[lace] RE: Mary Queen of Scots book
Hi Sue and all, Just coming out of longtime lurkdom re this... -Original Message- Day someone very kindly replied with a book title about Mary Queen of Scots that she recommended I read prior to the lace I didn't see the original posting, but if it was a craft-related book it is probably The Needlework of Mary Queen of Scots (ISBN 9780896762480) by Margaret Swain. Its about A$40 over here and is on my wish list, it looks like a really interesting book. If it was a general MQoS books you were talking about, then as well as the Antonia Fraser one try Margaret George's Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles (ISBN 9780330327909) - it's a fictionalized autobiography and very enjoyable. Cheers from hot Roxby Downs in central Australia, Chelle Longy Chelle [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.myspace.com/chellelong www.myspace.com/longy61 The source of all suffering resides in the belief that our mind exists as a real object, while lacking beginning, end, and location. Mind is empty, materially nonexisting. (K Rinpoche-1984) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: Skype
Gidday David, -Original Message- I'm about to install SKYPE on my computer - that's the most popular programme whereby your computer replaces your telephone for free. I'd be most interested to know if any other Arachnids have it. Yes I use this, it is fantastic for us as we pay less than 3 cents a minute (AUD) to ring Australia from Suriname. With 7 kids to ring this is important for us! This is the cost for ringing from my computer to a normal telephone, but if the other end also has Skype it is totally free. You just download credit in multiples of Euro10.00 with your credit card. This lasts for a long time. My only complaint is that sometimes there are so many users online (2.7Million last time I used it a few days ago) that it can get pretty congested and then you get a delay which is a real pain. It pays not to be letting your PC do any other background work to miminise this. Sometimes there is no delay but sometimes I've given up and just used the chat part of Skype instead of the verbal speaking. Be careful that you activate the secure settings properly to make sure that every man and his dog can't contact you/spam you - you can choose to keep your details private apart from users that you approve. Cheers, Chelle an Aussie living in Suriname Ian Chelle Long [EMAIL PROTECTED] +597 352505 Evaluate things less and rest more in the clear space of one's mind (O. Nydahl 1994) To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE:Cotton net
Gidday Do any of you know of any good suppliers for cotton net at a reasonable price that haven't been mentioned onlist lately? Anywhere in the world? Most of it is quite expensive, as you know -- such a simple thing (unlike lace), yet so I checked the Australian supplier that I know of that sells this and it is A$63.80 a metre (170cm wide) - that was 2004 prices so could have gone up by now. It certainly is very expensive and this is way more than USD25.00 so I'm sure you can find it cheaper elsewhere, but if you want the supplier details just let me know. Chelle an Aussie living in hot Suriname Ian Chelle Long [EMAIL PROTECTED] Evaluate things less and rest more in the clear space of one's mind (O. Nydahl 1994) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: lace at VA museum / my trip to UK
Gidday all and Shell if you're not yet brain crazy from all the UK advice given to date, -Original Message- collection. The real reason though for posting this is that the VA's lace room (and some other textile rooms) are closed at present, for the foreseeable I've just returned last night from my unexpected 12 day trip to England -first time ever and I had a fantastic time. I was at the VA museum on Monday of this week and as well as several pieces of lace dotted through the British galleries the textile study room IS open. Unfortunately I had trouble following the map, and just didn't have enough time as I had a train to catch, so by the time I found the lace pieces I had only 15 minutes left to quickly look at as many pieces as I could. There are many rows of pullout vertical panels, mostly embroidery and weaving, but there is one row of lace panels - about 100 panels in the row and 1-4 pieces of lace on each panel. Mind blowing. There is no charge to get in either and photos are allowed (if you can get decent pics that close up). As well as the usual London sightseeing and theatre going (and believe me you just can't fit everything in - I was on the go all day every day) I saw lace at: Bedford - Cecil Higgins Gallery - well worth going - train cost GBP12.00 return from outside zone 6 (I already had a prepaid London Card including travel within zones 1-6). I prebooked to see the reserve lace collection (normal gallery entry is free but GBP 4.00 to view reserve collection) and it was fantastic. Photos are allowed with no flash. Kensington Palace - some exquisite lace on old court costumes, and examples of 2 pillows with lace in progress and a few samples. The light is kept very low so it was hard to get a good look unfortunately, and no photos allowed at all, but still very impressive. Charles Dickens' house - came across one silk Maltese (or could be Cluny) handkerchief in a display of items belonging to Charles' wife Katherine. Then on Tuesday this week Steph Peters took me out from our hotel in Chester, for a very enjoyable day around the Wirral/Liverpool/Blackpool area. We went to a lovely embroidery shop in Brimsgate and a Hobbycraft in Preston, and had lunch with Jacqui Southworth and Ann Shadbolt in Fleetwood. Of course I had to buy some of Jacqui's gorgeous handpainted bobbins didn't I! It was great to see some of the countryside, and Chester itself is fabulous with its old Roman history and ruins. We were very lucky - the weather was perfect until the very last day in Chester which was cool and drizzly. The days were VERY long so you can fit a lot in, but my only complaint about London is that nothing opens until 10.00am which I found very frustrating as I was up and ready to go look at museums etc. by 8.00am and had to hang around doing nothing. Shell - I booked my London Pass beforehand at www.londonpass.com and picked it up at the information centre in Regent St when I arrived. I had a 6 day one with 7 days travel, and my DH a 2 day one for the weekend as he was working the rest of the time. I kept track of what it would have cost me otherwise, and for mine I did save about GBP 20.00 which isn't a lot over a week. My DH's didn't save him anything as you can only fit in so many attractions a day (ie Hampton Court Palace took us the whole day), so you do have to be careful about whether it is worth getting. It was worth it for the convenience though, as I didn't have to buy daily travel cards and line up for tickets, or find the extra money on the day for entry to attractions. I was on and off the tubes/buses all day. Back to the real world now. Have told my DH to hurry up and do some more travel to build up those frequent flier points for me to use! Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Lace happenings in June in London/Chester?
