I do not do sewing!!!

...but I put this quilt top together in less than 7 hours, and I love it!!  It will be for my 2nd grandson when he moves into a "big bed" around Christmas time :)

I also made this cute little bag at craft last night.  It has ducky little pockets under the flap, so it will be ideal for bobbins, thread and bits and pieces for lace making :)

 Now for some lace...

How about...

this gorgeous gift box that I found in a local el cheapo shop this morning...this is a small one and they come in 7 or 8 different sizes and 2 different colours...I liked this colour as it would show up better in a picture :)

Now I just need an excuse to use it...

 Not real lace?  How about these...

Gumlace had a tatted bookmark exchange.  Here is the lovely bookmark I received...I will share the "surprise" component of this gift in my next post...(I didn't take any pics of it before the camera decided to call it a day...)

 This bookmark was my gift from England as part of the Arachne bookmark exchange. See my  contributions 2 posts down :)

I just love morning glories!!! 

 What about my lace, I hear you ask?!?

Well, yes, I have been crossing and twisting in between tatting and teaching :)

The bookmark on the left is almost the same as the exchange bookmark mentioned above...this time in Brok 100/3 and with a compound spider variation. 

The bookmark on the right is made from leftover pipers silk 140/2.  The pattern is from 'Tradition Into Creation' by Jacqui Barber.

I will share the tatting soon, when I block it out...I hate blocking!! 

Finally, from my little fisher friend and I, happy lace making :)

We look forward to hearing from you until I post again soon :)

Time to share a little

I have been working on Stage 1 of my Teaching Proficiency in torchon lace.

This week, I learned that I have passed :)

Here is a sneak peek at 2 of the projects in that folio.

This Thai Silk scarf was made with almost 200 bobbins. The pattern has been adapted from an oval doily centre.

Here is a close up of the pattern. I have not yet taken a pic of the finished scarf, but I will.

A couple of years ago, I participated in a secret pal exchange. This Oliver Twist thread and hankie fabric were part of my parcels. I played with Lace RX-P to come up with the design, then found that it had been published in Robin Lewis' 101 Torchon patterns.

And the pattern close up...

I really enjoyed these projects, and look forward to the next chapter :)

Have lots more to post, but need to take some pics and get organised!!

Hmmmmmm......I will get there!!
Meanwhile...thanks for dropping by. See you soon :)

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.