25 motifs and leftovers

It's not christmas yet, but the fan is complete and mounted on sticks!!

Here is the lace (completed pic tomorrow in real daylight)

The leftover thread made 6 bookmarks for friends! Yes they are all the same, but time was of the essence :)

The cards show the first 12 of my Jon's Quanti Snowflake, as seen in previous posts counting down the 25 motif challenge.

The attached snowflakes are 13 and 14...
...15 and 16...
...and 17 and 18 :)

19 is complete but for the pic and 20 almost done! Only 5 to go - tomorrow!!

Take a moment to hug someone, afterall that is what this crazy time of the year is all about!!

Bits and bobs

A few bits are starting to happen - slowly!

Here is a fan I designed last Christmas - this one is a gift for this Christmas, but I have to get a wriggle on to finish it :)

These bookmarks and tags are part of gifts I have made for friends. The bookmark is from Jon's pattern pages made with hdt size 20 hakelgarn in Rain Forest by Lady Shuttle Maker.

The tags are made from Creative Memories papers using the tag maker, heart maker and meadow maker shape cutters.

These tags also use the sweetheart maker and scollop circle and were made for my Joey Scouts.

Travis is Not growing slowly! Here he is chatting with Grandma, and he gets more hansome everytime I see him :)
Enough for now! I am off to think about dinner and then probably more sleep!

Hugs and best wishes.

Key Ring Instructions

The following is posted for one of my students - ready to have a go at one of my designs for the first time on her own! I may work out how to do a separate page and include a pricking for others over the summer

Cut 5 passive lengths approx 1 meter, 1 worker (can be metallic) approx 3 meters and wind as pairs.

Using a small gold ring for a Christmas decoration, or a split ring for a key chain, pass the centre of each passive through the ring and then thread the bobbins though the loop, pull down evenly. Ensure threads are in the order you wish your stripes to run.

Pin to picking so that the bottom of the ring is touching the first pin.

Place the 1st pin and hang the worker over it.

Pins 1-2: cross, twist, cross all pairs, extra twist on worker pair, place pin.

Pins 3-6: cross, twist, cross, twist 1st pair,

cross, twist, cross centre 3 pairs,

twist worker pair only, cross, twist, cross, twist 5th pair,

extra twist on worker pair, place the pin.

Pins 7-10: cross, twist, cross, twist 1st pair, extra twist on worker pair,
cross, twist, cross centre 3 pairs,
2 twists worker pair only, cross, twist, cross, twist 5th pair,
extra twist on worker pair, place pin.

Pins 11-32: cross, twist, cross, twist 1st pair, 2 extra twists on worker pair only,
cross, twist, cross centre 3 pairs,
3 twists worker pair only, cross, twist, cross, twist 5th pair,
extra twist on worker pair, place pin.

Pins 33-35: cross, twist, cross, twist 1st pair, extra twist on worker pair,
cross, twist, cross centre 3 pairs,
2 twists on worker pair only, cross, twist, cross, twist 5th pair,
extra twist on worker pair, place pin.

Pins 36-38: cross, twist, cross, twist 1st pair,
cross, twist, cross centre 3 pairs,
twist worker pair only, cross, twist, cross, twist 5th pair,
extra twist on worker pair, place pin.

Pins 39-40: Cross, twist, cross all pairs, extra twist on worker pair, place pin.

Wrap worker around all passives 2 times, and then tie off with a reef knot (like the snake). Leave a fringe and trim all threads.

Good luck :)

It's a boy!!

I've been working for weeks (at least that's what it feels like)

This is a very quick post to let you know my 1st grandchild arrived safely on Thursday afternoon. Travis John is now at home getting to know friends, family and discovering a big wonderful world, wrapping his mum and dad around his little finger very sweetly!

Pics later...gotta fly - work to be done!

BTW - work is full time for another 4 weeks, so please don't expect too much :)

Show Time

Wow, can you believe it is October already?!?!

Here are 3 of my 4 lace entries in our local show.

This length of lace was awarded a 1st place. I adapted the design from a Rosemary Shepherd pattern when I first started making lace to fit into a commercial frame.

This coats design took 4 months to tat, and I love it! I am considering making the design again, but continuing to make a circular table cloth for a small occassional table ... one day!

