Page 16 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

10 THE ULTIMATE book of dEcorATIvE knoTs

quite well if it is treated with oil. Suede leathers will
fade, however, particularly dyed suede skins, and
you should be prepared to re-colour your piece if
the colour is important. Remember also that every
piece of leather has a ‘good’ side and a less desirable
side. The edges of a cut piece of lace will also show
up stark white or brown against the piece. Some of
this can be coloured out; some must be bevelled to
assure that it does not show.

Cord
Cord, also known as twine or string, refers to all
long and flexible fibre-based materials that come
in thicknesses (diameters) ranging from fine silk
thread up to 5 mm. Be aware that seine twine
sometimes has a different scale size than tatting more than I need, so that I have some left over for
cord which is different again from cotton cord. It is the next project. Some spools that I bought several
a very versatile material that can decorate anything years ago have not been used yet – I keep spare
from a dress to a ship. Cords are manufactured supplies in a cedar chest so that natural fibres do
from both man-made and organic fibres. They may not get attacked by moths, silverfish, or other pests.
be twisted (also known as laid) or braided, usually in I also keep a list of suppliers on a spreadsheet on
single braid, although there are also some very good my computer. This can be very useful if you are
double braids and braid-over-parallel cords. Cords selling your work and get an order for a repeat of
come in a wide variety of colours. The cords in the something you made some time ago.
photograph are twisted, coloured, hard-laid cotton.
You can also purchase cords made from Kevlar, What works
polyester, nylon, or polypropylene. White cotton cord is very good at picking up dirt
and grease from your hands, so if you want it to
How does it work? remain clean, either clean it after you have finished
Cord is usually supplied in 300-foot spools, in hanks the piece, using an art gum eraser or a wool washing
of about 120 feet, or in 200-foot balls enclosed in liquid, or wear white cotton gloves to keep the work
plastic wrap. When I find a cord I like, I usually buy clean. Use a very small amount of cleaner on a damp
cotton cloth or a clean, new sponge. You may have
to repeat this process many times, but in the end