Re: [lace] lace activities
Bev wrote: Hi everyone, and thank you Janice for the nice report - yes quiet list - so... what's everyone else doing in lace? Well, a week ago I finished the final piece I had on the go from the Tonder class I took from Gunvor Jorgensen at the PNWC conference in June. I've sewn the 3 sample pieces I did in the class onto a page that has gone into the folder for future reference. Now I could cheerfully start one of the many projects I plan to do eventually - like one of many in Russian Tape from the book Motieven in Kleur that I bought at PNWC, or another Tonder pattern, or a Milanese pattern (bought another great book), or there's that Mechlin syllabus I bought once and have always been meaning to try ... or ... or ... But I think I really should try finishing the Old Flanders pattern I've had on the go for 3 years now. So that'll be my next project. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Kant magazine.
Kant Magazine number 3 from Brugge Bev - is that the magazine that is published by LOKK? If not, who publishes it? Enquiring minds want to know. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] TONDER LACE PINS
I have googled and saw lots of pretty lace, a few bobbins and no definitions on the size of the pins. Generally Tonder uses very fine, long pins. I'm no Tonder expert, but I feel the finer pins are better because you use very fine thread and you often close your pins (ie, C-T-T, pin, C-T-T). If the pin is wider than two twists of the thread, then the thread starts having to go an extra distance to get around the pin, and the pin itself is changing the shape of your lace. I don't know if I've explained this very well - hope you understand what I'm getting at. But, if you're taking a beginner class, they might use a thicker thread (in the class I took at PNWC this June the beginners used size 120 thread; more advanced students used 160). If you're using the 120 cotton you might be perfectly happy with the normal fine lace pins of .55 mm or so. I used the 160 cotton at my class and I remember being glad that I had brought the very fine Tonder pins, which were already in my stash. Unfortunately I bought the pins a while back and I don't recall the brand name of the pin or what size they were. But, I just put some side by side and measured - 9 pins cover about 3.5 mm, so I guess they're about .4 mm each. Lovely pins. Wish I could get more, though I do recall they were very expensive! Hope this helps. And - if anybody recognizes these pins from the description I've given, and knows where I can get more, do let me know. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Pacific Northwest Conference 1993
Hi Irene: They look like they are having a great time despite being in a torture class. Does anyone remember this conference and class? I'm curious! I was at that conference, too. I can't quite recall what I was taking, though I remember being glad it wasn't Torchon Torture! (Though the people who took it said later it was a very good class in that they learned a lot - just not the fun time and shorter hours we're accustomed to.) They did warn everybody in the brochure what it was going to be like, though, so the people who took it knew what they were getting in for. TT wasn't a normal class; it had longer hours and went 5 full, long days. They started early, went late, and didn't stop for breaks. Then there was the homework! The rest of us were gadding about, eating and talking and taking breaks, and the poor TT people would be in their rooms, hunched over their pillows. The pattern they were doing was similar in concept to the Sampler at the start of Cook's Building Torchon Lace Patterns, (an insertion strip that runs back and forth to build up the centre of a rectangle, with an edging around the whole) and as Malvary says, they had to get to a certain point for each day. They got an introduction to design, as well as the pattern - I think part of the design was their own. I also recall the class instructions included a request to bring pure black copy paper which, in those days before the gel pen craze, did not exist - certainly not here in Vancouver, anyway. People were looking all over for something suitable, and wound up buying expensive black paper from art supply stores - and even they had only heavy charcoal paper, not the thinner weight that was wanted. I don't recall having the bedroom problems Malvary reports - maybe that's only because I've managed to erase it from my mind! I wonder if that was the PNWC that was held in what used to be a seminary, and the rooms all had windows in the doors so the monks could look in and make sure their pupils weren't doing bad things. Adele This past PNWC was either my 6th or my 7th! Lots of good memories over the years. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Lace Day - Vancouver, BC Area
Hello everyone: Just wanted to announce that the Richmond Area Lacemakers (near Vancouver, BC, Canada) will be having a Lace Day on Sunday, November 19th. Normally I wouldn't bother the list with this news, but we do want to get the word out to people in Seattle, Victoria, and other places close enough to make it a day trip, and we don't have enough time to get the word out using our regular channels. Anyone who wants to come can e-mail me if they like, and I will forward the PDF file of our official announcement and a map to the venue. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] leaves
I have been making leaves in the Brioude style for quite a while now. However, I can't bring my right thumb over to pick up the bobbins. I've been following this discussion in some bewilderment because I could have sworn there weren't any instructions in my Cluny de Brioude book that involve strange and difficult thumb movements. I've just looked again - still can't see anything. Is this mysterious thumb movement something you heard in a Cluny de Brioude class, or is it in the book and I've missed it? When I look at the illustration I see what I call 'pumpkin seed' leaves. I've been making those for a few years now (thanks to kindly instructions from this list) and so I just continued making them the way I originally taught myself. Please tell me what the thumb thing is all about. Enquiring minds want to know. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Re: leaves, again
Bev wrote: ...and may I say 'thankyou' to Jean for taking the time and trouble to post detailed directions for making a leaf the Cluny de Brioude way. I'd like to say thanks, too. I can finally envision it, and will give it a try very soon. I did notice that in the instructions for the final pattern in the Cluny de Brioude book, they do talk about adding one pair of Soie Ovale so you can use one bobbin of the Soie Ovale for weaving the leaf, and they said to hide the other bobbin of the pair inside either the right or the left edge, but never the centre. Looking at the leaves in the picture, it does seem like the edges are quite firmly packed with threads. This notion of packing the leaves with extra threads attracts me. With the ability to add anywhere from 1 to 4 threads I can create a variety of leaf dimensions within the same project. Will have to experiment. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Threads and pins
Here's my question: I've been cautioned that with this method there is a risk that the pricking might not stay exactly vertical but might eventually work its way slightly diagonal. Is this really a problem/risk? If so, how can I avoid it? Hi Barbara: I've made 2 lengths of 5 metres on a roller pillow with prickings that were larger than the bolster, and I did sometimes have trouble with the pricking walking to one side. Mine tended to walk to the left if it was not firmly pinned to the bolster ahead of the work. I suspect it was something to do with me being right-handed - perhaps I don't put the pins in straight up and down, or am more forceful when pinning from the right. I put two pins (one each side) into the bolster as far ahead as I can conveniently reach without having to disturb the bolster. When I reach the pins, I just move them ahead again. These pins not only work to keep the pattern in place - they're also striver pins! Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Les Dentelles aux Fuseaux
Lenore wrote: Wow! Can anyone tell me more about this little book? Any suggestions as to where I could find the English translation? Since Les dentelles aux fuseaux just means Bobbin Lace, I suppose there could be two books with the same title, but in the foreword to the translation of Technique and Design of Cluny Lace (Rutgers/Paulis, published by Ruth Bean in 1984) it says that it is a translation (by Rutgers) of a little book called Les Dentelles aux Fuseaux (by Paulis), with small changes having been made 'to bring it up to date for the modern lacemaker.' If it is the same book, then the original was written by Madame Paulis and was published in 1921 in Brussels. She also wrote Pour connaitre la dentelle [to know lace], 1947. Mme Paulis was associated in some way (it says 'collaboratrice libre' and I'm not too sure what that means) with the Musees Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire in Brussels. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Re: It's all over now and Making Patterns
We don't have a lot of fireworks around here this time of year but my neighbours said it with pots and pans and their voices. Oh, and the odd car horn. We do have four huge fireworks displays in the summer, put on by different countries, and last year when one started with a giant BANG at 10 pm my apartment, which is on the ground floor, was instantly filled with eau de skunk. The poor little fellow must have been right outside my window and severely startled. If you haven't ever smelled fresh skunk spray, thank your lucky stars! I have spent some time this holiday trying to make a pattern of an old piece of lace from a photograph in a book. Does anyone have any tips for this? It's an early pattern (ca.1650) and is not made on a grid, so just getting some graph paper and drawing in the pin holes won't work. I have tried several methods over the years and none has succeeded - I don't know if it's lack of skills and technique or a simple lack of patience! But I am determined, so what I have done this time is scan it and enlarge it so it fills the page, then I drew around the figures (it's one of the laces where there are several trails making up a deep scallop) and then I shrank the line drawing to what I think is an appropriate size for the lace. Now I've filled up 30 pairs of bobbins with what I think is an appropriate size of thread, and I'm going to try just making the lace freehand with the line drawing as a guide. It is quite a complex piece of lace and I don't know if I'll be able to do it but will let you know how it goes. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace]Scottish Lace -Hamilton Lace
I would still be interested in any further information on Scottish laces. Dear Spiders: I do like books that were written before people felt the need to be politically correct, and would state their opinion fearlessly - In Chats on Old Lace and Needlework, Mrs. Lowes (circa 1907) states: Scotch lace can hardly be said to exist. At one time a coarse kind of network lace called Hamilton lace was made, and considerable money was obtained by it, but it never had a fashion, and deservedly so. Since the introduction of machinery, however, there has been considerable trade, and a tambour lace is made for flounces, scarfs, c. The more artistic class of work made by Scotswomen is that of embroidering fine muslin, and some really exquisite work is made by the common people in their homes. The fine muslin embroidery was, of course, what we now know as Ayrshire Work and there are some excellent books out on the subject. But Scotland in general appears to have been pretty much a bobbin-free zone. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Regional lacemaking in Art Nouveau time -- thoughts
Because Morris and Ruskin and the rest of the head in the clouds crowd Let's not forget that it was not Ruskin who started Ruskin lace, it was Marion Twelves, the housekeeper of one of his associates (Albert Fleming), who helped develop a flax-spinning weaving industry, and then developed and taught the methods of cutting and embroidering the woven fabric to create Ruskin Lace in imitation of what was then known as Greek Lace. I think Ruskin and the others were similar to today's activists, who preach about how we should live without actually interesting themselves in setting out the framework to make it possible for people to live that way. Good at theories, but not at the nuts-and-bolts stage of change. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Lace Buttons - Out-of-print Books
Hi Everybody: The prices Jean got from amazon.co.uk for the 50 Heirloom Buttons to Make book show how you need to shop around when you're on the Internet. I popped the title into http://www.abebooks.com and got three results, one here in Canada for $32.95 (about 15 British pounds) and one in the US for $35.95 US (about 18 British pounds ?) and another in the US for $60 US. (what's that, 35 pounds?) Once any seller pays for their web presence, it doesn't really cost them much more to advertise a book, so there are a few people who will put a book on the web with a ridiculous price, hoping somebody will buy it. I always try abebooks.com because there are a lot of international retailers on it and I have a reasonable chance of finding somebody in Canada (hurray! no customs! No delay!). Also, since the ABE (Advanced Book Exchange) is a linkage of many many small bookshops all around the world, I'm usually dealing with smaller businesses and not giant ones. (not an employee, just a satisfied happy customer) Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] distributors of Liana threads
This subject came up a few years ago, and I think we concluded that Anchor Liana is sold in North America as Opera, (by Coats and Clark in Canada; I don't know if the same manufacturer is listed in the US) Opera is widely available - it's even at my local Michael's. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) Dear arachne-colleagues: Can someone give me some information on why it is impossible to obtain Liana threads in the U.S. and where I might find a supplier of Liana threads from Europe for some of my Anna projects. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Spangles
American English they use the French word 'paillettes' and in Canadian English, we use the British 'spangles'? I'd use paillettes for the large plastic sequins, particular the very big ones with the holes off-centre, and I'd use spangles only for metal-based sequins. (True spangles are made by flattening a small circle of wire). Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Pattern copyright
Hello, everybody: In many (if not most) countries the *intent* of the original law is also considered before an action is deemed to be illegal. For example, the law against reselling without the original cover would mean that if your cover fell off or were somehow destroyed you were out of luck - you'd never be able to re-sell the book. Obviously preventing people from taping their book back together or sticking some construction paper on instead of the original cover (or, just getting the thing rebound) is not what the law intends. In the used book trade, books are rebound all the time and nobody is in any trouble. University textbooks are traditionally printed with wide margins in the anticipation of them being rebound at least twice. I think the law probably only applies to selling the book as a new book rather than as a used book. The comment that you can't make up a lace pattern from a book borrowed from the library troubles me, too. By extension, you also couldn't view videos or DVDs you borrowed from the library - just look at them to decide whether or not you want to buy. (Or maybe you could view the exercise tape you borrowed, but weren't supposed to do the exercises? Watch the film but not follow the plot? This doesn't make sense.) I know that in the UK (and I think in Canada too), there are provisions for authors to receive some income from borrowed books. Libraries report how often books are borrowed, and some fee is paid to a central office that occasionally remits a payment, though the authors have to register to receive the money. I am sure that there is a lot of discussion, one way or another, regarding these points of law. It's the sort of thing that keeps the law courts filled and lawyers driving luxury automobiles. But until somebody sues me and wins, I'll just take the road of common sense. I will resell books if I wish, purchase used books if I find them, and use patterns from books in the library (I don't belong to the Lace Guild). But I won't photocopy patterns and hand them out all over the place. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] What are these lacemaking bobbins on ebay?
