HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Marina.Salume@corp.sun.com (Marina Salume)
Subject: Re:  needlepoint, cross stitch, pearl cotton
Organization: Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 00:48:51 GMT


>Is anyone out there using Pearl Cotton?  Is it worth the money?  Can I get
>it cheaper through a mail-order?  Is it ever used for X-stitching?

It is expensive. I'm using it to cross stitch a Marine Corps motif
on a sweatshirt for my son, using a large gauge waste canvas, so I got
the fattest pearl cotton. It is nice and shiney, though. It looks like
silk, I think, which would probably cost even more and be even less
durable. 

On the subject of doing your needlepoint in a  frame so it won't need
so much blocking, I just read an article about turning the canvas 45
degrees so you can do your needlepoint "on the straight" instead of at
an angle. This also seems to work wel. I think the article is in this month's Threads  magazine.

--marina
From: atkinson@slcs.slb.com (Amy Atkinson)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: Re:  needlepoint, cross stitch, pearl cotton
Date: 24 Jul 92 17:38:08 GMT
Organization: Schlumberger Laboratory for Computer Science

I took a textiles class a couple of years ago, and learned that silk
is indeed the strongest natural fiber.  That causes a problem when
using silk thread with fabrics made of weaker fibers, like cotton.  I
would restrict my use of silk thread to buttonholes, or use it only on
silk fabric.  My preference for thread in general is either polyester
or cotton.  I never use cotton-wrapped polyester because it tangles
much easier than either used alone.

Don't worry about silk being fragile.  It's a great fiber--it's very
warm, and is self-extinguishing, so it won't burn after the source of
flame is removed.  Wool is the same way, since it's also a protein
fiber.  I machine-wash and dry silk noil, and it acts just like
cotton.  I love it!
-- 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Amy Atkinson, Schlumberger Laboratory for Computer Science
atkinson@slcs.slb.com, 1-512-331-3788
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
From: mcm@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: Re:  needlepoint, cross stitch, pearl cotton
Date: 23 Jul 92 07:37:20 CDT
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

In article <1992Jul22.165443.17103@morrow.stanford.edu>, dawn@pangea.Stanford.EDU (Dawn Burgess) writes:
> In article <9207220048.AA02372@marny.Corp.Sun.COM> Marina.Salume@corp.sun.com (Marina Salume) writes:
> 
> 
> 
>>the fattest pearl cotton. It is nice and shiney, though. It looks like
>>silk, I think, which would probably cost even more and be even less
>>durable. 
>>
>>--marina
> 
> I keep hearing people talk about silk being fragile.  I was under the
> impression that silk is one of the strongest natural fibers available.
> Since it is made of long filaments, not short fibers like cotton,
> I am quite sure it is at least as strong.  I seem to recall that 
> someone (maybe Threads) had an article about what thread to use with
> different fabrics and warned against using silk thread with cotton,
> as the stronger silk would cut the weaker cotton with wear.  Does anyone
> know if I am wrong about this?
> 
> Dawn
> 

My experience with silk has been spinning it and it is strong.  I don't know if
it is because of the long staple or if it is just strong.  As a first fiber to
spin, it was great because you have to over spin it, which beginners always do,
and it virtually never breaks, unlike wool and cotton.  When I dould try to
break it by pulling it apart, it would feel like it would cut my fingers before
it would break.  How this relates to how it wears, I don't know (aren't I
helpful!)

Melissa

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
From: wkm1@nestor.uucp (24102-messer)
Subject: Re: Needlepoint, Cross Stitch, and Pearl Cotton
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 12:26:40 GMT
Summary: Perle Cotton

In article <1992Jul21.193451.8397@chpc.utexas.edu>, jbyrd@chpc.utexas.edu (Jan Byrd) writes:
> I've just recently gone back to needle-pointing after investing in a
> really nice stand (frame?) to roll the canvas on while I work on it.  
> The unit is in 2 pieces, the base (which is expandable from 13-24
> inches) sits on a table in front of me or on my lap, and the frame
> can be removed and carried off separately from the base.
> 
> This stand has made all the difference in the world to me, and I'm fast
> on my way to finishing a large Christmas stocking I only started 2 weeks
> ago.  The stitches are so even and neat, and the work is not skewed dia-
> gonally the way my needlepoints usually were.  It will make the blocking
> so much easier.
> 
> After that plug for the stand.....I have a question about Pearl Cotton.
> The needlepoint kits I've bought come with wool yarn included, but I
> saw someone working on a hand-painted canvas (the 3 Wise Men) with Pearl 
> Cotton, and it was gorgeous.  A saleswoman at a yarn shop told me that 
> Pearl Cotton won't endure (forever?) like wool, but it can be used on 
> the same canvases as wool.  I liked the colors, the shine, and the fact 
> that the yarn isn't fuzzy like wool.  The little Pearl Cotton skeins 
> (DMC) were $1 each, though, and that will drastically increase the cost 
> of my projects if I decide to use them.
> 
> Is anyone out there using Pearl Cotton?  Is it worth the money?  Can I get
> it cheaper through a mail-order?  Is it ever used for X-stitching?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Jan


