Re: [lace] Coats & Clark S975 & Piper's silk
Just about any thread can be used to make lace including wire and garden string, but….. With BL the thickness of the thread has to match the pricking, and generally a smooth, evenly spun thread is preferable to a hairy, slubby one although a lot of the thicker linen threads intended for lacemaking are somewhat slubby. I don’t think there is anything to really define a lace thread other than convention and historic tradition. Most linen threads that are available, apart from very thick ones that border on being twine, are ‘lace' threads and as such are usually S spun. Most people who have trouble with bobbins unwinding and/or the thread untwisting have less problems with S spun than they do with Z spun, and most (right handed) people tend to have more problems with Z twisted thread when hand sewing, which is why most hand embroidery threads are S spun. This is only a generalisation, not set in stone. The thing that really separates ‘sewing’ thread from lace/embroidery thread is the fact that anything designed for use on a sewing machine (domestic or industrial) will be Z spun to suit the mechanics of sewing machines, so general purpose threads, or those sold for machine quilting or machine embroidery etc will be Z spun. As far as making Honiton with coloured thread - unless you are prepared to dye your own there isn’t any cotton thread on the market that’s not white, ecru or black. For really fine thread in colours you have to look at the silk threads. Filament/reeled silk is shiny and slippery, spun silk is less shiny and behaves better on bobbins. Brenda On 30 Jun 2014, at 21:43, wrote: > Now that I know Brenda's estimated wpc factor, it looks like I won't be using > C&C S975 for Honiton! Just as a comparison though, Madeira Cotona is wimpy, > wimpy, wimpy & pastel, pastel, pastel--something that I'd like to overcome. > And maybe I don't fully understand why some threads are considered 'lace' > threads & others not. Coming at this from the CQ (Crazy Quilt/embroidery) > perspective, I don't consider any materials sacred to one technique or > another--they're all fair game. Brenda in Allhallows paternos...@appleshack.com www.brendapaternoster.co.uk - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Coats & Clark S975 & Piper's silk
Hi, Susan! Have you considered YLI #100? It's quite thin and comes in a nice variety of colors. And has that silk sheen, too. It's soft, unlike linen, but still has good stitch definition. Sometimes it can drop the hitch, mostly because it's slick, but I don't have trouble when I use a double-hitch. just a suggestion, Robin P. Los Angeles, California, USA robinl...@socal.rr.com Parvum leve mentes capiunt (Little things amuse little minds) hottl...@neo.rr.com wrote: = Your point is well taken Adele. I've already got plenty of problems with the 'lace' threads! lol Besides I could always make something in white/ecru & dye it to my satisfaction later. Tatting cotton & Oliver Twist are too beefy for Honiton so finding a colored fine thread is high on my 'to do' list. I plan to try the Italian thread I purchased last year (Tre Stelle) when I get a free moment. I very much appreciate this thread discussion because I don't know what I don't know. Trying to get my learner's permit here! Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA USA - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Coats & Clark S975 & Piper's silk
Hi, Susan! Have you considered YLI #100? It's quite thin and comes in a nice variety of colors. And has that silk sheen, too. It's soft, unlike linen, but still has good stitch definition. Sometimes it can drop the hitch, mostly because it's slick, but I don't have trouble when I use a double-hitch. just a suggestion, Robin P. Los Angeles, California, USA robinl...@socal.rr.com Parvum leve mentes capiunt (Little things amuse little minds) hottl...@neo.rr.com wrote: = Your point is well taken Adele. I've already got plenty of problems with the 'lace' threads! lol Besides I could always make something in white/ecru & dye it to my satisfaction later. Tatting cotton & Oliver Twist are too beefy for Honiton so finding a colored fine thread is high on my 'to do' list. I plan to try the Italian thread I purchased last year (Tre Stelle) when I get a free moment. I very much appreciate this thread discussion because I don't know what I don't know. Trying to get my learner's permit here! Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA USA - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Coats & Clark S975 & Piper's silk
