Hassle free lacing

[whitbyframer]

Got an irate wife here. HELP.

She's busy lacing up some needlework and the thread keeps knotting. Anyone else out there had this problem and solved it?

Just asking as a way to save my marriage.

[Not your average framer]

My wife does her lacing with managable lengths of cord and every now and then ties another piece of thread on to the end. She does not like lacing very much either. I have to stretch and pin the needlework on to 5mm foamboard first and then my wife does the lacing. I cut a piece of foamboard for some customers who do their own lacing sometimes, whch saves them some money and also grovelling to the wife!

[Tudor Rose]

Have your reel in something like a pot or jar so it can run smoothly but you don’t end up with it falling on the floor! Nothing worse than chasing a reel across the workshop.

Don’t take too much thread through at any one time and then feed it through to nearest the needle in short(ish) sections.

The thread is turning all the time as it comes off the reel and goes through the lacing so every now and then let the thread near the needle hang down so that it un-twists itself. Just let it hang using the weight of the needle and it will twirl around until it’s relaxed again. Then keep lacing again. And repeat as you go.

Work in a steady methodical way is usually faster than rushing. Whenever I’m rushed for time I ALWAYS get more knots to deal with!

For tensioning purposes it’s best to keep going with one long thread rather than tie on new sections as you go if you possibly can. Lots of knots can also cause issue with feeding excess thread back through as you tension it - you’ll get away with it on Aida fabric and so on on where the holes are large enough, bit it’s no good when lacing other types of fabric.

Knots are an inevitability when lacing, but you get the feel of it the more you do and you tend to be able to catch them early. Finally, get a really good magnifying glass - a great way to be able to see the threads clearly if you need to pull a knot apart using the needle or a pin or two.

[Tudor Rose]

Standing here lacing this morning and another tip occurred to me.

Once you've used up the initial length of thread you've drawn off and you have it laced back and forth a few times, you are then wanting to draw the next section through.

Pull a section off the reel and then keep the thread under tension as you work it down the lacing pattern to be the free thread by your needle.

Draw up one thread from the next layer of back and forth thread across the board, lifting it up and away from the board with your hand, then keeping that under a bit of tension with one hand, with the other hand move down to the next layer and draw that upwards, which pulls the thread down from the first hand. Then keep repeating until the loose thread is where you want it to be. Your hands are keeping the tension and because the thread is not loose at any point it doesn't want to knot itself.

When you have the loose thread at the end by your needle, it may want to twirl itself up a bit after you've done it a few times and this is the point you are most likely to get knots, that is when to drop it under the weight of the needle to allow it to untwist before then carrying on.

[Tudor Rose]

Here’s a photo to explain things.

[whitbyframer]

Once again, thanks Jo for the detailed explanation. I'll share this information with her tonight.

And Mark, you do exactly the same as me

[Tudor Rose]

You're very welcome

[prospero]

I find waxed linen thread the best for it's non-knotty properties.

[whitbyframer]

How does that work regarding conservation levels Prospero?

[Steve N]

I use a tape dispencer to put my thread on and a pencil , see below

[Not your average framer]

Simple!