[lace] Breaking threads
Hello to all you fonts of all wisdom:-) Over the weekend I began to make a bucks point hanky edge, using a pattern from Alex Stillwells geometric lace book. I ordered and am using the Egyptian Cotton 60 thread as mentioned in the book. I have previously worked with the Eqyptian 36/2 and loved it, the crisp look, slight sheen to the lace and a very pretty piece of lace, so am really unhappy with the current one. Because its quite a while since I did any bucks and most of the time I do torchon lace and previously I have noticed that I tension too much on the footside passives and also because my thumbs are hurting quite a lot anyway this time I have been working slower, more gently making sure I dont catch the picots on the wrong pins also. Anyway about 2 inches into the lace on a cloth stitch trail I ended up with a loose bobbin and thread in my hands. Where in the past when I have broken a thread, its been a rare event and normally has snapped off by a pin through over tensioning, so I have needed to undo some lace in order to work the broken and the new thread back into the pattern, this time it has left about a 2 inch tail so it hasn't needed to be unpicked more than a couple of rows and then to work it in again. I carried on working and the next evening did exactly the same. I very nearly cut it off the pillow and hunted down a different thread, but decided to give it one more try. Thread now up and working, but feel a bit disappointed that this is happening. This time I know I am not pulling too hard, not flying through the work, working quite slowly and steadily, so Why !!! Suggestions please before I loose heart. Sue T Dorset, UK Bobbin Lace and Glass engravings http://www.hurwitzend.co.uk - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Breaking threads
In message 60ac1333c39c49b88b1695bfdde38...@suzyf9f7c645ba, Sue hurwitz...@talktalk.net writes Anyway about 2 inches into the lace on a cloth stitch trail I ended up with a loose bobbin and thread in my hands. This time I know I am not pulling too hard, not flying through the work, working quite slowly and steadily, so Why !!! Most likely, at this time of year, we have the heating on and it is drying the thread out - cotton and linen are stronger wet than dry. Try leaving a damp tea-towel over your pillow at night. The other problem I've found with Bucks is that certain threads un-spin (due to S or Z twist) in use - I suspect it is the one cross, three twists of the ground stitches that is the cause of this. I avoid DMC broder machine for Bucks for this reason - though Madeira and the William Hall thread (now no longer available, sadly) I have behave perfectly. Make sure that when you lengthen the thread from the bobbin you are holding the bobbin at right-angles to the thread - so you are unwinding the thread from the bobbin and not altering the twist on the thread - this tip from Margaret Allen years ago has saved me a lot of problems. It might just be a rogue spool of thread - you get them occasionally - or that the outer layers of the thread on the spool dried out in storage, which would explain why some threads are breaking and others not - if it is the thread on the same bobbins each time, next time one breaks, instead of joining the already wound thread back in, try re-winding it from the spool first?. -- Jane Partridge - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Re: Empresse Eugenie
Helo Jane, the dress she wears on the painting she is standing is in the way of dresses the Duchesse d'Aumale created but in black with Chantilly lace in several stripes over those big skirts. Here it looks like white Blonde for me. But Winterhalter didn't paint the lace like in nature , more as a very light nothing so it's difficult to say precisely. for all, I loaded up one more painting. With this one the painter was very successful in the world exhibition from 1855. Eugenie shall have paid for the painting from her own money and she liked it so much that she took it with her to England in exile. And she kept it till her death. But something curious she let the frame in France. Perhaps because of the size of the painting, it is 300 X 420 cm. Ilske - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Breaking threads
Hi Sue - Jane gave you good information which should help. The only other thing I can think is, how are you winding your bobbins? Are you using a winder, or doing it by hand? If by hand, are you wrapping the thread around the bobbin, or turning the bobbin in your hand to take up the thread? This is more important than it sounds, because if you're wrapping the thread around the bobbin, chances are that you are untwisting the thread! Which is exactly what causes threads to part with a sigh (leaving the dwindling tail...) rather than snapping off at your pin. Clay Anyway about 2 inches into the lace on a cloth stitch trail I ended up with a loose bobbin and thread in my hands. This time I know I am not pulling too hard, not flying through the work, working quite slowly and steadily, so Why !!! Most likely, at this time of year, we have the heating on and it is drying the thread out - cotton and linen are stronger wet than dry. Try leaving a damp tea-towel over your pillow at night. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Re:Breaking threads