I've never seen anything like them, but I'm wondering if they aren't some kind of peg used in all-wood carpentry. You see some of them have metal bits married in, and in shape they're more like commonly available metal nails and pegs than they are like lace bobbins! Can't think what the spool thingies are for, though. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) Someone must know what these are, listed as lacemaking bobbins: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lot-4-Vintage-Antique-Lace-Making-Bobbin- Bobbins_W0QQitemZ140112007729QQihZ004QQcategoryZ134591QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewI tem tinied: http://tinyurl.com/ynklrg or search for item number: 140112007729 If you click on view sellers's other items, he/she's got two other lots of similar items, but one has a couple of wooden spools and one of these things. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Late Georgian/Regency Lace
Hi everybody: I am trying to figure out what type(s) of lace would be appropriate for an English lady's evening costume for the period 1796 - 1817. Does anybody have any thoughts? I know blonde lace was popular but I don't know how to make it and I don't have enough time to learn. I am thinking about making some lace to trim a dress for the Jane Austen Society's annual conference, which takes place here in Vancouver, early in October. (Austen lived from 1775 to 1817; I intend a Regency look to my dress so that would put it in the later part of this time period) I do have two 5-metre pieces, one in Torchon and one in Old Flanders, and I think they're probably too late and too early in period. The lace wouldn't need to go around the hem (no, I have no plans to make a 3rd 5 metre piece ;-) - I'm thinking about something that would go across the bottom of a deep scooped neckline. Could I get away with making some Bucks Point or Tonder, or were those later on in period? What do you think? Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] **Danish** Late Georgian/Regency Lace
Hi everybody: Many thanks to those who responded to my lace question. I am thinking that a fine point lace, sparely decorated, would be a good idea, and I've picked out Empire II from Inge Wind Skovgaard's Toenderkniplinger I (Akacia). After all our recent postings on naming the centuries, I think this is from the right time period, but I just want to check: this is in the section Empiremoenstre which starts out with I begyndelsen af 1800-tallet blev der kniplet ... - do the first few words of this sentence mean In the beginning of the 1800s ... ? Please let me know. By the way, this costume is for the Regency ball, and I know several people have indicated that the not-so-rich of the period would only have English laces to choose from. However Jane Austen herself had a cousin (I think it was a cousin) whose husband (the Comte de Feullide) perished on the guillotine, so we see that even the not-so-terribly-grand might have relatives with connections all over Europe. My story is that somebody could easily have relatives in northern Europe who sent or brought over with them some presents of lace. On 6/20/07, Adele Shaak [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi everybody: I am trying to figure out what type(s) of lace would be appropriate for an English lady's evening costume for the period 1796 - 1817. Does anybody have any thoughts? I know blonde lace was popular but I don't know how to make it and I don't have enough time to learn. - - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Re: Need some opinions here
My main question here is in regard to the Valenciennes book. Will it or will it not help and guide me in doing Binche lace? Whew, that was a lot! My understanding is that historically, Valenciennes, Binche and Flanders are cousins, all descended from Old Flanders. When you do Old Flanders you can see bits all three modern laces here and there. The main two things you have to get used to in all three (and Old Flanders as well) is the notion of the workers changing all the time (which also affects how you tension) and the use of a ring around the cloth stitch motifs. Valenciennes uses both of these, as does Flanders. The main technical difference is the ground - Val uses a plaited ground, Flanders the 5-Hole ground. Binche doesn't really have much of a ground; it's more like Old Flanders in that respect. In terms of learning - a book on *either* Val or Flanders will do equally well at teaching you what you need to know but in order to make the laces in those you will be doing lots and lots of either Flanders or Val ground - and you don't need either to learn Binche. So, starting Binche by learning Val or Flanders isn't necessarily the best route. You could also start Binche just by doing Binche (I started with the Giusiana/Dunn book Binche lace) or you could start Binche by doing Old Flanders which doesn't have much ground at all. Whatever you do - if my experience is anything to go by, expect to have a steep learning curve. I gave up in tear when I first tried, then I got help. In the first pattern I succeeded at, the repeat was about 1.25 inches x 5/8 inch - and it took me 8 solid hours to do the first repeat. Second repeat was 5 hours, third repeat was 2. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Re: Need some opinions here
Hi Again, everybody: I just wanted to add a bit of clarification to my post - I said Binche doesn't have much of a ground - that's because I look on individuals peas/snowflakes as motifs, not as part of an overall ground. So what some call snowflake ground I call filled with snowflake motifs, with twists between or something like that. Same concept, just a different way of looking at it. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) just trying to save myself from getting dozens of posts saying what do you mean, Binche doesn't have much of a ground Adele wrote: Binche doesn't really have much of a ground; it's more like Old Flanders in that respect. and bevw wrote: ... I do understand that Flanders is an important introduction to Binche, e.g. the snowflake grounds,... - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] questions about Flanders lace and pins and pillows
Hi Everybody: Yesterday as I became more relaxed with the stich, I began to wonder if the order of placing pins and twists makes a difference. I've experimented with different sequences and I believe it does make a minute difference in the lace, but that doesn't mean one sequence is better than another. All it means is that there's a chance your lace will look better if you do the sequence the same way every time. So, I agree with Ilske that you should find your own method, but whatever method you choose, try to make it the same way each time. Adele North Vancouver, BC (on the rainy but not yet cool enough for me west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Needlelace - Beginners Book Suggestions
A few books with good beginner needlelace instructions: Needlelace by Pat Earnshaw, in the Merehurst Embroidery Skills series. Outlines and Stitches: A Guide to Design by Pat Earnshaw Needle Lace: Techniques Inspiration by Jull Nordfors Clark The Art of Lacemaking by Ann Collier The Earnshaw Needlelace book has basic instructions and lots of pages showing different stitches and their uses, with both modern and traditional designs. Her Outlines and Stitches book gives good instructions for standard needle lace, and also has information on designing and on Halas Needle Lace (a Hungarian lace established in the early 1900s). The only problem I have with recommending this book for general beginner needle lace technique is that absolute beginners may not understand which techniques are generally used and which are rarely found outside Halas lace; that may be confusing. Nordfors-Clark is more modern-design-oriented, and includes other embroidery techniques, chosen for the effect they achieve. Inspiring, but not a good book for people wanting to replicate old styles. Collier's book has a series of small projects, each one demonstrating a different kind of lacemaking (including techniques like Irish Crochet and cutwork); I like this one because of the variety but if you just want information on needle lace you might find that frustrating. All of these books are out of print, but I looked them up on www.abebooks.com and found used copies for sale in both the UK and the USA for reasonable prices - in the $20 to $40 range. (Of course, the seller in Hialeah, Florida, who wants $500 for Outlines and Stitches either made a typo or is insane ;-) Adele North Vancouver, BC (on the cold cloudy west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Re: Lace Bat Patterns
does anyone know of any lace pattern for a bat (flying variety, not sporting)? Any size, any technique. Hi Helen: I have some books I took some looks I saw a cat The cat was fat But not a bat And that was that I saw more cats I saw some hats I saw some mats But never bats I saw no rats I saw no gnats I saw no bats Even in tats --- Sorry I couldn't find anything, though as I'm sure you already know, there's a lovely *embroidered* bat in Hausdrachen. Hope to see you at the RAL meeting this Sunday. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Pillow felt
A source we've found in Adelaide is the underfelt for underneath the cotton cover of an ironing board - I know, some of you don't iron anymore... Hi Shirley: Oh, we iron - but here in Canada they put a strange yellow synthetic foam under the ironing board cover. In the old days, before strange yellow synthetic foams were invented, my Mom had an underlayer of thick cotton batting, but I've never seen wool. It must be an Aussie thing (maybe you have more cheap wool than cheap cotton batting?) I have a pillow made with saddle felt and it is one of my favourites. I have no problems with it, but some people on this list have cautioned that when they made pillows with saddle felt, some of the felt fibres would creep up through the cover and be worked into their lace. So they recommended a couple of thin cotton cover layers before the final cover. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] 2008 Pacific Northwest Lace Conference
Hi - Does anybody know if the dates for the 2008 PNWLC have been set yet? I think the Seattle group is hosting it, but there's nothing on their website and I'm not sure who the contact person is. I'm trying to register for a course next summer but I don't want it to conflict with the PNWLC if I can help it. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Vintage Danish Lacemaking bobbins?
Is anybody else getting a chuckle out of the fact that 1983 is now vintage ? I taught myself lacemaking in 1981, and the first bobbins I made look very much like these. You could still get lots of large wooden beads in the hobby stores (remember the wooden beaded curtains of the 1970s?) and I just bought some wooden dowelling and some beads that would just fit over it. Unfortunately I didn't quite believe that a 1/8 wooden dowel would work, so I bought 1/4 dowelling and the beads had to be huge to have a hole that size and I wound up with bobbins that weigh about half a pound (227g) each. They've never been used, but I still have them. I keep thinking one of these days I'll make some lace with wool or twine or something, and they'll work well. If I passed away, I wonder if they'd wind up on eBay, and what the description would be! They certainly could be described as coming from the collection of an experienced lacemaker, which might lend them an air of authenticity. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) On Tuesday, October 30, 2007, at 12:29 AM, Jean Nathan wrote: Ebay Item number 270181663720 Tinied: http://tinyurl.com/2zl8bd Described as vintage Danish lacemaking bobbins. Look more like thin dowel with large wooden beads to me, but I'm open to correction. Kleinhout in Holland sell a variety of styles of Danish and other bobbins, but none look like these. They do one which is a tuned shaft and a large black bead on the bottom, but nothing like these. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Lacemaking Ancestors?
While tracing one family (the Braybrooks) on my Dad's side, I found census records for them in 1841 in Keyston, Huntingdonshire and all the female members of the families (there were several groups) were lacemakers! snipWhat I don't know is the type of lace that would have been made in Keyston. It is on the border of Northamptonshire but could have been influenced by either Bedfordshire or Buckinghamshire. Does anyone have any suggestions to offer? Ahhh, Helen, what we really need to know is, - how far is Keyston from Tiffield? :-) In Jackson's History of Hand-Made Lace, regarding Northamptonshire laces, she says in part ...The patterns were taken from those of Lille and Mechlin, hence the laces of Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire are often called English Lille. (P. 184) The outbreak of the war with France gave a great impulse to the lace trade of Northampton, as it closed our ports to the French laces. From that time a sort of fausse Valenciennes, called locally French ground, has been made. Valenciennes as fine as any made in Hainault was also made until the cessation of the war. The lace is still [1900] in Tiffield and other lace-making districts of the county. I wonder if your 1841 ancestors would have been influenced by the laces made during the French wars, but 1815 to 1841 is only 26 years, and 26 years ago, today, is only 1981. I can well imagine someone making the laces of 1981 in 2007. Adele Very close to you, in North Vancouver, BC and sorry to have missed the RAL meeting today. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Lacemaking Ancestors?
