Hello Lynn - and Jean ! I am having the most delightful summer working one or two days a week with fabrics in a quilt shop, and my experience (lifelong - not just this summer) with fabrics has taught me this...
Silks, as stunning and elegant as they are, do not stand the test of time very well. They are, after all, a truly organic substance which does not withstand the stresses of folding, extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme dryness, extreme damp, organic invasions (molds & mildew)... in other words, they really are "high maintenance" if they are to be preserved to any degree at all. Cotton and linen, OTH, are sturdy. While they are natural fibers, they are *fibers*, and as such are much sturdier than silk. Linen is almost never spun finely enough to use as a fabric for a Christening gown. But the lawns and batistes that you can get from high-quality fine cottons are absolutely stunning (and also more expensive than you'd expect - but WORTH it!!) So my suggestion is to find a shop with high quality fabrics which are marketed to the Heirloom Sewers in our midst. As you are in Oz, I recommend you go to a shop that sells magazines and get the latest issue of "Smocking and Embroidery", which is produced in Australia and the companies which advertise in that magazine are going to be right up your alley - and on your continent!! No connection to any of these resources, but just lending a (hopefully) helping hand!! Clay Clay Blackwell [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [Original Message] > From: Jean Nathan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Lace <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: 7/7/2004 1:04:35 PM > Subject: [lace] Christening gown fabrics > > Just in case you thought I'm completely mad, this was posted to chat, but as > it's about lace, I thought it should be here, so I replied, but didn't > include the original email. > > Lyn Scott wrote: > > <I have a query, I am making a Christening gown and lace for my nephew's > baby. > I have some torchon lace made by my late grandmother at least 50 years ago > in > a style very similar to that in the Robin Lewis-Wild's 101 Torchon Patterns > using rather think unidentifiable thread, I thought it was cotton, but > perhaps > not. Anyway, I want to put my grandmother's lace on the petticoat as it has > been used and is looking a bit worse for wear, but still an heirloom that > will > be treasured. I am making a lace to complement the old piece but can't > decide > on the type of fabric for the gown. Has anyone had enough experience with > the > different fabrics for long term storage as to which is preferable, cotton, > silk, or can I use the heavy satin from my wedding gown and make silk lace > to > go with it, will a synthetic fabric stand up to being stored for years and > pulled out for those special occasions, and if it will is a silk thread > better > than cotton or linen. > > Lynn Scott, Wollongong, Australia> > > - > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: > unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