Sue, Thanks for asking that question and Jane, thanks for answering it. I currently am using a brand new spool of Bokens Linen size 80 on a Bruges Flower piece and it keeps breaking on me. GGranted I tend to tug hard so have to back off my tension. But it will break not just at a pin, but even in the passives of the CS. I think I will try the damp cloth trick when I have the pillow at rest. That is a good tip!!! Our house is very dry and we try to have humidifiers and bowls of water at the registers. Still is too dry. That might explain my breaking thread. Question...damp cloth goes on top of the pillow after the lace and bobbins are completely covered with their cloths or damp cloth on the project BEFORE I lay the cover cloths?? -- Mark, aka Tatman website: http://www.tat-man.net blog: http://tatmantats.wordpress.com etsy shop: http://tatman.etsy.com FB: http://www.facebook.com/tatmantats Most likely, at this time of year, we have the heating on and it is drying the thread out - cotton and linen are stronger wet than dry. Try leaving a damp tea-towel over your pillow at night. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re:Breaking threads
AnswerBefore. You want the threads in contact with the dampness. Linen is strong when damp, strongest when wringing wet, thus its usefulness in ropes. It tends to mildew though, so you want fresh damp all the time! On Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 10:02 AM, Mark, aka Tatman tat...@tat-man.netwrote: Question...damp cloth goes on top of the pillow after the lace and bobbins are completely covered with their cloths or damp cloth on the project BEFORE I lay the cover cloths?? -- Bev in Shirley BC, near Sooke on beautiful Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Fwd: [lace] Re:Breaking threads
Sent just to me, but I am sure Hélène meant this for the whole list: -- Forwarded message -- From: Helene Guilmette hguilme...@rogers.com Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge and experience. I have started lace making last September with Malvary Cole (who is a great patient teacher). I started with Torchon and I am now trying Buck for the first time and my thread just broke few minutes ago. Your emails gave me some hints to help avoiding this but also the courage to start undoing what took me a long time to do... Hélène from cold and sunny Ottawa On 2-Feb-10, at 1:17 PM, bev walker wrote: AnswerBefore. You want the threads in contact with the dampness. Linen is strong when damp, strongest when wringing wet, thus its usefulness in ropes. It tends to mildew though, so you want fresh damp all the time! Question...damp cloth goes on top of the pillow after the lace and bobbins are completely covered with their cloths or damp cloth on the project BEFORE I lay the cover cloths?? -- Bev in Shirley BC, near Sooke on beautiful Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Seeking information on A.A. Carnes
I'm working on some research into lacemakers/lacemaking in the East Midlands and on several occasions the name Arthur A. Carnes has cropped up. He is acknowledged in the book by Thomas Wright and is also mentioned in the book by Miss Anne Buck on Thomas Lester and also her book In the Cause of English Lace, he seems to have been a keen collector of the finest old prickings/parchment, and an authority of anything to do with lacemaking, during the first quarter of the 20th century. He donated part of his collection to the Bedford/Cecil Higgins museums. He also published a number of postcards of Bedfordshire lacemakers and also produced a booklet on Bedfordshire lace for E Braggins of Bedford, who supplied material to lacemakers and also sold lace. By profession he was an organist, choirmaster and teacher of music. I'm wondering if anyone recognises the name and/or can shed any light on Mr Carnes. Diana in Northants - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Lace magazines
Yesterday I received my Needle 'n' Thread magazine - from the Guild of Needlelaces, and today the postie has just delivered the UK Lace magazine, - so I have a continuing feast of lace!!! I have only openend the envelope so far, - and looked at the front cover - a beaut fan, and read the lovely poem on the back cover. I get to read the rest of the magazine tonight - more sweet, lacey dreams!!! What Would we do without these beaut magazines arriving every now and again?!! Hmmm! I must work on a contribution for this year. I try to do one contribution to each magazine each year. If everyone did one thing, there would be heaps of copy. A book review, an article, photo, pattern, - something. I am sure more people have something they can share. I am in 5 Guilds (do I have an addiction?) so I need to get my thinking cap on to get something for each one. Maybe I better buy some more books, and do some reviews!! (what an excuse!!! :)) ) Regards from Liz in Melbourne lizl...@bigpond.com -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 572 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Lace magazines
