Trying to work out how to recreate a fine silk edging as in the photos attached.
I dare to ask, because of the wide background in all the crafts that are exhibited here, but above all the imagination and problem solving that seems to go with it.
My best thought so far is, because of the lock-stitch that appears down the centre, it might have been made on an early form of ‘overlocker’(UK) or ‘serger’(USA).
If any sewers on the forum think that this is so, and better still tell me how it might be done/programmed into such a machine, please let me know.
As I shall be needing this at the rate of about a yard per fan, the ability to produce it myself, on demand, would be the way I would prefer to go.
If I have to invest in an electronic/programmable embroidery machine, so be it, as there will be other output that will be relevant to what I’m trying to achieve.
I’m assuming I would process it on a piece of material, which would then be removed, like a soluble web.
MTIA,
John
Here is her response. She had an embroidery machine. The sand stitch will work to join two pieces of cloth just as cloth and stabilizer in this illustration.
Our Janome sewing machine will do a hand tatting stitch which you do over a stabilizer to sew then remove the stabilizer in water. I did this sample in one of the classes I took when we got the machine. Hope that helps!
To my weak eyes a hyphen between ‘water’ and ‘soluble’ is what is needed (at least for those very few who normally read ‘heavy water’ as ‘heavy water’) since ‘water’ modifies ‘soluble’ and not ‘stabilizer’.
A fairly cheap computerized sewing machine will be able to do it, or some similar variation. I have a brother one I got for, like, $200, but you can probably buy it used or refurbished for less than $100 now. Even cheap ones come with 50-100 stitch patterns now, and even some basic embroidery. Which is sort of funny because I’ve done a fair number of sewing projects and only use the same 5 stitches over and over again.
Where they’re still cheap is in their sewing ability and durability. If you need to sew anything thicker or denser than 2 or 3 layers of medium weight fabric, you might run into issues. Even with the appropriate needles, they just can’t manage it. And I wouldn’t expect them to last like more expensive or older machines.
But they’re good for occassional projects or light sewing.
Thanks Erin, I’ll check out the Brother 1.
I’ve now teased apart the threads in the edging, and I can see that only three threads are used, basically two rows of chain stitches looped together.
I’m also wondering if the GF could ‘engrave’ the pattern along a white narrow strip of film that would fool the eye sufficiently !
Lots of ideas, but making the original would be the target.
John
