More on digitizing Freestanding Laces

One of my most loved type of laces are the crochet laces. I cannot count the number of hand crochet afghans, blankets, etc that I have created in my lifetime. It is rather a soothing and comforting motion to me. My heart did do several skipped beats when Scrigby’s first introduced the concept of crochet lace on the Embroidery machine. Btw, their website is http://www.scrigbys.com/embroidery/index.php and in my eyes they really are the pioneers in introducing crochet lace to the world of machine embroidery. I believe he is a computer programmer and created a special software which allowed his wife to compute the panels of crochet into it creating the crochet (double/treble stitch)stitch.  The concept was absolutely ingenious but the software was not available to the general public. Plagiarists will be there everywhere and it was not long before an extremely well known ME company decided to take the stitches one at a time and duplicate presenting their own line of crochet laces. I was asked to be a mediator between the two and presented my findings open and plainly. The end result…the well known company decided to call all my findings hogwash (even with the proof in front of their eyes) and Scrigbys couldn’t do a thing unless they went to court.  As the Scrigbys reside somewhere in Australia and the copying company is in the US, the Scrigbys I believe let the matter go. It is not easy for a retired couple to institute legal actions across the globe. The result….I have not seen Scrigbys introduce anything new since 2005…a shame.  If you have not been to that site, I strongly advice to give a visit and download some of their wonderful samples. No one and I mean no one can duplicate some of the absolutely breathtaking crochet panels (in the round) that they have created. The only duplication can be done is in a square of crochet. Ofcourse this action opened the door to literally all the digitizers and some decided to utilise the trick in producing their own line of crochet laces…..amazing!

How does one create crochet laces? It really is not such a difficult task if one understands the concept of the width of thread. Long while back I had written as a tip/hint on one of the Yahoo Embroidery groups that motif stitches can lend to creating freestanding laces if placed close together. The tip/hint was the start of a revolution in freestanding laces and the hint was asked to be published in an online ME newsletter. That in itself is the genesis of the crochet laces. What happens when one takes a motif which connects to itself and duplicates…the threads hold together and one has a bit of freestanding lace. The most simplest motif stitch (which is literally built into any software) is the chain stitch. Doubled on itself with the outlines close together, the chain stitch creates the most simplest form of a crochet look stitch and can withstand time and repeated washings.

Ofcourse the chain stitch is a bit bulky and does not give a true look of crochet so I sat down to explore variations which would allow the crochet stitch to be duplicated in ME softwares. By no means am I infringing upon the Scrigbys who use a specialty software which absolutely mimics the crochet stitch. Literally every ME software allows for users to create their own motif stitches which in one way gives a definite originality to the stitches. It really is not that difficult to create a zigzag stitch, double upon itself and you have a single strand of fsl. Tame it and you can create crochet lace. Simplest example…if you have a serger, do a chain stitch on water soluble stabilizer and double back halfway upon it….wash away the stabilizer and you have a fsl strand.

Creating my own crochet lace stitch I decided to throw a bit of a loop in there…for those who may want to duplicate it, LOL. The loop serves absolutely no purpose except alerting me when the stitch may be copied. As it really is not easily detected….I had a good time arguing with a new digitzer who decided to copy the single stitch and use it in her designs…end result, the digitizer although unhappy took down her collection and we have not exactly been close friends, but we are on speaking terms.

My advice to those wishing to create the crochet type stitch, experiment by creating your own motif stitch. It will give  you tons more pleasure and delight…not to mention a clear heart and conscience. The knowledge of thread and its relation to itself and its actions when worked in certain ways is a great deal to think about and once you have understood that concept, creating freestanding laces will become a breeze.

As to the plagiarising company…what goes around comes around. I believe it and know it.