Suggestions about how to display pieces of lace in plastic sleeves, safe postage methods for proficiency, stiffening, and comments from judges.

Display Lace

No pin/glue samples.
Q:  When this list first started, someone recommended a way of fixing lace in page protectors without using pins or glue.  It involved cutting a fabric [?] to A4 size, inserting it in the page protector and the lace just clung to it.

A:  I use a stuff called “pellum” which is like very thin wadding the quilters use, but thicker than vilene.  The local shop has a roll in grey, which is better as a background than white.  I think the stuff also comes in black.  You can actually take the sheet of pellum out of the plastic protector and shake it, and the lace doesn’t fall off!

However…..!  The material is only 11 cm square (which is very small!)  ……the lace is very wide – 6cm…..so the handkerchief complete; measures 24 cm square.  I’ve tried folding the handkerchief as mentioned above without including the lace, and also with the lace – and because there’s so much lace compared to the material, neither method works!  How can I display the handkerchief so that it fits in one of those plastic display pockets??!!!
I have tried folding it to make a pleat as described by Janette and others, but it did look rather “off” – but now I’m wondering if I need two pleats, one horizontal and one vertical, so that the hanky retains its “square” look.

A1.  Perhaps you could fold the middle bit over a bit, so that the two outside sides are showing and not a lot of the top and bottom??  I plan on mounting my prof. items by tacking them onto an overhead transparency, so that they stay “straight,”

A2.  I slit the edge of the pocket and added an extra piece of another pocket to the pocket using a wide clear tape which makes the join almost invisible, so making a wider pocket.  I only made the pocket just wide enough for the handkerchief, is this any help

A3.  What about folding it in half and then folding the top over again back on itself with a small piece of coloured card underneath, with another piece of coloured card under the whole lot.  Then you could see two whole sides and most of the others.

A4.  I have a lace handkerchief that I display in an A4 plastic sleeve.  What I did is, fold it in half then measure it against the sleeve and fold again the middle of the hanky so that it almost looks like a pleat and when you open it out ( with the pleaty bit in the centre) you have a minimum of fold and a maximum of lace.  Does this make sense?

A5.  My way of folding a hankie for display is to fold the top corner of the lace to touch the mounted edge of the bottom part of the lace (you now have one part right way up and the bottom part wrong side up) Now fold each outer corner down so that you get a zig zag pattern of the lace with very little of the actual hankie part showing, This gives a very good display of the lace.  (The outer corners should not meet in the middle)  I hope I have been able to explain what I mean!!  I have found this to be a good way and it will fit into a plastic sleeve!

Some people – like me!! – put a dark paper behind the lace to make it easier to see.  When it is in just a plastic sleeve without anything dark behind it – the examiners may take it out to lay it on something dark so they can see it more clearly.  White lace against a white page is not really good!

As for your comment on using dark paper behind the lace in the assessment folder, I think it’s a good idea, but why not put the paper in the next plastic sleeve instead of in the same one as the lace? I saw someone’s folder (was it Leonie’s?) done like that, and it looked great. If you want to save space, you could have say, a piece of lace on the right side, with the comments about it on the left side, then a sleeve with dark paper,with the comments about the next piece of lace on the other side, then a piece of lace….

There is one team of assessors who very kindly close all the sleeves on the proficiencies they assess with paper clips. 2 on each sleeve. These work very well and are not bulky or heavy. Nor do they do any harm to the lace. Cheap, quick and easy. Tying something around the folio is always a good idea. Better safe then sorry!

With my proficiency folder I used a display book with plastic sleeves then I made a calico bag with a zip on 2 sides to keep it all together seemed to work OK.

Requirements as of December 2006 state: “Do not use pins or sticky tape to secure the lace.  Instead, ensure that the whole Proficiency workbook is securely wrapped so that no lace is dislodged in transit”.

What I’m going to do with my next one is put 1 or 2  bulldog clips (the sort with fold down handles) clamping the whole file together at the top so nothing can fall out in transit, then let them worry about individual bits falling out while they are inspecting the lot. As I’ve been advised in the past, read the general instructions and the requirements sheets carefully, and do EXACTLY what they ask you to do.  Whether you think it daft or not.

Stiffening
Q:  Can some please help me.  Several years ago I crochet a hat in 4ply knitting/crochet cotton. How can I stiffen the brim please?  I don’t like sugar and water.

A1: what about “Stiffy” or some similar product….water soluble, so it washes out if you should want to, you paint it on, blot off the excess, and let it dry.  I’ve just used it to stiff a couple of Rosemary’s Fantasy Flowers, although I must admit, I diluted it, because Rosemary does say its very, very stiff!

A2:  Is this anything like the covered wire used by florists and cake decorators?  It comes in a range of thicknesses and colours (also uncovered in several colours) at lots of crafty type shops.  I have used diluted Aquahere in the past, but I’m now trying one called Helmar Professional Acid Free Glue (“neutral pH; sets clear; flexible bond; will not yellow; clean up with warm water”).  I’m using it to attach a fan to its sticks, but want to try it out for stiffening when I get around to making some lace flowers.  I THINK it might stiffen the lace without making it too rigid, if you know what I mean!

Showing lace

I look at each entry separately, and give it my full attention.  I feel that is someone has had the courage, or made the effort to enter (and paid an entry fee) then they are entitled to having their lace (or whatever) given a good look.  I don’t agree with only looking at the best pieces.. Every one should be evaluated. I treat everyone as being perfect – then deduct points for errors, grubby, poor finishing, etc. Everyone tries their best, and each piece should be treated with respect.  It may not be the best piece in the show, but it is most probably the best that that person could do. I try to give positive comments.  They most probably already know what they did wrong!!!  – Just hoping the Judge wouldn’t notice!!!!!!!!! 🙂 As to giving 1st place or not – I am in 2 minds about it, and take each decision at the time, – depending on what the standard is like.  I don’t have a fixed rule on that.