Gidday all, I will be accompanying my DH on a business trip to England from 19-30 June - I've never been to Europe before so am pretty excited. I'll be doing my own thing during the day while he is working - in London for a week then a couple of days in Chester, so if there are any lace days/workshops/exhibitions that I could get to by train in those areas during those times please contact me privately. Also if there are any good craft shops in central London or in Chester I'd appreciate details of those too please. I am stuck in a lace/craft wilderness here in Suriname so I intend to make the most of the buying opportunity! Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Overlap Joins
Gidday all, -Original Message- As I said at the start, I've only done one project so far. People who have used this method may have additions or corrections to my comments. Please speak up. Alice, your description is fantastic, I could not have described it so well. I do it exactly the same as you have said and it works so well. I love the end result and as I hate sewings I much prefer this to the normal method of joining the end to the beginning. I would only add that yes you do have to be very careful when trimming off the excess lace after joining - definitely something to do in good natural light and NOT after a couple of glasses of wine It is also a good idea to have a practice first by just making a length of plain ground, then make it into a loop and join the start to the end. Mary Niven's Flanders book has a pretty good visual drawing of the pathway that the stitches should follow - on page 26. I find I still have to refer to the diagram to make sure I am getting it right. On the webshots site you can see an example of one of my joins - in the Flanders edging - because of the way the flash from the camera worked you can clearly see the thicker line of join. In real life however it is quite hard to pick it out. Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Binche help needed
Gidday all, If anyone has worked the corner in the Reflected Swans edging of Binche Syllabus 1, Lesson 5 could they please contact me. I need clarification of the adding pairs instructions. TIA Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: lead for Playstation
My Number 3 grandson wants to use a No 1 play station, unfortunately a lead was lost in the move to Australia, does anyone have an idea a store where another lead can be bought. My family live in a small country town which Try: Dick Smith Electronics JB Hi-Fi Big W KMart Target or any computer parts store. Also occasionally good video libraries that hire out games systems. Failing all that, you can look up electronics stores or computer suppliers in the Yellow Pages (www.yellowpages.com.au) as often small independent computer repair type shops will stock leads or be able to order one in for you. Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: AGM week in Perth
Gidday Jenny and all, Christine said: This seems like a good opportunity to put in some free advertising for this year's AGM - a week of lace workshops, a shopping day, display etc - in beautiful Perth (one of the best kept secrets in Australia). It won't be on Christine didn't mention the date - it is end Sept or early Oct (can't be bothered going and digging out my magazine!) - so there is plenty of time to save up for it (lots of goodies to buy on the Saturday afternoon suppliers' fair!). The AGM weeks are always such fun and a wonderful place to learn lace skills, so if you can get there it would be well worth your while. You do have to be a Guild member to attend the workshops, but I'm sure you are going to join anyway after everyone's recommendations. Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname and almost adjusted to the 14 hour time difference - only woke at 4.30am today which is better than the previous 3 mornings! - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Channer Mat Pricking Raffle - Belated Result!
