At 08:47 PM 4/24/04 -0700, Weronika Patena wrote: >Another question - if I put linen lace on a T-shirt or other clothing, >can I machine-wash it after that, at least if I use heavy thread?
If sewn well, applique' lace is exactly as durable as embroidery done with the same thread. (More durable, in the case of tatting.) I do dry it on a hanger -- but I don't tumble-dry *anything* more valuable than bath towels. To avoid differential shrinkage, I soak my cotton tatting until the water has had time to penetrate the knots. I imagine that dipping would serve to wet linen bobbin lace, if the thread isn't heavily sized. Then I put it between two dry cloths, and hold a hot iron on the sandwich until live steam comes out from under the soleplate. After that, I let it air undisturbed until dry. Then I sew it on by every picot and some of the joins. It's a good idea to choose a pattern without a lot of picots, since picots rumple in the wash if they aren't sewn to the fabric. Sewing lots of picots down is a pain, but not as big a pain as having to stretch each one with a knitting needle after every wash. If the fabric underneath is permanent-press, the lace will block itself. If not, it can be pressed from the back, like embroidery. Fabric is apt to press into wrinkles under a thick applique', so a heavy thread should be worked into a design dense enough to conceal the wrinkles -- unless you sew it to a stiff fabric that doesn't need ironing. A soft ironing surface will reduce the wrinkling by letting the applique' sink away from the fabric -- a thick towel is good, but can be used only once because you flatten the fuzz. (On the other hand, it still will dry you after a shower just fine, and will fluff up again when washed.) Watch out for dye that bleeds. -- Joy Beeson [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.earthlink.net/~joybeeson/ http://home.earthlink.net/~beeson_n3f/ west of Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A. where the trees are leafing out. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