Jenny wrote: ...1871 census shows very few Braybrooks in Keyston, Ancestry.co.uk has the place name indexed as Keystone, and of the women I looked at by that name I only found one 14yr. old girl as a lacemaker called Braybrook. Other Braybrooks were spread around the area at this census. I think the Genuki page above will tell you the Keyston was absorbed into another village or something as time went on so maybe the Braybrooks were living in the same places as before but the place name had begun to be changed as the village boundary was being re-drawn? These census results show the sad decline of the lace making industry though. Hi: I think the census results also demonstrate how quickly and easily women disappear when they lose their last name through marriage. These women could still have been living in Keyston and making lace but as Mrs. John Smith, not so-and-so Braybrook. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Rayon Thread for lace
I've tried rayon for embroidery - EVIL thread! Wound up chucking the project. Rayon is a silk substitute, very slippery. I suppose if you've used silk thread, maybe rayon would work in BL, but it won't have much body. Frankly if it was me, maybe I'd try a small sample piece, but probably not. If you look at rayon and at silk under a microscope, you can clearly see that the silk has irregularities and scale-like formations (that's what makes it catch on itself) while the man-made rayon is a long straight regular fibre with no scales. That's what makes it so slippery. I've embroidered with rayon, too, and you have to keep it under constant tension because it wants to slip out of position all the time. Some people dampen it to embroider with, but dampening changes the way the rayon fibre looks, and if you dampen it at all you will need to dampen all of it so that it all looks the same. This problem may be worse in embroidery, where so much of the effect has to do with the regularity of threads lying beside one another. But I would be interested to know if anyone who has made rayon lace has a piece that has not been dampened and one that has, and can tell us whether dampening or washing has changed the way lace looks at all. Possibly it won't make a difference because the thread is only seen 1 or 2 strands at a time, and is twisted anyway. By the way - rayon was originally known as artificial silk which was shortened to art silk and a lot of people don't even know that the art stands for artificial, so they will sell you rayon, call it silk and honestly not know the difference. They think it's some kind of special silk for artwork. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Bobbin Lace Survey
1) Winding bobbins 2) Final sewing together 3) Tallies (leaves, squares, triangles, any other type) Hi Helen: What's the most technically difficult for me is sewings in fine thread - like Honiton. But what I dislike the most is one of the easiest things in all bobbin lace - Torchon fans. It's just that they're so tedious! I did a 5m piece had a very small fan in each repeat, and the only way I survived was to make it into a game - I'd get all the bobbins ready to start the fan, take a big gulp of tea and think All right, - GO! and make it as fast as I could. By the end of fivedamnmetres I could make the fan in 42 seconds. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Re: Hand or machine- emerging sensibilities?
These days, if I ever make lace for something like a hankie, I tend to hem the hankie separately (either by machine or a rolled hem by hand) and attach the lace by overcasting (by hand). It's not as pretty, but I can tak the lace off easily. I do this, too, for much the same reason. It's not that I don't know the traditional hemstitches; it's not even that I can't do them evenly - I can, but I don't use them because I'm absolutely sure that there's no way I could remove the lace again without, at some point, cutting into the lace threads. Also, I'm really not fond of the tiny-geometric-hole look; I know it's traditional but I think it clashes with the more sweeping shapes of the lace. There are some embroidery stitches that are fast, pick out easily, and go well with lace. I particularly like the combination of Bedfordshire and feather stitch (If you don't know that stitch you can see an example here: http://inaminuteago.com/stitchdict/stitch/buttonhole-feather.html ) A handkerchief I made with beds motifs and feather stitch is still one of my favourites. I tacked the hem and tacked on the lace, then worked over both with the feather stitch. I'm sure there are lots of similar surface embroidery stitches that complement lace and don't take a lot of time, skill, or minute work. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Judging Criteria
We seem to have several judges on the list - I wonder, what would be your thoughts if you were faced with: 1. a superb original artistic vision and fantastic original design, in either a simple lace well made, or a difficult lace not expertly made or 2. A tour de force of technical skill in making a pattern that is available to anybody who has bought the book. Which would you choose? Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Question of terminology
Tamara wrote: So here goes a question: What do you call a ground which is constructed as follows: Whole Stitch (CTCT, or TCTC), Pin, Whole Stitch... And Bev replied: I call it CTCT, pin, CTCT ground ... ;)\ I'm with Bev. And I've had at least one teacher who also describes her patterns with C and T rather than defining stitches. I don't see any need to describe lace using stitches. In my mind, I see lace as a textile constructed from a series of Cs and Ts in a variety of orders, and I see half stitch, Dieppe stitch and all the other stitches as artificial labels for a defined series of movements. If the meaning of these labels has become confused, as so many people suggest, than you can either describe the pattern by breaking it down to Cs and Ts, or if you're colour-coding a diagram, you can add a legend that says what series of moves a particular colour refers to. Then everything is clear, no matter where you grew up or what book you read. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Re: Brilliana Lady Harley
*Yellow* starched ruffs and bands? *Yellow* ruff (on Mrs Turner)? Yellow??? What gives here, does anyone know? Does Planche mean gilt (metallic), or yellowed linen? And, if linen, how come it was allowed to get yellow? This is the first time I've *ever* heard of yellow lace and here he seems to be suggesting it was commonplace... I have heard of this before; that the linen didn't yellow on its own, it was deliberately treated in some manner so that it became bright yellow. I don't know how long the colour lasted - linen is notoriously difficult to dye, and I don't think the colour change was due to a dye so much as some kind of yellow starch being used, which would of course wash out. Of course the novelty of yellow linenwork made the process extremely popular, but the fad ended quickly. The story I heard was that the only woman who knew the recipe grew rich from it and then murdered somebody and was hanged and her secret died with her, but that seems too melodramatic to be true. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Elizabethan Ruffs
How many yards were used to make a ruff? Hi Elizabeth: The pattern of a ruff was similar to a box pleat, if the edges of the pleat were rounded instead of ironed flat. That would mean you'd need a minimum of 3 times the outside measure of your ruff. So, if your neck were 18 inches around you would start with the radius of the circle round your neck: it would be about 18/3.1416 = 6 inches across. Then, if your ruff were say 5 inches wide, you would increase that circle from 6 inches to 16 inches, (6 + (2x5)), and the circumference of a circle 16 inches across is approx 16 x 3.1416 = 50 inches times 3 equals 150 inches or 4 yards 6 inches. I'd make 5 yards. This is similar to the measurement estimate by: http://www.vertetsable.com/demos_ruffs.htm which is For most ruffs, if you have an average neck size of between 12 and 15, four to five yards of horsehair will be required. Generally speaking, the wider the ruff, the longer the length so that the figure eight pleats are not squeezed at the edge. If you're going to make the whole ruff from lace, you'd still need 5 yards or more, so the pleats won't be pinched at the outside edges. In Elizabethan times the main width of the pleat was more likely to be embroidered linen or cutwork lace than plaited bobbin lace, so you could get away with 5 yards of a narrow bobbin lace edging if you just wanted to stick it on the outside edge. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Carickmacross
All the Carickmacross instructions say to wash the net after the thick thread has been stitched down and silk fabric does not wash well. Is it strictly necessary to wash the piece? I'm wondering *why* they want you to wash it. Can't be for pre-shrinkage, since you've already worked on it. So, I assume it's either for cleanliness or it's some kind of blocking. Some people's hands leave a greyish discolouration on fine whitework; maybe the washing is intended to counteract that. I don't have that problem, so if I do fine white embroidery I don't need to wash for that reason. As for the blocking, that is a personal thing so if you're happy with the way the piece looks and you don't want to do it, don't. On the other hand - when you say silk fabric does not wash well it sounds like a general rule that you've learned, and not something you've discovered through experimenting on this particular cloth. I've had silk dresses you could throw in the washing machine. I happened to have some silk organza sitting right beside me, so just now I cut off a bit and washed it. I ran it under water, rubbed it firmly on a bar of soap, rubbed it with my fingers and rinsed it throughly. Other than a bit of ravelling at the cut edges (no more than would have happened with fine cotton) the silk looks just like it did when I started. So, perhaps you're worrying unnecessarily? Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Bobbin Lace Jewelry in sterling silver??
I believe that Lenka left someone else in charge of her classes in Canada That someone is Jay ... Rudolph? I think that's her last name. She taught at IOLI in Montreal and I think at Ithaca. If anyone wants her e-mail I can provide it. Just email me off list. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] lace edging
Hi: It's not one of the options you suggested, but I'd make one long piece and mitre it around the corners. It's historically true and there's no way you're going to wind up having to fiddle the lace into a space to large or too small for it (working on the theory that sometimes the length we make is not the length we end up with). Adele North Vancouver, B.C. west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Hand or Machine Sew
Now then do you hand sew or machine sew your lace on to material. I was told once that it is better to machine sew than have a loose piece of lace in your workbox but then while at Laceday last year we had Biggins there and she said she always machine sews hers. I use small handstitches to unobtrusively attach the lace. When I look at lace that has been attached by machine my eye is always drawn to that even line of steady stitching, no matter how well it has been hidden. I know there are very skilled machine sewers out there who would swear that they sew on invisibly with a machine, but I've never seen any of their work. And for me there are also practical considerations: with handsewing the sewing threads aren't locked so I can easily take the lace off again (I don't hemstitch it on as I don't like that look). Plus, I can probably have the project half handstitched before I've gone through the process of setting up my machine. Some lacemakers say you must always handstitch, but some people have difficulty handsewing, or they're just not used to it and their stitches are very visible and rather odd-looking. They'd probably do better with machine stitching, and I don't have any quarrel with anyone who wants to do it that way. Adele North Vancouver, BC west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] thread sizes
I would have thought that the 80 would have been thicker than the 100 but it wasn't, am I then right in thinking that the /2 or /3 makes a lot of difference and it is that that gives you the thickness not the first number. Hi Wendy: Both numbers combine to give you the thickness. Here's why: I take a pound of whatever fibre I'm going to make thread from (let's say cotton), and I spin it into a single ply of spun cotton. However many hanks of thread I can spin out of that pound of thread is the first number (the length of the hank is the same for every manufacturer). Say I get 100 hanks out of a pound of that thread - then the first number is 100. But it is one single ply of spun cotton we're measuring here - I have not yet plied the thread into the finished size. So I take two of those plies and ply them together - that thread is marked 100/2. If I take three of those plies and ply them together, I get a 100/3 thread. Although the first number is the same, a given length of the 100/3 will weigh half again as much as the same length of the 100/2 thread. So the 100/3 will be thicker than the 100/2. (although it will weigh 50% more per length the thread won't be 50% thicker though, because the plies twine around one another to make a rounded thread.) Now - here's another wrinkle. Different fibers have different specific gravity, so that a pound of silk will not give you the same amount of thread as a pound of cotton, even if you spin it to exactly the same size of ply. I'm also not sure if the definition of how long a hank is, is the same for silk as for cotton. So the fact that you got 100 hanks of thread from your pound of silk does *not* mean the single ply of silk is the same size as a single ply of 100 cotton. In case you were wondering - yes, linen also has a different specific gravity from both cotton and silk. Here's still another wrinkle: if you spin with a great many twists per inch in your spun ply the thread will be harder, and contain more fibre per inch, than if you spin with few twists per inch (it's called the grist of the fibre). So different manufacturers will make a thread that has the same size (say, 100/3) but is slightly different in how big it is. For these reasons none of our fibres (cotton, silk, linen) can be compared for size to another thread based on the number on the label. That is what makes Brenda's book such a help to us all - at last, a way to compare! Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] age discoloration
Hi: One question - when you say it's old, how old do you mean? 1720? 1820? 1920? (I once had a customer tell me her book was very old indeed - her grandmother gave it to her mother, her mother gave it to her, and now her mother was gone ... I thought it had to be at least 1880, and when she brought it in for repair, it was 1976. One person's old is another person's yesterday.) If it's old enough to be very scarce and very delicate, you could soak it in distilled water for a while (like, a few days). Maybe add a tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide, but water alone will often make a big difference. If you're lightening the lace with peroxide, a lot of the lightening will take place after the piece is out of the water, as it is drying, so don't despair if you don't see a lot of change while it is still in the water. The good thing about soaking in water alone is that you don't damage the lace while you're doing it, so if it doesn't work you haven't wrecked anything. Maybe you know this already, but just in case somebody else is reading this and doesn't know - if you soak lace, be careful about taking it out - water weighs a lot, and you can damage laces by removing them from the water while they are unsupported - slip a bit of net underneath the lace before you soak it, drain the water out before you lift the lace, and use the net to lift the wet lace out of the container. If the lace is old, but not *that* old it will likely be more robust; I'd still soak it, but maybe I'd use soap or something else that's going to work a little faster. You paid less than $1 a yard for it; to my way of thinking even if it doesn't lighten to a colour you like, you'll get more than $20 worth of experience and knowledge as you try to lighten it. I'd keep the lace, look on it as a learning opportunity, and give it a go. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) The pattern is pretty, but the color really is not. I wouldn't use it as it is. It's not a pretty yellowish to my eyes - and really quite dark on the exposed end, but I could cut that off I wouldn't use a real bleach on it - I learned my lesson the hard on that years ago. But I certainly wouldn't use it without trying to light it up a bit. I don't know if anyone would ... maybe. Who knows? it's a delicate lace, but in good shape, other than the color, and I'm a little miffed that she obviously had some photoshopping done on it, to make it look that pretty white color, which I really wish it was. I hate to let it go to waste though. Paid about $20 for 11 yards for it, to give you some idea. Not a major investment. But. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] What are they?