Gidday all, I've just returned from a very hectic month in Melbourne, and although I drew the above raffle a month ago and sent a message to Arachne, it is only now that I've read all the digests and realised that my message never got through! Anyway there were 21 entries and the winner was Anneke Reijs from The Netherlands. The pricking and accompanying notes are on their way to Anneke - very sorry there was only one to offer you all. Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname glad to be back from Melbourne's weird Feb weather Ian Chelle Long +597 352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Miss Channer's Mat Finished / Raffle
(No I am not raffling off the Mat, much as it has been the bane of my life at times!) This week I finally finished Miss Channer's Mat and have uploaded some pics to the Webshots site - best to look at it from a distance actually as you can't see the gaps and other bits that I am not happy with! There are some parts that I wish I could do again, but overall I am very pleased with the result and glad to get it finished. Started in Feb 2004 and finished on 2/1/05, but it was packed away for 3 months during our move from South Africa to Suriname, so altogether it took 7.5 months of 1-2 hours per day plus the pre-pricking/winding time beforehand - no idea how many hours in total but I will sit down and work it out at some point. It is done in Brok 100/3 (used 1.5 reels) with DMC Coton a Broder 16 for gimps. At the widest point I had 384 bobbins on the pillow but at least 100 more are required for adding in and out constantly during the working. I have kept all the added in threads that I snipped off so I will count those when I can be bothered as well. I basically added 2 pairs to every pinhole, in the cloth stitch areas, as I did not want them looking too sparse, so as you can imagine that is an awful lot of adding in and throwing out. I am taking it home to Melbourne with me in a few weeks, to be framed. Now I feel a bit lost without the big project sitting in my lace room - have to find something else to start real soon. I think it will be learning some Binche as I still haven't done anything with the Binche Syllabus I that I got for my birthday last September. As for the raffle - well recently several people have written to ask where the pricking can be obtained. As many of you know it has been out of print for a long time and despite us lobbying Ruth Bean Publishers it is not going to be reprinted in the near future. I bought mine years ago from a lace supplier in Australia, but of course now that I have done it I do not need the pricking anymore so am happy to offer it as a raffle. And no, before you ask I am not intending to make the darn thing again! As well as the pricking itself, which is on card slightly larger than A3, there is an accompanying photo of the original mat and a few notes. No working diagram of course but I used photos of other people's completed mats as a guide and then just did my own thing - frustrating at times because of the total lack of space to work any particular section (because of having soo many bobbins on either side of where you are working) but also liberating because I broke every rule in the book and did whatever was need to make it work. The pricking has many many extra holes in it from support pins used when hanging in extra pairs so it might be a bit confusing to use, but if anyone is interested please send me your names by the end of January and I will draw one out when I arrive in Australia - I will post it from there. Michelle an Aussie living in hot Suriname (the photos can be seen at www.webshots.com - log in as Arachne2003 and password Honiton) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: lace gifts for xmas
Gidday Janice and all, As the digests seem to be few and far between maybe I can ask everyone what lace related items they received for Christmas? From my DH I got 3 bobbins, including a lovely mother babe (the babe is aluminium), as well as the first in a 6-month bobbin club subscription. From my MIL in Australia (also a lacemaker of many years) I received a lovely reel of silk thread and a pair of bobbins turned by her friend's husband, and from a lacemaking friend in South Africa a packet of Witwatersrand Lace Guild cards with a picture of a Bucks Point piece on them. We still have some gifts to come as our mail comes once a week via a courier company in Miami, and with the Christmas rush some things just didn't get here in time - and going by the amount that has gone through our bank account marked Catchpin Lace... I think I have something else lace-related coming - not complaining either! I subscribed a while back to Piecework but am still waiting to receive any of those, so I consider that lace/craft-related as well. Oh and a few days before Christmas I received the latest Australian Lace Guild magazine, which my mum forwards on from Oz. I have been busy trying to get Miss Channer's Mat done - am down to the last bottom flowers now. I have uploaded several progress shots on to the Webshots site if anyone would like to see how it has been coming along. I have 28 days to finish it before I go to Australia to visit the kids! Michelle an Aussie living in hot, tropical Suriname - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: reducing Channer photo size
Gidday Janis! emailed it to me, but the jpeg attachent is 1.12MB and took 45mins to download. With all of the expertise on this list, can anyone tell me how to make it small enough to send on to other people? Also, how to get a photographic print made of it. Its very easy if you are running on Windows XP. Open up My Computer and find the .jpg file. Select it. Right-click and choose Send To Mail Recipient. A box will then appear asking if you would like to reduce the size of the photos. Choose to do this then OK and a mail sending box will automatically open with the photo file already attached. Choose who you want to send it to and press Send. To get a photo printed, just save the .jpg file on to a floppy disk or CD, take that to your local photo shop and they will print it off for you for about R1 each copy. I had many done in Richards Bay and some of the more high tech photo shops have do-it-yourself machines, otherwise you just leave it with them the same as you would with a film for processing. I am on the downhill run of the Mat myself now and actually can see it shrinking in width rather than increasing, finally. Am hoping to get it finished before I go to Melbourne at the end of Jan, so I can take it with me for framing there as there is nowhere here in the jungle to get it done! Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: ballarat bobbins
Gidday Nicky and all, Anyway my question is the lady bought some bobbins in a shop there Criterion Drapery Stores, Sovereign Hill, and very nice they are to, but she has no idea who made them, the lad in the shop didn't even know what they were so little disc attached by wire through the spangling hole with what looks like a crown logo on it. I also have some of these and yes David will know who made them - can't remember but he did tell me when I bought mine at Sovereign Hill. The little spangle attachment thingy is actually supposed to be a replica of a goldpanning pan (metal plate basically) and the logo is a gold mine poppet head (the tower structure that sticks out of the ground above a mine - don't know the technical stuff about it!). Sovereign Hill is a replica gold mining village and well worth a visit if you are in Victoria on hols - it is about an hour's drive West of Melbourne. If you do go there in Winter though take lots of warm clothes as it is absolutely freezing! Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Boys Jeans Sizes!
