I have always liked the look of leaf tallies with different coloured edges so I had to have a go at making them along with Mayu Saaritsa from my online bobbin lace group.
Mayu improved the management of all the different threads needed, by introducing two extra pins to hold the side threads away from the center tally, where they waited to be used. This made a big difference when using an angled pillow, to keep the shape of the tally. I call these the 'Mayu' pins as they serve a different purpose to temporary or pricking pins. In the video, you can see how useful they are to make the extra threads behave.
YouTube video here - https://youtu.be/irTW1yb-KzA
No doubt, after more than making these first six tallies, I will get better at them! I didn't notice much difference if I wrapped the outer thread around the thick and spare side threads clockwise or anticlockwise, as long as the wrap is consistant. Two wraps around the side bundle seemed to work well, maybe different threads will need different numbers of wraps.
The center tally worker was quite happy to do the work of tensioning for all the threads, drawing the side ones in nicely.
To alter colours when making a series of tallies, it may be necessary to add quite a few different pairs into the bundles, in which case, add a few to work along with the center tally three passives. This will help make the center tally larger, and if you like, bundle some in with the center thread to make a more pronounced spine.
 |
| Fine threads with thick thread pair added to sides |
To close around the pin, or windmill cross with another pair, some of the colours may show through, if you choose a colour to wrap (like we did with the edges) the threads into two very short bundles, this will keep the mix of colours covered. It takes time but the end result is worth it.
 |
| Perle threads |
These are my first five made with Perle threads so I could see what I was doing, I found it easier to make them in my preferred, finer thread. The thick thread I used for the outer edge can be replaced with a few bobbins with different colours so you can really go to town and swap the colours all over the place!