Hi: I'm sure the bobbins are stilettos, much used for Ayrshire Embroidery which was so popular from the 1840s on into the 20th century. The stilettos are used to start eyelet holes, then you embroider around the inside of the hole which tends to pull it out of shape, and finally you finish the thing off with another poke of the stiletto to make it perfectly round again. I have never heard of using rings for any type of embroidery - perhaps they might be button forms? Adele North Vancouver, B.C. (west coast of Canada) I have been sent a photo of some lace bobbins and lace rings which came from two elderly Dutch ladies who said they are ivory. I personally don't think they are ivory or lace bobbin but would be interested to know what anyone else thinks they are/were used for. Please have a look at http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/lace/query.htm - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Any ideas on what this is?
I don't recall seeing any responses to this post - maybe everybody else is flummoxed, too? I think it's part of a fishing rod - possibly you stuck a reed on the spindle part to make a full-sized rod - but I'm just going on my imagination and have no real knowledge. I certainly can't think of any way this contraption could be used for lacemaking. Adele North Vancouver, B.C. (west coast of Canada) Any ideas on what this item is on ebay? http://tinyurl.com/59c2ku Item number 320292495309 described as: Vintage Pimative wood lace maker spindle spool reel Jean in Poole, Dorset, UK - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] midlands bobbins and spangling
Hi Spiders: A couple of things to add to this discussion. Regarding bobbin weight: different woods have different weights and wood that is old enough to have completely dried out can be surprisingly light. So just because a wooden bobbin is big doesn't necessarily mean it is any heavier than a spangled Midlands bobbin. (Does anyone know if any researcher ever weighed a selection of Midlands and wooden bobbins of various sizes? I'd like to know the results) Regarding the bulb on the continental bobbins - I have a devil of a time picking up the little Honiton bobbins. I can't easily get enough purchase on the bobbin to lift it, partly because my fingers are large and partly because I have dexterity problems. I use Binche bobbins for Honiton because the bulbs raise the bobbin shaft up so that I can pick it up more easily. I'm not suggesting the bulb developed because historic lacemakers had huge fingers, but bobbins with bulbs do require less dexterity to pick up and if your fingers are stiff with cold it might be a factor. The comment about machine-spun threads is interesting, and fits in with this quote from the Coats Clark website: Before Elias Howe's invention of the sewing machine in 1846, thread was usually made of three cords and was used for hand sewing. The thread had a glazed finish and was too wiry and uneven for machine use... If Midlands lacemakers were using this wiry thread, that might explain the spangles quite satisfactorily. (you can read the more about the history of this cotton thread at: http://www.coatsandclark.com/About+Coats/History/ ) Adele North Vancouver, B.C. (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Large lace patterns
When this subject came up in the past, someone reported that they made a very large bolster pillow -- a long, wide cylinder -- to work on. I don't remember what she used for the core .. perhaps something like large popcorn canisters or a cardboard tube that flooring material was wrapped on. It was covered with a layer of foam and then fabric. Hi - This was me. For the core I used a piece of the 8-inch wide light blue ABS pipe they use for water mains. I don't think it's available in retail stores - I got mine when the people down the street renovated their house. The best thing about the pillow is that I can store things in the core - extra supplies, jackets, lunch ... Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] What is worsted Lace please
Judging from this website: http://wmboothdraper.com/TapeLace/tapelace.htm it seems to be a kind of twill tape with a chevron pattern, used for binding the edges of uniforms, etc. It doesn't seem to be something worth strutting about, and certainly isn't what we would call lace. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) I have found a reference to a footman ...strutting in worsted lace.. Have you any idea what that might be? I do not have any other information to add to it except perhaps an approximate date. Brian and Jean from Cooranbong, Australia - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Anna magazine
Hi Spiders: I can't see the newsagents stocking a German language magazine It doesn't hurt to check - I was surprised to discover that my local magazine store now carries all the Burda magazines in German (Anna, Verena, Burda, Sandra ...) as well as other German needlework/sewing magazines, Hogar (Spanish), another Spanish one, and a couple of Italian magazines. They didn't use to, but they seem to have branched out. Julie, I wonder if the same distributor we have down here handles the Yukon? Because if McNews in North Vancouver can get these magazines, maybe some place in Whitehorse can, too. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - 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] What is is?
On Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 7:55 PM, Laurie Waters lswaters...@comcast.net wrote: I give up. What is ebay item 120365023152? It is described as a tire-fil. I googled tire-fil and came across DMC's french website, which explains the matter - this is what we call waste canvas embroidery - you get a piece of special stiff open-weave canvas where the threads do not lock around one another, put it on top of the piece of fabric you want to embroider on, and use the waste canvas as a guide to embroider your motif. Usually today it is used to do cross-stitch on fabrics with an uneven, or very fine, thread count. After you've finished your embroidery, you pull out each of the canvas threads so that none of the canvas is left. I can see that this tool could be used for the canvas thread-pulling enterprise; presumably you'd slip the tool over the thread so that it goes into one of the holes, then hold the thread down and turn the tool away from the canvas to use the metal part of the tool to drag out the thread. Or maybe it's something else entirely and the seller is wrong in her description. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Tire-Fil tool
Further to my last - this tool could be used in lacemaking if you're making the kind of needle lace where you need to withdraw threads from woven fabric before making lace using the threads you've left behind. I can't quite remember the name of the lace just now - the Italians did it early in the Renaissance ... Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - 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] Toender Lace
Have you somehow blocked the site on your computer? Just so David doesn't feel all alone - it doesn't work for me either. I get a message telling me to try going to margorsson.com and search from there, but when I do I can't find it. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - 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] Toender Lace
So, I went into the archives, and lo and behold, after waiting many hours for the archives to update, the URL there shows up with the symbol. http://www.mail-archive.com/lace@arachne.com/ Wow. I bow to your computer genius, Debbie. I clicked on the address, selected Julian's message and then clicked on the link, and went straight there. Great work, David. I'm so impressed by how fast you did the sewings (my timeline would have gone into months on that alone), not to mention the whole piece. Now, back to work on that Flanders piece that has been sitting on my pillow for ... what, five years now? Six? I'm so embarrassed... Adele North Vancouver, B.C. (west coast of Canada) - 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] How about this for a lace bobbin
I think it might be a darning egg. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west cost of Canada) On Saturday, February 28, 2009, at 12:39 AM, Jean Nathan wrote: How about this for a lace bobbin? http://tinyurl.com/crnjay or search for item number 170306947189 The seller says I've been to watch the Spanish lace making ladies. None seemed to have anything like it and they all said it was very old., and she asks if anyone can tell her what it is. I've got no ideas on what it could be. The bulbous bit on the end looks like it could be a handle. 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
[lace] Re: Hanky Sizes
Can I ask others what sort of size they usually have the cloth centre. My bedfordshire one seems too tiny to me. Hi Sue: Usually people think of the overall size they want the hanky, and subtract the width of the lace to find out the size of the middle bit. This can result in a hanky that's 90% lace, if you want a small hanky with a wide edging. And there were different sizes depending on where you intended to stash the hanky. There are little tiny ones around 3 square, called glove hankies, (intended to be tucked into your glove). There are huge hankies that could easily double as small table-cloths, and everything in between. And if you get to the end and feel that your lace looks too tiny on a too-large centre, you can increase the visual impact of the lace by embroidering a border on the linen. I have a hanky that is 8 inches square overall, with a Bedfordshire edging about 1/2 wide, and that looked too narrow so I added a row of Dorset feather stitching on the linen to bring it up to about 3/4 wide. I'm happy with the size for a purse hanky, though I think an 8 size overall could accommodate lace at least 1 wide without looking too lacey. So, then your centre would be about 6 square. If it was a little smaller it would still be useful, I think. Adele North Vancouver, B.C. (west coast of Canada) - 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] Re: Schneeberger Lace
Hi All: but was told no, it is schnee (rhymes with see in English). My guess is that it is somewhere in between...??? I hate to mispronounce things ))-: Of course, I'm sure there must be regional differences in pronunciation in Germany just as there are in the US I learned Standard German in university, and my brother learned Swiss German travelling in Switzerland, and my parents spoke Low German ... and none of the three sound alike. The shnay-burger version is closest to modern standard German, but once you get into the other areas - well, it's like English as spoken by the Queen and the cockneys and the boys from the bayou ... Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Gimp vs Ground
I have a quick question: I am thinking of doing some Chantilly. In the book I have, they used 250 unboiled silk for the ground and 2 threads of 120 boiled silk for the gimp. I think their gimp looks a little bit too thin but I also don't know what the size comparison is between these two threads (no brand names given). Does anyone have any recommendations for how many times thicker than the ground the gimp should be? I seem to recall many years ago some people used several strands of the ground thread to make their gimp, but I can't recall what lace that was and how many strands they used. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - 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] Copyright
Hi: With some laces, particularly simple designs where you are on a grid system, it is quite possible for several people to independently design the same thing. That is nothing more than coincidence and it is not breaking the law. You don't have to worry about it. You don't have to know what all the other designs look like and you don't have to be the judge of whether yours is too similar to another, since your designed your own. Let's say someone does sue you over the similarity between your design and hers. You still don't need to worry. If you have independently designed it you have your working diagrams and your test pieces and you've been talking about it with your friends and they'll probably see or hear about your test pieces and your problems and triumphs - there is, in other words, a trail of evidence that will protect you. Some people are deluded by the power of copyright: Many years ago a lacemaker I knew made a tape lace design in a simple trefoil pattern - the one that has three loops, one after the other, forming a leaf-like design. She wrote her name and the copyright symbol on it and proudly informed everyone that they were no longer permitted to make any lace using any form of any trefoil pattern, because she had copyrighted it. She honestly believed she had the power to take over a form of pattern that has been with us for thousands of years, and because she was a rather pugnacious woman nobody tried to talk her out of it. Fortunately she never tried to sue anybody. Adele North Vancouver, B.C. (west coast of Canada) I follow this debate when it comes up, as best I can, but can I put a question to all those in the know please? I have been working on creating a pattern most of the afternoon, I have taken shapes, fans, spiders, dots trails and things and put them together in a way that fits (as I am working with the design package. I am not looking at books, but using different shapes to make what I hope will be a pattern I like and one I can work. I intend to give it a name (if it comes together and I like it enough) but without looking at every other torchon pattern book that is in print how can I be sure I have not repeated someone elses patterns. (I have quite a few but this is not a repeat of anything in those). It is not really likely to be an exact of anyone elses, but without looking how would I know? I dont intend to sell it, just to use it for a family piece but under my own name and under the design name I give it. Sue T - 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] Fwd: Thread question
Hi: S and Z refer to the direction of the twist in the finished thread. You can tell the direction by the way the letters S and Z are written - it refers to the direction of the central part of the letter. If you're spinning raw fibre and your wheel is turning clockwise, the twists are going onto each ply with a Z twist. Then, when you put 2 or more ply of Z-twisted thread together to ply them, you spin the wheel the opposite way, in this case counter-clockwise, and the two strands are plied together with an S twist. The resulting thread is referred to as S-twist. If you have S-twisted thread on your bobbins, you will undo the plying by rolling the bobbin to the left, and the plies will separate. If you roll the bobbin to the right, you will increase the twist on the plying, and your thread will develop a kinky look. If you are using Z-twisted fibres, it works the opposite way. For embroidery, I believe the lore is that you should use S-twisted fibres for handwork, as most people are right-handed and the way they handle a needle prevents the S-twist from untwisting, whereas if you embroider with Z-twisted fibres your plies will separate. For lace, I personally think it doesn't make that much difference because I tend to roll my continental bobbins to the outside of the lace, so the thread separates in one direction and becomes kinky in the other. Either way, I have to adjust the twist on my threads from time to time. Threads intended for machine use are usually Z-twisted; I believe this is due to the way sewing machines wrap the needle thread around the bobbin thread. Hope this helps. Adele On Wednesday, May 13, 2009, at 12:13 PM, Patricia Dowden wrote: To clarify, I understand what 2S and 3Z mean, but I don't understand: 1) Why one thread is listed as both; and 2) What the difference will be to the process and the finished product between 3S and 2S/3Z. - 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] Parchments
In the bookbinding world, parchment is well known as practically indestructible. My local library has a parchment book from about 1340 that is still in very good condition. Dryness is one of the few things that can make parchment brittle enough to snap. I think those old lacemakers knew what they were talking about - increase the humidity of the parchment and you will be able to unroll the prickings without damage. I remember, some years ago on this list, somebody who put their rolled parchment pricking in a steamy bathroom for a few days, and that did the trick. I wouldn't worry about too much humidity - I recall a story about a famous old book (the Book of Kells? I'm not sure), written on parchment, and when it was re-discovered the farmer who had found it was regularly dunking it in his cattle trough, on the theory that what was obviously a holy book would keep his cows protected. The parchment didn't suffer much damage from it - in fact, the major damage the book suffered was from Victorian-era bookbinders brutally trimming its pages so they would be nice and even. I would brush water on the outside of the roll and put it in a plastic bag for a couple of days, then unroll until you find it dry, and repeat the process until the whole thing is damp enough to unroll easily. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) Dear Arachnids I have been given some prickings to act as caretaker for while the owner moves to a smaller house and until she makes up her mind what to do with them and I have been given permission to use them. There are some tightly rolled parchments and I wonder if anyone could give me some advice on how to soften them so that can unroll them without causing any damage. I know the old lacemakers would wrap them in a slightly damp cloth until softened, then place a heavy weight on top until dry - like pressing flowers. Does anyone have a better method? Alex - 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] smelly lace book
I think, in both cases, it was smoke smell rather than musty. In the replies to this problem there seem to be people who've had success and people who haven't, and I am wondering if it isn't the people trying to get rid of smoke smell who are successful, and those trying to get rid of a musty smell who fail. After all, smoke comes from the outside and essentially lies on top of the pages, while mildews and molds grow inside the pages. I know I've never been able to get rid of a musty smell, no matter what I've tried - except for the time I tried taking the book completely apart and washing the pages in a very weak bleach solution. That worked. Didn't do much good for the hand-coloured illustrations, though. Adele - 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] speaking of math...