Jan,
I use Perle Cotton on almost all of my needlepoint projects.
My Mom (who makes the most incredible stuff) uses regular cotton.

It's definitely worth it, easier to work with, IMHO, and the finished
look is worth the extra money.  Lots of times, there are sales in the
craft places to get Perle a little cheaper.  You might want to investigate
buying the canvas separately, and picking up the cotton at another place.
Adapting is also easier.  From years of buying various colors of cotton,
I have enough to make an entire new piece of work without buying more
than a couple of fillers.
From: ilaine@panix.com (Liz Stokes)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: Re: Help with cross stitch/DMC
Keywords: bleeding flosses
Date: 23 Jul 92 22:31:52 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC

In article <BruDpu.tJ@news.larc.nasa.gov> mbk@orion.larc.nasa.gov (Melissa B. Koch) writes:
>I hope this is the list you were looking for of DMC colors that bleed. 
>It came from joan@leewit.remtech.com (Joan Skoglund) on 12/19/91
>
>>The colors to avoid (or deal with properly) are 304, 310, 321, 349,
>>498, 606, 608, 666, 814, 815, 816, 817, 900, 902, 939, 946, and 947.
>>These were taken from a posting last month by Nancy Hattaway.  These
>>skeins should be washed before use until all traces of bleeding stops,
>>then dried completely before using them.

	funny, I do a lot of blackwork, and I've never had any trouble
with 310 at all. 
					-Liz



-- 
Liz Stokes         | Ilaine's EZ-Pregnancy Test 
Ilaine de Cameron  | ... "Now take the skein of handspun yarn out of the 
                   | dyebath. If it is green, you are with child, if it
ilaine@panix.com   | is blue, you are not."
From: jbyrd@chpc.utexas.edu (Jan Byrd)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: Need suggestion for an alternative
Date: 30 Jul 92 15:21:43 GMT
Article-I.D.: chpc.1992Jul30.152143.5023
Organization: Center for High Performance Computing, Univ. of Texas System

I've started doing needlepoint recently and am having trouble keeping
the yarns separated while I've got a project going.  The craft store
sells a flat butterfly-shaped plastic thing with a bunch of quarter-sized 
holes along the edges (about a dozen of them) to tie the yarns on, but it 
was about $13, and doesn't have as many holes as I need anyway.  It seems 
like I should be able to improvise something like this myself, but I'm blank.

Any suggestions?  

Jan

P.S.  These yarns are not the kind that can be wound onto those little
cards or put in the divided boxes.  Some of them are the wools that come
with kits, precut and tied in a big knot.  Others I have purchased separ-
ately, and they come in that twisted skein that's really just a circle 
of continuous yarn (these are especially hard to deal with), and I have
to carefully unwind a length, cut it, then do that once or twice more,
measuring it against the first one I cut, to get the number of strands 
I need.
From: dmiller@theory.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: Help with Cross-stitch/DMC
Date: 23 Jul 92 13:45:28 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Laboratory for Computer Science, MIT

> Could someone help me out?  I used to have the list of DMC clors
> that run, but I can't seem to find it, now that I really need it.
> Also, is the recipe to set the colors something along the lines of
> 1 cup hot water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, soak ten minutes, rinse and dry?
> 
> Much appreciated!

The DMC colors that alledgedly run are 304, 310, 321, 349, 498, 606, 608, 
666, 814, 815, 816, 817, 900, 902, 939, 946, and 947.

I say 'alledgedly' because I had one of those colors, black, in a project.  
I took the skein and swished it in hot water then rolled it in a bunch of 
paper towels and let it sit for overnight.  There was ABSOLTELY NO BLEEDING 
onto the towels.

