It's going to be a busy weekend so I'll post this now since I probably won't get back to it for a day or two. I'm going with two of my lace guild members to take a workshop with Pat Winter in dying fiber. They're doing ribbon and I'm doing thread. I hope to use some of that thread in my various laces.

This is what the bookmark sampler looks like right now. Once I get the fillings done in the narrow spaces, I'll be finishing the outline of it all. The usual finish is a buttonhole stitch all around but I really don't like that. I'd rather do the weaving back and forth but I think it will be too difficult to get at the trace threads so I'll do the usual buttonhole finish. I think it looks thick and detracts from the finer fillings but that's just my opinion and I have seen some that looked nice and sleek. Like everything, it takes practice. I'm pretty sure mine will look like crap though. LOL!

These are the last two square segments. The next to last one is the Triple Brussels Stitch. In the last square, I divided it into two triangles and worked my filling from the center out. The left side is Double Brussels and the right side is Triple Brussels. I worked the Triple a lot tighter in this segment than I did in the square above. I'm still playing with tension and spacing.

This is the first narrow space and I'm stitching interwoven bars. I saw lots of fancy stuff I would like to try but my brain was having trouble with one that didn't really look all that hard last night so I went fo the super simple bar! It's still hard to get the stitches even and snugged up nicely.

I like the corded brussels look so much more than single brussels and will likely use that much more. I need to find a smaller tapestry needle. I know I have them...I just have to remember where I stashed them all. I stole this one from a different project, a needleroll I'm embroidering and will show here eventually.

For tonight, I'll probably wind some more skeins for the workshop tomorrow and make sure I have everything ready to go. I had to catch up on mowing last night so didn't get much stitching done. I saw some eyecandy, some needlelace flowers that looked very easy to make, comparatively, so I will keep that in mind when I'm dying threads tomorrow. Then again, I've got odds and ends of thread all over that I need to use up, so I'm sure there will be a lot of variety in my projects!

I don't remember if I mentioned it but the trace threads are size 20 and the filling is in size 30. The size 30 is an old vintage thread which is why there is discoloration. I'll soak it in oxyclean when I'm done and if that doesn't help, if I feel a need to make it look nice, I'll just do a tea stain!

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.