Hello Liz and everyone, Liz, this is a generous goal! I am sure more people have something they can share, too, with their lace magazine(s) of choice. I like the idea of buying a book to review! On Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 4:27 PM, Elizabeth Ligeti lizl...@bigpond.comwrote: ...I try to do one contribution to each magazine each year. If everyone did one thing, there would be heaps of copy. A book review, an article, photo, pattern, - something. I am sure more people have something they can share. I am in 5 Guilds (do I have an addiction?) so I need to get my thinking cap on to get something for each one. Maybe I better buy some more books, and do some reviews!! (what an excuse!!! :)) ) -- Bev in Shirley BC, near Sooke on beautiful Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Re breaking threads
To all who are struggling with breaking threads. Here in South Africa where we have a very definite wet or dry season, I was told a long time ago to keep my threads in a plastic box or bag in the fridge or freezer. This stops them drying out and becoming brittle when it is dry or growing mould when it is hot and humid. When the air is dry you can also cover the bobbins and thread on the pillow with a lightweight cover cloth (man's hankie) and spray it with water in a laundry spray and then cover with a regular cover cloth so that the pillow does not get too wet. Some years ago, we had a burglary at home. Thankfully we were not there! The burglars opened the small fridge behind the bar. no doubt thinking it would be full of liquor. They must have been very disappointed to find that all it contained was my boxes of lace threads. fortunately they left my threads behind in disgust although we lost some other beongings. Janis Savage in Honeydew, Greater Johannesburg, where we are in a definitely wet summer season. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re breaking threads
One more word on this subjectI had the same thing happen in a Rosaline class at the Denver IOLI Convention. Helena Demeyer had specified two thread alternatives and for some reason I decided to get both. (Can't remember at this hour exactly what they were, but typical fine Rosaline threads.) I had just gotten them from the supplier just before the class. I couldn't figure out why that blasted thread kept breaking as I knew I wasn't being rough with it. I picked up the spool and *tested* the thread by holding it in both hands and giving it the gentlest tug, and pop, it broke. And again, and again. I finally decided to start again with the alternative thread (same weight, different manufacturer) without any problems. Both threads were cotton, and both had *lived* in the same environment. My conclusion was that I just had a bad spool of thread, dry rotted or otherwise faulty. The suggestions given by Jane and others are definitely good and may work, but if they don't, don't necessarily blame yourself...! g Vicki in Maryland where we are getting a fresh blanket of snow tonight - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace-chat] Lady with Unicorn cross-stitch
Hi Avital everyone, Lovely knitted shawl (love the color!) and very nice beginning to the Unicorn tapestry cross-stitch! I'm with you as far as compulsive cross-stitching is concerned since I love finely detailed charts. I had a look at the Scarlet Quince website (http://www.scarletquince.com/) last night and picked out 12 patterns I liked. Then I had a long chat with myself and finally settled on ordering two. (I must confess that despite having enough charts to open a shop, my cross-stitching has taken a backseat to lace since I discovered it some time ago...(-: Still, I can't resist a really wonderful chart!) I love medieval designs too, and I too have been fortunate to see a set of the Cluny unicorn tapestries, though the ones I saw are at The Cloisters in upper Manhattan. I think The Cloisters is such a perfect setting for their display and highly recommend visiting to anyone who has the opportunity. I do hope to see the ones in Paris someday as well. We ran out of time the last time I was there, but that museum had been on my list. For cross-stitchers on the list, Scarlet Quince has Vermeer's The Lacemaker among its selections. Sorry to be a temptress and facilitator! vbg Vicki in Maryland where we are waiting for yet another snowstorm this evening,,,more reason to stay indoors and make lace...(or do cross-stitch...or knit???) To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com.
