OT word of the day

button pins

I am just so happy that I finally found somplace that sells the darn things I giving it to you as todays term! I've been mangling quilt pins with pliers to get by since the local store that had them closed.

The object of the things is to create a no sew attachment for buttons that are too expensive or too unique to trust to the dry cleaner or the laundry. These are safety pins with a half loop in the sharp side. You can put them right through the fabric of a garment, but I prefer to make eyelets to thread them through. Put the pin through from the wrong side, loop the shank of the button on, and the put the pin back through to the wrong side, and close the pin. The shank of the button will nest in the half loop.

Picture of them in the package here:

Thanks. I didn't even know they made such things. Gen

Stay stitching

A line of stitching just inside the seam allowance from the seam line. Generally used on curves to stabilize them and prevent distortion. It is sometimes used (other than for curves) on fine fabrics or stretch fabrics to stabilize the area of the seam line and prevent distortion due to stretching or slipping.

I like to "stay stitch" on the seam line when I am going to have to turn anything right side out through an opening left in a seam. The stitching helps keep the opening from stretching when you pull everything through, makes it easy to turn the edges in accurately and quickly, and helps me remember to leave the opening. (yeah, none of us have ever just sewn completely around then had to unsew an opening to turn it. Yeah. ) If there is a chance this stitching will show, I use a basting stitch that is easier to pull out.

Stay stitching is wonderfully useful.

Pati, > Stay stitching

I often stay stitch around the outside of a quilt top, especially if there are any bias edges. If there are bias bits in the center section of a quilt, I stay stitch before putting on the borders; it helps keep the borders from getting wavy. I also stitch around a quilt sandwich before putting the binding on to help eliminate wavy edges.

Julia > Stay stitching

Bent

This is a fairly obscure term for something that was fairly common for a few centuries.

It refers to willow or reeds used to bone corsets and gowns. When one could not afford the steel, or bone stays or hoops, it was not very uncommon to resort to wood or bundles of reeds. Being more flexible, they were actually easier to work with and wear. Often thin pieces were bundled or plaited, sometimes being more or less quilted into place rather than being slipped into fabric casings that had been sewn into place.

How odd that this word showed up today. I was reading a book last night and the term "bent" was used in regards to her corset. I didn't know what it meant. Thank you! Gen

Bobbin Lace Pillow Lace Bobbinette

A type of lace where the threads are held on a series of bobbins, and pinned to a cushion while it is being made. The threads are intertwined, and pinned according to a paper pattern that is pinned onto the cushion. Traditionally the cushion is heavy, cylindrical, and rotated to make room for continuous work, while the finished lace is wound off. These days when shopping for cushions I see that most of what is available are flat, or wedge shaped cushions which seems to me to be a step backwards, but preferences do vary.

Some of the most well known types of pillow lace are Valenciennes (Binche), Torchon (Cluny), Chantilly, and the assorted Maltese varieties.

I used to live in Bedford (England!) which was a great centre for bobbin lace. It doesn't have such a famous history as those you mentioned, but it is significant in the history of such lace. The making of it never did appeal to me, though. . In message , NightMist writes

charmeuse

A silk fabric that is a glossy satin on the front, and matte on the back. It frequently is used for a crepe backed satin, which would technically be a charmante.

Burn out Devore technique chemical lace

A technique for creating embossed, engraved, or lace effects on fabric. Usually done useing fabric of completely different fibers, for example silk-rayon, polycotton and etc., it is a chemical process wherein a chemical that will destroy one of the fibers without harming the other is applied to the fabric following the desired pattern, heated to activate the reaction, and then washed. When the fabric is washed, the remaining chemical and the residue of one fiber are rinsed away, leaving the other fiber intact. Generally it is cellulose fiber that is dissolved, and a protien or synthetic fiber that is unaffected.

This method has been employed for nearly 150 years in the commercial manufacture of "chemical lace". It is also quite popular for replicating cut velvet patterns on velevets, velveteens, and plush.

I have personally marveled at some DIY webpages that detail how to do burn out with nothing but heat. People taking things like coat hanger wire and branding synthetic velvets to get a burn out effect, and yet they don't wind up with a molten glob or a hole in the fabric.

French Cuffs

A style of shirt cuff. It is twice as long as the standard cuff, and worn folded back on itself and fastened with cufflinks or a silk knot.

While they were almost only seen in formal wear for some time, they are currently reappearing on men's shirts in more casual settings. Primarily found on gentleman's shirts, they are also now seeing some application in ladies trouser sets of the type that are tailored to resemble men's suits. Sometimes without the rest of the shirt.

Hem Facing

Using a seperate band of fabric to make a hem. Generally sewn on, turned under, and blindstitched down by hand. Very useful for intentionally non-straight hemlines, flared garments, to reduce bulk, or just when you have not given yourself enough hem allowance.

A simple tutorial is at:

Trapunto

A technique whereby particular patterns quilted into a piece are raised above the rest of the quilting by virtue of extra padding.

There are almost as many ways of doing it as there are pieces done this way.

A nice overview is here:

For what it is worth, the way I did it pre-rctq, was to baste batting to the back of the top, with the basteing stitches just inside the stitch line for the pattern. Then I would trim away the batting outside the pattern, and sandwich and baste as usual. Chunks and bits of batts work fine for this. Nowdays when I do it (mostly on clothes) I use water soluble thread.

Why is it always green? Didn't anybody, anywhere, ever have a purple pool table?

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === ==== Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557 CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

Baize

A coarse, woven, woolen fabric. In present times it may be made of cotton instead of wool. It is found both napped and unnapped. It is not intended to ever be washed, and doing so, or even allowing it to become damp, may cause it to distort fiercely.

Its main use in this day and age is to cover gamming tables, mostly cards and assorted varieties of billiards. While professional and tournament billiard tables usually are covered in actual wool felt, what is called felt on the average pool table is most often baize.

In assorted books set in large houses at a time when servents were common in such, you may find a reference to a "green baize door". The baize covered door denoted the boundry between the household and the servents. Beyond the baize door was the servent's domain where work was organized and much of it carried out.

Our pool table is grey.

The traditional excuse as regards gaming tables is that it is in imitation of a lawn. Personally I think they made that up, and it is just that green is one of the cheapest and easiest colors to get a stong permanent take with on woolens. Which is no doubt why the servent's door was green, unless there is some arcane UK thing about the color. Of course these days with the new dyes and all you could have more colors for tables. And lo! the bar downtown got a table in blue, I bet to match the cheapest brand of chalk. (G) I used to shoot pool in a place with a red table, their only regret was they ended up paying out the nose for red chalk.

NightMist