Tablecloth (Zigzag) Lace
I started this lace a year back but stopped after reaching a
length of 1 meter, since I did not know where it would be used. Now, it has
been worked to a length of over 2 meters & tacked on to a table cloth for
my MIL’s sewing table.
I do not know the original source of the pattern; it is from
my 80’s collection (from some Indian publication). However, since starting, I
have come across many examples of similar laces on pinterest, with some stitch
count variations. It had 2 rows, but I liked the peaks, so only did this one
row & like to call it my “zigzag lace”.
It has been tatted in traditional style using ball &
shuttle. Loved the feel of this cotton thread . Very easy to tat.
The cotton table cloth measures 33’ x 27’ after sewing (with
2 inches for seam allowance on all 4 sides).
THREAD
South Maid Mercerised Cotton ( Coats n Clark , USA)
Size 10 . Color : 22 GARLAND
MSTS
7 peaks = 12½ in / 31½ cm.
Width = 2¼' in / 5½ cm.
- While the tatting was fun throughout, the sewing is always a cumbersome procedure! Took me 4-5 days to sew it on properly.
- I do not sew down the picots, only through the ds, at regular intervals, using a kind of back stitch. Photograph, showing how the sewing/tacking looks, is added at bottom.
- If I had started the lace now, I might have done it differently, using 2 shuttles, instead of ball & shuttle. However, the upside of the latter was that I had to load just the one shuttle and hide just that one thread end . The lace remained attached to the 2nd ball throughout.
- Without an end-use in sight, I had tatted it straight. Hence, for the corners, I simply arranged the peaks to get good visual effect & symmetry & sewed on. No pattern tweaks for corners ! (images below)
Update : I came across a lovely application using a variation of this basic pattern, by "The Shuttlesmith", here: Denim Shirt Embellishment
Motif #20 for 25 Motif Challenge
That looks wonderful!! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sue :-) It was an enjoyable and easy pattern.
DeleteWow, that's a lot of sewing...and a lot of tatting! I always use two shuttles so I can tension my chain thread by dangling the second shuttle. I am intrigued though, how was there only one thread end to hide, and what did you do when your shuttle thread ran out? Surely you could not make it through the entire pattern with one shuttle full?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone actually read through ;-P I'd need a giagantic shuttle (and hand to hold) to complete over 2m in one shuttle - Love the imagery ;-)))
DeleteYou are right, Robin. There are 2 thread ends to hide even with a single shuttle. It's just that in my mind the starting end is so much part of hiding, and so easy to hide knot-free, that it skipped my mind when writing. The whole lace is knot-free, because I could so easily tat over the tail end as well, to hide it.
Tatting is always fun for me. Sewing it on is very boring & tedious. But I keep motivating myself ... a few more hours of "labour" & then it'll all look so pretty .
I could've decr"Eased" my sewing by tacking one edge (the 2nd row which I didn't do, was straight on upper side) it along the fabric seam ; but it didn't do justice to the lace. Hence the extra effort at sewing this one down.
But the gift was very well accepted & is already on the table. So extremely happy !
And you did a great job with the sewing, I can't see it from he front side at all. I should learn so that when I do finish some larger pieces, I can properly mount them on fabric and put them in a picture frame.
DeleteThanks, Robin :-)
DeleteI will be doing a post on how I sew down tatting (it's been on the draftboard for like ages) & maybe some tips might come in handy ....