Re: [lace-chat] Lady with Unicorn cross-stitch
The Vermeer Lacemaker chart was once in my own hot little hands, but I donated it to Lace at Sweet Briar where someone was able to win it! I took one look at those pages and pages and pages of charts and knew I'd never get it done!! I held on to The Girl with the Pearl Earring (also Vermeer), but doubt I'll ever get to that either. If anyone is going to be at LASB this year and wants this up for grabs, just say so!!! I was once into those all-encompassing pieces that took a year or more to complete (when working full-time). I loved them dearly!! But bobbin-lace became my new obsession, and there you have it. But to be honest with you, the things I did *paled* in comparison to these Scarlet Quince charts. Unbelievable!! Clay On 2/2/2010 5:19 PM, Vicki Bradford wrote: Hi Avital everyone, Lovely knitted shawl (love the color!) and very nice beginning to the Unicorn tapestry cross-stitch! I'm with you as far as compulsive cross-stitching is concerned since I love finely detailed charts. I had a look at the Scarlet Quince website (http://www.scarletquince.com/) last night and picked out 12 patterns I liked. Then I had a long chat with myself and finally settled on ordering two. (I must confess that despite having enough charts to open a shop, my cross-stitching has taken a backseat to lace since I discovered it some time ago...(-: Still, I can't resist a really wonderful chart!) I love medieval designs too, and I too have been fortunate to see a set of the Cluny unicorn tapestries, though the ones I saw are at The Cloisters in upper Manhattan. I think The Cloisters is such a perfect setting for their display and highly recommend visiting to anyone who has the opportunity. I do hope to see the ones in Paris someday as well. We ran out of time the last time I was there, but that museum had been on my list. For cross-stitchers on the list, Scarlet Quince has Vermeer's The Lacemaker among its selections. Sorry to be a temptress and facilitator! vbg Vicki in Maryland where we are waiting for yet another snowstorm this evening,,,more reason to stay indoors and make lace...(or do cross-stitch...or knit???) To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com. To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com.
Re: [lace-chat] Lady with Unicorn cross-stitch
On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 12:19 AM, Vicki Bradford twohappyb...@aol.com wrote: Hi Avital everyone, Lovely knitted shawl (love the color!) and very nice beginning to the Unicorn tapestry cross-stitch! I'm with you as far as compulsive cross-stitching is concerned since I love finely detailed charts. I had a look at the Scarlet Quince website (http://www.scarletquince.com/) last night and picked out 12 patterns I liked. Then I had a long chat with myself and finally settled on ordering two. (I must confess that despite having enough charts to open a shop, my cross-stitching has taken a backseat Well, if you ever go back to counted cross-stitch, another site I like is http://www.goldenkite.com! But on the whole, I prefer Scarlet Quince designs because Golden Kite has too many romantic (I mean the historical period and style, not the subject matter) paintings for my taste. to lace since I discovered it some time ago...(-: Still, I can't resist a really wonderful chart!) I love medieval designs too, and I too have been fortunate to see a set of the Cluny unicorn tapestries, though the ones I saw are at The Cloisters in upper Manhattan. I think The Cloisters is such a perfect setting for their display and highly recommend visiting to anyone who has the opportunity. I do hope to see the ones in Paris someday as well. We ran out of time the last time I was there, but that museum had been on my list. I've seen the ones in the Cloisters, too. I'd forgotten about that, probably because it was part of a disastrous weekend when I broke up with my boyfriend while I was in grad school. That's probably why I remember the Cluny ones better. ;-) Also, I was traveling alone in Europe, so I was able to hang around the Cluny Museum for as long as I wanted. When you're with someone else you have to adjust to their schedule. For cross-stitchers on the list, Scarlet Quince has Vermeer's The Lacemaker among its selections. Sorry to be a temptress and facilitator! vbg LOL! Isn't that what lace and needlework lists are for? To tempt us? Avital To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com.
