Focus
Needlelace
Loëtitia Gibier shares how to work needlelace – an integral technique for her Midnight Garden project on page 7
NEEDLELACE
Prepare your needlelace pad:
Trace the pattern on a piece of copy paper slightly smaller than the piece of sticky-back plastic. Fold a piece of calico in three layers, slightly bigger than the pattern and the sticky back plastic. On top of the calico, place your pattern paper and stick the sticky-back plastic on top, it should keep the paper in place. But just to be safe, do a few large tacking stitches using a contrasting polyester thread such as Gutermann Sew All (contrasting compared to the colour of your needlelace).
Lay the cordonnet:
• The cordonnet is the outline that you will use to start the detached buttonhole. It is very important that care and attention is given to making the stitches small, firm, and neat. Otherwise, the needlelace will not have a base firm enough to look nice and regular. Use a single strand of contrasting Gutermann Sew All (compared to the colour of your needlelace).