More Teneriffe Lace stitches

Hi everyone! Sorry for the silence - the book launch went well, which of course has meant a lot of packing for us both - not least with the launch bundle that we've put together. It takes a little while to get ourselves caught up. 

Today's video is a few more Teneriffe lace stitches, put together in a roundel. I'm enjoying working these - although I think some will end up looking rather crazy due to changing the colour of the thread for clarity - not for design. 

This weekend some winter cleaning. As soon as the clocks change and the sun is lower, I feel the need for a good clean before winter sets in properly. Wish me luck - it's gonna be a long one!

Take care, and thank you all for making the book launch a success. We really appreciate it.

How to make Eyelet Lace - Broderie Anglaise / Stamping on fabric for emb...

Here we are - the last one!

You can see, if you look closely, there is the odd place where I didn't fully cover the line. Of course, this really isn't as obvious in real life - but boy my camera picks up detail. That's why I often take a picture of a vintage button I'm studying then zoom in!

Ok, so the sun is still out! Wow. Time to go enjoy it a little.

Have a lovely day and stay well everyone x

How to make Eyelet Lace - Broderie Anglaise / Stamping on fabric for emb...

A lovely sunny day - actually hot today! Doesn't that make a change for a bank holiday weekend? 

I've actually given all of my carpets a quick clean. my cleaner has decided to dump water at every pass, not just when the trigger is down, which does mean that I'm not quite as good at it as I used to be...

Here's part 2 of the series. As I say in the video, I really am please with the results I have had with the stamping inks so far, it is always scary when you are using white! 

I hope that you are all enjoying your day. 

Stay safe and well x

How to make Eyelet Lace - Broderie Anglaise / Stamping on fabric for emb...

Thank you so much for everyone who tuned into the shows on The Craft Store yesterday evening. 

This week's video is a four part - trying something new. I've broken down the videos, I might go to the format for the longer ones.

Absolutely shattered - had to get up at the crack of dawn (or so it seemed after getting home late last night after the last show) for the boiler to be serviced. Some of the oil spilt inside the boiler and it smells so bad, we have the windows open trying to clear it, and even Toby was sneezing!

It was a great day at The Craft Store though - most staff are back, and while everyone is still in masks and social distancing, we did get to have a couple of catch ups, as well as "finally meets". For me, one of these was the lovely Kay from Indigoblu. Our paths have never crossed in many, many years of selly telly, so it was great to finally chat a bit. 

So, I will get the other videos uploaded over the next 3 days, internet allowing! 

Let me know what you think to the broken down videos.

Stay safe and well all.

Teneriffe experiments

 

I'm often asked if a particular thread can be used for a particular technique - but I haven't always tried them. I am a great believer in experimenting though, as what may not work for one application may be wonderful for another.

Take Teneriffe lace for instance. Like all lace, the thread used should be strong, usually fine, and with a bit of body. It needs to be able to hold a knot - so slippery threads will often give poor results. If your intention is to make a lace tablecloth, then you really do need something designed for lace making - a lace thread or a fine crochet thread.

However, using wool to make flowers on a Teneriffe loom works a treat! And perle cotton (not as smooth as traditional lace threads) gives more option for colour and has the advantage of washing well. 

But stranded embroidery cotton?

Normally, I would not recommend it, as it isn't actually that strong. But, I thought I'd have a play.

Using one strand

I'll be honest, this wasn't easy. I was worried I would break the thread, so took my time tying the knots. I think that this would be ok for the smallest motifs that are going to be appliqued onto something else, but you do need to be aware of how hard you pull the knots.

Using three strands

Better. I wasn't worried that I was going to break the thread. However, because the strands are not twisted tightly it is a little difficult picking up the correct threads to knot! You have to take care to get all of the threads.

Again, great for an applique motif, but not enough strength for a stand alone piece.

Using six strands

As you can see, quite nice chunky motif with the thread as it comes from the pull skein. I certainly didn't feel that I would break the thread at every knot. The fact that the thread had not been split into individual threads did mean it was a little easier to catch every thread when knotting. 

I do still feel though that it would be best used an an applique motif.

I think that using stranded embroidery cotton does open up a lot of possibilities for colour - but I would only use it for pieces where I am securing the motif onto the fabric. And not as an insert. I don't think the embroidery threads on their own would be strong enough to withstand being used as "lace proper".

I reckon that if you were using it to make micro lace motifs for buttons say, then it would be great - just take care on those knots if you are using a single thread. 

Stay safe everyone!