Rainy holidays

Welcome friends,

As the rain falls and the temps drop for the school holidays, the lace grows :) Here are 2 more samples of bucks point lace. The bottom one is called sheeps head, but LOML and I think it looks more like an alien face - must be our Star Trek influence coming through LOL. The top design is honeycombe rings. I love this design, but still need to practice. I think I will fully wind some bobbins and make a worthwhile length - I do have a great excuse, but best not share at the moment :)

Last post I promised to show you my hardanger, so here 'tis! We had a workshop at our last Lace Day and I had to have a go, although I have not really aspired to this form of needlework. I have actually enjoyed this piece so far and am thinking about a larger sampler. The next step on this piece is the cutwork, but I will wait til the next meeting before tackling that.
The Lisbeth doily is also growing quickly. There is a small problem - I don't have enough thread to do the last round :(

What to do, what to do???

Order more of the same shade and hope they are very close, or use a different colour or leave it at the end of this round? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Leave a comment and let me know what you think :) And keep watching to find out what is decided :) Stay warm (or cool) til next time.

Starts and finishes

A warm welcome to one and all.

Some finishes first!

The Bedfordshire letter C is ready to display! Hopfully, there will be many better places than my kitchen/craft table!!

And the set looks great too! Their first booking may be at the Tasmanian Craft Fair in Hobart in June...I will send them down and see what happens. They will then be displayed at school for the month of August!

Ebonee has been working hard, showing her classmates how to make bobbin lace. Her hairband arrived back this weekend, just a little longer than I expected :) We went shopping this morning for a piece of ribbon to thread through. Here is the result!

With the elastic attached, it makes a very pretty accessory.And now for the starts!

One of my goals for this year was to learn Bucks Point bobbin lace! I borrowed some books a while back and last weekend I made a start! This "little fan" pattern grew very quickly (especially once I worked out I was reading the instructions wrong for the footside). This is about 5 hours work!

On Wednesday night I started lesson 2 - honeycomb stitch!

Just another 3 or 4 hours here too - I really like this lace - so fast!!

Next post I will share my 1st attempt at hardanger! I am on holidays for 2 weeks now and looking forward to lots of lace, some ATC's - and a little cleaning, but for now, off to teach Ebonee how to make shepherd's pie and caramel dumplings! I will post again soon, but til then, feel free to share a thought or 2 :)

Happy Feet

Hi All,

Just a quick pic :) I had to bring Porty home tonight to add some more bobbins. The children are all keen to have a go so he is progressing well. I could even get a few bobbins going in the middle for the filling now!
I am off to wind bobbins for another starter tomorrow, then a little on Porty and then homework! And you all thought I only do loooonnnnngggggggg posts :)))
Til next time, have fun, but don't forget to leave a comment before you go :)

6 pins, 3 rings

Greetings Friends,

Last post, I promised some bobbin pics, so here they are!


The bobbin on the left is from Guzziesue in Nottingham. Ebonee picked the spangle beads on her last visit, so the bobbin has been dancing with the rest in the Letter C :) The next pair are from my Arachne Secret Pal in the U.K. I find out who she is in the June exchange, and I can't wait! The black bobbin has Christmas 2008 scripted on the back and the other has a matching needle case - just beautiful! The last pair are made from Purplewood by Eddie Giesaitis. Judy and Eddie visited our lace meeting on their Tasmanian holiday last month. Ebonee also picked a pair of the Purplewood, although she had her eye on the painted bobbins and I was facinated by the diamondwood ones...maybe next time :)

And the C dance is progressing well! I had a couple of unexpected days off last week, and put one of them to good use, along with another solid 8 hours yesterday! I would really like to finish this by next weekend, so that the Guild can use the letters in a lace display in June if they wish.
Ebonee is staying again this weekend and also put her 6 pins in. I moved the hairband up the pricking this morning to give her room to move the bobbins. She has been showing her classmates this site, and will be taking the pillow to school tomorrow so they can see the real thing. Hope you like it class :) At the moment there are 8 repeats done and 5 or 6 to go!

My Lizbeth doily is also growing. The pattern only has 1 more round after this one, but I think I am going to add another repeat of this pattern to make the doily a bit larger. It is an interesting design, and pretty quick to tat. BTW, the pattern can be found in Tatting Doilies & Edgings edited by Rita Weiss. Some terrific patterns - I have made 5 or 6 of the doilies and several edgings from this book.

I have a full week of work ahead, so I doubt I will get time to post before next weekend, but fully intend to get a bit a lace done :) I will take a pic of Porty when I get to school - he is also growing well. As a snake was finished on Friday, there will be some excitement about again, and I am thinking of taking an extra (round) pillow to get one of the 2nd timers going...they are choosing some interesting projects and the round pillow will suit the tape lace pic needs better than a square one I think! Should be lots of fun to get something different happening :)

Don't forget to have your say in the comments section - keep me amused this week my friends :)

Hugs to all, stay safe and happy

Bobbins, shuttles, ATCs and more

A warm welcome to all Mums, and everyone else too :)

The letter C progresses slowly! I had intended to add a few more pins today, but everything is in go slow mode. The top of the arc is complete, so it is a bit downhill from here, before the last sweeping curve :)
Lisbeth moves forward slowly also. I have achieved a few rings each night since my last post. I *love* using this beautiful thread for tatting- it is so crisp and clean and tensions well!