Gidday all, A strange question for you - here in Suriname we can buy very cheap good brand clothing that is imported from the US, including excellent quality denim jeans. I want to buy my 13 y.o. son clothes for Christmas, but as he lives in Australia and is growing at a huge rate of knots I need to make sure they fit when I take them over to him in January, because they won't be able to be exchanged. He tells me he is now a boys size 14 for trousers, but the sizes here are in numbers completely foreign to me. Can anyone tell me what an Australian boys 14 is in American sizes please? TIA Michelle Long an Aussie living in Suriname feeling hungry after reading the talk about Cattern cakes Ian Chelle Long +597 352505 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: cd burning
Gidday Helene, And you don't actually say that you burn pictures at different times, you just say you burn 100 pictures, but it seems to be all at the same time. I have Windows XP, and when I open up the documents, then pictures, there is on the left side a ?, in the ? there is more ? in the first one last line copi to CD I mark the photos that I whant to copy, put in min. it has burned 100 photos on my CD, I use cd-rw. I did once burn on a cd-r, on that I couldn't ad on. I do it the same as Dorte, with XP, and I find it works with cd-r as well as cd-rw. If I go to add some more photos later it recognises that there are already some photos on the CD, but will only ask if I want to replace them if they have the same file name as the new ones I am trying to add. Works very easily. Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Elwyn Kenn book on eBay
Gidday all, After the recent discussion about Elwyn Kenn's lace books, I noticed one on eBay today: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemitem=8130969929ssPageName= ADME:B:SS:AU:1 I think all 3 of her books have been out of print for some time, although there are a few copies still in stock at some places, so this one on offer might be of interest to some. All 3 of her books have lovely patterns in them and very good diagrams/text. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Suriname Ian Chelle Long +597 352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Peep Show Spangles
Gidday all, About 8 or 9 years ago when I had only been making lace for a short time, I bought some supplies from JJ Ford in England, and one of the things I ordered was a couple of really cute spangle beads. The were about 12mm long, wooden and barrel shaped, with a tiny hole at one end - when you held it up to your eye, you could see inside a tiny weeny picture of a piece of Bucks Point lace. There was a tiny metal loop attached I would really like to buy some more of these, so I emailed JJ Ford as it was not listed in their current online catalogue. Their reply was that they are no longer being made as far as they know. Does anyone know who actually manufactured these, and if they are still made - if so, where can get them from? Michelle an Aussie living in hot hot hot Suriname Ian Chelle Long +597 352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: lace-digest V2004 #307
Gidday Tracy, again, where are the best places to buy supplies, best books for patterns and instruction, etc. I move to much so cannot join a regional group and take lessons that way. As you have already found, the Lacefairy site is an excellent source of everything lace-related. I would, however suggest that you DO try and find a local lace group and meet other lacemakers/teachers while you are there. Even if you move often, a network of other lacemakers to help you get re-started will be invaluable and besides, you will make new friends who can help you settle in to your new area. I am also in a travelling phase of my life, with a husband who gets sent who knows where. It is a lot of fun, but you must find likeminded crafty people whenever you arrive somewhere new. You will find it much easier to re-learn bobbin lace (and also be inspired) if you can find some lacemakers in your area. I am sure other Arachneans in the US will be able to point you in the direction of a lace group/persons close to you Welcome back to lacemaking. Michelle a fellow displaced Aussie, in the jungles of Suriname, South America Ian Chelle Long +597 352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Binche-beginning
Gidday Clay and all, Syllabus Binche from Anne-Marie Verbeke-Billiet (there are three in the series). However, this is best used if you have a teacher at hand who can help you with each step of Is this in English though? I am also interested in starting to learn Binche, and have done quite a bit of Flanders, Point de Paris and Valenciennes as this was thought to be good preparation for Binche. I have been looking at books available on the Sewfairy site, but I am hopeless to know exactly which book would be the best for someone with no access to teachers at the moment (ie me in Suriname!). I am pretty good at learning from books, as long as it is in English where necessary. Another option is the Binche Study Guide prepared by Michael Giusiana, which gives the student a specific list of samples which should be worked as one progresses through the levels. Giusiana's samples are drawn from a comprehensive list of Now this sounds great - how do we get hold of it? My DH wants to buy me something paper for our 1st wedding anniversary next month, so he actually thought of a lace book all by himself. Mind you I'm desperate to get the Tina book at the moment too but as its also my birthday on our anniversary I figure I deserve 2 books instead of one (G). I've ordered him a new 8-shaft weaving book for his paper present so he won't complain. Michelle an Aussie living in hot Suriname Ian Chelle Long +597 352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Trails-Zig Zag
