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.

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!

I'll take this off my pillow sometime today and insert it in a clear glass globe. I'm excited about how it turned out!

This is a project I found for my lace group to do but Cathy K. is the one who reinterpreted it and made it possible. The class is at the next meeting. I met up with Cathy and another lace guild member, Sally, to do it ahead of time. The pattern is originally from Petra Behrends. I have the original pdf but can't find the online source that I got it from!

Here it is off the pillow! See how it spirals so nicely???

And now it's in the glass ornament.

Here he is! I decided to block him even though I don't typically see instructions for blocking RPL. I'm still looking for improvements.

Maybe less foot detail? Sometimes simpler is better. I might do the white version without feet and see what I think. I can always add them later. I will probably change up the filling stitch on the back above and below the arch. I still like the arch there. I won't be using the ruffly braid on the white version either although I like it. I'll be teaching the white version and I don't want it too complicated. Most of the members already have trouble doing the basic braid so to add a ruffly one in the mix might be too much for now. It can be something to work towards later.

Petie the Hedgehog is still not done. He needs two more feet and a nose. And it's really a WIP. I intend to make the traditional white one and hopefully, the filling stitches will work out better. I forgot that RPL is done from the back side and it's when you take it off the base that you see the finished motif. Since I've already got the ear and eye on the back side, I guess that's the finished version!

I used size 20 thread for the outline and size 70 for the filling. Maybe it's too big of a jump but I still like it.

Dorset & Grindle Buttons

In September, I'm presenting/teaching the program/class for my Lace Guild, recently renamed Lafayette Lacemakers, and it will be about Dorset Buttons. Dorset buttons were popular in the 1600's and 1700's as a cottage industry. They were typically made from the discs of the horns of Dorset Sheep. The technique evolved but with the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the 1800's, machine made buttons became cheaper and faster to make. The history and evolution is very interesting if you have time to research it.

The program will be about these buttons specially, the ones made on a ring, a plastic ring in this case, which is covered in the buttonhole stitch and then spokes are formed with thread which are then woven in needlelace stitches. I can't believe I didn't show these buttons made in early July on either of my blogs! This particular style is the easiest. Of course, the colors I've used here are not traditional but I was playing and I like color. I believe they were all done in finer tatting cotton.

One type of button, referred to as a "knob" button, used a wadded up piece of cloth which was then somehow glued into a small ball and then stitched over. I can't remember if it had a fabric circle over it first or not. I won't be teaching this method since there isn't enough time but I will show them samples and give them instructions they can follow up with on their own if they wish. I found a tutorial for a Grindle Button, a Dorset Button variation, by Kelly over at Mackin-Art. She graciously gave me permission to use her instructions.

I found a package of wooden discs at Hobby Lobby in the jewelry section. These are 1/2" wide. Once the button is finished, it looks much bigger.

I cut a circle of fabric and gathered it to fit over the disc. Initially, I tried to put a bit of fiberfill in there too but it was too much effort to keep it in place and sew up the gathered fabric.

Here's how the top looked. In my second button, I made sure the fabric was just a smidgen bigger and made sure it was really smooth and taut at the top.

Here's the underneath side. As you can see, all the raw edges show. I stitched over them at the end but it still wasn't my ideal finish.

I used size 8 perle cotton and made 8 spokes, securing them through the center hole. At first, I was doing my wrapping wrong. If the wrong side was going to show, it would have been right. Rather than go back and do it over, I just started where I was so then the end result was a flat sort of center top before you see the spokes forming. I'm sure variations like that happened all the time.

One suggestion was to make a buttonhole loop for the shank. I'm sure it would last forever but it took extra time and was fiddly.

My next button blank probably came from Hobby Lobby too, in the craft wood section, but it might have come from Michael's Crafts. These discs are 3/4" wide.

This time I cut the fabric circle larger, not just because it was a larger disc but to hopefully have the center meet in the back when gathered up. I didn't take a photo but it did look better. Again, I used size 8 perle cotton and this time I started the wrap at the very beginning so the spokes start a the center.

When I finished the back side, I used a brass split ring as a button shank. It looks better than the first button, largely because I learned from my mistakes the first time around. If I have time before the meeting, I may try out a few variations in the needlelace stitching that I've seen. I'd like to use a different kind of thread too.

By using appropriate colored fabric and thread, my lace guild members can make these buttons to embellish their costumes for the Feast of the Hunter's Moon, a reenactment of the French and Indians trading at the Fort every year. You have to dress in period correct attire to participate and since it took place in the 1700's, the buttons will be perfect.

Any further samples will probably be in bright colors too!

Update on RPL Hedgehog

I spent way more time this evening on a single filling than I needed to. I meant to scan this before I started the second filling and then forgot. The top filling is new for me and I'm not overly happy with the way it turned out. I'll leave it since I plan on doing more versions of this happy critter, mostly to have a sample of that particular filling stitch.

Tonight I stitched the center portion. I actually tried to do a feather stitch and it wasn't working out at all so I clipped it and started over. It's been so long since I've done an arch that I screwed up more than once, but again...I left it as a sample. The shape is what I was going after here.

I don't know yet how I'll do the bottom segment but I do know I'm going to do the entire face in ecru and in a denser stitch, probably the net stitch. I may go ahead and do that before the bottom segment which will give me more time to think about what I want to do there.

I might end up doing like I did with the bells, making several patterns to work on at once. It's helpful to have them all lined up and see what works and what doesn't. I haven't decided yet if I like it in the multicolor brown. I plan to do some in white and possibly some in a solid brown.

I'm using size 70 tatting thread for the filling and I'm wondering if that is too fine? I wanted the delicate-looking thread look but it's harder to work with. This one is very much the prototype!