Starts and finishes

Here are the bobbins from Christmas time, finally spangled and ready to use.

The first pair are handmade, with a beaded ring, next are the 10th anniversary Gumnut bobbins, next, my Christmas gift to me from Acorn Bobbins and the final 3 pairs are the last of my bobbin of the month plain bone bobbins from Acorn Bobbins.

 Here is my latest project, coming along very nicely.  The bobbins are all my beginners, some painted, some stained, some with thread wrapping and some are left plain.  the thread is 60/2 linen with a splash of 40/2 linen colour and the pattern is from Torchon Lace by Else Marie Bjerregaard.  It will be a house warming gift for Colin's son and daughter in law when finished.

 Here is my completed hardanger setting...hmmmm just noticed the camera date is still out - I took the pictures today!  Although it has been finished for a while now, just had to get the camera out.

 This is what the table will look like when I find a night without the boarders to have our romantic meal...thinking roast lamb with fresh garden beans, cauliflower and carrots and roasted potatoes, with my self saucing chocolate pudding and ice cream for dessert....All Colin's favourites LOL

Last night I finally got my tatting box out and sorted through the knots, threads, bits of tatting and jumble of shuttles.  I think it is time to get a couple of PHDs out and start tatting again!

 

I hope 2015 is everything you wish it to be, and look forward to hearing from my blogging friends often :)



tatting for a cause

On the 15th of August my world fell apart when my partner was diagnosed with eosophagus cancer.

I have made very little lace, although I have a collar to show when I get around to downloading the camera and the doll length is slowly growing.

In the meantime, while waiting for treatments at the hospital, I tried tatting.  At first I tried to continue a doily I was working on when this all started, but although the pattern was simple enough, the task was just too much.

I dug out this stumpy pattern...I will have to find the link for you as it is not my design. It is quick and simple and I can manage almost a full bookmark at each treatment session.  I have found that each time a patient, carer or staff member smiles in grateful thanks, I feel just that little bit better and can return the smile.  I have already given away a full ball of verigated yellow stumpies.

Tomorrow is the last chemo treatment, but in a little over 3 weeks, Colin has to undergo a major surgery.  I have asked if I can continue to make the bookmarks and the reception ladies will distribute the bookmarks for me.  They think it is a great idea! 

75 Motifs in less than 3 years!!

Number 22 is a little round-tuit.

Number 23 is a nice mix of open and filled spaces.

Number 24 is not quite what I was after, but could be tweeked.

Number 25 is a tatted take on a crochet granny square...maybe need the colours to see it, but that was the inspiration.

so there you have it...25 motifs of my own designs..the 3rd in less than 3 years! When I started this one, I thought I was crazy!!

I will post all 25 motifs over the weekend and find the most popular 15 of the collection to write up and publish.

BTW, I completed the last corner of my Bucks hankie today...only 7 more "hills" to go!!

Cheers for now, lace day tomorrow so watch this space come Sunday :)

A frog and wire.

One of my bobbin lace students collects frogs. The pattern has elluded me once again - I found it this afternoon with the frog hiding inside after searching for the past 5 weeks!!

He is made from Milford Mercer thread in size 20 - colours ombre green (the verigated and much nicer in real life) and holiday green.

Again the scan is not great but this wire lace piece is THE pattern that attracted me to wire in the first place. One of our local lace makers had a copper coloured piece mounted on black velvet as a choker and it looks stunning.

I intend to mount this on velvet too, but wore it at the Tasmanian Craft and Quilt Fair last weekend in my hair - alice band style. The pattern is from Barbara Underwood's Bedfordshire Lace in 20 Lessons book.

Short and sweet this weekend. Lots happening but not much to share yet.

Hugs til next time, til then, I look forward to hearing what you think. Stay safe and have fun :)

More of my 25 motifs

Number 17...a little celtic twist.

Number 18...
Number 19 (just a note...looks great in 2 colours, but I'm afraid you will have to wait to see that)
I like the josephine knots, but have not found a lot of patterns using them.

Number 20...not sure about this one, but it also has not worked as I had in mind...may have another go at the idea and see what happens.

And number 21. This is done in a single round and has an interesting twist.

There has been many things on the go this past few weeks. Some will be able to be shared later on, but for now, please enjoy the rare offerings I can show you. Don't forget to share your thoughts before you go...your support is always appreciated.

Happy lace making and warmest regards from cold, cold Northern Tasmania.

Tatting about

I cannot share my bobbin lace projects at the moment, suffice it to say there has been lots and there will be something worth waiting for soon :)

Meanwhile, I have been doing a little bit of tatting in the truck this last week or so.

Motif number 13 for the 25 motif challenge is not one of my favorites, but here it is anyhow.

Here is motif 14 - I like this one :)
Number 15 is simple, and probably my favorite from this batch.

Number 16 is kinda cute too.

All the motifs so far have been made with DMC cordonnet special 20 shade 554.

When I have finished the 25, I am planning to pick the best 15 to write up the patterns and put together in a booklet. Have you picked your favorite yet?

Finally, I have completed 4 dragon wing doilies by Anne Bruvold. You can find the pattern here.

I usually make large doilies, but these will make fantastic coasters for my SIL.

I will try to take pics of the 2 larger crotcheted blankets for the next post for Kathy and there will be some more glass to share too.

Until then, thanks for visiting, don't forget to say hi before you go and I hope your days are filled with lots of love, lace and laughter...take good care :)

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!

Just tatting about

This batch of tatting designs cannot even claim to be in my head...more in my hands.

What I mean is I had no clear thought of what I wanted to do.

I just tat!

