TA-DA! One needlelace egg completed!

In truth, I should have stitched a buttonhole cordonnette all around the outside but I don't really like those big bulky edges. I should have done it anyway.

Instead, I took it off the background (not my best idea) so that I could crochet around it instead. It does have a nice scalloped frame now but I should have done the buttonhole in black and THEN cut it from the backing and crocheted the scallop to the buttonholing.

Next time.

I'm quite happy with the stitching though, or at least the tension, especially with the top two colors. I needed to break up the bottom a bit and I think that threw off the consistency there, but it's still pretty. I have no idea what to do with it!

No embroidery today. I just didn't get to it but I think I needed a break from it anyway. Those last stitchings are not my best work.

Well, another fun weekend put away. Looking for a wonderful week ahead!

I thought I had posted the final piece here but it was on Needle Lace Talk, the Ning group that is hosting this resource. Since Ning has taken away free hosting and requires payment, I was waiting to see where the group would end up before putting it in my links.

I finished this Thursday evening and then soaked it in OxyClean and blocked it. I guess it's not bad for a first piece but I see so many places to improve. My favorite parts visually are the first square in corded brussels and the bars with opposite buttonhole stitch. I forget what it is called now. Those were pretty much tatting stitches made with a needle - not like needle tatting, but using a needle as a shuttle and the bars were the core thread. You make the stitches on one side, far enough apart that when you go to the opposite side and make the same stitches, you are fitting them between the stitches from the first side.

I realized when I was done that this was the equivalent of more than a few leaves that I had originally couched down. I'm getting ready to do the leaf next. I'll be doing some color play on that one. I want "shading" so the bottom of the leaf will be in darker colors and denser fillings while the tip and top of the leaf will be in lighter colors and looser fillings. Anyway...that's my plan.

I'm going to make up another sampler pattern of perhaps 9 squares, 3 across and down, with spaces between. I think this one will be more for practicing new stitches and I will make the square smaller. The bookmark squares were all at least 1 1/2" wide or wider and most were more than 1" tall and some were taller than they were wide. I also want to try one with curved shapes, like the leaf bookmark that Lenore offered from her past doodles. Those are all practices though.

For regular projects, I'm doing the leaf as I said, and then I want to do some simple petals that I saw in another project which end up being a flower. I haven't liked any of the other flowers I've seen so far.

After the leaf though, I will probably work on some RPL for another commitment and maybe some crocheted lace. Oh...and I have a bobbinlace class in June, so you'll see that one here too!

Needlelace - I've always wanted to do it but found the various instructions I came across confusing. They were almost always from the early to mid-1900's and the photos were black and white or drawings. There were a few online sites with tutorials but to have an ongoing conversation with anyone knowledgeble seemed out of reach.

Recently a new group was started on the Ning community and I joined without hesitation. I didn't really have time to do much more than read the discussions at first but I did decide which pattern I wanted to start with.

And then changed my mind.

After reading all the discussion, I decided I should start with a bookmark sampler. I haven't done much stitching along this line for quite awhile and needed a refresher. As it turns out, all the stuff before you even get to the stitching is important.

The pattern is by Lorelei Terry Halley. There were several to pick from, some by members and some from expired copyright publications. This one seemed good to practice on. I actually ended up couching the trace or outline threads a second time. The first time, I was just going around the outside and thought I would add in the bars later, but then I realized that would add bulk so I moved a single thread inside for the cross bars, which doubles it coming back so I had the 2 threads couched in one move, and then when I came down the other long side, I just pulled the thread through the end of the short bar. Anyway, I hope I did or it will come apart!

Finally I had some time to do some stitching. All of the filling stitches are attached to the outer "trace" threads. The segment at the top is called a "detached buttonhole with straight return, open form". BTW, the buttonhole stitch is the basis of most filling stitches.

The second segment is the Single Brussels stitch, which is basically just a loose buttonhole stitch. As you can see, my tension and spacing is horrid!

Here's another try at the Single Brussels stitch in the 3rd segment. Better...but still crying out for practice! My needle finger is getting tender so I'll have to wait to do anymore.

This was my first choice for a pattern but since I have a use for this in mind, it seemed prudent to practice on something else. I'm anxious to get to the leaf, but I'll be glad I waited.