The news is out!

Due to our forced 'retirement', I have been able to spend a little time in the shed.

 

This means I have finally launched an online "lace supplies shop".

 

You can check it out at www.lauraslacesupplies.com 

A little creative flare

With all our spare time, and a little healing, the creativity has finally visited our house again.

 

Colin has become well enough to play in the shed for a couple of hours at a time.

 

Although things that used to be second nature are now a big struggle, he has managed to construct this "surprise" plant Ferris Wheel for our garden from some of the 'junk' in our back yard.

 

It really does look even better in real life, and I will always treasure it!

 Overall, the garden is really looking a treat, despite the weeds trying to take over!

 And while Colin has been working, I have too.

 

After my stint on the lathe making bobbins, I have finally ordered my own kiln to anneal my beads.  It will be here around Christmas time and I cannot wait.

 

This has inspired me to play at the torch once again.

 

With my new marver, I am really happy with the more consistent sizing of the divider pin heads and I have actually enjoyed making several 'batches' of similar beads...there are 11 dot beads not pictured here from my work this afternoon, as well as the lovely lilac frit beads top left in this photo.

 Here are the 'new' snails, inspired by the prep work on the hedgehogs the day before.

 

It is not often a new idea works so well the first time, so I am delighted.

Thanks for your time to read this far, and hope you enjoy.

 

Maybe some lace next time....

Strawberry dreams

Just a quick post today :)

 

Some time back, I was given a log of rare strawberry wood for bobbin making.

 

Here is the first pair :)

 

I am going to call them "In the Strawberry Patch"

 

Spangled with my handmade strawberry bug bead set.

 

Hugs to my lacemaking friends :)

Around tuit at last

I have wanted to make an all lace shawl for such a long time...

 

It is finally started!

 I have made the bobbins and most of the beads!  The glass divider pins are also my own work :)

I even spun the wool from an old Corriedale fleece!

The shawl will be made in 3 or 4 panels, and the 1st is now under way.

I will source the pattern for you next time I post about this one...Colin is sleeping and I don't want to move and wake him :) 

Thanks for dropping by, hugs and warmest regards,

Productive times

The scarf is progressing nicely, with some safely rolled away on the roller.

 

 While working this section, I realised that the only bobbins I had never used in my collection are now in use!!  Yay! 

I have a pair of rather heavy brass bobbins, (the one with the coloured thread) that I am alternating with the new thread.  They have always been too heavy to play with the other bobbins, so I had avoided them.  For this project, they work rather well.

There is also a single aluminium bobbin on the left hand side that had not been on a pillow at my place.  Several friends swear by them, but I find it cold to the touch, and had always passed it over.

Also in this shot (just) is the pair of bobbins with a pink ceramic joiner, a gift from a Gumnut.  The bobbins arrived broken from their journey, so I repaired them with the ceramic glue used to put final details on my dolls.  They are working perfectly and remind me of my Australian friends each time they pass my fingers.

 And here is a new batch of beads ready for the kiln.  Dear Step Son is visiting today and will take them to Burnie for me.  I hope to make the trip with Colin in a couple of weeks time to collect them...

The pin toppers (ladybirds, flowers, turtles and hedgehogs and the cotton reel were all made before Colin collapsed.  the rest have been made this week to fill the tin.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this far, stay safe, happy and healthy.  Hugs,

Some lace at last!

But first, let's take a peek at what is happening in the shed! 

 

This is what Colin has been playing with over the past few months :)

 

This machine does not like straight driving and I must admit, it is a lot of fun...

 I have finally sorted my new 4 jaw chuck, upped the revs on my lathe (although still a ways to go according to the bobbin experts) and had a play today.

 

I think the wood is Blackwood...lovely and dark!  The smallish blanks were given to me a couple of years ago, but the first piece just turned away to nothing, so I put the rest away.

 

These are traveller sized bobbins and will look great on my travel pillow...another pair to make, then I can get on with some requests!

And I have also been busy with the beads!

 

Some of these ones are spoken for, and I still have 1 more request to play with...it is in the too hard basket at the moment, but over the weekend, I will give it 1 more try!

Once they are fired, some of these beads will become divider pins, some will adorn key rings and a few may even wind up as spangles!

 

 Ok, ok....here is the promised lace :)

 

The pattern was published a few years ago in Australian Lace...