25 motif challenge piece number 5 - kinda cute, but I think I was aiming for square.

Here is number 6 - I LOVE this one!! I can see it joined to create a solid area or just by the corners to create a checker board effect, fine thread for a shawl or heavy thread for a bed cover...A very pleasing morning's work!!
This is piece number 7 - it has taken 3 days, and like the others it has "just happened".

I did sit the middle on a serviette and doodle, but discarded the numerous designs that emerged from that exercise.

It needs blocking, and I think it is sweet, but I really don't want to make a whole tablecloth from this design.


Please enjoy...and let me know what you think.

Warmest of regards,

Cotton, glass and wire

Here goes 25 motif challenge number 3!!

I thought about making 25 coasters...there are some gorgeous patterns out there in blogland and beyond!

But...I was reminded of my design tat course this week, and my ambition to make a tablecloth or bedspread in tatting, so I have decided to see if I can design 25 motifs this coming year, then choose 1 of them (or maybe more) to start work on that tablecloth or bedspread!

2 days in the truck and here is the start to my new challenge...

Number 1...I do like this one :)

Number 2...not like the drawing, and the spokes need to be a touch longer to make it sit right, but passable I think?

Number 3 is no closer to the drawing, but I kinda like it too :)

Number 4 come about from a piece that I cut off, then played with. I think this one might join nicely, and allow for some more experimenting in that process to create some lighter areas to balance the dense rings...

Tomorrow, I plan on playing with the glass again! Some serious trolling of the internet has my head bursting with ideas to try out. Most of them will have to wait until I have a bit more experience, but I have a few ideas ready to go now.

Here is a necklace I have put together as a Christmas gift.The next two pics have not scanned so well, but you can get the idea!

Here are the final 10 Christmas tree decorations to go with my cards. You cannot see it very well, but I used 2 colours in each plait, and the 'real life' effect is quite pretty.

Finally, the last of the necklaces for Christmas! I love the black/silver colour combination, but I had soooo much trouble with breaking wire in this project, and there is a leaf missing - it fell out when I pulled the pins and I decided not to remake the section!

I am thinking the tension was in me, as the same wire was used in the pieces above and I didn't break a single wire then.

Sorry about the pic quality - I might take a real photo tomorrow!

That is long enough for now...thanks for reading on :)

Don't forget to let me know what you think before you go.

Christmas hugs for all in this busy final week of crazy!

Bobbins, shutles and flames

I really have been busy this week!

I have completed another 10 pages of FIL's Christmas scrapbook...may show you highlights later!

Work and lace classes have beeen full steam ahead (not that I have been getting much lace done there...:)

But evenings have had a little lace content...

Here is the wire lace butterfly I am making for a friend...I want 3 in total.

The design is by Lenka Suchanek.

This bobbin lace hankie is also a Christmas gift...I think I am safe to show you here :)

The design is redrawn from Rosemary Shepherd's Intro to Bobbin Lace book and completed in Perle 8 thread - feels like rope after recent efforts, but the effect is nice.

Next for the shuttles...
2 more installments of Stumpy...the left in my favorite thread for tatting - Lizbeth 20, colour shell, the right in the perle 8 again. These are 25 motif challenge number 21 and 22!

This gorgeous design comes up on Gumnuts occassionally! I finally give it a go and love it!
I can't find the link at the moment, but will wrestle this infernal machine later this evening when the daylight in the shed is not calling so strongly!
The left one is perle 8 and the right Lizbeth 20 threads and tallies 23 and 24 in the 25 motif challenge....just 1 to go!!!!

Yesterday I had my other glass making class! It seemed a looonnnggggg wait between Saturdays, but now I have to wait until May next year!!!

I made 2 beads, some twisties and lots of stringers in class, but there were a few other things demonstrated by the teacher, so I just had to come home and get my workstation organised!

Here are my beads...left to right...made with a twistie at home (love the christmas colours but the green did not do as I thought it would - like the effect anyhow, especially on this second attempt), the original first bead from last week, the first try with the twistie (made in class), the first attempt at adding dots (also made in class), my first attempt at swirling the dots (love this bead!!) and another go at dots made at home.

And the other side of the above!

Finally, I made a twistie at home with more than 2 colours. This was great fun, and I think it is the technique that sounds like it should be a drink first thing in the morning, but I will have to look up the name, and check it first.

Now all I have to do is put my boots on and I can go and play some more! today I want to try a couple of other techniques from class, and make some smaller beads so that I can begin spangling some bobbins with my new beads.

The wire lace is also on the agenda and then some scrapbooking...

Thanks for reading my loonnnggggg post...catch up soon, and don't forget to let me know what you think :)

First, I have some wire lace bits.

These are designed by Britt of stitchety grub fame.

The larger design is the main pendant and the smaller is supposed to be the earrings, but I like it as a pendant too.

With the arrival of new colours in the wire today, I can't wait to play :)

Next, I have some more tatted bookmarks.

Bookmark number 18 in the 25 motif challenge is one I have been working on for some time. After starting Sharon's design class, I started experimenting and here is one of the results...I am not entirely happy with it, but there may be a pretty good basic idea hiding in here...somewhere!

Number 19 and 20 are more stumpy's.

Like Diane from lace lovin' librarian, I love this design and have been using up those little bits of thread that are not enough to make something with...I messed up with the one on the right and had to change threads half way through so will probably keep it myself, but I kinda like the effect anyhow.

I will post again over the weekend...I have a pic of my finished Withof pieces and have been busy with some quilting projects. Thanks for letting me share, hope you have found something of interest :)

Hugs for now.