I will continue to test these colors before using, however.  Better to be 
safe than sorry, as Mom used to say.

--Jill
--
A. Richard & Jill A. Miller            | Miller Microcomputer Services |
InterNet: dmiller@im.lcs.mit.edu       | 61 Lake Shore Road            |
Voice: 508/653-6136, 9am-9pm EasternTZ | Natick, MA 01760-2099, USA    | 
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
From: trytten@ahmeek.cps.msu.edu (Deborah Trytten)
Subject: Re: Needlepoint, Cross Stitch, and Pearl Cotton
Organization: Michigan State University, CPS Department
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 20:15:03 GMT

In article <1992Jul21.193451.8397@chpc.utexas.edu>, jbyrd@chpc.utexas.edu (Jan Byrd) writes:

|> After that plug for the stand.....I have a question about Pearl Cotton.
|> The needlepoint kits I've bought come with wool yarn included, but I
|> saw someone working on a hand-painted canvas (the 3 Wise Men) with Pearl 
|> Cotton, and it was gorgeous.  A saleswoman at a yarn shop told me that 
|> Pearl Cotton won't endure (forever?) like wool, but it can be used on 
|> the same canvases as wool.  I liked the colors, the shine, and the fact 
|> that the yarn isn't fuzzy like wool.  The little Pearl Cotton skeins 
|> (DMC) were $1 each, though, and that will drastically increase the cost 
|> of my projects if I decide to use them.

|> Is anyone out there using Pearl Cotton?  Is it worth the money?  Can I get
|> it cheaper through a mail-order?  Is it ever used for X-stitching?

I use pearl cotton in needlepointe, in fact it is one of my favorite
needlepointe fibers.   When you stitch with it, you *must* keep the
strands short since it will wear from friction on the canvas.  I
wouldn't use pearl cotton for a chair seat, or a pillow that will get 
heavy wear, but it is fine for pictures or decorative pillows.  

I haven't really compared price, but remember to factor in the mailing
expenses when you're deciding if it's cheaper by mail-order.  Also pearl
cotton can be hard to come by in many colors.  Only a limited selection
is avaiable in the USA--and often small shops have only a subset of that.

There is also this gorgeous stuff in pearl cotton called "watercolors".
They are overdyed (?) and have luscious shades.  They are nothing like
the old DMC varigated pearl cottons that used only one color family.
I've used them in needlepointe, with absolutely striking results.  They
also are *fantastic* in hardangar.   They are obscenely expensive, but
a little of them can be used to pull a whole piece together.

I prefer to use pearl cotton on a #18 canvas.   Also be sure to keep
your needle eye near the end of the strand so that you don't use the
part that was chafed by the needle.

Deb
trytten@cps.msu.edu
From: sam@hpsad.sad.hp.com (Vicky Hansen)
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 21:29:52 GMT
Subject: Re: Visual and non-visual learners
Organization: HP Signal Analysis Division - Rohnert Park, CA
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles

>> Most people who are visually oriented tend to explain  
>> by drawing diagrams, pointing at stuff or comparing to other visually
>> oriented activities. 
>> 
>> Now, I'm trying to teach my son to sew and he's visually oriented.
>> (Give me patience).
>> mother's were to me.  But at least I know what the problem is.  I 
>> figure if I ever manage to convey it to him, we'll be a great team.
>
   >This is very interesting.  My husband and I are both mathematicians and
>we have often noticed the difference in the way we absorb information.  I
>need to hear somebody SAY it.  I am, in a sense, aural, not visual.  And
>reading it won't suffice.  My husband wants to see it written down.  It 
>can be in the form of pictures or it can be in the form of equations, but
>it needs to be written down.  

I have heard that there are 3 types of learning:
   visual    aural   do

Most people are a combination but my son and I are almost completely one sided.
I am so totally visual that I often have trouble with verbal information.
My eldest son (now 15) is almost totally aural.  It has always been an
interresting challenge to get information between us.  I would think that
teaching a visual person to sew would be a piece of cake since the directions
are written and the 'doing' can be watched.  In teaching my son to sew, I
had to verbalize things that I had mental pictures of.  It was fun - he
made a simple pair of pull-on red shorts when he was 5 by sitting in my lap
while I worked the speed of the machine.  He did the pinning, cutting, and
directing the fabric through the machine by himself.  Since neither one of
us are 'hands on' learners, it was quite an interresting project!  The shorts
were part of a costume for his tumbling class recital (we bought the white
shirt and I made the red bow ties).