 

The yarn is Misty Alpaca...

 

The lace was started by a retired lace maker, and I "inherited" it at the weekend...it is making some good progress, but I really need to get back to the 'other' piece!

 Thanks for stopping by, warm hugs :)

Catching up

First things first!  This spider has made her home at my daughter's front door...now she wants to know what kind if spider and is it a nasty?  We live in Northern Tasmania, and she is near the bush.

 Doll number 4 is making progress.  All I need to do is add some lace to tidy up the shoulder then she will be ready to fire :)  Working in the heat yesterday was not much fun, so I hope she fires ok.  I did not make the lace for this one...but I am working on the lace for 1 down the track...

 I found this style of sleeve a real challenge, but the rest has been a lot of fun...I just hope the fabric sections work better this time!

 My gorgeous grandson starts big school this week.  Last week, we went shopping for his little brother's birthday and discovered that drink spiders are very yummy, and he is the perfect gentleman (only when he goes out with grandma though!  This pirate is his home id LOL).

 

His mum asked about a library bag, and when I told her I had bought some fabric ages ago, I was asked to make a library bag :)  The back is the same as the edge fabric! Hope he likes it LOL

 Finally, we have been discussing bobbins on the Australian Email ring I am a member of.

I promise some pics, so here they are...

 

These are all my own bobbins, spangled with my own beads.  There is Huon pine, Blackwood, Jarrah, Tas Hardwood and Silky oak.  My first bobbin (and bead) is the Huon pine bobbin 7th from the right on the bottom row...the yellow bead was the first bead I made.

 Here are some more of my own bobbins, but they do not have my beads on them as yet.

Colin made me the very top left bobbin...it is the only bobbin he has made, and calls it a cricket bat.  I made the one on the right to go with it and the pair make the best ever gimp bobbins.

These are my bead tile bobbins.  The top 4 bobbins were made by David Potter, a Tasmanian bobbin maker.  I made the bottom 4 bobbins.  The very top pair have the first tiles I made with the teacher.

I designed the other sets of tiles.

 Here are the other tiles, ready for the bobbins...when I get around to making/purchasing them...

The teacher provided the patterns for the top row and the pair on the right of the 2nd row. 

The rest are my designs...including the special ones to celebrate my engagement in February last year :)

 And here is a size comparison for you :)

 

If you have made it this far, thank you for stopping by.  I hope your neck of the woods is fair weather (or lots of lovely lace time) and good health...please drop a comment in the box before you go as I love to see what you think too.

 

Hugs til next time...may your threads never break and your pins never bend...

Wishes and Finishes

A bit late, but I hope all my bloggy friends had a wonderful Christmas, and 2014 brings you all the very best of the things you love most :)

 

Here is my Christmas tree - it actually made it out in 2013, and the collection of lace will almost catch up to the collection of cross stitch next year lol

 

With time on my hands (I have been unable to go to work for 7 weeks), I have been busy getting some things done - this pile of bobbins came off a pillow after 18 months...cannot share the lace at the moment, but suffice it to say it was a PROJECT lol

My latest lace drapped doll was not so successful :(  From the lace up, she is probably the best one so far...this is the view from behind....

 

 

Here is the front...unfortunately the dip and strip (fabric at the bottom) did not go well and the seersucker look was not intended, but lesson learned for both myself and the teacher...also from this angle, you cannot see the crack in her right arm...oh well, she will reside in the cupboard until there is room needed, then she will be evicted...my friend feels she should go live with her...we will see...

 

Time at home has also meant time in the shed...here is a small selection of the 150 odd beads I have managed over the past 3 weeks...

 

Some finished lace I can share...the bohemian scarf...

up in the window, the pattern shows through...

On the table, you can see the gorgeous colour.

I am going to keep this one for myself, just not sure how often I will wear it lol

 

My counted cross stitch photo conversion has reached the half way point, so keep an eye out for that one.

 

The spinning has also been on the agenda...and I will soon have to start making the lace with the last 3 skeins completed...have a feeling I am going to get a request to make my uncle an over vest with some raw handspun in the near future too...that may be interesting...

 

Until next time, may your pins never bend and your threads never break...hugs and smiles



Old and some new

I have been trying something new :)

I was given the marble with a delicious swirl in thanks for a lace lesson.

What do I do with a marble?!?!?

