Gifts

Now that certain things have been gifted, I can finally show pics of what I've been working on for the past month or sew (heehee, a little sewing humor . . . )

Bobbin lace bookmarks - I forgot to take a picture of this pink one when it was finished. Bummer too; it was one of the best I've done so far. The rest of the gifted bookmarks are here.

Cloth project bags, 

with boxed corners,

  

lined interior, and six little outside pockets

  

similar to the prototype I made for myself -

 

along with little mice pincushions, in fabric that matches the bags. 

These turned out to be a big pain in the ass backside to make, but they're so cute, it was almost worth it. 

Rainy Day

The perfect rainy day - fire in the fireplace.

 New lace on the pillow - and time enough to take some artsy pix 

 of my current favorite thing.
 

Life is very, very good.

Enabling

I taught my first bobbin lace 'class' tonight and my one and only student got it on the first try.

Even better - she loves lacing! She's so hooked, she's already bought a lace pillow from another friend and is arranging to take more formal classes. I love spreading the addiction.

I also finished my latest piece tonight - This pattern was tricky at first, but by the end I really felt I understood what was going on. 
Next up: getting Vickie and Ellen hooked on bobbin lace too . . . . . .

Bookmarks

I've spent more time on bobbin lace than crochet lately. Used to be, when I'd sit down at night to watch the teevee, I'd pull out a hook and yarn. Now I pull over a pillow and bobbins.

I reworked the same bookmark pattern in different colors, trying to improve my technique.I inadvertently 'practiced' different stitch combos too; the pattern called for half-stitch ground (the open area around the center 'trails') as in this marker - 
But in the first two I did, I used cloth or linen stitch ground (same stitch, different names; adds to the confusion that is bobbin lacing.) Notice how the red bookmark is more open?Now I have samples of both grounds to refer back to, so I'm calling this a 'design decision' not a mistake. 

I also learned there's a reason to buy better quality, more expensive thread. The plies in the red thread, from Michael's, un-plied themselves as I worked. The Precensia #8 perle cotton from Thread Garden was much higher quality; no unwinding problem there, plus the colors are gorgeous.
Nosy cat added for scale.

I still need to figure out a finishing treatment for the ends. Not happy with my braiding technique (blue); not sure I like the look of knotting and leaving the ends loose (orange and red); or knotting and cutting off the fringe (pink/green). Anybody have a preference or opinion?  

Live! With Vogue Knitting

We knew we were in the right place when we found the yarn-bombing.By the time we got there at 10:30, an hour and a half after the Vogue Knitting Live! doors opened, the marketplace was swamped, with shoppers crowding into every vendor stall.By the time we left 8 hours later - taking only an hour out for lunch (BJ's Brewhouse, fantastic!) 
and another 45 minutes for the lecture on antique knitting by Franklin Habit (very interesting, funny talk; very bad cell-phone pix) -we were sore-footed but very happy.And when I got home? Hubby had gotten me the best present of the day, even better than the huge stack of quilting fabric my buddy had gifted me that morning -

 a 5-power, LED lighted, magnetic-base magnifier for my bobbin lace.
It's intended for woodcrafters, but it will work just fine for my purposes.
Hooray! Now I'll be able to see the butterfly's teeny-tiny tatting threads!

Bobbin Lace

I didn't get much bobbin lace done over the summer - my teacher was on vacation in Denmark and Norway - but since we got returned from Colorado in mid-August, I've gotten back into it with a vengeance.

Last night I finished a new pattern that I worked completely on my own, beginning to end.  I love the twisty, curvy lines of the 'trails'. 

There are a few areas that could be improved on (not 'mistakes'; they are 'design decisions') so I've started another of the same pattern.

It's a bit hard to see the two different shades of orange. Hopefully, they will be more distinct when this is finished. 

I also started a new project in class last Monday. I didn't realize I'd used the same colors until I looked at these photos.

This one is more complicated, with no written instructions, just the pattern symbols (which can have multiple meanings) and verbal directions from my instructor. That makes it tougher for me when I get confused or start a new section, since I need to wait for the next class to get clarification. Or I could add another bobbin lace class to my schedule. 

Guess which option I took? You got it - I'm starting a second class on Tuesday mornings at the Scandinavian Center in Thousand Oaks. I think I may be hooked on this stuff.  

Happy Girls

Naia is happy because I figured out a way to make her a t-shirt dress, just like the little girls'.

I took one of my medium t-shirts, added a pieced together skirt (my fabric was 44" wide and I needed 60") and voila! She loves it and I think she looks great.  (The dress is sleeveless; she has it on over a t-shirt and jean shorts.)

The cats are happy because I obviously put all this fabric out just for their lounging pleasure. AJ made herself a little nest, 

  while Lily just wanted to wrestle it into submission.

Joann's Fabric is happy because I've been in there at least every other day since I got my new sewing machine. Sunday's excursion netted me a new pair of Ginger scissors (40% off!), 2 jelly rolls to make a quilt (my real reason for going to J's in the first place), and a kit to make this quilted bag - 

complete with inside pocket

and some of the ugliest fabric I've ever seen. But the way to improve your skills is to practice, right? And the kit, including fabric, was on clearance for $7.97.

At that price, who cares if it's ugly!
 
The other thing that made me happy was getting my bobbin lace supplies organized. Thanks to the generosity of ex-lacer friends, I've outgrown my little carry bag. A quick trip to Harbor Freight, where this beauty was less than $18  (Joann's wanted $45 for something similar) - 

and I had all my bobbins, thread and tools in their new home.

 

And had time to start a new lace project.

 As Leia would say, I happy me.

Gettin' Stuff Done

Got to spend the entire day crafting. The little girls were visiting friends, hubby went to see an Impressionist exhibit in Santa Barbara and I had the house all to myself - except for the kitties, who of course decided they needed to be right. in. the. middle. of whatever I was doing. Despite the 4-legged assistance, I finished four baby blankets - two fleece with turned hems and two cotton, one with turned hem and the other with satin binding. The cotton blankets (top 2 in the photo) are going to a new home soon; pictures of them once they're gifted.

The Tunisian version of the Helix is half done - and I still love it. Not always the case when I'm flying by the seat of my pants, design-wise.

And my favorite - I finished my first, bigger-than-a-bookmark bobbin lace project last night. Planning to sew this onto a shirt, so the unfinished edge at the top will be inside a seam. Really pleased with how it turned out and can't wait to start a new piece.