I have been away from my duties here on my blog a wee bit longer than I had planned but you'll soon see why!!! It seems the lace conversions to parchment craft have become the highest ranked post so we'll spend a little time with that topic once again this time around :))
Now, these three large wall decorations are a set and each project is a FULL A4 sheet of parchment paper!!! When hung properly on the wall, the two outside Victorian ladies are facing toward the center lady, who is facing forward. Each of the borders is based upon the very same foundation design but is completed very different from each of the other two.
First of all, let me say any pattern/design can easily be made to have a "thread lace" look to it!! After all, our beloved art/craft is often called "paper lace". When you find parchment patterns of Vintage ladies (or if you already have a stash of them!!) that require lots of grid work on the gown areas.....simply convert those instructions to the "lace work embossing" that make gowns look like fabric lace!! That's all there is to it.......REALLY :))
Well now, you say.....how in the world do we do that?? We're not designers!! You don't have to be a designer.....all you need to know is how to do something on the foundation pattern other than what the original instructions tell you to do. Having said that, let's get down to business and put the words to task!!!
Here is the pattern we will be working with. As you can see, it is one of the ladies in my collection above!! Simply click on the image and save it to a place you can easily find it again on your computer. Please bear in mind that most times when converting from one craft technique to another, it is usually wise to make the conversion into a wall decoration project and when printing out the pattern always make the LARGER of the two dimensions between 8 - 9 inches....in this case you will want the height of the lady to be between 8 and 9 inches. This will leave enough room all around the pattern itself for a border/frame....as I have done with my ladies above. Of course, you can also simply make the Victorian lady and mount it on a quality backing paper and frame it by itself and not even have to be concerned with a border. The other option you have is to make a half fold card (8.5 x 5.5 inches) and for this you would want to print your pattern out at approximately 7.5 X 3.5 inches and this would allow for enough room for a border of your choosing.
Now, let's concentrate on the wall decoration size first. Print the pattern out at the dimensions stated above. Then wipe down both sides of your parchment paper with a tumble dryer sheet. and set aside. Now is the time for you to decide if you want to make a border on your project. If you do, you will need to make all the necessary adjustments in it's width and length to accommodate the full A4 size of your lady. This may be a task you might want to attempt on later on because it can become a frustrating challenge!! However, for those who do want to put a border on this time, there are two ways to do that. You can either make a freestanding border and attach it seperately, or.....it can be made as one solid piece, attached to the lady, as I have made mine. Either way, it will most definitely be a challenge. Next,secure the pattern to the parchment paper with low tack tape to secure everything together for easier tracing. Using your preferred method of tracing, carefully and very slowly, trace the pattern to the parchment paper......including the border, if you have chosen to include one of your choice. **TIP: While tracing, do not wander all around the pattern. Trace all your "outline" lines and then move to the inside areas and follow the direction on ONE particular "lace thread" until it ends. Begin again on another "lace thread" and follow it to it's end. and so forth until your tracing is complete. Remember to do the very same technique when you begin embossing** The tools required for this particular project are various sizes of embossing ball tools, 2 needle perforating tool and scissors/snips. When the tracing is complete, remove parchment paper from the pattern, flip parchment over, place on embossing mat and with the appropriate size embossing ball tool, emboss the outline lines ONLY. These are the lines that are going to be cut later in the process so depending on how wide you prefer those lines be for your cutting, is the size embossing tool you will use. The "lace thread" lines will be made next with a smaller size embossing ball tool and will NOT be cut. **Refer to the completed lady at the top of this post for a visual of these instructions** Okay, for those of you who really, really like a challenge......the "lace thread" areas may be cut with a good quality scalpel if you so desire, however, although I love a good challenge, even I will forgo that one!!!!! As you can easily see now, converting a thread lace pattern to parchment is totally embossing and your embossing ball tools (all sizes) will always get a very thorough work out :)) When all the various size embossing is complete it is then time for the perforating (with the two needle perforating tool) and cutting (with the scissors or snips). When you begin the cutting, I strongly advise beginning with the border (if you are using one) and work your way toward the project center. As with most things in parchment craft, take your time with the cutting as there will be bridges that will be thin and very fragile. For those who choose not to have a border around the lady.....I advise cutting from the inside out....again working slowly on the bridges so they do not break.
For everyone who simply wants to give this conversion technique a try on a half fold card, everything is the same process EXCEPT the size you print the pattern out for the tracing. Refer to the measurements given earlier and proceed!!
If you have questions, feel free to contact me :))
Happy Parching.....