Your point is well taken Adele. I've already got plenty of problems with the 'lace' threads! lol Besides I could always make something in white/ecru & dye it to my satisfaction later. Tatting cotton & Oliver Twist are too beefy for Honiton so finding a colored fine thread is high on my 'to do' list. I plan to try the Italian thread I purchased last year (Tre Stelle) when I get a free moment. I very much appreciate this thread discussion because I don't know what I don't know. Trying to get my learner's permit here! Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA USA Adele Shaak wrote: I think it's not so much that certain threads are sacred, it's just that some threads are more difficult to work with and when there are more suitable threads available most lacemakers would prefer to avoid trouble. Stiffer threads - linens or sometimes quilting cottons, depending on how they're spun or finished - can be so stiff that they don't like to stay wound onto your bobbin, or the double-half-hitch doesn't want to stay hitched at all. Plus your stitches don't want to stay twisted or knotted, and you're fighting the thread all the way through the project. Other threads, being built for a different craft, may have differences built into them that you don't want for bobbin lace. Having said that, if you want strong colours you might like to use tatting cotton, which many people use all the time with complete success. > > Hope this helps. > > Adele > West Vancouver, BC > (west coast of Canada) > - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Coats & Clark S975 & Piper's silk
Hi Susan: > And maybe I don't fully understand why some threads are considered 'lace' threads & others not. Coming at this from the CQ (Crazy Quilt/embroidery) perspective, I don't consider any materials sacred to one technique or another--they're all fair game. I think it's not so much that certain threads are sacred, it's just that some threads are more difficult to work with and when there are more suitable threads available most lacemakers would prefer to avoid trouble. Stiffer threads - linens or sometimes quilting cottons, depending on how they're spun or finished - can be so stiff that they don't like to stay wound onto your bobbin, or the double-half-hitch doesn't want to stay hitched at all. Plus your stitches don't want to stay twisted or knotted, and you're fighting the thread all the way through the project. Other threads, being built for a different craft, may have differences built into them that you don't want for bobbin lace. I vividly remember, back in the 80s, somebody in my club making a large project, not realizing the crochet thread she'd used had a bit of stretch in it. When she took the pins out at the very end the whole piece pulled up in some places and not in others and just generally refused to lie flat. Such a disappointment after all her hard work. Having said that, if you want strong colours you might like to use tatting cotton, which many people use all the time with complete success. Hope this helps. Adele West Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
[lace] Coats & Clark S975 & Piper's silk
Hello Again! Thanks for that info Cindy. Now that I know Brenda's estimated wpc factor, it looks like I won't be using C&C S975 for Honiton! Just as a comparison though, Madeira Cotona is wimpy, wimpy, wimpy & pastel, pastel, pastel--something that I'd like to overcome. And maybe I don't fully understand why some threads are considered 'lace' threads & others not. Coming at this from the CQ (Crazy Quilt/embroidery) perspective, I don't consider any materials sacred to one technique or another--they're all fair game. So thanks again for the heads up! BTW--the C&C performed beautifully in my ancient sewing machine on my linen project, although we won't mention to Jeri that I used an archival, non-acid glue stick to temporarily hold the ribbon to the ground fabric. (vbg) Liz, you would ask & I don't really understand the change in the behavior of Piper's silk either. At the beginning of the week, I would say 90% of my bobbins needed clips. By the end of the week, non! e. So--was it thread wear? After all I did make lots of mistakes that required unlacing. Was it heat/humidity? Unlikely because we were in the chilliest, most climate controlled room at the Conference Center. Someone on Arachne (Jacquie maybe?) has mentioned that bobbins seem to have a mind of their own when the lacemaker is not confident. In that regard, I was more self assured at the end of the week in Sandi's class. The only other factor that I can think of is that the thread relaxed from its factory-wound condition. This theory could easily be tested by winding/hanging pairs at the outset. I will say, I know a gal who has a little collapsible rack that she uses. She winds all her bobbins & hangs them on a rack she purchased in Belgium. If anyone else has a suggestion, please jump in! It was certainly a curious effect & anything that helps me understand how to control my materials & tools, helps me make better lace sooner! Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA U! SA - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
