Gifties and Lace

The title is a slight misnomer as the first photo is part of the last lesson in my Color Theory Course I'm taking through StitchMAP a Yahoo group I belong to. I still haven't been able to add the "button" so you can visit and possibly join this fantastic group, but you can find it by searching Yahoo groups. But I slightly digress .....

For our last class exercise we were told to create our own color schemes in two ways. The first was to use a picture we like and collect items to make a design in that color scheme. Well, the photo I chose isn't a photo at all, but the booklet cover for a round robin sampler I'm involved in on another group. The threads I've chosen here are not the threads I'll be using on the sampler as I've chosen for that some over-dyed flosses and some Ginnie Thompson Flower Threads in these colors. When my work on the sampler is completed I'll share a photo here, but, alas, I've not started the stitching as I've not decided the design I'll be using.

The second photo is the second part of my lesson exercise. Here I had to collect items to use in a "Make Do With What You Have" color scheme. I had to laugh at this part of the exercise which was really very easy for me as most of what I do in my crazy quilting is to "Make Do With What I Have".

The focus fabric for this grouping (far left) has a mottled look and looks very much like a "dyeing experiment". It isn't, but was in a box of scraps given to me by a very special friend of long standing who has since passed away. Since this photo was made I have added dark and medium aqua threads to this mix. I'm not sure what I'll do with this grouping yet but will be putting these items into a gallon size zip-lock baggie for just when the "aha" moment strikes.

Now for the "Gifties"!

Just last week I celebrated my birthday and in my StitchMAP group we have birthday friends. My birthday friend, Amber, was most generous. This photo shows the top of a treasure box that she exquisitely embroidered. I just sat and stared in awe at her stitching. Isn't it gorgeous!!!!!

Then I opened the box ....... look what was inside! Now I didn't include the tiny zip-lock baggies she sent to hold the beautiful cameo "charms" (thats not really the word I want, but it will do) and the Dorset buttons she made with silk thread. The pink buttons are fabric covered with tiny embroidery and beads. I told Amber I'm almost tempted to make a pair of earrings out of the pink buttons so that I can really show off her delicate work. Amber coated the cameos with pearl nail polish which gives them a very special sheen.



Also in the box were two skeins of DMC floss and a very special stick pin with tea charms. Amber said she put that in just because she likes tea ..... well, Amber I, too, enjoy tea. In fact, while updating my blog I'm drinking my morning cup of green tea. The stick pin is just another "link" that ties two stitchers together. There was another item in my birthday gift bag ..... something I never would have known to look for, but already have plans to use. She included a 5 piece Diamond File Set. Again, Thank You Amber for being such a special Birthday Friend!

One of my vacation weeks (the other is in August) occurs the third week of June when I attend a bobbin lace event at Sweet Briar College near Lynchburg, Virginia. In order to have all my equipment ready for the week long class I had to finish up items on my pillow and then wind every bobbin I had with the correct thread which I ordered from my teacher for the class.

This next photo shows the two bookmarks I did in order to have an empty pillow. The bookmark on the left is done exactly as the directions my teacher gave me .... especially using the "ending" tassel she prefers. The book mark on the right is the same one with the "ending" tassel the pattern itself suggests.

I think I prefer the same tassel ending that my teacher does. It just seems to me to be a more polished finish.

The next photo shows my Lace Days piece in progress. It is not quite half done but is the result of about 40 hours of work. We had three pieces to "start" in our class. The class I attended was called "Starts and Finishes" and since I'm still a very relative beginner (just 2 years as a lace maker) I knew this would be a very good class for me. There were some lace makers in that class with 9 or more years of experience and they were able to "start" all three pieces. I can only concentrate on one piece at a time, but my local teacher will be able to help me work the other pieces. There were two of the ladies who actually finished this first piece and we all got to see how to make a beautiful "finish". The center is supposed to have a piece of linen sewn in, thus making a miniature hankie. To give you an idea of the size of this hankie, the linen is a 2 1/4" square. One of the exercises in this class was to look at a square pricking (what the patterns are called) and decide where to start. Something I hadn't had to do before as all the pieces I've laced up to this time either showed the "starting" place or my teacher pointed it out.

BTW I'll post a photo of the finished piece whenever .......

Making up for lost time in updating my blog (due to computer problems now hopefully resolved).

One Wednesday morning back in April while teaching a knitting/crochet class, a lady came in and asked if I knew anyone who would like to have her mother's tatting. She really wasn't interested and didn't just want to throw the items away. Since I also teach tatting I quickly said I'd love to have them!!!!!!!!!!!!
My other gifties ! The top shuttle is plastic without any markings and has a small pick. The aqua shuttle is celluloid and is at least 95 years old (I'm dating it from my grandmother's shuttle that I have which is 97 years old.

The bottom shuttle is also an antique and is made of gutta percha. I also have another of this type that I purchased. This is a byproduct of the rubber trees from the Phillipines and was used in making the black picture frames during the Victorian era. As you can see, all three shuttles have size 70 tatting thread loaded on them.

Then there was a bag of tatting ..... I've since washed and sorted this. Very basic tatting but often used around hankies or baby dresses, etc. Perfect pieces to use as seam embellishments for crazy quilting and some longer pieces for other items.


And then ......... the bag of tatting threads! Mostly size 70, but several balls of size 30. Many of the threads were varigated and quite a few were colors I didn't have. Lucky me!!!!!

Till next time enjoy blessings!