Japanese weaving, Tamari balls and Origami

Hi All a few more pics from the Japan trip - one of the weaving that my friend Jo was doing ... one from the Tamari Ball workshop and the last a pic of one of the beautiful Origami pieces that were on display one morning tea break .... it is made up of lots of tiny Origami cranes ... very clever!
Hubby and I leave this Friday morning for our Silver Wedding Anniversary trip to Queensland (it lasts 3 weeks and 2 days) and then he flies home whilst I stay on for the Australian Lace Guild AGM week :-) yay waa hoo!

Kumihimo Braid workshop in Japan

Hi All - Here are a few pics from my recent Kumihimo Workshop in Japan... The first pic shows the 2nd Braid that I made during the 3 and a half day workshop .... It's about to be started on the Kakudai that I was using - the Tama (bobbins) are wound ....ready to go... the second pic shows the purple and lime green braid I started late on day 2 - it's called "Dogwood" - has little flowers formed on it! and the third pic shows the lady from USA who was sitting next to me on my right - Lauren - like me she is also a lace maker who works with Wire! Hi Lauran if you're reading this :-) oh and we were making all the braids in beautiful Japanese silks- fabulous thread! mm mm!

Hi All

Here's some pics from the Japan trip - on Rokko Island where the congress was held there were various "art pieces" dotted around the streets - here are a couple and a pic of me in front of the Hotel Plaza Kobe - where the Kobe fashion Museum is also. This hotel is where I stayed.

Since I communicated with people in Japan a few months before the congress I have been getting "junk Comments" on this blog - please do leave messages but only if you are a fellow craft person -thanks :-) and if you attended OIDFA - do leave a message - I met lots of people (and had lovely gifts from some) but not everyone included contact details :-(

Home again - Pics of Japan

Hi All - Well here are the first pics from the Japan trip - we arrived at the hotel at 10 am on Sat July 2 but couldn't get into our rooms until after lunch - so we found a local cafe - and had a rather gorgeous "Corn soup" - it was icy cold! and the roll to go with it was a sweet one! still yummy as we were starved! - Other 2 pics are taken from my hotel room in Kobe (on Rokko Island) it was a dreary day - piddling with rain and only discovered the mountains when the weather cleared a bit the next day! LOL! comes of attending a congress during their rainy season!More to come.....

Handicrafts in Japan

Hi All- Now on the last couple of days here in Japan - the main part of the organised tour now over and we are this arvo doing our "Own" thing - actually I am going with some mates to revisit the 7 floor Handicrafts place which we went to on the tour yesterday cos we didn't get enough time to have a proper look - we will then be staying out and about to see the floats parked in side streets which are getting ready for the Gion festival parade which is tomorrow morning and for which we all have reserved seats - hope the rain stays away- (Wednesday it piddled down!) hot and humid here- my 105 yen (Aus$1.30 UK 70p!) brolly has been so useful! LOL :-)

Greetings from Japan

Hi All- A quick massage from Japan - very humid here but great to be in warm weather after the cold in Perth. Today was the first day of the Kumihimo workshop- we were working on takudai frames rather than the more familiar Marudai....all very frenetic and the language barrier wasn't too bad! LOL! day 2 tomorrow... hope my back lasts the next 2 1/2 days - hotel room has nice big bath to soak the weary bones in though haha! hope to get pics happning soon...

Friends going to Japan with me!

Hi All - just doing a quick experiment with my new HP Mini- gave up a couple of weeks ago on my 2 year old Asus eeepc as it only had 4 gigs and every time Windows updated it was filledup grrrr! So as I have this new toy I have just (with help from my Son) worked out how to load pics on here ready for my Japan trip which I leave for in 22 hours time way hey! Here is a pic of some little friends which I am about to gift wrap - as they are going with me....in case you don't recognise any of them clockwise from top left they are: A koala, a Kookaburra, a Platypus, a Kangaroo, a Wombat and an Echidna!

Countdown to Japan

Hi All - Yes I am still here - I have been busy getting ready for the Japan trip which I leave for in 8 sleeps time LOL :-) - lots of things to get done before I get away ...
The pic here is of a picture that was on the wall at one of the B&B's in Cumbria, UK last year... the colours haven't reproduced very well but it was very nice in reality!