I found the instructions for this wire wrapping in one of my magazines and thought it would be perfect!

Ok, so I have some room for improvement, but I am happy with the finished product :)

An old project now...

the dolls lace is currently at around 83cm...will work on it again this evening... 

 I went in search of some Pooh fabric when the craft fair came to Tassie, to no avail.

When I mentioned on Gumlace (Aussie email ring) what I had been looking for, a member offered me some of her fabric...it is just what the new Grandaddy ordered :)

Progress is being made, and the best bit - the quilting is happening at the same time as the pieceing!!!

I love it!!!

I really must block some of my tatting...2 doilies to boast about, but no pics yet...

Hang in there tatters!!  It will get done!!

Happy lacemaking and thanks for reading :)

Quick update...

The shadows in the pic are not great, but I am at corner number 3 of the bucks point hankie/bonnet!!

Yayyyyyyy!!!!!

Even the cover cloth is happy VBG

More next time... thanks for dropping by!

Hugs and warm wishes

Bead venture and bobbin roll

here is a sampling of my new venture.

You can find these and more at funkyglassbeads.blogspot.com
On to some sewing...I won this gorgeous fabric in a Gumlace raffle.
I have been planning to make a bobbin roll for some time, and finally got around to it last Friday evening.

This is the outside, opened out.

Here is the side that holds the bobbins. It holds 50 pair of bobbins.

It is very easy to make!

1. Cut your patterned fabric 75cm (29.5 inches) x 56cm (22.5 inches) and hem the 75cm edges.

2. Cut a plain piece of fabric AND a piece of light polar fleece fabric 74cm (29 inches) x 34cm (13.5 inches). Use quilters basting spray to adhere the polar fleece, then the plain fabric to the wrong side, center of the patterned fabric.

3. Turn the excess patterned fabric at the top and bottom over to form flaps, press and sew a seam allowance from the fold, top and bottom, making sure you catch the polar fleece and plain fabrics. (the seam under the date on the pic above)
4. Cut 2 strips of patterned fabric 75cm x 2.5cm (1 inch). Fold in half right sides together, and stitch across one narrow and the long edges. Turn right side out using a knitting needle or tie turner.

5. Pin ties (unstitched ends) 1/4 of the way across the narrow edge at one end, inside the turned down edges and sew along the seam allowance. Turn down the edges on the final end and sew down seam allowances.

6. Using a quilters guide, stitch along the flaps at 3cm (1.25 inch) intervals to form pockets for your bobbins (or pencils).


Hope these instructions are clear...if not, please let me know, and I will try to clarify any sticky bits :)

Students, motifs and glass

First of all I want to share some of my students work!

This is going to be a curtain for a dolls house and is the first project outside a few small samplers.

You can see the first spider...a fete that was more pleasing than my friend at the front door (for some)!!

One of the other ladies completed this flower from Rosemary Shepherd's Fantasy Flowers book. It is a gift for a young friend of hers, and she was completely delighted with the completed article...now she is well into one for herself!

25 Motif Challenge number 8...ok it may be better if I blocked it properly...

Number 9 - I like this one, but I was intending to put the trefoils in the corners?!?

Number 10 - I like this one even more - but I was still aiming to have the trefoils in the corner!!??!!

Number 11 - with the trefoils in the corner - yay...but maybe another round is needed?

And number 12 - I love this one, despite the mistake (or mistakes?) in the bottom right corner.

Actually I intended to join the chain as I did here, but did the next 2 wrong and liked that better. Completed with the same join, it would be more square and even better, I did it with split chains so no sewing threads in each round :))))))))))

The next few pics are a selection from the next firing of beads. Not all are included, but I think I am making some progress! There have been 2 breakages, both of which were delightful beads, so now the challenge is to remake them!!

These first are made with dark fossil - a mixed colour rod - and I really like the effect.

A selection of lady bugs in different red (and blue) glasses. D(Step)S loves the transparent red one on the top right. Quite a compliment from a 17 year old!
Next, some blue lavender transparents with trailing decoration. I found this easier than using stringers and fun to do.

Finally, I have saved the best til last!

I love this cute little turtle...hope you do too!

If you are still here, thanks for reading this rather looonnnggggg post!! Hope you have enjoyed :)

Til next time, stay safe and enjoy the best things in life - lace, friends and sunshine!