It was awarded 3rd place in the tatting section at the show. At first I was completely surprised by this - given the following piece, but after reading the judges comments, I do agree, especially as I had already said I was disappointed in that area with this piece - lesson learned!
This bookmark designed by Jon was awarded 1st place in the tatting section. I have tat it using Lizbeth thread in Shell (I think that was the name of the thread?) It was very quick to tat and I am now going to use it in my diary!

I was awarded 3rd place for my forth project, but cannot share here for now.

I am very pleased with my results and enjoyed 2 half days of lace demonstrating and several hours experimenting with some scrap booking tools from Creative Memories too!

Now I can focus on baby things, ATCs, 25 motif challenge and finishing my Lizbeth doily!

Hmmmm and Christmas is just around the corner!?!?

Thanks for reading this far, don't forget to say hi before you go.

A rainbow of possums

It is the last day of the school holidays, and I really don't have much to show for my time!

I have made a length of lace, but cannot share it just yet.

I have almost completed the mounting of my hankie, but again I cannot share.

I have made a test tat of Karin's design motif for the design class, but not sure I should share.

So here is the most recent pic of possums. There is one each for my Joey Scouts as at the end of last term!

Yesterday I handed the reigns over to a new leader and have stepped down to Assistant after 12 years. I am really looking forward to just going along and playing a few games with the children each week, without the planning, paperwork and full responibility!

The next ones will be for the 4 leaders/youth helpers, then I can start on any new Joeys who come along :)

Now I need to go post the motif where it should be and get to work on the drawing program! I am hoping my new Creative Memories Consultants kit will arrive today too!

And I had better do some 4 letter words too :(

Ahhh haaaa! Another short post!! See I can do them ... sometimes :)

Please drop me a line, I love hearing from friends, give someone you love a big hug - just because and stay happy!

Fond memories

I have joined Creative Memories as a consultant for scrapbooking and photo storage solutions!

My 2nd challenge is to complete a paper album kit!

(The first is having the patience to wait for my sign-up kit to arrive!!)

The kit I chose from the pile was "Rock Star".

I had thought to add pics of DD, but cannot put my hands on the ones I had in mind.

DS2 has become my focus!

To start the ball rolling, he is pictured with his trombone at a couple of RSL Band events.

Here, he is hamming it up with his cousins at his Great Nan's house.

These pics were taken at Tomahawk at Chhristmas in 2000.

This cheeky young fellow is now 18, and still full of fun and life!!

When the postman kindly delivers my package, I intend adding some text in various forms.

You can see now, why I titled the post "fond memories" :)

Last night, he told me this is a waste of time, but when his children come to visit their Grandma, I am sure they will enjoy seeing their dad when he was young. LOL :)

What do you think??

Now I am going to create a new blog just for this - that way my lace readers can continue to enjoy this blog, with the odd detour, and scrapbookers can click on the link and follow my Creative Memories journey.

Possum magic

This gorgeous Aussie design can be found in the Australian Lace Magazine Summer 2004 edition. It was contributed by Kath Shadbolt, who adapted it from a picture of a lace mouse. Needless to say, I have adapted it yet again, due to not reading the instructions!

One of the junior boys at school picked it from the pile, and has almost completed it.

I was only going to make 1 for my sample book, but I have also fallen in love with it, and decided to make 1 each for my Joey Scouts and team for Christmas. Here are the first 3!

I have managed to wrestle some paperwork done today, and even checked out a bloggy friend or 2 after catching up with emails!

Now, I am off to wind more bobbins, and write out a tatting pattern!

Thanks for stopping by.

A few little bits

Ok ... yes I have been making some lace!

First, my tat design homework! I posted the motif on the right, but with some tweaking, I also like the motif on the left. Now I have to write out the pattern (and do some blocking)!

Next, Porty is ready to play!

Ok, ok, so I had some help here, but it has been a wonderful team effort!

Next stop, a frame.

The Lisbeth doily is moving along! I promise that there is only 3 1/2 rounds left here Diane ... but I am thinking there may be enough thread left to make a couple of matching mats :)

The Bucks length for Grandbaby is growing. The pic is lousy, but the lace is over 50 cms now.

I spent some time sorting through my samples books, and found I needed to replace several things ...

The book that spends lots of time at school has some items adapted from Christine Springett's Lace for Children. The half stitch heart, hairband length and flower (without the bracelet) are popular projects.