I'm glad to see that someone else is teaching a boy to sew.  I have never
understood why it is considered a female task.  Both my boys make holloween
costumes, and repair everyday clothes.  Giving them that skill leaves them
the option of making clothing for themselves or as gifts later in life.

      ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     | Vicky Hansen                      | e-mail: sam@hpsad.HP.COM         |
     | Firmware - 859x Product line      | Telnet: 794-4442                 |
     | HP Microwave Instrument Division  | AT&T: (707) 794-4442             |
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     | Rohnert Park, CA 94928-4999       | HP Mailstop: 2LR-R               |
     |----------------------------------------------------------------------|
     |        Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty         |
      ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
From: Marina.Salume@corp.sun.com (Marina Salume)
Subject: Re: silk vs cotton thread
Organization: Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 18:58:50 GMT

>I keep hearing people talk about silk being fragile.  I was under the
>impression that silk is one of the strongest natural fibers available.
>Since it is made of long filaments, not short fibers like cotton,
>I am quite sure it is at least as strong.  I seem to recall that 
>someone (maybe Threads) had an article about what thread to use with
>different fabrics and warned against using silk thread with cotton,
>as the stronger silk would cut the weaker cotton with wear.  Does anyone
>know if I am wrong about this?

I think I saw that same article about thread strength, and you're right,
it does seem to be contradictory. But you
only have to look at two quilts, a cotton 1820's quilt and a silk 1890's
quilt. The silk quilt will, in all likelihood, be falling apart, held 
together only by the quilting stitches, embroidery, and cotton backing.
The cotton quilt may be worn, but unless it was basly abused, it will be
in much better shape. And in all likelihood, the silk quilt was used
more as an ornament, not on a bed every night.

And some of those embroidery stitches that are holding together the
old rotten silk are probably of silk fibers! Very weird.

Maybe it has to do with the dyes. I have heard of some old silk being
"loaded" with lead to make it feel heavier, because heavier silk could
be sold for a higher price. This is probably not still done, so it
may be that modern silk fabric is more durable. It may also have to do
with the fact that silk is frequently spun finer and woven into a 
thinner cloth, which would be more fragile than a heavier cotton.

--marina
From: arien@milton.u.washington.edu (in*con*sistent kat)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: What's there to find in Sydney, B.C.?
Summary: going on a trip
Date: 27 Jul 92 05:02:32 GMT
Organization: University of Blegga

Hello, all!

We'll be honeymooning (!) in Sydney, B.C. in a little over a week,
and as long as I'm there, I want to visit some great craft shops.  :)
I knit and cross-stitch, and am looking for yarn or patterns for my
next project.  >:)  If you have any ideas about where to go (oh yes,
and restaurants (and bookstores!), too), please send me mail.
	
				Thanks!
					Katrina


|> "Anyone can have the harmony, if they would leave us the counterpoint." <|
|>  --Dorothy Sayers' _Gaudy Night_  //  arien@u.washington.edu     	   <|
Xref: sparky rec.crafts.textiles:1401 alt.sewing:2259
From: dancer@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles,alt.sewing
Subject: Making a flaglike object
Date: 25 Jul 92 02:22:53 GMT
Organization: Carnegie Mellon Computer Club

Hello,

   I've been bouncing some ideas around in my head and I wanted to ask
of the wisdom of the next for more information.

   There is a flag I want to reproduce in some sort of afghan/quilt type manner
and I'm having a difficult time deciding which and how.  Basically it's several
stripes (like the US flag) with a heart in one corner. 

   I figure if I wanted to crochet this, I could us the "mile-a-minute"
technique and aplique(sp?) the heart on. Or I could actually do a quilt (I've
never quilted before).

   If I were to do a quilt, should the stripes be one piece, or several 
squares? How best could the heart be done? How about the quilting part? And
backing? One color or reversible?

Basically, has anyone ever crocheted or quilted the American Flag? If so, how'd
you do it?

Thanks in advance.