Gidday Noelene and all, outside my door). So I usually use the inner pin of the v twice. This corrects the number of passives. But then this makes the weave at that point more dense than the rest of the trail. There are other ways of doing the inner part of the trail. I am assuming you are doing it in cloth st, as you don't notice the denseness of using the pinhole twice, with half-st. Looking at the Torchon books I have on hand, both Rosemary Shepherd and Jenny Fisher's books don't bother changing the angle of the trails ie they don't use the inner pinhole twice but just keep going as normal. It doesn't look abnormal, although I prefer to reverse the angle with each bend as you are doing. Another thing you can do is change the one inner pinhole to 2 - place one a bit above where the original hole was, and one slightly below. This works very well - see Bridget Cook's Torchon Lace Workbook for examples in her hearts and flowers patterns. If you are doing half-st you can actually just leave out that inner pinhole totally, which although on the pricking looks like a bit of a gap, doesn't show when you do the lace. Cloth-st works with this too but half-st lends itself better. I couldn't find an example in a book to refer you to, but I can send you a Lace 2000 file of one of my own if you are able to open those files. Hope this helps. Michelle an Aussie living in Suriname about to go to a 4 y.o. neighbour's birthday party by the pool, if I can drag DH away from his weaving loom.. Ian Chelle Long +597 352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Dummy spitting
Gidday Cathy and all, I remember her spitting the dummy about her HC! Can someone translate the phrase spitting the dummyy Lost their temper badly would probably cover it. Very common Aussie phrase, also referred to as cracked the s**ts or throw a wobbly as well as a couple of other very derogatory/politically incorrect versions. HC is Highly Commended - which equates to 5th place in Calisthenic competitions (after 1, 2, 3 and HM or Honourable Mention) - not sure what it equates to in lace judging. And as it is definitely OT any further discussion should probably move to Chat.but to give this a bit of lace content I shall tell you that I am now about one third through Miss Channer's Mat, and aiming to get it done by Christmas. The raised tallies are just horrendous and I wish I had left them out - s hard to work in small space with so many bobbins that you have to work over the top of. Driving me to drink (if I wasn't already there!). Congratulations Liz on your win - I remember you talking about trying to fool Helen, when I was in Melb in May. Your lace is exquisite all the time so I am sure you deserved to win. Michelle an Aussie living in hot Suriname Ian Chelle Long +597 352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Question re Tina book - payment
Gidday all, My fellow Aussie Helen - could you tell me please what are the payment methods for the Tina book? I've printed out the order form to fill out, but how do I pay if I am not able to send a US cheque? My postal address is in Miami even though I am in Suriname (a courier company there brings all our mail across with the company's mail), so I only need to pay local shipping, but don't know how to get the money to you. How have other international people been paying? This info may have already been posted so sorry if I missed it and am being silly in asking again! Thanks, Michelle Long Ian Chelle Long +597 0352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Church Lace (Crochet) Booklet on Ebay
Gidday all, Came across this today and thought some of you might be interested in this old Paragon crochet booklet for church lace: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemitem=8123975235ssPageName= ADME:B:SS:AU:1 Am not into that kind of thing myself but I know a lot of lacemakers do make things for churches. It looks quite old and interesting. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Suriname Ian Chelle Long +597 0352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: lace (or lack of) in Suriname
Gidday all, Someone (I'm sorry I can't remember who as I've ditched the digest concerned!) asked about lace here in Suriname - well there is absolutely zilch. In fact there is nothing much in the way of handicrafts at all. The only thing I've come across so far is a form of cross-stitch on large panels of brightly coloured fabric, where every so many threads one thread is pulled out of the fabric, in both directions, giving a grid to work the large crosses on. It is very pretty and apparently was brought to this country by some nuns from East Germany who came to work in a mission type posting and taught some local women their patterns - not sure how long ago though. I've only seen one girl doing this work, and have heard that there is a shop in Paramaribo (the capital city) where you can buy some of it, but so far I haven't been able to find the shop. Apart from this the crafts done here are mainly woodwork, done by men - hand carved platters, bowls, stools, wall hangings etc. and also some very nice rustic pottery - large pots, vases etc. Within the compound that we live in there is a mixture of expats from Australia, Canada, South Africa, USA and Holland, plus some local Surinamese, so its a real hotch potch of languages, cultures and ideas - which is fantastic. We are all slowing learning how to cook (and identify!) the wonderful local vegetables and fruits, pick up a smattering of Dutch to get by when shopping, and learn to handle the horrendous traffic and very poor quality road system. It is all a lot of fun and I am enjoying very much the feeling of personal safety after living in South Africa, although there are things about South Africa that I really miss as well. I am starting a weekly craft group where those who are interested can bring along whatever they do - there are a couple of girls who do embroidery and patchwork. Some others have expressed interest in coming along just to chat and have a look - so I am hopeful that once this gets going properly we will have a good lot of sharing/teaching each other the things we do - including lace and tatting of course. There are no supplies of anything much available - I've only come across cheap acrylic wool, large cones of poor quality machine sewing thread, and a good range of colours of Butterfly brand Coton Perle 8 - so anyone interested in really taking up some lacemaking or embroidery will have to get online for supplies - but luckily our mailing address is a courier company in Miami, so we only have to pay local shipping costs if we order from the US. I will keep you posted about how our little group develops - it could be just me for the first couple of Mondays - but hey if I am forced to sit by myself all morning making lace well I am not going to complain. Any excuse not to have to clean the house. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Suriname where it is always hot, and I have just started on my first raised leaf on Miss Channer's Mat Ian Chelle Long +597 0352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Online in Suriname at last / Tatted Doily Hardanger Pics