This key ring was designed as a starter project ... Ebonee made it to see if it worked for me, and this is my sample ... finally.

The ever popular snakes now reside in my book ... until I give this pair away too...

And finaly, I have remade this little edge from Rosemary Shepherd's Bobbin Lace for Beginners Book (for the 3rd time :)

Nothing exciting, but lots of little projects are in order for this holidays. Keep watching for the next batch!

If you are interested in Scrapbooking ... keep watching this space :)

Cheers for now, but before you go, please don't forget to share a thought or 2 :)

Soooo Civilized

Lots of lace as promised!!

This possum/mouse is the work of one of my Juniors...only the tail to go!!

The other (at school today) has almost finished this angel!
Another senior decided to take the plunge and was impressed by her progress today!

The key ring was completed by a young lass, embarking on a new and exciting time with job prospects on the horizon.

I will be in trouble,for the "rose garden"is upside down, but the end of term marked the end of the length. Now the lass must decide what to do with this piece! Next term, she is going to start this fan!

I will post some of my work next time LOL

Warm regards

This is why there is no lace!

This weekend, I enticed 7 Joey Scouts out into the wild! They were accompanied by 8 adults, who braved Bunyip (me :)), rain, wind, late nights and...

...the underground at Mole Creek's Maracoopa Cave...

...sheer cliffs at Alum Cliffs Gorge Lookout...

...rain forest and running streams at the caves......and a native or two...

...or three :)
While the leaders were planning the next lot of fun, the Joeys and Parents actually managed to find a kite in Bunyip's games box and sailed it in a clear blue sky.

Have you guessed what I have been up to for the past 3 weeks now?

Next post will definately include some lace - I promise!!

I did manage my 6 pins + on the weekend - and I have completed lesson 4 of the tat design course, but now have to take pics and post the results.

Catch you real soon...

Warm hugs, and welcome Spring .....Yay!!!

Welcome to my back door

Please allow me to show you a little of my place. Launceston is situated on the Tamar River basin in Northern Tasmania. The South Esk, North Esk and Tamar Rivers all converge in the basin, before going out to sea through the Tamar River valley. Last weekend we experienced the worst floods in over 30 years. I managed to visit "the Gorge" yesterday (Wednesday)afternoon, and whilst it is not as wild as it was on Sunday, the volume of water is still spectacular! This is the scene from Kings Bridge, 5 minutes walk from the CBD.

90% of the time, this area is a gently rambling brooke!

The Alexandra Suspension bridge and the cable chair lift - was the longest span in the Southern Hemisphere (not sure if that is still the case) - are features of our Gorge. On Sunday the water level was above the cement base you can see on the left here! Teenagers often swim in this area in the summertime, despite the constant warnings of flood waters being released from Trevallyn Dam, further up the river.

For those of us too chicken to swim in the river, there are 2 swimming pools in the foreground - the one you can see is a wading pool for toodlers, and the deeper pool is still obscured by the floodwater. To give you an idea of the magnatude of Sunday, the swingset behind the orange barrier on the left only had 4 inches of poles showing in the weekend newspaper!

On the way out, I stopped and took 2 photos about 400 meters from Kings Bridge. This one is facing East back into the reserve.

And to the west, you can see the CBD. The Myer building is the 'high-rise' just to the left of the tree, and the old Post Office Clock tower can be seen to the right. This is the middle of town and less than 10 minutes walk away!

From the base of the new bridge - built to handle the increased volumes of traffic in the area in the late 60s I think - this pic shows just how close suburbia is to the Gorge! These homes have fabulous views of the Tamar Valley to the north, the industrial area on the eastern bank and the city. Most of these homes are colonial, but behind them are some rather beautiful modern houses too.

Hope you enjoyed my tour :) Please come again, and hopfully I will have some lace to show you! Don't forget to let me know what you think in the comments ... I love letters from friends :)

Happy days

Back on line :)

Hi All,

My 'puter went on a little holiday ... even machinery feels overworked sometimes, and the box kept going to bed :( But all is well ... a week with the repair man and 'tis a happy chappy again.

Meanwhile, the postie was busy.

This gorgeous ATC travelled from Jackie Ellison in Harwick.

I *love* all things oriental so this is simply perfect for me :)

Thank you Jackie!

