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



Just a little lace

First I would like to share some bookmarks I have made for the Arachne email ring exchange.  

I love taking part in these exchanges and will take some pics of my received bookmarks for next post.

This is Louise Colgan's hummingbird.  

I intended to take part in her workshop last year, but didn't make it.

I still want to work the workshop piece, but this Milanese tape will do for starters.

I think I will sew it on to a black shirt when I get some time :) 

My next doll is making progress...the week before last I finished the skirt...

And last week I added the bodice...

 Tomorrow I will add the arms and she will be ready for the first firing.

 Meanwhile, my friend has finished the doll she made with the lace I designed and helped her make.

Enough for now...off to read up on Porcelain doll making for ideas for the next doll....

The next project day 2

Well day 2 of the next stage anyhow...

Having spent 12 months making the lace as can be seen in earlier blogs, 3 meters has been attained and the work begins...

Day 1 was spent cleaning up the seam lines, adding the breather holes and generally preparing the skirt mould.  This one is a little different to the first, and I found it a little tricky to attach the lace, particularly the 'petticoat' layer of narrow lace.

Now the pirouette!

 

 I have put a makeup applicator next to the doll here to give some indication to her size...she will shrink to about 1/3 once she has had the 2 hot fires.  The sponge is used to pounce the wet porcelain into the lace.

Finally for today...I love the colours of Autumn...this pic was taken in the park near the Tamar Yacht Basin at Royal Park.  This is a popular place for locals and tourists alike with a 10 km boardwalk from here on the eastern bank to another popular park on the western bank.  There are several branches off the walk into the Gorge and city center and is popular also with the dog owners and sporties with playing fields and parklands and foodies with restaurants and bars in the precinct.

More lace next time...

A day of finishes

Yesterday, I really did make some progress.

A stint in the shed was not successful, but answers have been found (I hope)

The yellow silk scarf is now 6 pins past half way!

And Bella is complete - for my part at least!

 She will be fired today, and  I can bring her home next week...

I must admit if 'first times' all come up like this, there would be even more crafts in my box!!

I have been playing with more cross stitch of an evening...trying to clear my box full of kits, bought many years ago, before lace!

This one was a 2 part deal, but I have no intention of doing the second one.

Maybe I can find someone who would like to work it :)

It is a Dimensions kit, called the Star Gazer.

This is the 2nd wizard I have worked and there are 2 or 3 to go...one day!

My next sewing project is a baby dragon in the garden in stump work!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums, 

and to everyone else - have a lovely day too :)

Updating...

First of all, 'Bella' fired beautifully!

I could not believe how long it took to add these small amounts of paint...back to the kiln, then the finishing touches...

...highlight the lips, finish the fingernails and eyes and tone the hair...I honestly do NOT spend this much time tizzing me ...Maybe that is the problem?!?!?LOL

 Next week, I may just get to start on the doll with my handmade lace!

At around 4.30 pm on WEDNESDAY afternoon, we had a mother of all hail storms across Launceston.  Colin was lucky...the storm hit while he was shopping, but he did have to drive home in the aftermath!

This picture was taken outside one of our stops at 8.30 AM THURSDAY morning!

The garden in the side street looked gorgeous - as if it had been snowing - but I did not take a photo. 

Then the garden in the area where we worked looked appealing, but alas, I did not take a photo.

As we were leaving, we spied this scene...I had to take a photo!  Note the garden edge too...It has NOT snowed in Launceston for at least 30 years, so this really is a rare sight.  Besides, our 'snow season' (in the nearby mountains) is usually August/September!

 Finally, I am working on a quick little project for our State Lace Guild AGM...the committee has challenged members to make a flower for a display - we are hoping there will be some "spares" to share with past members, giving everyone a pretty, lasting reminder of the event.

I have finally made a start on mine...Miss Sox is overseeing the project!

 "I'm not touching it, honest Mum!"

I think it is time to rejoin Miss Sox...at least it is warm there!!

Hugs and loads of lovely lace making time to you, my bloggy friends :)

WIPs

A quick look at what is happening...

Porcelain doll week 4...

 The horseshoe finished...sorry about the quality of the pic...I might try for a better one tomorrow or the next day...

 My handspun using my own bobbins and beads...the next update for this one will be September :)

 The silk scarf...

Time for bed now...work for next few days...

Hugs my friends...

Mediums

My first porcelain doll is progressing nicely.

The skirt layers are finished, and the bodice is in progress.

 From the front...

 This weekend, she will get the lace on her front and some arms, then into the kiln...ohhhhh HELP!!!!

A friend is getting married at the end of the month, so I thought I had better get busy, besides, what better excuse to play with some wire!!

The pattern is from Christine Springett's Lace for Children of All Ages.

All that is left now is to 'doll it up' with some flowers, so I will share again soon.

Love and hugs,

Hello Friends

I can't believe my last post was in January and now it is March!?!?

Where has this year gone already???

 These 2 pics are of my silk scarf...a gift for my soon to be sister-in-law. 

The pattern is from Neue Kloppelideen Fur Torchonspitzen...

now 5 reapeats down (2 repeats shown here), only 9 or so to go :)

 These fillet lace mats were worked by a friend.  We intended to travel to the National AGM week together until Colin's health scare.  Sue still went and had the best time.  Now she has finished her 2 pieces of fillet lace, she is gearing up to go to this year's AGM too!!

 In all the excitement this past 8 months, I forgot that Gracie would need a lacey bonnet.  2 weeks before the Christening, the penny dropped.  This pretty but plain edging is from Lace For Ten Pairs.  It made it to the christening on time, but unfortunately there is no photo of the finished bonnet because Gracie did not wear it on the day...

 Finally, I only have 2 inches of lace to make for the doll...I have previously posted about the lace...

It is time to make the practice doll, so at the end of lesson 1...

 And lesson 2...

It will be a few weeks before I can return, but I am really looking forward to the next lesson...final layer of skirt, prepare the bodice and head, then into the kiln she will go!!

It is going to be a year to remember...We are finally getting married in September YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!

(So please forgive my posting tardiness...I will try my best to drop by at every opportunity as I love seeing what my blogging friends are up to too)

hugs, health and happiness to you...