Archive for May 20th, 2011

Lace Motif for CQ

Posted May 20, 2011 By FairyKateH

Do you remember the dream I told you about in the “previously published” blog post, “Spaghetti and Buttons”.   Well, I finally had time to actually make the lace motif I mentioned in that post and thought I’d share a few photos of it.


 My dream worked perfectly. I used 8 inches of one inch wide lace.  The finished product was a 2-inch rosette made of lace. For a more delicate-looking and smaller motif, I would suggest 6 to 8 inches of ½ inch lace.


If you wish to use very tiny shank buttons as a centerpiece in the lace rosette, you might be able to use ¼ inch lace, but that would be subject to “trial and error” to see whether  you would drive yourself crazy trying to baste such a tiny motif.


 I used a piece of one inch wide lace – – 8 inches long. For the wider lace, it is imperative to use this much or the lace rosette will not be full enough to support the edges of your shank button. When using narrower lace, you can experiment with the length to see what you need.


 Put the right sides of the lace together. Starting at the scalloped end of the lace, slide the needle with matching thread through near the end. Tie the thread together and cut off the end of the thread so there is just a small tail left. Whip stitch the lace together, hiding the small tail of thread in the stitches. That way, the knot will not come undone.


Then, baste around the flat edge of the lace being “very, VERY careful not to shove the sharp end of the needle” under your cuticle. (Can you tell there was an “incident” during the making of this lace rosette?) Who knew having a blog could be dangerous to my health and cuticles?


 Pull the thread up tight. The lace will draw up into a small circle. Make sure to leave a small opening so the shank of the button will fit inside. Anchor the thread and enjoy your handiwork.

(If you are bleeding like I was by the time I finished this piece, NOW is a GOOD time to staunch the flow of blood before you mess up your pretty white lace.)


 Lay the shank button on your handiwork and admire. Use as desired to embellish your CQ.

2 Comments so far. Join the Conversation