This little bookworm - inspired by Diane's efforts at bobbin lace has been adapted from a Rosemary Shepherd braid from one of the early chapters in her beginners book. It was a second project for this lass at school, and she was heartily thrilled with it - half stitch is SOOOOOO confusing for the 8 year olds! She cut it off here so that her sister could have a try!

These ATCs have landed in my mailbox over the past weeks! The one on the left came from Guzziesue in Nottingham, England. Also included was a gorgeous embroidered Archer and a bobbin. The bobbin is in use on my letter C, and works beautifully. I will post a pic next time. Thank you Guzziesue!

The middle set came from Ellen at Singtatter! Make the time to stroll through this blog - there are some simply wonderful designs here! I add to the chorus - please publish Ellen! Your book would be at the very top of my must have list. The bookmark is about to make its way into my work book - simply stunning! Thank you so much Ellen.

The final 3 are the result of the ATC exchange I am doing. There is embroidery, needlelace and scrapbooking here. Such a varied and wonderful collection of ideas, and this is just the beginning :) If you would like to be a part of this, please leave a comment, as I am still seeking participants!

Finally, here in Australia, yesterday was Mother's Day - a celebration of mums! For the first time in a few years, I got to see all of my children throughout the day! Yipeeeee!!! DS1 came and polished my car for me :) This was huge as he only ever has time for his own - my Maggie is not usually worth the effort. DD was bright and chirpy and happily wished me a beautiful day! DS2 - the wood working crafty one - presented my with this gorgeous tray that he made at school. The corner timbers are Huon Pine and Tasmanian Oak. The centre is made from Myrtle and the rest is "something that was laying around the workshop" :) He claims the job was a little rushed and instructed me not to look too closely, but I love it!

As always, thank you for dropping by and your comments are most welcome. Life is hectic at present, and I must catch up with friends from my last few posts, but I do read regularly and your warmth and friendliness always make the cold days cheery :)

Warmest of hugs,

Do U C what I C?

Greetings Friends,

Here is the beginning of the end :) Yes, it is the final letter of the set! ... Well a start anyhow. The pattern is from Barbara Underwood - Floral Bedfordshire in 20 lessons. The pattern was scaned, then transfered to Publisher and finally elongated to the required size. This method of adapting a pattern would probably be frowned upon by traditionalists, but it has given me the required dimensions. I am using DMC Perle 12 - not a traditional Beds thread, but will compliment the other letters.
I did take a close up, but blogger does not want to talk now :( so watch this space in my next post :)

Now, let me introduce Porty! The school logo is starting to take shape...tomorrow, I will invite a lace student or 2 to make a contribution ... keep watching to find out who Porty is :)

Finally, here is an example of the key rings my Joey Scouts made last night. It is a simple 4 bobbin plait, made on the pillow. 2 of the boys were not that impressed, but the mum and the other 3 Joeys really enjoyed making this little gift to add to a small collection for their mums. We used a 12 ply multi coloured wool for this project.

Thanks for dropping by, hope you found something of interest here. Please feel free to leave a comment ... I am hoping to have the time to drop in on some bloggy friends in the next day or so, but for now I must get some work done so have fun, and be healthy :)

Cheers

Tagged, Torchon and Tatting

I've been tagged! Hi Tatting Chic, I am happy to take your challenge.

So....folder 5, photo 5 is...

This fountain, which is situated in Launceston's Civic Square and often a target for pranksters. A little detergent gives the fountain an "icy feel". While it looks rather fantastic in real life, the detergent does damage the pumps. I took this pic 18 months ago, so it is probably about due to 'happen' again :)

Now, to choose 5 Bloggy friends to tag :)

1. http://tatsakoolchallenge.blogspot.com/

2. http://stitchety-grub.blogspot.com/

3. http://randa-handmadelace.blogspot.com/

4. http://trayna.blogspot.com/

5. http://normasneedlez.blogspot.com/

Here is your mission should you choose to accept it:
The rules are:

1. go to your documents/pictures.

2. go to your 5th file.

3. go to your 5th picture.

4. blog about it.

5. tag 5 people.

If you choose to do it, have fun ladies! :)

Now, to the Torchon :)
Here is my completed Letter L, taken off the pillow this morning. The pricking was my first attempt at designing - at least I adapted a design from Rosemary Shepherd.
Here are the 3 completed letters together...only the C to go!
The pricking is made so I just need to decide on a colour and get into it :) I have also made a pricking for the Porty Penguin - school logo - to go with the letters in the school display, which will happen sometime in second term (June - September) probably. I am hoping to let the children have a go at helping me complete Porty, then I will present it in a frame for the school to keep.

Ebonee's hairband is growing slowly :)

Right now she is peeling the vegies for tea, and then she wants to make an apple crumble for dessert:)

Lamb Roast with homemade gravy, fresh vegies and crispy roast potatoes, followed by homemade apple crumble
MMMMM mmmmmmm
And finally, some tatting - Lisbeth is progressing slowly!

Another long post - making up for the once a week opportunity, so if you have made it to here, thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, Ebonee and I appreciate the thoughts of like minded crafty people and encouragement is a tip top compliment :)


Have a wonderful day and keep smiling ... it is most catching :)