Dear Sr. Claire, With thread of age, it is a good idea to test for strength and whether it not only looks good but is still strong. I mean, has the strength been compromised? If I am considering such old thread for use in lace repairs (and I do prefer old thread that more-closely matches old laces for this purpose), I want to know it will not disintegrate when used. Once before on Arachne I wrote about 6-strand DMC embroidery flosses that I had (as a teenager in the late 1950's) wound around empty sewing thread wooden spools and put away in a sewing basket. When I unpacked the sewing basket and found the threads almost 50 years later, I took a length (by the 6 strands, which should be strong) between fingers of one hand and placed the other hand's finger-grip about 12" away. Gave the threads a quick yank. They broke. That was 6 strands. If I were to separate and use less, the threads would have been much weaker. I believe the wooden spools off-gased acid. The sewing basket had, from time-to-time, been stored in a cardboard box in attics where the temperature and humidity had fluctuated. Thread responds to such a environment by expanding and contracting slightly with climate changes. Sometimes quickly, from a very hot Summer day to a cool Summer night. This sort of fiber movement causes wear that is not visible. Everyone can learn from this experience. Please be sure that the embroidery threads are strong before investing time in using them for something time-consuming and special. I hope your threads will not have suffered from the passage of time and the environment. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center
In a message dated 8/26/2010 11:42:13 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, quietasa...@gmail.com writes: My old monastery just gave me a box of wonderful old embroidery threads, probably from France in the early to mid-20th century. Among the threads are four larger skeins of something that might be appropriate for a coarse lace. Only one of the skeins still has a tag on it. The label reads: No. 4 LCF Coeur de Lin Superfin 300 Tours Has anyone heard of it? Thanks, Sr. Claire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
