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Help please-reinforced Battenburg tape lace
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<p>[QUOTE="Northern Lights Lodge, post: 7629367, member: 13464"]Hi Lisa! Welcome! Wow! What a fun piece! </p><p>Thanks [USER=602]@Aquitaine[/USER] for your work on photos!</p><p><br /></p><p>The years your Grandmother was alive are perfect and right in line with popularity of making pieces such as this. It is truly something that she may have worked. And it appears to be very nicely worked!</p><p><br /></p><p>Yes, it is Battenburg/Battenberg. Patterns were drawn or purchased pre-printed on fabric. The lace was /is constructed by purchasing various decorative tapes and sometimes "rings". The tapes were basted to the design and then decorative fillings were made to connect the tapes and rings. </p><p><br /></p><p>Because the tapes and rings were almost always purchased; it would be more appropriate to call this a "hand assembled" lace.</p><p><br /></p><p>Your piece has all those elements.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was almost certainly made of cotton. Are there any areas of any size which are damaged? Or just a few broken connecting bars? Or are you just needing to attach it to the new fabric?</p><p><br /></p><p>As for the "loops". I'm not sure how they would have occurred. I would NOT recommend cutting them out. I have 3 suggestions: *1. would be to find a very fine appropriate color thread and carefully pull them to the back side (perhaps with a crochet hook) and double them along the backside center of the tape and tack them tightly to the back as invisibly as possible. *2. is once you have it all laid out and are trying to flatten the piece; you might try taking tweezers and gently tweeking/coaxing the cord back along the tape - scooching it down the center of the tape where it lays. It may help the tape lay flatter if the loops occurred by accidental snagging. *3. if you can find the "end" of the loop cord (on the back side) and it isn't too far from the loop, you may be able to carefully scooch it back into place and tack the loose end of the loop cord. (By the way that heavy cord is called the "cordonette".)</p><p><br /></p><p>[USER=8267]@2manybooks[/USER] may be right about possible damage already incurred by previous washing. I don't know that it is necessary to actually wash it again; but perhaps a spray bottle of distilled water to saturate the fibers would be helpful in trying to straighten it; but depending on how well you washed and rinsed it, it could also cause additional discoloration as [USER=8267]@2manybooks[/USER] noted. Since it is probably cotton, it will have the tendency to shrink and putting too much tension on pins to stretch it could cause more thread damage. </p><p><br /></p><p>Finding the exact size and color of the thread is not an easy task. Many thread sizes/twists/etc. are discontinued and over time the color is usually not a match. I would personally not recommend trying to make the lace the same color as the fabric; it would probably work better to find fabric the same color as the lace....or at least something comfortably close and then match attachment thread to either the lace or the fabric. </p><p><br /></p><p>It looks as if you may have a piece of linen already chosen. Although they are not an exact match; unless you wish to hunt/purchase another piece or try to match the lace color - I personally think that the two are compatible. I would, however, make sure that the fabric is prewashed before attachment.</p><p><br /></p><p>As for ironing. I would NOT iron directly on the lace. Too easy for the point of the iron to get caught and do more damage. Just distilled steam or possibly a damp cloth between the lace an the iron with a not too hot iron.</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, good luck! We'd all love to see the finished product and if you have any additional questions; I know someone will chime in!</p><p><br /></p><p>Cheerio,</p><p>Leslie[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Northern Lights Lodge, post: 7629367, member: 13464"]Hi Lisa! Welcome! Wow! What a fun piece! Thanks [USER=602]@Aquitaine[/USER] for your work on photos! The years your Grandmother was alive are perfect and right in line with popularity of making pieces such as this. It is truly something that she may have worked. And it appears to be very nicely worked! Yes, it is Battenburg/Battenberg. Patterns were drawn or purchased pre-printed on fabric. The lace was /is constructed by purchasing various decorative tapes and sometimes "rings". The tapes were basted to the design and then decorative fillings were made to connect the tapes and rings. Because the tapes and rings were almost always purchased; it would be more appropriate to call this a "hand assembled" lace. Your piece has all those elements. It was almost certainly made of cotton. Are there any areas of any size which are damaged? Or just a few broken connecting bars? Or are you just needing to attach it to the new fabric? As for the "loops". I'm not sure how they would have occurred. I would NOT recommend cutting them out. I have 3 suggestions: *1. would be to find a very fine appropriate color thread and carefully pull them to the back side (perhaps with a crochet hook) and double them along the backside center of the tape and tack them tightly to the back as invisibly as possible. *2. is once you have it all laid out and are trying to flatten the piece; you might try taking tweezers and gently tweeking/coaxing the cord back along the tape - scooching it down the center of the tape where it lays. It may help the tape lay flatter if the loops occurred by accidental snagging. *3. if you can find the "end" of the loop cord (on the back side) and it isn't too far from the loop, you may be able to carefully scooch it back into place and tack the loose end of the loop cord. (By the way that heavy cord is called the "cordonette".) [USER=8267]@2manybooks[/USER] may be right about possible damage already incurred by previous washing. I don't know that it is necessary to actually wash it again; but perhaps a spray bottle of distilled water to saturate the fibers would be helpful in trying to straighten it; but depending on how well you washed and rinsed it, it could also cause additional discoloration as [USER=8267]@2manybooks[/USER] noted. Since it is probably cotton, it will have the tendency to shrink and putting too much tension on pins to stretch it could cause more thread damage. Finding the exact size and color of the thread is not an easy task. Many thread sizes/twists/etc. are discontinued and over time the color is usually not a match. I would personally not recommend trying to make the lace the same color as the fabric; it would probably work better to find fabric the same color as the lace....or at least something comfortably close and then match attachment thread to either the lace or the fabric. It looks as if you may have a piece of linen already chosen. Although they are not an exact match; unless you wish to hunt/purchase another piece or try to match the lace color - I personally think that the two are compatible. I would, however, make sure that the fabric is prewashed before attachment. As for ironing. I would NOT iron directly on the lace. Too easy for the point of the iron to get caught and do more damage. Just distilled steam or possibly a damp cloth between the lace an the iron with a not too hot iron. Well, good luck! We'd all love to see the finished product and if you have any additional questions; I know someone will chime in! Cheerio, Leslie[/QUOTE]
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Help please-reinforced Battenburg tape lace
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