Dear Antje, You asked about sequins. There is more than one type of sequin or similar attachment for lace and they are made from different materials. There are probably manufacturers in many countries and they may have different ways of manufacturing sequins. I suggest you draw thread through the holes in a few sequins available to you, to test if the thread is damaged. You will also want to test for color transfer from sequins (all colors in a manufacturer's line), and how they react to water. Old sequins were made of gelatin and they will dissolve in water, so test old supplies.
Special metal sequins - called spangles - are mentioned in Gil Dye's 2012 "Gold & Silver Edgings - 16th and 17th Century Lace - Book 1", on page 9. They are used in Gil's reconstructions of lace edgings. At the time of publication, there were no suppliers and her spangles had to be made by hand.. Now, in 2015, spangles are available. They are hand cut from gilt silver specifically for bobbin lace, priced $1.50 US per piece! A maker was found, because spangles were needed for the recreation of the Layton jacket in Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth Massachusetts (search our archives if you wish to know more details). Devon was a volunteer lacemaker for this project. Few people will use these spangles, but you need to be aware of them since you are a lace expert in Spain, Antje. The US retail supplier can be found at: http://thistle-threads.myshopify.com/collections/accessories It is also possible to get small flat sequins that have been made from metal. I have used these in blackwork embroidery on linen, as was done in the 16th century. They were supplied by an Embroiderers' Guild teacher, and are not available from hobby shops. You need to test anything "foreign" that you work into laces. And those who are now making types of laces that will be washed should test all med ium-dark colors for colorfastness. We personally know that in the late 1970's DMC changed dye formulations due to enactment of new water pollution laws. DMC did not make the new colored threads colorfast. Bad corporate decision. Those who spent many hours embroidering and then washed their projects had a very bad result that could not be reversed. (If you have old DMC thread in your stash, you need to know this! Set aside some time, test your old threads, and throw away those that bleed.) Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center -------------------------------------------------------- In a message dated 6/17/2015 2:48:52 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, antje.gonza...@gmail.com writes: And what about sequins? Can they also cut the thread? I have never used them, but are now wondering... Antje González www.vueltaycruz.es - 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/