Back from my teaching travels

Hi Everyone - I returned from my 3 week Lace making teaching trip a few days ago and have now started the mad countdown to the International OIDFA congress in Japan which I leave for 3 weeks tonight! I had a great time in Tasmania - in between work days I visited a choc company and also 2 cheese places -they make fantastic cheeses in Tassie mm mm! and I also visited a couple of choccie places in Melbourne on that "leg" of the trip - including partaking of a hot choc in the Lindt Cafe in central Melbourne ... verrrry yummy! I had fabulous hostesses - spoilt me rotten - it was great! The two pics here are: firstly the Bobbin Lace decoration which I attached to Beate's 60th Birthday card - I made it a couple of months ago and posted it before my trip as her Birthday was whilst I was still away...the other pic is of 4 other Bobbin lace decs I made a while ago but only got around to finishing off the "ends" recently! - now I must put hanger loops on them so that I can put them on my Xmas tree in December! But it ain't gonna happen this side of the Japan trip ... and probably not until after the Queensland trip in Aug/Sept either! LOL :-)

My travel art kit

Hi All - Betchya thought I'd vanished into the ether? he he - No.... I have been busy the last couple of weeks getting ready for my teaching trip to Tasmania and Melbourne .... 6 sleeps to go LOL... I also had a fabulous time last weekend at the "Lace West" weekend - it was 2 days of workshops and it was to celebrate 30 years of the West Australian Branch of the Australian Lace Guild!!!...we had beautiful sunny weather all weekend - the venue was right next to the Swan River (that's the main river through Perth City for my overseas blog friends) .. I did Needle lace and thoroughly enjoyed it all - there was good food and good company and wine and choc of course haha!... only down side was the bunk beds squeaked terribly every time you tried to turn over ... kept waking myself and my friend up too! but apparently all the beds in all the rooms were like it! .... I still have heaps of photo's on my camera and haven't psyched myself up to loading and compressing them on here yet .... so in the interim here are pics of my traveling art kit - a Moleskin sketch book - and in the lightweight "pencil case" are:
water colour pencils - a mechanical lead pencil, eraser, sharpener, fold up ruler, 2 black "Pitt pens", 2 (water holding) brushes, spare pencil leads, spare erasers (for the mechanical pencil), 2 "Twinkling H20" pots and a little tiny pair of scissors! ..... all kept neat in a little stripey fabric bag (not in the pics).

Kumihimo Braiding and Marudai

Hi All - I am still here! I have been really busy getting ready for a workshop weekend (7th-9th May to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the West Aussie branch of the Aussie Lace Guild) ...I am doing needle lace (as a student not a tutor this time) and I have been getting things ready for it - also I am busy painting bobbins for my September stock (As I have travels in 3 weeks - a lace teaching trip to Tasmania/Melbourne and also the congress in Japan in July) I need to "get ahead"!
I got a Mini Marudai in the post yesterday - ordered from a place in Queensland and also a new book on Kumihimo braiding - I have just got the Marudai put together and loaded with the 'Tama" (bobbins) and I have started a braid to carry on with at the Lace day which I am going to tomorrow (I don't have any lace underway at the mo!) I have also nearly finished another crazy patchwork belt in Navy blues, rust/orange and creams to match my clothing which I intend to take to Japan for the Congress! I just have to hand sew the binding... also taking that to the lace day tomorrow too... No peace for the wicked bwah hahahahaha! LOL! :-D

Xamia palm

Here are some pics that I took a couple of weeks ago of the Xamia Palm in our Garden it has had three "flowers" which now have "nutted" pretty colours aren't they? hehe

Final pics of Free Form Peyote Bracelet

Hi All - the first of these 3 pics shows the beginning of the adding of "embellishing" beads - the second pic - a few more!! .... then the last pic shows my completed bracelet!
A few weeks ago I took it along to show my friends at my Wednesday Lace group and a good friend luvved it and as it was her Birthday a couple of weeks ago I made another in her fave colours of Aqua's and purples... she 's a happy bunny hehe.