Gidday all, Finally after over 3 months of being unsubscribed and moving from South Africa to Suriname, with a month home in Australia on the way, all our furnishings including craft stuff and computer have now arrived and been unpacked/installed, and I am back in the Arachne loop. I missed you all! Life here is great, very relaxing and peaceful - lots of time for lacemaking so now I am back to working on Miss Channer's Mat after not having bobbins etc. at my disposal for so long. I did do some other handiwork - had to have something on the go or I'd go mad - and amongst other things made a tatted doily that I was quite pleased with, and a small hardanger mat. The hardanger was actually supposed to be square, but I used a scrap of linen found lying around at my mum's place and it wasn't 'til I'd done quite a bit that I realised the count of the linen was not equal in both directions! So, it just automatically came out rectangular - oh well, it didn't really matter. Anyway I have uploaded photos on the Webshots website if you are interested in having a look. http://www.webshots.com Username: Arachne2003 Password: honiton Michelle Long an Aussie living in Suriname and very very happy to have bobbins in her hands again (new email address [EMAIL PROTECTED] in case you still have my old one) Ian Chelle Long +597 0352505 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: Motive in Tull book
Gidday Peter, Liz and all, Peter, you Must have misread the message, or they have made a bad 'Typo'!! The book is really only a booklet, with soft cover. There are 50 pages - which are A4 size folded in half. - so 25 pages of A4. It weighs about Liz is correct, and you can get it without buying it from o/seas. I bought mine just recently (Jan 04) from Maureen Ryan at Lace Inspirations, at the Vic ALG branch's lace day. I paid A$24.46 and if you got it posted from Maureen (who lives in Geelong) the postage would be very very small on something so light. Maureen's email is [EMAIL PROTECTED] in case you are still trying to get a copy. It has some very pretty patterns in it and I had intended to try some of them before doing a workshop with Ulrike in Melbourne in September, but the way things are going with moving and travelling it isn't looking likely! Michelle Long an Aussie living in South Africa but packing to go to Suriname, and Miss Channer's Mat is all battened down ready to travel Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Suriname
Gidday Noelene, Michelle, OK, we don't know where Suriname is, but where is Paramaribo? Paramaribo is the capital of Suriname..not that I've been there yet but I have seen photos. I have been informed this afternoon that we are to be out of our unit by 26th April (cos' I'm flying to Melbourne on 27th, for a month with the kids before going to Suriname!) so the next couple of weeks is already starting to be hectic and I have spent the last half an hour scanning passports, birth certificates, wedding certificate etc and have to track down a certificate of good conduct from the police station of a country (here) that I am not even a resident of...not to mention packing, cleaning things out and selling a car in a hurry/closing a bank account/arranging tax papers and all the other garbage things that go along with moving to another country in 3 weeks time! Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa but soon to be going to Suriname... Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: DVD/video players
Gidday Patricia and all, Can anyone advise if a combined videao recorder and DVD player is a good idea? I ask because a combined washer/drier doesn't last as long as separate Another question. Are the DVD systems in Britain and the US compatable? i'd like to be ablt to send British DVDs to America as presents. I have a Samsung combined DVD/video player, purchased in Australia and we have had it for 2 and a half years so far with no problems - they are relatively new to the market so I would think no one has had one for long enough yet to answer you regarding their longevity. The advantage to having a combined one is that you can do an easy direct copy of a DVD onto a blank video (if the DVD is not write-protected which some of them are for copyright reasons) with the press of a button, rather than having to plug in lots of different in/out things (which I am hopeless at working out!). As far as regions go, Steph is correct and the other region is the one which covers South Africa, which we have found much to our chagrin when we moved here with our Aussie player. We cannot hire DVDs here from the local video library, only videos, because Australia is region 4 and RSA is region 2 - very frustrating now when libraries are offering more and more DVDs and the stock of videos on the shelves for hire is reducing. We also cannot purchase DVDs here for the same reason. We recently sent an email to Samsung asking whether they could provide us with some kind of decoder to enable us to play DVDs of other regions (because we had heard that with some brands you can do this), and they replied that it is not possible with their machines. I would not recommend that you send British-purchased DVDs to USA as it is unlikely that they will be able to play them (although there are a few older release DVDs that are multi-region, the newer ones are not) - better to order them online from a US company and get them delivered directly within the USA. Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa with my mum still visiting from Oz and where it is 30C and humid Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] filet lace
Gidday all, A while ago someone posted a great website with instructions/info on filet lace. I can't find it - can someone please point me in the right direction? TIA Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Torchon History - Thanks
Thanks to Ruth, Lorelei, Christine, Clay, Linda and whoever else I have forgtten, for the Torchon history info you sent me. I have done my required summary and sent it off, so hopefully I did okay! I have also ordered Tess' two CDs - that site is such a wealth of information. Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: honiton teapot?
