The long term project (my petticoat lace) on my travel pillow is getting there - slowly - I can get about half an inch done on Tuesday and Friday lunchtimes (I work 2.5 days a week, and teach on the morning of the half day) so I think it is probably nearer 17 inches to go now than the 18 of a couple of weeks ago - it is an adaptation of one of the first set of patterns from Retournac, the petticoat is cut out and waiting, it needed 1.5 yards of narrow lace to go round the top, and 2.5 of something wider to go round the hem (there is a slit to one side which the lace also edges), I couldn't find anything suitable to buy, so decided to make....
The piece on my Honiton pillow hasn't moved for the last two years (if not three) - a bowl of flowers which is an Ann Orr quilting pattern - if you can find these, the spacing of the dots on the prick-and-pounce pattern is just right for Honiton! - really must get some more done. More pressing at the moment is work on redrafting some of the patterns from the 1911 sample book from a student of the Neuchatel Institute which will go with an article to Deborah for Lace (hopefully this year) - very interesting is the Point de Six, which, unlike the stitch books and suggestion from the groupings of the ground sampler (ie grouped with Kat Stitch, etc) in the current Lace, is a double version of triangle ground. I took my class to The Hollies on Friday, and showed it to Pauline Milne - she has never seen the stitch before, either. Then, I'm taking my lot to Pendrell Hall again in October, and this year we are looking at spiders... having only ever learnt to do the simple spider type, with its stitch variations, and a haloed and "daisy" spider, I'm now amazed at how many possibilities there are (see Bridget Cook's "Practical Skills in Bobbin Lace") and I think Pauline was amazed at how few there are in the Guild collection! So it's a case on drafting, and working, lots of spiders with a different colour on each pair to show the thread paths. Yesterday was the last demo of the Papercraft Show season (start again in September) and the piece on that pillow is a Christmas Cracker (spiders again!). The original was mostly roseground, and was made for an ornament swap on Arachne several years ago. It was gold, and about three inches in length, and was displayed at the NEC Christmas Lace Fair before being sent off... I never heard whether it arrived and can't remember who it was sent to. So, I decided to enlarge the design (to about 8 inches length - it takes 60 pairs) and change to spiders. It would probably work for a scarf pattern, too. Good job I bought an extra wide block pillow! Finally, a piece of Bucks - a scallop edge version of my Hearts and Flowers Snowflake that was in Lace a few years back (the Sunday afternoon doodle that became a nightmare of loopy gimps - this one is slightly worse!) it is a mat that will be about 6 inches or so diameter, and is in pale blue. Suppose its about time I got one of them, at least, finished, but the main project at the moment is varnishing a decoupage lap tray which is my father's present for their diamond wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago (he saw it on the day, but at that stage it had only had a couple of coats of varnish - I've lost count how many it has had now, but can see why the books say at least 30!). Plans are virtually finalised (just shopping for tea, coffee, etc to do) for this year's lace day, and I'm into planning next year (June 2nd, tatting workshops, suppliers booked, same place, times, etc). The next headache is answering Mom's question of what *we* would like for our silver wedding (June 6th) - I can think of things I would like, but they wouldn't be suitable for both of us - what did everyone else have for theirs? Somewhere I've got to find time to get some housework done..... -- Jane Partridge - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
