Tuesday, November 22, 2011

RPL

If you read my blog in the past year, you may have seen the last version of this. I made up the pattern five times on one strip and then completed the needlelace bits one after the other. It went really fast. And they were so pretty - so I'm doing it again.

This one is a stocking from Romanian Point Lace, Christmas Ornaments, Book #1 by Sylvia Murariu. I've done the tree and the trumpeting angel in the past.

For the most part, I find it just as easy to make up my own patterns but Sylvia has lots of good stitches in her publications. I like how she did this stocking, incorporting the bow in the outline.

I'm a little irritated with myself for misplacing the Waller book on stitches. It wasn't very long ago that I had it. WHAT did I do with it? Replacement costs are atrocious and I know I didn't lose it. It's here somewhere.

So I'm taking a break from some of my other laces and working on this for a bit. Taking the bells with me to an evening with a lace friend, in fact, tonight.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

I got sidetracked this weekend while downsizing my fabric stash. This fabric has potential so I made a quick embroidery to see how it worked out. It needs to be damp-stretched but I also need to figure out exactly what I'm going to do with it. I think it will hold lavendar so I just need to figure out if it will be a cover bag or permanent bag. That means do I make it so that you can replace the sachet filling by making this a "pillowslip" for the bag or will it be stitched shut? I think the cover is more practical, allowing one to refresh the contents, but it does take more time to finish. So that's in the works to finish off.

I thought I had the embroidery marker on my light box when I traced this off but I realized quickly it was a permanent fine point sharpie so you can see the lines here and there and they won't ever go away. A sample for my eyes only! I need to make sure I change out pens on the light box!

I'm planning on taking Karen Ruane's wonderful embroidery class at the beginning of the year and sorted my fabrics out with that in mind. You'd think I'd spent a lifetime planning this with the white fabrics I have - a whole storage bin full, all textures and kinds. I'm really looking forward to it and have ideas brewing already!