Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Help needed


I had this idea that I might decorate a pair of socks with a tatted edging...but, I am having difficulty in attaching the edging on the stretchy material. Has anyone experience in this?

3 comments:

Sharon said...

I haven't added tatting to socks yet, but I have added tatting which doesn't stretch, to things which do. Most recently I added a tatted border to a t-shirt neckline. You have to stretch the fabric and sew the lace on when it's stretched. It may mean that you have to put the top of the sock on a bottle or something as you work. If you don't put it on something to keep it stretched, then you have to stretch the fabric before you take the next stitch. The lace will be very ruffly (if that's a word) folded up in the drawer, but on the leg it will be ok. Socks and T-shirts and knitted items all have the same problem, they stretch and cotton thread doesn't.
S.

Katherine said...

Thank you, Sharon,I will have a go, and keep you posted.

RorysOmi said...

Snowy,
I am sorry I took so long to answer you request for help we had storms that night, the electric failed , so did the computer. By the Next Morning I could not find who/where I had read the little project question. I did remember the picture you sent, and it has been haunting me ever since. Who was that! Well I finally found you, I look at your work on 25 Motif Challenge, this time I went to your page to take a better look at it. And there was the Photo of the SOCKS!.......
Yes! I have done them, been doing them since the early 80's.
Here is HOW: Get a Plastic Cup/glass use plastic it is lighter weight than glass less hand fatigue. Pull your Sock over it. Toe of Sock to bottom of glass you will be working around the outside of the rim. Be advised that socks stretch ALOT.... and you want that...I use a "on the rocks glass" for and infant sock. and Large (McDonald's Hamburgers) Large Drink Cup Size Glass for kids with a shoes size 1-6 and stretch a bit more if I do for matching adult sock. Work on it and get the hang of it. Now that the sock is on the cup, sew your tatting on. Be sure to use tiny slip stitches, to mount the tatting, since the sock will have to go through many washings and a lot of wear.(This is similar to edgings on collars and pillowcases.) Children's shoes are not the smoothest things. and the decorations and buckles can tend to rip up the work so be sure to make it rather "closed" so that it does not catch on things while walking. That can cause trips and falls.
Your Photo...is so very similar to something I did in 1982, and my oldest daughter had shoes similar, I had to take a second to look again , and ask myself "how can that be?" Your work, it looks good, even if it was your first go at it.
Next time you might want to try multicolor thread, the one with pink yellow green blue , that always was the favorite one my girls wore. Now with grand babies I am back at it again. this last time for the past 4 and 1/2 years straight. and it looks like with another one due in Feb08, I probably will not be stopping any time soon. Unless it is a boy. For Aurora, the First grand daughter I use SulkyThread together with my thread to create a twinkle, for "princess" socks. Then you have to make more for all her friends. Be careful, this produces an addiction, and socks are expensive. The rule in my family is if your friends want princess socks then they have to buy the socks. For the ones that are truly good friends they/their moms give me packages of the right kind of socks ....or money(then I can get the right kind of socks. We are now using footies as well. But be careful it tends to "scrub" in the tight spots so choose your sock well.
Any questions just ask me and I will do my best to give you what I have for experience in this. Libby