Hi everyone While on the topic of lace design software - I thought I'd write down some ways that I use my particular program (and I'm certain that the other programs will do as much and more): - for scanning an old pricking to make a more 'true' pattern. The program doesn't do the true-ing; I draw a copy by sight, with the old one as a comparison, sometimes on top of the jpg of the old one, or beside the jpg, on the screen. - for copying a pattern from one of my books where I don't want to use a photocopier. I do this 'by eye' . It is handy if only a portion of the pattern is wanted, and a new repeat created, or I want to make a bookmark using the pattern repeat (or, I want to make an edging from the bookmark design!). Or, I want to change the size of the original pattern, such as to suit some threads I want to use. - for drawing a pattern from a picture. I scan the picture, and set the default to 'snap to none' then with the line tool, the cloth stitch tool, or the pindot tool draw on top of the picture where I think the threads should take their paths. - for inventing a pattern
Note that a 'lace design program' doesn't teach lace design. I have fumbled along as best I can, and learned by experiment. A lacemaker I know intuitively understands Bedfordshire laces, and frequently designs them with her Easy Lace program. I love to 'make Beds.' but have only succeeded in inventing one Beds. design with my program. I haven't the faintest idea where to start to combine elements and work the trails so it looks properly Beds., and not like a guess. But I can whip up a point ground pattern or Torchon in jig time. Copying a pattern by eye from page to computer screen is a good way to start off understanding how a lace is structured, and also to figure out the capabilities of the program. If you are examining a design program for the first time, try every tool, every menu, then draw a standard edging pattern that tests drawing the footside, headside and ground. Some of the options won't mean anything until you find a use for them. There are a few in Easy Lace that I still don't use. Find out how you would make a fan, a leaf and a spider on your test pattern; how would you take a bit of it as a repeat, and 'repeat it' in a new window - how you would delete some of it, then see if you can go back through your changes to the first attempt (it is useful to be able to 'undo'). Then ideally see if you can make a lace from that pattern. Usually with the demo versions, you can't save a file - saving and printing give you a lot of other options that you can't test in the demo. So, in other words, fool around with the program until you can see how it might work for you. hope this helps Bev in Sooke BC (on Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada) Cdn. floral bobbins www.woodhavenbobbins.com blogging lace at www.looonglace.blogspot.com - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]