Free form Peyote bead bracelet

Back whilst the Winter Olympics was on TV I had the urge to have a go at making a Free form Peyote bracelet - so here are the first three pics - I will post the other three pics in the next blog entry.
I have been very busy the last few weeks - back in the studio Lace bobbin painting - getting stock ready for later in the year. Also I am making another crazy patch belt for my July Japan Lace Congress trip (also in the navy blue, rust, cream colour scheme as the peyote bracelet) I am crazily tatting little bits of coloured lace to go on it ... and I am working on a coloured Kanthas quilt - with Incan designs on it! pics in the future!

Final Pics of Cordonnicot Needle Lace Fish

For more information about my Cordonnicot Needle Lace please click here or copy and paste the address below:
http://stitchetygrubs.wordpress.com/
Hi All
Happy Easter - here are the last 4 pics of my Cordonnicot Needle lace fish - first pic shows the central Cordonnette's in place - then in the next... his fins have their Cordonnette's completed and I am just starting the outside Cordonnette ... Then the last 2 show him finished one on a light background and one on a darker background - he measures about 9cms long!
Thanks Jenny and Saskia for your compliments and no Cathy I haven't thought of a name for him... any ideas? LOL

More Cordonnicot Needle Lace Fish

Hi All - here are the next 3 pics of the Cordonnicot Needle Lace Fish - The first pic shows he can now swim as he has fins LOL! then in the next pic - the beginning of the "Cordonnette" with single beaded loops and in the 3rd pic - the first 2 "Cordonnette's" complete - last few pics will be in the next blog entry :-)

Cordonnicot Needle Lace Fish

For more up to date information on my Cordonnicot Needle Lace please click here
or copy and paste the address blow the photo's:
http://stitchetygrubs.wordpress.com/

Hi - A few weeks ago I made a Cordonnicot needle lace fish which is to be part of the Aussie display at the OIDFA Lace Congress which I am going to in Japan in July - first pic shows him on my lace pillow - working on his head! - 2nd pic - head complete - onto tail ... more pics in next post! LOL! :-)

Last stages of the Inchie Scissor Keepers

Here are the last few pics of the Inchie scissor keepers - They are all now patiently waiting in a box in the studio for their trip with me to Japan in July - I decided to make these as my little gift as they are nice and lightweight - I think I am s'posed to wrap them though so I will have to dig out some tissue paper nearer the time ..hmmmm :-) .... busy at he moment preparing more Wire Bobbin Lace Jewellery kits for the Teaching trip to Tasmania/Melbourne in May - today - more winding wire off the bigger spools onto little ones - exciting stuff hehe! still I do get to watch documentaries etc that I have recorded on my dvd :-)

Inchie Scissor Keepers

Hi All - I have been hiding in my studio from the heat! It is supposed to be Autumn here but last night was the second hottest temp on record - 28.1°c and today's high was 41°c! I am OVER it!
Here are a few pics of the early stages of some inchie scissor keepers that I have made for little gifts for my trip to the OIDFA World Lace Congress in Japan in July ... more pics to follow ... Hubby and I booked our return flights from Queensland for September today - we had already booked the "going to" flights by cashing in our Qantas Frequent Flyer points a few weeks ago! Saved nearly AU$900!!! yay - that will go towards the car hire hehe!
We are flying into Brisbane then going by car and "bunny hopping" up to Cairns - seeing the Great Barrier Reef then "hopping" back down - After 3 weeks Hubby will fly home and I will stay on for the Aus Lace Guild Annual conference week... The reason Hubby is coming too this year is because next month it is our Silver Wedding Anniversary!!! eeek! LOL!

Finished Knot Garden wall hanging

Here it is...ta da!... the finished piece - it's about 60 cms wide and 45cms deep -now all I have to do is get on and put the hooks up then hang it! hehe!

A much cooler day here today only got to 25.9°c which was fab - I had the windows open and the breeze blowing through the house yay!

I am off to the city tomorrow for a Lace Guild committee meeting and it's only s'posed to be 26 which is great as it gets a very hot in amongst the buildings! Crafty wise I have been sorting out things which I will need for the Tassie/Melbourne Teaching trip in May ...