Gidday Mary and all, Hello Secret Pal,Thank you for yet anotherlovely present. The handkerchiefs I will probably edge after I complete the Honiton teapot which is under way.Thank you also for the little book and the post card from Luton. I look forward to getting to Hmmm, now I need to know about this please...a Honiton teapot? Is it a pattern we can all share? Please explain! Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa where today I have made lace, designed lace and written about lace history..oh and cleaned toilets in between. Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Torchon lace - history
Gidday all, I am in urgent need of historical info on specifically Torchon lacemaking. I have wracked my brains, my books and the internet, but everyone seems to talk about lacemaking in general, or the earliest records of lacemaking, or else goes into great detail about lacemaking in England, the many European laces etc., but Torchon itself seems to be just glossed over, even though it is so widespread now and the basic lace that most people learn first. I know the word Torchon comes from the French for dishrag or something similar, and I've seen a vague reference in Mincoff Marriage about Scandanavian areas making Torchon early on, but it didn't elaborate. I also found that Torchon was (supposedly) rarely made in England until the end of the 1800s, but that's about it so far. Lori's history links on the wonderful Sewfairy site are terrific - but again I haven't been able to find anything specifically relating to Torchon and its origins. If anyone can point me in the right direction in a hurry I would be most appreciative. I don't have access to a guild library where I currently live so I was hoping there'd be info on the internet somewhere. Now its back to Miss Channer's Mat for me. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa where it is hot and sticky and I was going to the movies but the garage remote isn't working so I can't get my car out until someone comes to investigate! Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: finishing MCM
Gidday JoAnne and all, On Monday, March 1st,10:30 P.M. I finished Miss Channers Mat. Don't be depressed, be very very proud of yourself! Please do put a picture of it on the Webshots gallery for us. I am envious of you - I have just started it about 3 weeks ago and so I am in the middle of a forest of pins and pairs everywhere and have to keep stopping and winding more. I am determined to get it done in as short a time as possible, because chances are we'll have to move either back to Australia or to another country, at any time with short notice in the next couple of years - and then the pillow would have to go into a shipping container - I dread to think what condition it would arrive in. Good incentive to get it done, so I have disciplined myself to do a bit each day, even if its just a few pins. So I wish I was at your end of it instead of mine! Michelle an Aussie living in a very very wet Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] lacemakers in North Carolina?