In November, I am going to be a grandma (or maybe a Nanna ... will have to ask :))

Here is the first crotcheted square of a cot cover ... it already has 5 brothers and sisters to go with it, but I downloaded the pics before taking a family shot.

I am using a Twilleys mercerised cotton in pale yellow - a little more colour that the pic shows.

Not my usual kind of lace, but this design works up very nicely. The pattern is from an old Engligh craft magazine that my Great Aunt used to subscribe to. Unfortunately, I was unable to rescue the magazines when she downsized, but was able to get a copy of this pattern about 15 years ago.

And finally for today...

Motif 11 and 12 for the 25 motif challenge ... nearly half way!

Again, I have used DMC Perle with verigated and solid colour threads ... I just love the colour combinations!

There are plenty of "extra" bits, begging to be stitched onto some ATCs and the length is the first piece of 'homework' for the on-line tat design class I am taking.

Speaking of which, I need to post my lesson 2 and 3 homework!

Have been out and about with the baby hovercraft today - lots of great fun for the kids!

Don't forget to grop a line before you go, and make the most of every day! Let those you love know you care!

Hugs,

25 Motifs and ATCs

Hi Bloggy Friends,

Life is busy, busy, busy so this will be a very short post to let you know I am still here.

This is motif 10 in the 25 motif challenge.

I really do love Jon's Quanti design! Another Perle 8. I really like the colours in this one.

When I got home from work tonight, I found this little surprise in the post.

2 x wax painting ATCs by Don Vickers in the U.K.

Are they not the most darling cards?

I think so!

I can only assume that these are a part of the ATC exchange I took part in some time back...still looking for a couple of takers :)

Told you it would be short :) but please feel free to drop a line...I love hearing from friends.

Warm hugs and lots of smiles,

Where has the time gone?!?

Wow, I cannot believe that more than a month has passed since I last blogged :( What a busy month it has been! Apart from quite a bit of work, I have managed a few crafty bits too.

Here is my completed cross stitch - a Gumlace Secret Pals gift from Janette in Canberra. On Saturday night I won a gift voucher from a framing business at our local Scouting Entertainment night, so this little kitty will have a lovely frame very soon. I love this pic because the kitty looks like my Sox about 15 years ago. When I get my own classroom, I intend to hang the pic there to remind students to "hang in there".

Speaking of Secret Pals - the final round of my second foray into this delightful pastime arrived last week. My Arachne package contained 2 months of gifts, so I really did feel very spoiled :) This May package had so many treasures! I have started tatting a collar with the Seashells coloured Lizbeth thread, using the silver tatting shuttle. The booklet has lots of information about Nottingham machine-made lace and is a very interesting read.

This gorgeous pewter plate, depicting a lacemaker was the June installment. I have never seen anything like this before, and will treasure it always. Many thanks to my pal Pat Hallam in Nottingham!

I have really enjoyed both rounds of Secret Pals. Finding or making just the right gift for my recipients was terrific fun, and I have made 2 new lacey friends with each round :) And I did not manage to guess either of my pals prior to the reveal, but have learned a little something interesting about each.

On the same day, Diane's parcel with threads to complete my Lizbeth doily arrived! 2 balls of thread will enable me to complete the big doily and make a pair of matching small ones. (The other ball is attached to the shuttle, but not the doily yet.) Diane purchased 2 pair of bobbins at a Lace Day she attended, then split them and shared with me - am I lucky or what! I just love the unusual shape of the bobbins and cannot wait to try them out. Thank you Diane, a little something for you will be winging it's way your way by this afternoon.

In my last post, I shared some French Beading with you. Now I have bunches of wildflowers :)

These are quite quick to make, so I have short stems to wear on my clothing or long stems to put in a vase.
I have made all the bits for the Rose, but am still in the process of lacing the leaves and petals before construction can take place. This project is taking much longer!

Apart from winding many, many bobbins for the children at school, the only bobbin lace I have on the go is this little Bucks edging. In November I will see how long it is and use it to decorate some baby goodies for my first grandbaby :) There is not much to show just yet but it does grow fast.

Enough from me for now! I have managed to drop in on a few friends over the past weeks, and have enjoyed your stories and sharing.

For now, stay well, happy and able to make and share your lace adventures.

Warm hugs.