Hi: I seem to recall that there was an article in one of the magazines about this crochet-work a couple of years ago, with the information that the book was in the works. At the time there was a link to the magazine's website, where I saw a fantastic crocheted creation based on these principles. I remember thinking that what I saw was completely single crochet, row after row, and the crocheted piece was huge. So for me it would have been extraordinarily boring to make, and the result perhaps not as interesting as looking at the picture. The idea is that the author has taken the mathematical equations for creating hyperbolic planes and translated them into crochet patterns, and so made her own tangible examples of something that normally just exists in the imagination. By the way, the Diagram Prize is for the oddest book title of the year. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) On Sunday, March 28, 2010, at 07:55 AM, hottl...@neo.rr.com wrote: Hello All! A blurb in today's Erie Times-News caught my eye. Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes by Daina Taimina has won the Diagram Prize. Has anyone seen/used the book? A Google search said that the crochet curves apart making a flower-like effect. Sounds intriguing! Thanks too for posting the link for ALD, the Queyras items the Plimoth jacket. So many links, so little time. Susan, Erie, PA - 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] Marie-Antoinette's Gaze
I hope someone can help me. On p. 48 of Dentelles Normandes: La Blonde de Caen there is a quote from a letter dated March, 1779. The writer is trying to persuade someone to persuade the queen of France, Marie-Antoinette, to buy more blonde lace. Apparently she prefers something called gaze, which is 50 times faster to make than blonde lace. For French speakers, the text is: Vraisemblablement ignore-t-elle les malheurs qu'occasionne dans ce pay-ci la preference qu'elle donne a la gaze, dont un seul ouvrier peut, dans un jour, par la celerite de son travail, fair autant de gaze que cinquante ouvriers pourraient fabriquer de blonde pour le meme objet... (sorry I don't know how to do the accents) I've been trying to think what kind of lace could possibly be fifty times faster to make than blonde, and still be something a queen would want to wear. I know it's not point de gaze, because my sources say that arose in the 1860s. I know Marie-Antoinette was fond of Chantilly, but the 18th-century Chantilly I've seen doesn't look 50 times faster to make than blonde. Does anybody know what this gaze refers to? Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - 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] Marie-Antoinette's Gaze
Thanks to everyone who responded. Based on the replies I've gotten so far, I'm going with the notion that the letter refers to a needle lace appliqued to machine-made net, the Brussels Needlepoint lace that according to my sources was the basis for the 1860's resurrection called point de gaze. One source mentions that needle lace motifs from Alencon would be stockpiled and then applied to the previously-made ground. At the time (1770-1780) there apparently was a machine-made net available, which I think would probably account for the 50 times faster part of the quote. If anybody thinks this sounds crazy, please let me know. I'm giving a talk next Saturday on lace in the period 1775 - 1815, and although I will tell them my theory is pure speculation, I'd rather not speculate if somebody actually knows for sure. Adele I've been trying to think what kind of lace could possibly be fifty times faster to make than blonde, and still be something a queen would want to wear. I know it's not point de gaze, because my sources say that arose in the 1860s. I know Marie-Antoinette was fond of Chantilly, but the 18th-century Chantilly I've seen doesn't look 50 times faster to make than blonde. Does anybody know what this gaze refers to? - 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] Sunday Edition, CBC One
I just listened to this - it was very interesting. I'll let Malvary tell you about it, since I didn't hear it from the beginning. Once the CBC gets the program up in a few days you'll be able to listen to the program online, at http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/ . Adele North Vancouver, BC On Sunday, May 23, 2010, at 06:16 AM, Malvary J Cole wrote: There is an item coming up on this program a little later about the Lacemakers of somewhere in Southern India which is (according to CBC) the last place where lace is made by hand. Not sure what type of lace. I'll listen to the article and post the web-address later so that others can hear it. Malvary in Ottawa, Canada - 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] Sunday Edition, CBC One
Bev wrote: Perhaps they meant making lace by hand commercially. For their living. Yes, that's exactly what they meant. And the report may have been advertised as being about the last place in the world etc., etc., but the report includes information on the competition the Indians get from the Chinese, so I don't think that somewhat overblown claim was made by the reporter herself. I was particularly intrigued to hear about the living and working conditions, as they mirror the working conditions that we read about for the European lacemakers of the 19th century. Adele North Vancouver, BC - 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] Point de Paris laces
My two cents: I'm thinking these pieces are probably machine-made. They're really very big (for the non-metric, the small is 12 x 18 and the large is about 63 x 18) and the type of design makes me think they're later rather than earlier. The larger piece makes me wonder about monograms - the monogram at each end is composed of letters that are the same upside-down as right-side up, so I'm wondering - do you think the monogram is SWM or MWS? Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - Original Message - From: Nathalie stevieni...@gmail.com Date: Wednesday, July 7, 2010 11:09 pm Subject: [lace] Point de Paris laces To: lace Arachne lace@arachne.com Dear all, Many of you might have left for the Oidfa congress but I hope some of you will be able to give some information on these Point de Paris laces. The small piece of lace is 30 cm x 45 cm http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4773131539_d4411736be_b.jpg The large piece is 160 cm x 45 cm. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4773770120_2384189d29_b.jpg I wonder * how many bobbins would be needed to make these laces. * how long would it take approximately? * wich side is the beginning and where does it end? Vertical? Horizontal? Thank you in advance and have a lacy summer! - 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] Vintage lace shopping
Hi: I have a little problem with any craft that involves cutting up something that is not easily replaceable. In hindsight the destruction can be terrible. For example, many very early books (even some illuminated medieval manuscripts) were destroyed in the 19th century because it was a popular children's amusement to cut them up to get the pretty decorated initials out, which were then glued into little albums. Sigh. But think of the millions of yards of machine lace that have been made. Some designs are very pretty but they're still not museum pieces. This merchant is selling the lace at about $10 to $15 a yard, so she probably paid about half that (or less) to acquire the lace. Some of it may be a treasure but what I see on the website doesn't seem to be. If she can buy it for $5 a yard, why shouldn't she, and why shouldn't she then cut it up and sell it if she can? Of course there's always the possibility that she'll find some wonderful 18th-century piece for two dollars at a garage sale, buy it and cut it up, but how would you stop her from doing that? I personally don't want to create a society where somebody has the power to stop me from doing what I want with my own stuff. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) This site raises the question to me of selling cut-off pieces of antique lace. I can think of arguments both for against this practice. What do those of you on Arachne think about it? - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
Re: [lace] lace and glue
Hi Alice: Ouch. So sorry this happened. The suggestion of contacting the manufacturer is really good, because what you need to use to take it off depends on what glue was used in the dots. I've found (trying to get sticky stuff off of old books) that some things come off with rubbing alcohol, some with lighter fluid, some with oil - but whatever one works, the other products don't work at all. You don't want to wind up treating your lace three times with three different things before you find the one that works. You've actually got a couple of problems here. One is to get the dots to detach from the lace. The other is to get the residue off the lace. Glue removal products dissolve the glue into themselves. That lessens the bond and you can take the dot off. But, the stickum isn't gone, it's just dissolved into the liquid, and so it is thinned out. Volatile oil compounds, whatever they are, will then dissipate, but they will leave the thinned-out glue behind. So now instead of a bit of glue where the dots were, you've got a tiny bit of glue distributed throughout the piece. If the glue removal product isn't a volatile compound, then you've got to wash the piece - probably soaking it in detergent. Only you know quite how badly the dot is stuck on, and what it is stuck to. I'd take it off by pulling if I could at all. In fact, even if I wound up snapping a couple of threads, I'd rather repair the lace than use a glue removal product. But, maybe if you're very gentle you can get it off with using a glue remover. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC On 2010-09-26, at 11:01 PM, lacel...@frontier.com wrote: I have good and bad to report from the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this weekend. The display of my lace looked very nice. I spent most of two days at my pillow, talking to people. I think we got one new student from it. I gave my speech about the History of Lace, and it lasted, with questions, exactly the 30 minutes allowed. OK...the 'Bad'After it was much too late, I found out that the lady who set up the display used glue dots to stick the lace to the fabric panels. I about came 'unglued' when I discovered it, and the person in charge of the whole thing got an earful of my thoughts. Several other lacemakers came to demo with me, and helped me take things down. We ended up with two bookmarks that the glue would not lift off. My question...does anyone have any experience with removing these so-called Removable sticky glue dots from thread? Both bookmarks are Bucks Point, and one has very fine threads. I'm wondering if I can use something like Acetone to dissolve the glue, then wash the bookmarks. Suggestions welcome. By the waythe Festival chairman said damages would be covered by their insurance, and I need to submit the value of the damaged items. How much is a bookmark worth? I could probably re-make the two patterns in about 20 hours, if I really wanted to, not counting the time it would take to find the patterns first. I made them many years ago. Next eventLace Day next Saturday. Anyone near Portland, Oregon, can contact me for details. We'd love to have visitors. Alice in Oregonexpecting improving weather and sunshine for Lace Day. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
Re: [lace] Re: Tying thread on bobbins
I started out tying. When you're a beginner there are so many occasions when your hitch undoes itself and your bobbin suddenly leaps off your pillow and clatters onto the floor, and it helps so much if you can just haul it in again on its little tether. Then I found out what a pain it is to try to get the tied bit off the shank. It's not so bad if you're using heavy thread, but I had thin thread and couldn't get my scissors between the thread and the bobbin. Trying to break it off cost me a bobbin when the neck broke before the thread did. I tried making a slip knot in the way that it would pull itself open if you pulled on the thread, but I found that it was just so much easier and faster if I didn't tie a knot at all. So I started not tying, which is my usual practice now that my hitches are reliable. But it's funny this topic came up just now, because only this morning I tied a thread onto a bobbin. Why? Because it's a gimp going around a little half-stitch circle, and I know I'm only going to use a couple of inches of thread, and I didn't want to waste three or four times that by having to wrap the thread around the bobbin enough times that it wouldn't come undone on its own. It's a thick thread (DMC Broder Speciale #16) and would need quite a few wraps to make it stay put. So in the end I suppose you could look at it this way: The thicker the thread, the more likely the hitch will come undone, and the thicker the thread the easier it is to get a scissors point between thread and bobbin. So tying the thread onto your bobbin gets more desirable as the thread gets thicker. Just my 2 cents. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) On 2010-10-08, at 1:21 PM, Tatman wrote: I am finding this little thread of to tie or KNOT to tie(pun intended) your thread onto the bobbin really intriguing. What are the reasons you tie or not to your bobbins? For me it was that is what I was taught and it stuck with me. My lace teacher was unconventional and didn't do things strickly by the book. She used her own ingenuity to solve her problems. Also as I explained earlier, I run out of thread and try to get the most out of it until I have to work in another full bobbin. This was before the invention of those trusty hook/clamp bobbins. Only have one and haven't used it yet! -- Mark, aka Tatman website: http://www.tat-man.net blog: http://tat-man.net/blog Magic Thread Shop: http://www.tat-man.net/tatterville/tatshop/tatshop.html email: tat...@tat-man.net Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tatmantats - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
