Measuring sticks or picot gauge. How to make neat long picots. What tool is better to use for this.
Hello everyone! In early autumn, I finished creating my Summer Mood collection. After the blog post, many readers asked me which measuring sticks for long picots I used. Therefore, I decided to talk in detail on this topic. So, measuring sticks or picot gauge. I will share my experience and my opinion. Your opinion may be different, of course. Therefore, I ask you to share your opinion in the comments, please.
First, by tradition, I must start with history. But I don’t want to waste your time on long historical sentences. It is absolutely clear to me that tatting measuring sticks have been used for a long time. The next photo confirms this.
Photo signed: Antique bone tatting spatulas.
Very interesting, measuring sticks were called spatulas ?!
There are a wide variety of picot tools out there these days.
There is a variant of combining gauge for tatting needles and picots . I don’t like this kind of tool. In my opinion, it is too uncomfortable and cumbersome for weaving picot. Possibly just for measurement.
In my opinion, such sets are much more convenient. But these sticks are handy for tatting shuttles. For tatting with a needle, the wide ends get in the way. Anyway, for me.
The ideal option is straight plastic sticks of different widths. I found this picture on the Internet.
My measuring sticks for long picot
When I bought a set of mesh needles, I was very happy. Because this set includes three plastic sticks. They are long enough, smooth, comfortable. But only three sizes. And the package went sooooo long. And I need a lot of picot gauge of different sizes and urgently! To you too?
For example, to create this collar, I used 10 strips of different widths.
I took thick cardboard and cut out 10 strips of the desired width. The length of the stripes is whatever is convenient for you. I have signed a number on each strip. This number indicates the width of the strip in millimeters. Then I covered each strip with scotch tape for better glide. This method is perfect! You can make as many measuring sticks as you like, quickly and easily. Is not it?
Another option is to make spatulas (haha) from used plastic cards. But you have to try, because cutting such a card neatly and neatly is not very easy. But you get a graceful, smooth and durable strip.
Also, I don’t throw away ANY plastic sticks. For example, ice cream sticks. It’s a shame they only have one size.
Helpful advice for use measuring sticks
Pay attention to how the measuring stick is positioned during weaving. The strip can be parallel or perpendicular to the work. This will determine how long the picot will turn out in the finished form.
For example, in this photo, the cardboard strip is located perpendicular to the work. The shuttle and ball threads are located on both sides of the strip. Therefore, in the finished form, the picot will turn out to be two times shorter (in this version, 7, 5 millimeters). By the way, this method is suitable for weaving only one picot at a time.
But if you want to make several picots in a row, you need to position the stick perpendicularly. And in this case, the finished picots will be the same length as the measuring stick is wide.
The same applies to tatting with a needle.