Delores, Two other factors can make thread stiff; one is the amount of twist. There was a cotton thread called Unity that was around when I started making lace (about 30 years ago) which was *the thread* for Bucks as it was highly twisted and the lace made with it was *crisp*.
Some threads are starched on the reel; Gutterman's cotton quilting thread is one. This is starched to make it smooth to sew with, but when it is washed it fluffs up a tid and is much softer. Disappointing for lacemaking if you weren't expecting it. Linen thread on the reel often doesn't feel that much different to cotton. It is when you was if and iron it damp with a hot iron that the difference shows. Linen feels like it has been starched. Brenda's tip about looking at the length of the individual fibres is probably the best and easiest, but I do also wonder if it might be poly-cotton. Most of the threads on large plastic cones are industrial threads so although that doesn't exclude cotton and linen, it is also very likely that it is at least partly synthetic. If that is the case, we need to go back to Brenda again and ask if polyester used for a cotton look-alike sewing thread is continuous filament or short staple. No reason you can't use it for lacemaking (sharp intake of breath from the purists, perhaps). In fact if you ever want to mount lace on poly-cotton fabric it makes sense to use a compatible thread for the lace. When you came to wash and iron, the care instructions are the same for both. Malvary and I have several blouses of Mum's, with applied lace, and some are cotton thread, some polyester, but they all look just as good 20 or so years on. Jacquie in England - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