[lace] Wire Lace
It is a while since I have done any wire lace but I was lucky enough to have a class with Lenka Suchenak. By the way, Lenka's URL is http://www.lenkas.com (click on the image to go into the site) She has some great photos on her website, and on some of the very close-up ones you can clearly see the work. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
Re: [lace] Tallies
Hi Dianne: I went through this a few years ago. I saw the pumpkin-seed tallies and liked them, too, and now I make them all the time. The thread path is, of course, the same as with any other way of making tallies; it is only the method that creates the distinctive look. Set Up: threads: 1 2 3 4. Twist, cross, in the usual way, and the thread that is now in the 2 position will be your weaver. TIP: make the weaver about 1 cm longer than the other threads - you'll have to keep lengthening it as you weave - so you don't accidentally pull it when you're doing the crosses. Now: with the LH pair only (LH passive plus weaver), twist, twist, cross. The weaver is now in the 3 position. Hold 12 on the left and hold 4 on the right, and pat gently on the weaver to tension. Now, with the RH pair (which now contains the weaver), twist, twist, cross. Weaver is now in the 2 position. Hold 3 4 on the right, and 1 on the left, and pat gently on the weaver to tension. Repeat. The secret is holding the centre passive thread firmly with either the right or the left passive every time you tension. That makes a tight turn on the edge and a wide cushion in the middle. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) On 2010-10-29, at 9:15 AM, Dianne Derbyshire wrote: Hi Thank you to the people who have contacted me about tallies. The person in question wants to make tallies (I presume leaf). She has been making lace for over 30 years so she can make the tallies in Beds and Bucks but she has seen some that look as though they have a cushion bit in the middle and wants to know how they are made. Hope this helps. Regards Dianne Derbyshire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
Re: [lace] the lacemakers of Artois
Hi Tess and other concerned lacemakers: Not to worry, the man doesn't make lace 23 hours a day. He makes it until 11pm or midnight. The French use the 24-hour clock, and so he says 23 hours instead of 11 pm The announcer refers to the whole series of programs as travaux a l'aiguilles because they're lumping together embroidery, knitting, and so on. They properly call it dentelle aux fuseaux in the lace program itself. The president of the Lacemakers of Artois has a beautiful home. I watched the video twice just to see those windows again. Her grand-daughter is so cute. I love the way she conscientiously pats the bobbins to tension. And if I heard it correctly, the lady making the point lace at the meeting said that when she started, she would begin again every time she made a mistake, until the lace was exactly the way it should be. Yikes! That's dedication. I thought their little exhibit was really pretty, especially the rooster and the little lace purse. And I liked what the president said It's basic, but with it you can make marvels Adele PS: Thanks, Tess, for the link. I'm going to see if they post the embroidery one. On 2010-11-19, at 8:57 AM, tess parrish wrote: Even if you don't understand French, please go through this whole film: http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-13h/les-travaux-d-aiguille-les-dentellieres-de-l-artois-6143696.html It will look very familiar to all of us! The beginning lacemakers talk about their trials and errors, and the more experienced ones help the new ones. There is even a husband who says that he makes lace twenty=three hours a day (!) and his wife gives him a friendly little pat on the arm. They are mostly working on familiar torchon examples, but they have posted some others which many of us have made. This is from a daily broadcast where the announcer visits the crafts of France with examples of all sorts of things, like farmers making cheese, raising ducks for the market, building walls, and so on and so on. It comes on every day on French television at the midday news hour and is a favorite of mine. My daughter just happened to catch this one, which I think is really well done. It will be followed by embroidery, knitting, and so on, and I think it is all this week. For the ones among us who speak French, I know you will enjoy this. For the rest, just have a good time joining a typical French lace group at work. Tess (tess1...@aol.com) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
Re: [lace] Lace stocking fronts - Elizabethan
Thanks for the link, Bev - very interesting history of ballroom dancing. Nearer the top of the page is a picture of people dancing the minuet, and that reminded me. At the last meeting of the local Austen Society group, we had a review of Mr. King's rules of conduct for (if I remember correctly) the Lower Rooms at Bath in the early 1800s. One rule was that no lady could dance the minuet if she were not wearing lappets. I am still trying to figure out why the lappets were important (they're long flat ties, often made of lace, that hung down from your cap, past your ears and onto your shoulders). I suppose it had something to do with being dressed correctly. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) On 2010-11-26, at 9:25 AM, bev walker wrote: Hello Jeri and everyone Is this the photo, scroll down the page a bit, to the section on the Volta (from voler, to throw?): http://www.danceuniverse.co.kr/know/history-modern.htm Beautiful costume, lace ruffs etc. although the image is small. On 11/26/10, jeria...@aol.com jeria...@aol.com wrote: There is a very interesting reproduction of a painting on pages 336-7, that would indicate why Queen Elizabeth *might* have worn lace stockings, though details do not show them. It is located at Penshurst Place (private collection of Viscount De L'Isle). - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
Re: [lace] Need abit of help with ID
I am going with a netting shuttle even though I can not find a similar one in any of my books. There's a nice picture of someone using a similar shuttle here: http://jpgmag.com/photos/284194 Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
Re: [lace] bobbin lace in print in English
Hi Nancy: Statistical analysis isn't my thing, but I do have some thoughts: - Only a small number of people buy single topic lace-making books, but when bobbin lace is included in a book with a wider-ranging content - take Weldon's Encyclopedia of Needlework, for instance; or de Dillmont's, - it might look like all of a sudden a lot of bobbin lace books are being published, but really a lot of books that include bobbin lace as one of many topics are being published. - I'm wondering if the 1960 spike isn't perhaps something to do with the Anchor Manual of Needlework coming out in 1958. That edition included lacework. - I wonder if the database counts each subsequent edition of the same book as a new book (after all, in modern times it would have a new ISBN number) So the books that have had many editions (all those mentioned so far, for example) might be included once for each edition. - Sometimes a book comes out that is insignificant on its own, but sows seeds of enquiry. Then a few years later suddenly several books come out, to fill the demand from people who learned from the first book and then discovered there weren't any more books on their topic. - I'm not really sure what the measurement is in the vertical axis of the chart. I've been assuming it is the percentage of the books included in the database that contain the keyword. If so, to some extent the graph tracks the social acceptability and popularity of the subject. Today we might be surprised if a scholarly discussion of craft contained anything about lace, but 150 years ago the topic crops up in all sorts of publications - like books on industrial design, for example, as new lace machines were being made and people like Christopher Dresser were designing for them. - Regarding the dates - A lot of books published, even in the beginning of the 20th century, didn't have accurate publication dates printed in them. Sometimes there was no publication data at all, and you have to guess at when it was published by looking at the printing and the illustrations and the cover and so on. So the big jump at 1900 makes me suspect that the people who put the data in the database just looked at a book and said something like Well, judging from the cover design it's probably later than the 1880s and judging from the illustrations it's probably pre-WWI so let's put down 1900. An interesting topic! Thanks for bringing it up. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) Now what I would like to know is why is there such a spike in the frequency of the phrase bobbin lace in books in English in 1958 to 1960? and also a narrow one at 1900? (too narrow to be just the general lace revival I think) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
Re: [lace] Architects Linen Comparables
Hi Everybody: If you're wondering: there is a handy paper weight converter at this link: http://www.paper-papers.com/paper-weights.html The system in use in North America measures the weight of (usually) 500 sheets of paper - so obviously exactly the same paper will weigh a different amount if you're weighing 36 x 40 sheets of it than if you're measuring 8-1/2 x 11 sheets. That's why they show 20 lb bond as the same weight as 50 lb book, for example - the book paper is cut in bigger sheets. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) On 2011-01-05, at 9:35 AM, Susan Reishus wrote: 85 lb. text (sorry, as UK uses a metric system akin to 300gsm on down, that I am not as familiar with) is the lightest. Card stock, which many use as it is so accessible, runs between 60-110 lb. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
re: [lace] Muslin v.Calico
Hi Everybody: There is one kind of fabric which we in the UK call calico, and I believe in the US it is called muslin. There is another kind of fabric, whose US name I don't know; in the UK we call it muslin; it is made with finer threads (so finer) woven further apart (so coarser) than the other fabric. The latter muslin is, I think, what they sell here in the Indian stores for use in turbans. Plain unbleached cotton muslin (often called quilter's muslin) does come in different weights and textures, though usually one store only sells one weight so we often don't realize that. My grandmother made her own pillowcases out of a muslin rather heavier than what we get now - it started out stiff but washed down to a lovely cushy softness. An earlier post on this topic mentioned muslin in the Regency era - that muslin I know came in different weights and textures, because I once read a fashion magazine from about 1808 that said it was now the season to start wearing your winter weight muslins. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
[lace] Re: What Would YOU do?
Hi Everybody: An elderly lacemaker told me this story back in 1981. She was interviewed by a reporter for a special interest article on her lacemaking and had her biggest work-in-progress on display, a Beds piece with hundreds of bobbins attached. The pillow had to be moved for a photo, and she insisted she move it herself, explaining it was trickier to move than it looked. But she was old and looked frail and when it came time to move it back, the nice young reporter leapt up and grabbed it to move it for her. And of course he dumped it on the floor. Spurting apologies, he knelt down and quickly hauled it back up onto the table, tangling the bobbins even further. At which point the lacemaker spoke sharply to stop him, and then, so he would know exactly what kind of trouble he had caused, she made him sit down and watch as she fixed the entire pillow. I believe she said it took about two and a half hours. I admit I would not have had the nerve to insist that he sit there for hours on end, but I admire her for doing it. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] ?torchon lace?
