Sadia’s Blog

Just this morning while I was stitching out some samples for my upcoming Kanta Lace 8, I thought how times have changed. Where laces were considered to be items of luxury coveted by all and afforded by only a handful, now we have the luxury of creating the same right in our own homes via our embroidery machines! As times change, we tend to find ways of recreating what took hours/days. It is called progress and what a wonderful feeling it gives indeed.

It has been a while since I introduced any more of the Kanta Laces and although Kanta Lace 8 has been ready for quite some while, somehow I just could not release it. With the summer being a whirlwind and travels all the time, I am again finding myself behind, oh well. When I had started to create Kanta Lace 8, I had visions of using the similar lines as the first few in the series but with a definite difference. I wanted the laces to be a bit lightweight yet sturdy enough to last a lifetime. This is probably my first Kanta lace which does not use my signature candlewick design! But I decided to create a variation. The thought behind the collection was not only to have it utilised in home decor and garments but also with the holidays in mind. The first freestanding lace designs that I ever purchased were the Zundt doilies and the K-Lace large ornaments, that was quite a long while ago. I had admired the airy feel of the K-Lace but was stunned with the detail of the Zundt designs. With Kanta Lace 8, I wanted a similar effect yet something that had my signature on it.  My first thought was to devote the complete collection to only ornaments which could be adorned with pearls, beads etc making it an  heirloom. However, that is easy said than done….the collection kept on growing!

Holidays are a special time when family and friends gather and decorations are definitely a must. With that in mind, I kept on designing until I had a unique idea for placemats. The design would work not just for placemats but also as a large ornament or as an lace inset. The inspiration of the lace came from actually battenberg laces but with a twist. One placemat took about six hours, one hour for each of the panels (six panels to the placemat). That sort of depressed me as I wanted it to be much faster and that is when the thought hit me….how times have changed, LOL. Back in the Victorian days it would probably take a person several weeks, months to create one placemat and here I am groaning because one placemat took six hours!!

The small ornament worked wonders as a coaster for my table setting and I was pleased that instead of creating a colored lace I  had listened to my various friends and created a one color lace only. Not only does the lace  have a less stitch count than most of the Kanta Laces but it has a nice feel. Most of the Kanta laces have definite highs and lows which ofcourse raises the stitch count and definitely gives dimension. I opted to stay away from the that look and in doing so created a rather nice feel and look of lace. My ultimate test was to stitch it using rayon threads and apart from a few breaks it worked pretty good. A word of advice to friends using rayon threads….if the thread is breaking a lot, place it in a plastic baggie in the freezer overnight. This will give a bit of moisture to the thread and it will not break as easily. Ofcourse, I’m a speed fiend and always want to run the machines at full speed….that is a definite no no with rayon threads.

It was some while back when I was using laces on garments and came up with the idea of attaching laces to fabric via stitchwitchery. Stitching out an elaborate medallion of the Kanta lace 8 designs I decided to attach it to a quilted cushion cover, sort of perhaps something for weddings, like a ring bearer’s cushion.  I used only one motif joined together to create a square shape which I then attached to the cushion via stitchwitchery. It really works great. What one needs to remember is not to apply the iron directly to the laces rather place a piece of plain muslin on top of the lace and then press with the iron. The laces attach beautifully and unless the item is laundered will not come off. At the Sewing and Quilt expo I had purchased a bonding powder called Bo Nash Bonding powder. I used stitch witchery on half of the lace panel and the other half I used the powdered bonding. I was amazed, it really is fantastic stuff and works great! Only difference was that I had to wait a while for the bonding powder to adhere completely where the stitchwitchery bonds immediately.

If anyone knows where I can purchase oval pearl beads, preferably teardrop pearl beads, do email me the link. I think they would be perfect for embellishing the laces especially the ornaments. As for the collection, it is complete but yet to get the webpage up…hopefully soon.