---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---
Dream Dancer                               dancer@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu
aka                                        dancer@acm.rpi.edu
Martha Underwood                             Four cats and a
                                             burmese python
Take care and Blessed Be
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
From: mbk@orion.larc.nasa.gov (Melissa B. Koch)
Subject: Re:Help with cross stitch/DMC 
Keywords: bleeding flosses
Organization: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA  USA
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 12:37:05 GMT

I hope this is the list you were looking for of DMC colors that bleed. 
It came from joan@leewit.remtech.com (Joan Skoglund) on 12/19/91

>The colors to avoid (or deal with properly) are 304, 310, 321, 349,
>498, 606, 608, 666, 814, 815, 816, 817, 900, 902, 939, 946, and 947.
>These were taken from a posting last month by Nancy Hattaway.  These
>skeins should be washed before use until all traces of bleeding stops,
>then dried completely before using them.

Melissa
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
From: glenda@st.nepean.uws.edu.au (Glenda Robinson)
Subject: Re: cot quilt
Organization: University of Western Sydney
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 05:32:04 GMT

I've never had any problems with the synthetic batting in my son's cot quilt.
He now uses it as a comforter, and has been known to take it to very strange
places, including parties, parks, etc etc. It's been washed plenty of times, 
and had all sorts of things spilt on it (red wine, beer etc - I said it's been
to a few parties!). I just pop it in the washing machine and on the line, or 
dryer, and it's ready again for bedtime. He's had it for 2 years now and it's 
a little worn, but not too bad. I think a few of the quilting threads have come
out, though the wadding's as good as ever.

I assume that Mt Isa gets cool of a night, especially in winter, so it wouldn't
be a bad idea to make one.

They're so pretty, too.

Have fun.

Glenda

--
Glenda Robinson                               University of Western Sydney
                                              Kingswood
glenda@uws.EDU.AU                             NSW Australia
From: sbowen@gmuvax.gmu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: New Spinning Wheel Designs
Date: 28 Jul 92 14:49:10 -0500
Organization: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.


This past weekend, I volunteered at the Convergence '92 Conference. This
conference is biennial and specializes in the weaving arts - primarily
textiles though basketry, crochet, and knitting were represented, too.

In the process of being a volunteer at the "Try Your Hand at Spinning"
demonstration booth, I heard from two reliable sources that both Mr.
Ashford and Mr. Lendrum were both prowling about the conference, looking
for innovations to include in their spinning wheel lines. Mr. Ashford visited
the spinning demo booth and tried various wheels but spent a significant
amount of time spinning on the Jensen's Tina, which he had had recommended
to him by two volunteers. Later, Mr. Lendrum was likewise seen spinning on
a Jensen's Tina and discussing spinning wheel design with the head of
Springwater Fiber Workshop's Executive Director, Cindy Lowther. 

(The Jensen's Tina traveling wheel is built by the Spinning Wheel Shop, who
can be contacted directly, or it can be ordered through Springwater Fiber
Workshop, 1125 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Springwater is a non-profit
which runs a shop to help support a variety of fiber arts classes.)

The upshot of all this is that there may be redesigning done on these two
companies products which will likely include a double-treadle system, since
that is a prominent feature of the Tina and both designers had their attention
called specifically to this feature because of the ease of treadling and
the greater control this system provides.

So, if you are considering buying a wheel you may also want to wait to
see what the nest year or two bring. 

As for me, I'm starting my saving/budgeting plan now.

Sue Bowen
sbowen@gmuvax.gmu.edu
From: faigin@aero.org (Daniel P. Faigin)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: Re: Needlepoint, Cross Stitch, and Pearl Cotton
Date: 28 Jul 92 23:27:10 GMT
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA

My wife writes:

Pearl cotton comes in three weights -- #3 (thickest), #5, and #8 (finest). I'm
currently using #3 (continental stitch) on a 12-count canvas piece and it
covers just fine. #5 is what I use on fine (~18-count) canvas. As for colors,
the 6th edition of the DMC color card lists 179 colors in #3, 224 colors in
#5, and 117 colors in #8. The color card is *extremely* useful for doing mail
order too.

Karen
--
[W]:The Aerospace Corp. M1/055 * POB 92957 * LA, CA 90009-2957 * 310/336-8228
[Email]:faigin@aerospace.aero.org              [Vmail]:310/336-5454 Box#13149
   "You can't be a rationalist in an irrational world. It isn't rational!"
	       Dr. Rance, in Joe Orton's "What the Butler Saw"
From: sam@hpsad.sad.hp.com (Vicky Hansen)
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 15:02:59 GMT
Subject: Re: Need suggestion for an alternative
Organization: HP Signal Analysis Division - Rohnert Park, CA