Stitchety Grub Group Challenge

Hi

As promised here are pics of my Pantoran squares. I posted the first 3 stitches (1 month per stitch) in an earlier blog entry and here are stitches number 4 and 5. Just to recap - month 1- the first stitch was : Colonial Knot, the 2nd: Fly Stitch, 3rd: Sheaf Stitch, 4th (and pictured here as the scales of the fish) Wheatear Stitch (Mine is actually detached Wheatear stitch). Also pictured here is the 5th month: Thorn stitch incorporating a pressed metal medalion and sequin waste. (I have also done stitch no 6 which isn't due for 3 more weeks ...yes I got on with it fast! ...and I will post a pic of that one soon).

I am feeling very chuffed tonight as I had an email from the Australian Lace Guild NAC Committee to say that my Wire workshop at the Annual Cnoference at the end of September is a "goer" for all 4 days so I am doing the happy dance yay ... now have to get on and do the workshop notes! ooo er! also there are apparently a few vacancies for the Thursday/Friday one if anyone is interested! :-D

Willow Pattern Bobbin

Hi - I promised someone that I would pop a few pics of the willow pattern bobbin on here (from early 1990's!!) managed to find it in the 2nd bobbin case I looked in which was great as I would have had to go through at least 8!

You can click on the pics and they will enlarge. It was quite hard to photograph because of the flash and the satin varnish on the bobbin!!! :-D

But it will give you an idea :-D

Fluffy, Felty, Glittery Inchies!

Yay !I finally got around to loading on some pics which I took the week before last... I recently made some "Inchies" ... using a base of normal craft felt (in the top pic-on the right), I then ironed some bits of Polyester "cotton" balls on to it (between glade bake paper of course).

These balls of "fluff" I bought at a local $2 shop (equates to around 85p) ...$2 for a mixed bag of colours ... the following week when I went back they were clearing them out for $1 a bag ... bargain!!! so I bought a couple more! :-D

Here they are in the shoebox (having a son with size 13 feet is very handy for storage haha!) As I was Ironing on the "fluff' I also ironed on fibres (not actually Angelina fibres though I do use them, these were a cheaper version I had bought at a craft shop and wanted to try out). Then I randomly stitched with a veriagated thread over the felt .....then..... well I'll tell you what I did then in the next installment!! ......... :-D

Alter Cloth 1

Hi All
As it is a year since I was in the UK I was taking a little trip down memory lane and looking through my happy snaps and found some pics of Alter cloths which I took.
The first one here was taken in Salisbury Cathederal.
I will post some more over next few days.
I have been busy in my studio madly painting bobbin orders every morning ... everyone seems to have decided to order at the same time plus I am trying to get stock done for the September Albany weekend and the AGM conference... no peace for the wicked he he! The afternoons I have been busy with the workshop notes. I haven't even had time to start putting items away in the new "tallboys" in our newly decorated bedroom ... lots of stuff still in the games room ... sigh! pity there's not more hours in the day! ;-D

Paintings and Peacocks

Hi All - I was looking through the photos which I took exactly a year ago when I was on my UK trip .... here is a pic of the "stage" in the gardens of "Larmer Tree" in Dorset (near my Mum's!). On the day we visited there weren't many people there although it was a gorgeous sunny day and around 24°c .... In these gardens there are all sorts of different little "buildings" ... every time you walked around the corner of the hedges there was another unique building which past owners had collected from around the world (late 1800's) ... I couldn't resist a pic of the beautiful scene painted as a backdrop and a very obliging Peacock which happened to be there at just the right time!

Arty Dolls

Hi All

Here are the 10 little Arty Dolls which I made back in early February (Click on pic to see them larger) ... I couldn't put them on here back then as most of them were made as gifts for the 4 lovely ladies with whom I stayed on my March/April Teaching trip (They also received a "Jewelled Jemz" neck purse as seen in an earlier posting) and also 4 of them were little Easter gifts .... the other 2 are mine! haha! The inspiration came from Dottee and her wonderful "Artee Dolls" she does fantastic work which you can see at the following: http://dotslifeandart.blogspot.com/ (sorry don't know how to do that link thingie with just a word). I absolutely loved making them and intend to make more .. I showed my Sister in UK on the webcam and she has put in an "order" for some slightly smaller ones done in Xmassy fabrics for her Xmas tree!. As I also make a decoration for my kids every year (this year will be my daughters 18th decoration!!!) I will have quite a few to do!

The idea with the Xmas decoration each year since they were born means that they will take them with them when they move out and will be able to decorate their own trees. Although I have also made myself one each year so that my tree won't be totally nude haha! Not sure my son will want a dolly ... will have to do a boy-ee one in blues! :-D

Painting and other Painting!

Hi I am still here! I have had a busy week painting bobbins until yesterday when Hubby and I started preparing our bedroom for decoration! We actually started painting today and yes I did use a bigger brush than normal haha (Usually it's a 0000 - not a 1 1/2 inch!)
Second coat to do tomorrow and hopefully as Monday is a Bank Holiday here we can get the room back together ... only 3 nights on the lounge sofa bed - that will be plenty!!!!
I missed lace today ...I should have been at wire lace but the bedroom had to come first as Hubby was psyched for it! and I gotta strike whilst the iron is hot!
We are off to a friend's daughter and her hubby's housewarming party tonight but it won't be a late night with all the decorating to do ho hum!
Hopefully back to crafty stuff later next week.....