Lace Class

One of the things I enjoy doing but don't have much time for is making bobbin lace. It's a very slow, methodical process. If you're really good, you can do about a square inch an hour especially if it's an intricate design.

Our local guild brings a teacher in from California about every other year to teach us. For the last several years we've been doing Milanese lace which means we've been making little motifs, etc. I did frame my moon and it's hanging in my studio.

 

Some of our laces are so creative. Carolyn has been working on a crazy quilt for several years and brought some of it to show us. Her first project was this picture which includes snapshots of her family. It's a big piece too and was her first real crazy quilt project. Hope mine looks half that good when I"m done with it....if it ever gets beyond the planning stage!

 Here are just a couple of the pieces she has done for her quilt. It's going to be at least a double size and she's been trying to make one square a week. It doesn't always work that way but she's well on her way to getting hers made. Each square is a work of art in its own way.

 Here's the obligatory class photo with Louise Colgan in the front, kind of to the left. She is one patient lady who never sits down during class but goes from one student to the next helping, directing, making them take things out to do it right, etc. Once she's gone by everyone's pillow, she starts again.

 I took some pictures of projects that were being done. There were 4 different projects chosen for the class. This will be a necklace. Mary still has her pins positioning the beads in the middle but it's almost done. Took her 3 days to do it but it's finished, just have to trim the threads. Instead of a necklace, she plans to sew it onto a tshirt. It's a fairly simple pattern but she was using metallic threads in it and that's always tricky.

 This will be a dogwood. Carolyn's done 2 petals of the flower and begun the leaves. I  haven't made this one yet but seeing how it is made, I'm tempted!

 Here's the beginning of a seahorse. Erin couldn't come to the first 2 days of class but made up for it on the last day. She's got the head started. Lots of pink in this project. Her pillow is even pink!!

 Here's mine. I spent 3 days working long and hard, bent over my pillow and just got the main part of the flower done. I still have to sew the threads to the beginning of the flower but once that's done, I can start on the stem. After that each leaf, then finish up the center of the flower (in yellow) and braids inside each petal. Then I'm done!! Eventually, it'll get framed. With my track record, it'll be at least 2 years before I get this done since I don't work on this, except at our lace meetings.

 Louise brought a book of samples of her lace. In one of them was this sample: teapot and teacup. I want to make it! It's absolutely gorgeous. I don't think it would be too difficult. I know how to make most of the braids and can see how it was made. I hope she works out the work pattern before we have another class so we can ask to do it. Actually, it would be 2 classes I suspect.

That was my weekend! I have ummm, several pillows with projects almost done on them. I hope to finish them in the next while as well. Taking this class was a refresher on finishing them. Because I don't make much lace, I forget how to do certain stitches. Now with the refresher course, I need to find some time to get that little hedgehog finished, second seahorse, done.....
However, this week, I'm going to try to get as much weaving done as I can. I'm almost done with the warp on the loom, a warp is already wound on the warping board and hopefully I'll get into the rhythm of production again!!
Until next week, weave on!
Carol