Hi Everybody: Probably Westwood - Helena B-C. wears Westwood a lot. She loves to look dramatic and rather odd and Westwood is just the designer for that. Yes, those are Torchon spiders, wildly enlarged and photo-transfered, on the sleeves. Very appropriate for H B-C's personality, I think! I've enjoyed her in so many films! Unfortunately, this dress looks like someone swathed a bolt of fabric around her, tucking it in to her undies as they went along, and then topped it with the printed lace. The good news is that at least designers are still using lace in fashion! Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) PS: for those of you having trouble bringing up the picture - when I clicked on the link the last three letters of the internet address didn't transfer. Make sure the address in your browser ends with .html and you should get the photo. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Unusual Lace dress
Hi: It's just so nice to see lace being used, isn't it. Mila Kunis and Scarlett Johanson also wore lace dresses. Possibly some others did, but there are good photos of these dresses on the BBC website at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12593168 I like that they also have good photos of the accessories. Melissa Leo's dress is cutwork. Often when I see lace dresses what first pops into my mind is the title of an imaginary book: 101 Things To Do With An Old Tablecloth. Maybe it is the fact that it is white that is making this dress look a little clunky to me, or maybe it's that she seems to be wearing a totally different dress underneath - some kind of sparkly brown and gold thing. On the other hand, I thought Mila Kunis's lace dress was very elegant. Scarlett Johanson's was more bold than is my taste, but when you want to make a splash on the red carpet, I suppose bold is what you want. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) I saw that one of the fashionistias on CBS Morning News panned Melissa Leo's dress at the Oscar's last night. They called her worst dressed. I guess they just didn't like that she was dressed a bit conservatively ie. not showing enough cleavage.If it were mine I might have nixed the standup collar for a slight V neck. Don't know if it was real lace but I liked it a lot! - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Unusual lace dress
I see the lace pattern is embroidered onto the background fabric in metallic thread with Swarovski crystals. Interesting - that might be something fun to do with the line drawings from Le Pompe. According to the currency converter, GBP595 is CDN$945. Let me see, if I made one purse a week - no, I guess the trick would be *selling* one purse a week. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) I noticed that Helena Bonham Carter had a lovely purse. It looks like a lace fan. It's by Lulu Guinness and there's a good picture here: http://www.justloveleather.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/HBC.jpg There are several fan bags by Lulu Guinness and on their own web site, this one is called Black Sophie Fan and is GBP595, but there's at least one seller on ebay offering it at GBP150 - a knock-off perhaps?. 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 arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Regency
Hi Everybody: Alex - looking forward to that book of yours! Haven't seen this Lace News thing so am only following the discussion in ignorance, but I have two thoughts and one bit of new information: 1. Are we sure that the lace being labelled Regency means it was made in the Regency? I'm not thinking about using old prickings here - I'm thinking of the world of embroidery where you will find, especially in old magazines, techniques ascribed to any old historical period that the publishers thought would sell magazines. Then people studying that technique decades later don't realize what happened and they painstakingly ascribe a technique to a time period it never had anything to do with. 2. As you probably know, in the 19th century people loved to label stuff and they might not have been drawing on accurate knowledge when they did the labelling. You don't know how deep that wrong labelling has crawled into a museum collection and I know I have had the experience of seeing something wrongly labelled in a museum collection, and the museum's experts have assured me I am wrong solely because what they've got on their label was what was on the label in the collection when they got the item. New information: LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, has mounted an exhibit called Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail 1700 - 1915. Their catalogue has been published as a book, and I've got a copy. One beautiful dress, very simple and probably made for a younger woman, has a full-length lace overdress they describe as completely made of handmade Bucks Point - in linen. The date is circa 1818. There is a closeup of the lace pattern - quite a complicated lace flower with the net embellished by areas of point-d'esprit. It appears as though the fabric of the dress has been built up from strips of the patterned lace spaced a couple of inches apart from one another, with plain bobbin net in the middle, and with a hem edging of a wider lace, but there isn't enough detail to be sure. If anybody has gone to LACMA and seen this dress (it had a bright yellow underdress) I would love to hear your thoughts on how it was constructed. The item number is M.63.54.5 Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) Dear Arachnids I have been researching Regency Bucks for over 15 years and found the 'Lace News' article interesting. Unfortunately the information about the dates, presumably from the booklet by Jean Eke, Angela Brown and Sandi Woods is inaccurate. I would have thought that the 'firat port of call' for anyone researching Bucks would be The Luton Museum Lace Dealer's Pattern Book. My edition dated 1998 contains illustrations of nine samples of Regency and one containing both standard Floral Bucks and Regency Bucks. The the date given for the pieces in the book is stated as appearing to date from around 1820 to the end of the century. The lace we see in collections is the lace that has been regarded as worth being looked after and keeping'for its beauty and monetary value with most of the less interesting and less well made pieces probably being worn out and lost over time. Therefore it is not surprising that pieces like the simple, narrower pieces illustrated in the Luton Museum book have not been preserved. Laurie is correct in saying that I am including Regency Bucks in the Floral Bucks book I am currently writing. I am currently making the lace and writing about Regency, dressing a doll in a chistening robe trimmed with it and then I have the last project, underclothes for a doll using some very fine Bucks, so it should not be too long now. Keep lacemakin Best wishes Alex - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Disaster?
I would thoroughly dampen the lace, then pin the pricking onto a pillow or a piece of styrofoam, or the ironing board if it would fit, cover the pricking with plastic and then pin the lace back into the original pinholes. It's easiest if you pin a bit on one side and then a bit on the opposite side, then the third side and the side opposite that, and then go back and start pinning in a bit more on each side in the same way, until you have filled all the outside pinholes. That should do the trick. If you haven't got a full pricking, you can do this without any pricking, but using the original is ideal. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) The sun was shining brightly in a blue sky yesterday so I was unusually full of housework enthusiasm. One of the things I grabbed to go into the wash was one of my cover cloths which was lying on the sideboard. I didn't stop to wonder why it was there but was reminded when I opened the washing machine, which had been on a hot wash, to find the pice of lace I'd recently finished, apart from sewing in the ends, which I'd carefully placed inside a cover cloth to keep it clean. Yes, THAT cover cloth. So, I now turn to you, my Arachne friends, to ask, is all lost? Can I save the shrivelled piece of blue fabric that was to be a table mat for my spare bedroom? I've tried pressing it, but the corners pull out more than the middle so it's somewhat wavy round the edges and I'm at a loss as to whether it is rescuable or whether I should start again. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] tarnish resist storage tabs
Hi Everybody: Are you sure you want to store your bobbins in with these--off-gassing all Here (from this website: http://www.newsletter.kaijewels.com/silver-tarnish.htm) is a description of the tarnish-resist tabs: Companies like 3M also make anti-tarnish strips that need to placed near silver jewelry when it is stored. These strips have a substance (activated charcoal) that helps absorb various pollutants from the air. No chemical fumes are emitted from these anti-tarnish strips and the process of absorbing pollutants is a plus point. These strips have an active life and need to be replaced from time to time, for exact details read the documentation that comes with the product. These strips help reduce the possibility and speed at which your silver jewelry will tarnish. So it looks like they don't off-gas, but must be replaced regularly. That's where I would fall down - I'd *never* remember to replace them! But I have another suggestion: about thirty years ago when I was setting up my apartment I bought some sterling silver serving spoons - not new, they are anywhere from 50 - 100 years old. Then, at least five years ago, to keep the tarnish down, I just wrapped them up in a length of old cotton flannel - the bottom of an old nightgown. And there they have sat ever since. This topic led me to bring them out, unroll the flannel, and there they were - lightly tarnished, but nothing a light wash wouldn't fix. If I had brought them out and used them every month or so, they wouldn't have been tarnished at all. And the rolled-up silver was just put in a drawer in the dining room, not far from the kitchen or from one of the busiest streets in this town, so if that works for me it'll work for you - unless you live somewhere where there's a lot of sulphur in the air. The website also said that although airborne sulphur is the main culprit in tarnishing, other things you need to avoid are everywhere, from oils to wool (that surprised me). Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Le Pompe 1559
Well, the worth of anything can be defined at what people will pay for it. If somebody pays $275 for the book, then I guess that's what it's worth, but it would be a surprise to me. When I saw the listing I looked up the title on www.abebooks.com, I found four copies, all listed between $213 and $300. If I were to see it on the sale table - at IOLI, for example - I would likely pay $30 or so for it. I think the Internet dealers are banking on drumming up a buyer who will pay what they ask. I also think I've seen the Le Pompe book reprinted in other publications (I could be wrong) but if so, those other publications may be cheaper. If all somebody wants is some very early lace patterns with no instructions, they could try the Dover reprint of Renaissance Lace, which can be had for $8 on abebooks.com. If somebody wants very early lace patterns with some instructions, there are some more current books, like Rosemary Shepherd's An Early Lace Workbook. So, all in all, they won't be getting $275 out of me for Le Pompe, even though I don't have it. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) Is this book really now worth $275 dollars? I have a copy in my bookcase, why is it worth that much. Is it really so scarce? Sue M Harvey - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] detailed Dress photos needed
Hi All: It is the RSN (Royal School of Needlework) press release that described the Carrickmacross technique, and I guess they know what they're talking about. I wonder, though, if there is some confusion between the lace used on the veil and the lace used on the dress, which don't look like they're made with the same technique. I am hoping that somebody with a super camera will get some extreme closeups of both the dress and the veil lace, so we can have more to go on. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Hand made crochet - not.
