cookie pillow. When this has happened to me, I remove the cover and cut white felt - several thicknesses in graduated sizes to mimic the shape of the pillow - and place over the worn part of the pillow. Works like a charm and is an inexpensive solution to a problem. Brenda in Allhallows paternos...@appleshack.com http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/ /BLOCK QUOTE - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] polystyrene pillows
Jacquie wrote: And of course, if you get a block pillow, you have both sides of the blocks to wear out. Jacquie's comment about block pillows brought this idea to mind: If the center is relatively flat, could you cut it out, flip it, and reset with the bottom side up, thus giving you the opportunity to use the other side? Of course this wouldn't work if the top is overly domed. Vicki in Maryland - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: Re: [lace] polystryene pillows
Similarly the foam sheets are about $1, so very good value for pillow repair. Maybe Maureen could find a wool jacket cheaply in a charity shop and use some of that to go under her pillow cover. Again find out the costs of a new pillow first! Hornsby's carry them at £9.95 + £5 for a cover with felt center. I didn't check postage Sue - Original Message - From: Clive Betty Rice dol...@verizon.net To: paternos...@appleshack.com Cc: maur...@roger.karoo.co.uk; lace@arachne.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 3:37 PM Subject: Re: Re: [lace] polystryene pillows great In the USA one can purchase the 6 inch squares of felt of any color in any fabric or craft store for minimal cost and one white square will repair a center. Betty Ann in Roanoke, Virginia USA - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
RE: [lace] polystyrene pillows
Hi All, If you are also a quilter, wool wadding goes nicely on both sides of one of those pieces of polystyrene blocks cut to size. Was advised by Pat Milne once, if you are cutting blocks from a sheet of foam, think of the future and make an extra one or two while you are at it. Unfortunately, after I did that, I have had less time for lace than I would have liked. Mary _ Need a new model in your life? Sell your car fast. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] threads for UFO
When you are working a circular edging it is always a compromise between what is needed for the inner edge compared to the outer edge, especially with a small circle such as a UFO insert. Jane has already suggested some possibilities. Could you use a thicker or doubled thread for the outside passives? Can you use a thicker thread for the workers in the diamond trail? Half stitch is more accommodating than cloth stitch. It will spread out more in sparse areas but also squash in better in the cramped parts, so if your chosen thread is a bit thicker than recommended maybe it would be better to have the half stitch on the inside. Also you might be able to omit any straight down passives in the foot edge. Brenda On 14 Aug 2009, at 19:45, Sue wrote: the pattern recommends Madeira Cotona 30, or Broder Machine 30 which are 29 wp/cm but I chose to use Empress Mills cotton 50 which is 27 wp/cm, thinking it would be very slightly heavier, but it does seem pretty sparse on the area of pattern I am setting in at the moment. It is hs outer diamond trail with roseground in the centre and then a cs diamond in the very centre. Obviously when I get the inner footside on the pillow that will be tighter/firmer but the outside will be even more open/sparse. Brenda in Allhallows paternos...@appleshack.com http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Ebay pillow
Does this Ebay pillow look familiar to anyone? 120458476616 I think it's English. It isn't the first time I've come across something like this, the one in my collection has old wooden spangled bobbins, so it has some age. I wrote to the seller, she said she bought it in an antique shop in North Wales about 20 years ago. She thinks it's stuff with sawdust, although I find that unlikely. Maybe some English lacemakers out there recognize it? Thanks, Laurie - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Repairing polystryene pillows
Sue Babbs wrote: Maybe Maureen could find a wool jacket cheaply in a charity shop and use some of that to go under her pillow cover. Over the years (when not using my sawdust pillow - too many WIP bits) I've always used the felt that goes underneath the cotton cover on ironing boards. But, our local supplier is just up the road and so easy to go rummaging in their seconds bin. :-) In South Australia we also use this felt for 'moving up' bridges firstly covered in plain coloured cotton material. Cheers, Shirley T. - basking in 27C, supposed to be winter downunder in August - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
