I am writing to these lists because I understand that many of the threads I am investigating are primarily lacemaking threads. People on these lists would have knowledge about them.
I have volunteered to mend the altar linen - once I learned that mending it requires only the ability to hand darn neatly - and some good fine thread. The altar guild expect the mending to be barely visible. Noone who knows how to do it is currently at our church. The work that I found on the altar linen is a very neat hand darning job - with ordinary or slightly fine sewing thread. But that particular piece is not as finely woven as most of our altar linen, and I think that the appropriate thread would be less visible. A couple of women in the altar guild mentioned machine darning - please don't anyone mention it to me as I don't own a machine and machine darning is not nearly as easy to get right. I am having a problem finding out what sort of fine thread to get. The altar linen is pure linen - washed many times, and presumably done shrinking. It gets handled as delicate linen and ironed dry. Is the best linen to use linen, or cotton? One company I wrote to recommended their fine polyester thread - is that a good idea, or will it necessarily have too much of a sheen to it? People on the needlework news groups are saying that linen thread may not necessarily be very strong or suitable for sewing, and also that it may be hard to find white linen thread that is truly white. People have recommended Madeira tanne or cotona 80 - but I am having difficulty learning just how fine this stuff is, and there is a question about how strong it is, and also about whether darning requires a strong thread. Madeira threads are lacemaking threads, and their tanne 50 is not finer than the Sulky #40 that I was able to lay my hands on. Both have a tex size of about 24. Coats and Clark's extra fine dual duty polyester is finer than that! The Madeira company was no help. I contacted the contact e-mail on the U.S. web site. The guy who wrote back said they don't make cotona and have discontinued tanne but possibly the U.S. branch makes it so contact them! I didn't even find #80 on their web site - so probably they have discontinued it. They guy said he'd enver HEARD of it - though you can still buy it all over the web and everyone on the needlework newsgroups seems to have some. People recommended a finer grade of Londerry linen thread - but not sure if linen is suitable for this. Another recommendation was d'Alace #50 DMC, but I can't fine that on the DMC web site at all, and it isn't clear that it isn't really one of several other DMC lacemaking threads that are too shiny and too tightly wound to use to darn altar linen. Allegedly it is soft. I hope that means matte finish. I haven't been able to learn waht size it really is at all. DMC did not answer my e-mail. EVeryone says d'Alace #50 is very fine, but everyone also says Sulky #40 is very fine, and its tex number of 24 barely fits into the fine thread category. Allegedly is is very similar to Madeira tanne or cotona - but the guy who said that did not say similar to what weight of Madeira tanne or cotona, and since I already have some tex 24 thread, I've no need to acquire something of the same weight as tanne or cotona #50! Several people have told me to use #80 or #100 thread by teh system by which ordinary sewing thread is #60 - but I haven't been able to learn which sizing system is that! I have been led to believe that it doesn't necessarily have much to do with the lace making and fine machine embroidery threads that I understand are the sort of thread I am looking for. I have read the thread size explanations on the web, including the Thread of Truth article, Vibeke Ervo's article, American and Efyrd's site, and a number of similar sites - but there is some stuff they leave out. A well- recommended thread seller recommended their The Bottom Line applique and bobbin thread. "Fine weight 60" wt." Of course, they didn't tell me weight 60 on which thread sizing system - or which "weight" system! (Can't mean ordinary sewing thread, which is "60".) He did say it is made of polyester - is it suitable for mending linen altar linen? Thanks alot! I'll appreciate any help! Yours, Dora Smith - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED]