However, if the price of the item was based on it being hand-made, and it wasn't, for sure I would make a fuss :) I agree. Some people will still think it must be hand-made because the label says so, but some people will think anything. Years ago I saw a beautiful wool sweater that was labelled Hand-Knit in Wales. Now, I've worked a knitting machine and I know the difference it makes to the way a piece of knitting feels when compared with the same yarn knit by hand. So I turned to the saleswoman and said Hand-knit? with raised eyebrows. She immediately pointed out that although it *was* machine-knit, it was *also* hand-knit because a human hand had worked the knitting machine. I'm still wrapping my brain around that one. The sweater was priced at the level of a beautiful piece of machine knitting, which it was, so I bought it happily. I still have it, and even though it's way out of style it's still a prized possession. I see the first Chinese knockoff of The Dress has not only been made, but been worn by a bride at her wedding. The lace on the knockoff cost $1 a yard - motifs *not* cut out, carefully placed, and finely stitched, I think. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Floral Bucks Pattern book
Hi Everybody: Are there any working diagrams for the patterns in the book or, is it mostly just a book of prickings with a picture of the finished lace I got my book on Friday and was agreeably surprised by how nice it is, and how big (it's A4 size, about 8-1/4 x 12 - somehow I was expecting it to be half that). But, it is a book for confident lacemakers - you get a pricking and a photo of the lace with a corner and several repeats. Sometimes you get comments or further description, but there are no thread diagrams and very few further instructions, like which thread to use or estimates of number of pairs of bobbins, etc. I took a couple of courses this year and in both of them the teachers mentioned that they wished more of us would gain the confidence to make lace without thread diagrams. I often use thread diagrams myself and certainly couldn't make Old Flanders without them - but I wish I could, and I plan to go back to some easier patterns and try. Doing Floral Bucks without thread diagrams is certainly a challenge for many of us, but the old patterns didn't use them and I think it a worthwhile goal to learn how to make lace without that crutch. I am happy to have the book; I think it's worth the price just as an addition to my pattern library, even if I never get around to making most of the patterns. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Black thread vs. white thread
When I wrote about the effect of dyes on thread fibers, I expected to start a discussion, and have been successful. I know you both (and many others) have much experience, with threads and dyes. Hi Everybody: I haven't noticed this in embroidery cottons, but I can speak about wool. I have used Appleton's crewel wool a lot in embroidery, and the sea-greens especially are substantially thinner than most other colours. At the time I noticed this, I talked to others at my embroidery guild, and also to a couple of professional dyers I know, and the consensus was: Mordants are the chemicals that are used to make the dye bond to the fibre. The word 'mordant' comes from the French word for 'bite' and it gives you an idea of what the mordants do - they change the surface of the fibre, and they very often weaken it slightly. Different colours use different mordants, and some colours are achieved by dying the fibre and then overdying it with another colour. Depending on the colour you want to get, by the time you're finished dyeing the poor little bit of fibre might be coloured more than once, and have been bitten by several different chemicals as well. The fibre goes through a lot, and it wears down as it goes through the process. If you dye the fibre after it is spun (which makers of embroidery fibres do) your length of fibre is therefore thinner when it comes out of the dyebath than it was when it went in. Dyeing other colours might just be a quick one-step process, and so skeins of fibre in those colours will by comparison be thicker. Of course, if the fibre is spun *after* it is dyed, there won't be a difference because the wear happens before spinning. I wouldn't be at surprised if cotton suffers from the same problem. I do know from experience that some cottons go through several dyebaths to get the exact colour - I once used a small amount of bleach on a kitchen towel, and while some colours stayed the same, the grey colour in the towel turned to flesh pink! My professional dyer friends said that the grey had been achieved by overdying the pink, so my bleach had stripped off the top layer of dye and revealed the pink. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] Memory Lane
http://www.weissgallery.com/catalogue/weiss25years.htm Hi Everybody: This morning an old friend called me up. She is getting rid of her lace books, and wanted to give hers to me, knowing I would keep what I wanted and find a good home for the rest. I nipped up and came away with 3 small boxes of books, and I have spent most of today walking down memory lane, as they say. She had IOLI bulletins starting from 1969, the very first issues of The Lacemaker's Circle, and a few years of Lace from the early 80s. Looking through those old bulletins, I remember how difficult it was even to find pictures of lace, and how we would leap on even a mimeographed hand-typed photocopied bulletin, squinting at the fuzzy pictures, trying to figure out what type of lace it was, and envying the people in the photo who could see it in person. The Lace guild magazine had old Batsford booklists, and I remember how hard it was, in the 80s when I started, even to discover that new books on lacemaking had been published, as we had no local suppliers and the international suppliers catalogues were seldom updated. Now if I want to know if there are new books on lace, I get on the suppliers' website and I know in an instant. If I have a question I send an e-mail. I can search for old books or sometimes if the book is new I can look inside the book online. Just as I was thinking about that, Linda posted the link to the Weiss Gallery catalogue, and it made me think of all the museums who have put photos online, all the people like Avital putting lacemaking instructions online, and I thought about how great the Internet has been, in all these unexpected ways. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) (sorry if this ought to have gone to Chat. I don't get Chat) (off-topic PS: Go Canucks Go) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Jean's Book - opinion sought
Hi David: For those of you who recently purchased this book, I'm talking about the pricking on p27. If you look at the centres of the larger flowers you will see some short lines radiating out from it. I am wondering whether perhaps they are meant to be raised tallies, or just short lengths of gimp. Either way, I'm tempted to leave them out. Poppies always have this problem, whether they're done in embroidery or patchwork or lace - the leaves are flat and broad and if you don't think of a way to relieve that they just look like blobs. I think the lace will suffer for it if you leave them out, as the lines add delicacy, movement, and direction to the leaves. At first glance, I thought they were lines of gimp, but in other patterns gimp lines have pinholes beside them, and now I think they're intended to be open veins, created by adding a twist to either the worker or the passive where it crosses the line. If so, they're easy enough to add on the fly. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Jean's Book - opinion sought
Hi David: For those of you who recently purchased this book, I'm talking about the pricking on p27. If you look at the centres of the larger flowers you will see some short lines radiating out from it. I am wondering whether perhaps they are meant to be raised tallies, or just short lengths of gimp. Either way, I'm tempted to leave them out. Poppies always have this problem, whether they're done in embroidery or patchwork or lace - the leaves are flat and broad and if you don't think of a way to relieve that they just look like blobs. I think the lace will suffer for it if you leave them out, as the lines add delicacy, movement, and direction to the leaves. At first glance, I thought they were lines of gimp, but in other patterns gimp lines have pinholes beside them, and now I think they're intended to be open veins, created by adding a twist to either the worker or the passive where it crosses the line. If so, they're easy enough to add on the fly. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Chip carving... bobbins
Hi Everybody: chip carving became so popular in later Victorian times as a great many ladies-of-leisure took it up as a hobby. Now there is a thought ... Lace maker ladies carving their own bobbins? MMM! I just thought to mention - although many women have no doubt whittled their own bobbins, the reference is to chip carving which is a decoration technique applied to previously-existing wooden surfaces. I think the comment about Victorian ladies chip-carving bobbins probably meant that they were purchasing undecorated bobbins and then apply chip-carving to the bulbs. For chip-carving images, see pictures at: http://books.google.com/books?id=A1KiyRXA_g8Csource=gbs_similarbooks Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] old bobbins
Quandary:- should I remove this paint or might it be original? If not original should I leave it as part of the bobbins' history? ... I don't think you're doing anything wrong by trying to make the bobbin look better to you, whether the paint is original or not - after all your opinion and your efforts to correct the situation are also part of the bobbin's history. From your description I'm thinking it could really look horrible, like heavy enamel house paint on a delicate piece of filigree jewelry. If it does look bad to you, you could wear it down. The whole point of the groove is to make wearing down the paint difficult, so I'd use a piece of string or heavy thread - whatever is slightly rough and just about the same thickness as the groove that the paint is in, and rub that along the groove to get right inside it and wear away the paint naturally. I wouldn't obsess about getting all the new paint off, and I wouldn't obsess about retaining all of the old paint (if there is any). But I think you could bring it back so it doesn't look too bad. Dental floss might also work. I wouldn't try to remove the paint with any chemical or liquid removers, because probably your half-melted paint would then get all over the rest of the bobbin and make it look worse. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] In defence of speed
Hi Everybody: Jacquie wrote: Somewhere along the progession of this discussion there seems to have crept in a slight inference that speed equals inferior work. snip for most people who work fast, it is because they are handling the bobbins efficiently and moving their fingers faster. They will be just as meticulous with the quality of the finished work. I work in crafts (hand bookbinding) and the best binders I know - the ones who do the finest work and get commissions from all over the world - are also some of the fastest. My observation is that their speed comes from three sources: - they know exactly what to do so they never have to stop and think, - their skill level is so high that each movement can be made surely, accurately, and quickly, and - they also know what to obsess over and what to leave. Some things actually don't matter because they will iron themselves out later on in the process. I always think of this when I see some lacemakers who tension every stitch and then later on in the same row they realize that the next stitch sort of loosened the previous one so they go back and then tension the two of them and then they do the next stitch and go back and tension all three, etc. until they finally crawl to the end of the row and then tension the whole thing. Usually they are making a fairly simple pattern where careful tensioning at the end of the row is all that is needed, but they don't realize that because they never try it. As they gain experience their lacemaking will speed up because they will learn to watch their lace and see exactly when tensioning is needed and when it isn't. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] uploading photos
Hi Clay: Thanks for the reminder about the webshots page. I admit, if people just post a message saying I put some shots up I don't immediately know where the shots are - on the Arachne Webshots page? On the person's own page? Somewhere else? - and I mentally set it aside as something I'll fiddle with later - only I never do. By the way, I didn't know how to find the webshots page just from your message - I googled webshots arachne2003 and came up with this link: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003 Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Lace in fashion
Hi Clay: I think that gown is lovely, too. But I think it's a printed fabric. If you zoom in and look down at the sides of the dress where the dress hits the floor, you can see that there is a sheer black fabric overlay, and the lace is on that. I think it's printed in gold on a black organza fabric. Another reason I think it is printed is that there doesn't seem to be any net background holding the motifs in place. Even if the net were very fine, when you zoom in I think it would still show as a colour change in the black, but there isn't anything like that happening here. Adele PS: The Duchess of Cambridge's dress was described in the Canadian press as having a pale underdress of neoprene. Excuse me? Neoprene? Isn't that what they make wetsuits out of? Sounds awfully uncomfortable. I hope for her sake they were wrong and it's really cotton or silk or something breathable. On 2011-07-03, at 3:16 PM, Clay Blackwell wrote: My absolute favorite was the gown worn by January Jones! AND... I think that gown could be made to be flattering on women of *any* size (or age)! I found it impossible to tell whether this was really lace or a good printed fabric that looked like lace but in nearly all of the others, the lace was clearly machine-made. No big surprise there. And I agree with you, Jean... a lot of those gowns were just plain ugly, and more appropriate in the boudoir. The women who wore them must be desperate for attention. Clay - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Lace in fashion
I found the designer - Carolina Herrera, (in the pre-fall 2011 collection) and have found several articles describing this as chantecaille lace. I've never heard of chantecaille lace, and cannot find a definition for the word chantecaille in either French or English online dictionaries. Has anybody heard of it? Adele H.I was thinking it looked like gold embroidery (Schiffli??) appliqued onto the black or worked directly on the black sheer. Notice the little wisps of gold thread at the top of the gold where it begins just below the sheer top part of the bodice. Also, the gold motifs at the bottom of the skirt are shaped as they would be if they were lace or cut away embroidery. There also appears to be a bit of thickness to be seen at the bottom suggesting heavy embroidery? Vicki in Maryland I think that gown is lovely, too. But I think it's a printed fabric. If you zoom in and look down at the sides of the dress where the dress hits the floor, you can see that there is a sheer black fabric overlay, and the lace is on that. I think it's printed in gold on a black organza fabric. Another reason I think it is printed is that there doesn't seem to be any net background holding the motifs in place. Even if the net were very fine, when you zoom in I think it would still show as a colour change in the black, but there isn't anything like that happening here. Adele My absolute favorite was the gown worn by January Jones! AND... I think that gown could be made to be flattering on women of *any* size (or age)! I found it impossible to tell whether this was really lace or a good printed fabric that looked like lace but in nearly all of the others, the lace was clearly machine-made. No big surprise there. And I agree with you, Jean... a lot of those gowns were just plain ugly, and more appropriate in the boudoir. The women who wore them must be desperate for attention. Clay - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Lace in fashion
Oh, and there's a much better picture of it at Vogue: http://www.vogue.com.au/fashion+shows/galleries/pre+fall+2011+carolina+herrera,11953 Now I'm also thinking it's embroidered. You can clearly see thin lines of gold thread between some of the tallies and here and there in the motifs, and the gold threads at the edges are so long they look like part of the design. One of the model's hands is clutching the lace, and on the other side one of the scallops has folded over on itself. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) On 2011-07-03, at 4:00 PM, Vicki Bradford wrote: H.I was thinking it looked like gold embroidery (Schiffli??) appliqued onto the black or worked directly on the black sheer. Notice the little wisps of gold thread at the top of the gold where it begins just below the sheer top part of the bodice. Also, the gold motifs at the bottom of the skirt are shaped as they would be if they were lace or cut away embroidery. There also appears to be a bit of thickness to be seen at the bottom suggesting heavy embroidery? Vicki in Maryland I think that gown is lovely, too. But I think it's a printed fabric. If you zoom in and look down at the sides of the dress where the dress hits the floor, you can see that there is a sheer black fabric overlay, and the lace is on that. I think it's printed in gold on a black organza fabric. Another reason I think it is printed is that there doesn't seem to be any net background holding the motifs in place. Even if the net were very fine, when you zoom in I think it would still show as a colour change in the black, but there isn't anything like that happening here. Adele My absolute favorite was the gown worn by January Jones! AND... I think that gown could be made to be flattering on women of *any* size (or age)! I found it impossible to tell whether this was really lace or a good printed fabric that looked like lace but in nearly all of the others, the lace was clearly machine-made. No big surprise there. And I agree with you, Jean... a lot of those gowns were just plain ugly, and more appropriate in the boudoir. The women who wore them must be desperate for attention. Clay - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] White - Lace
Hi Everybody: My thoughts: You need a top quality thread to make lace, because the thread must be strong as well as very thin. Linen thread was the normal one to use because having a long staple length (the individual fibres run the height of the plant stalk) it could be spun very thin and still retain strength. Also, lacemaking derived from weaving and from techniques used to decorate woven linen, so it was natural for lace to be made of the linen thread that the lacemakers would be familiar with. The best quality linen was creamy white bleached linen, and naturally you would use the best quality thread to make a luxury good like lace. Linen is also quite difficult to dye, and dye processes that did work weakened the linen, so they would use undyed thread, and would be reluctant to dye the finished lace in case the dyeing process destroyed all their work. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) On 2011-07-15, at 1:51 AM, Nathalie wrote: Why was lace white from the beginning? Why was the white colour dominant through the centuries and even nowadays? - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