Gidday all, I have a lacemaking friend here in South Africa who is not on Arachne, who will be visiting her daughter in Fayettville, North Carolina, from 25th May to 8th June this year. She would love to visit other lacemakers or be able to purchase bobbins etc. If there is any knowledge of any lace groups, lace days or lace suppliers in the area, can you please contact me privately, thanks. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: cars memory loss
Gidday Ruth and all, I have no known medical condition affecting my memory...but I regularly park my car and then have trouble finding it again!! About 35 years ago I came out of the supermarket and looked at the spot where I usually parked my car. It OMG I thought I was the only one who did that! I once did exactly the same thing at a local craft market in Melb, totally forgetting that I had brought my then-husband's car and not my own. I was about to call the police when I found it after 20 mins of panicking. And going to Aussie Rules football matches for years and years I have wandered around miles of parked cars in muddy paddocks, looking for my car. Then just a few weeks ago here in Richards Bay I couldn't find my car when I came out of the supermarket. It is white and of course so are half the other cars, and in South Africa car theft is rife, so you always only park where there are car guards to look after it for you (for a small fee). I totally mucked up which aisle it was in, and in the end had the car guards looking all over for me 'til the one who was standing near my car recognised me (I stand out being blonde and very fair skinned and with a shiny bald headed DH who deliberately shaves his head!). I'm sure the guys thought I was absolutely stupid. As for short term memory loss, I am fine but my DH is absolutely terrible. He cannot remember what he had for dinner the day before, has no memory of childhood birthday parties or outings or first day of school etc. which I think is really sad. His mum though is exactly the same - she rings and has a conversation, then rings you a few days later and repeats the exact same conversation. I thought it was age creeping up on her but apparently she has always been like that, so my DH must have inherited the trait I think. As someone said, its great for movies/tv shows because we can watch something over and over again and he has no memory of seeing it before, even if it was only a couple of weeks ago! Sometimes he gets all excited over a meal we have, and says oh you must make that again, and I say well duh darling we did have this 3 weeks ago you know!!! On the other hand, he can recite The Man From Snowy River from his head, and knows mathematical formula type things and chemical info etc. with 100% accuracy. Obviously has a brain that has huge capacity in scientific areas and zilch in other areas to compensate!!! Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa where I spent 6 hours working on Miss Channer's Mat yesterday, and can't believe how many pairs are on it already for such a small part having been done! Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: cabbage recipe - question
Gidday Caerbhael and all, Ok...there is a recipe called Cabbage and Tomatoes in the Ukraine 1 sm head cabbage 1 sm onion 3 T butter 2 T water 1 T butter 1 T flour 1 c cooked Tomatoes strained 2 T sour cream Salt Pepper to taste Shred the cabbage. Cook the onion in the butter until tender. Add the cabbage and the water. Cook, uncovered for about 10 minutes or until the cabbage is tender but still slightly crisp. Melt the butter, blend in the flour, and stir in the sour cream, and season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Combine the sauce with the cabbage, bring to a boil, and simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve as a vegetable with a meat course. I like the sound of this - but where do the tomatoes get added in please? Or am I missing reading something in the method? Or is it just too early in the morning and my eyes are not focusing properly??!! Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa, where we had so much torrential rain and thunder/lightning in a 2 hour period last night that I took my DH to the airport only to be called back an hour later to pick him up again because his flight had been cancelled due to them not being able to land the plane! Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Australian lace book on ebay
Gidday all, Noticed this out of print lace book by Elwyn Kenn on eBay today, which some of you might be interested in. Starting bid A$6, not bad at all if you are into point ground patterns. I have all 3 of Elwyn's books and they have gorgeous patterns in them. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemitem=3585804728ssPageName= ADME:B:SS:AU:1 Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: trip to NZ-bobbins
Gidday Alison and all, I have the great good fortune to tour with Interweave's Jane and Nola Fournier in April to New Zealand. My traveling companion, Tricia Rasku and I will be Not sure if you happen to be going to Christchurch (South Island), but if you do, make sure you go to the arts centre which is situated in a gorgeous old university. It is walking distance from the centre of town (or there is an old tourist tram that circles the city and will drop you off right outside) and has a large craft market on weekends (not sure about weekdays). As well as buying things you can watch artisans at work, i.e. weaving. Anyway, the main thing is that inside the woodworking shop I found lovely locally turned bobbins made from NZ woods! So if you are going near the area, do make an effort as you can get a lovely souvenir of your trip to take home. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Visit to Melb
Gidday all, I've just come back from a month in Australia, and had a wonderful time catching up with kids, parents, friends etc. I've also brought back lots of new books/projects/ideas to work on, so once again this year will be full of lacemaking, embroidery etc. and no doubt the odd UFO or two. Not enough hours in the day. One of my most exciting things was going to the Victorian branch of the ALG's bi-monthly lace day, for the first time in 20 months - every previous trip over my dates haven't coincided with one of theirs, so it was great to be able to catch up with lacemakers and have a spendup at the suppliers tables. Instead of a guest speaker, the committee put on a lace trivia quiz so we all divided into our table groups and the winning group got lots of prizes. Hillary did a great job (she's a teacher so she was good at keeping us under control and being bossy!), and was very well prepared for contention amongst the troups, so had all her books and sources in front of her to confirm in case we argued the point. My table came second last I think! One of the most interesting (and hardest) question was the very last one, which was asking the value of a famous piece of lace (I think it was Queen Vic's wedding dress, but if that's wrong someone else that was there will correct me, and Hillary will probably give me detention for not paying attention in class!), as at 1980-something when it had been valued at x number of pounds. We were all expecting the answer to be humungous, and it turned out to have been only 1000 pounds. I know it was twenty odd years ago but even so it was much much less than you would have thought. Any idea what it is valued at now? Apart from spending too much money, a highlight was that we met Debbie Hilton from Mozambique. My local lace group was on kitchen duty, and I served her a cup of tea without having a clue who she was, so it was quite late in the day when she finally realised who I was and came to speak with me. She is a lovely girl, and it is really great to meet fellow Arachneans, especially those from other countries, so if you get the chance, do it. I am still miles behind with lace digests, but the convention stuff is really interesting. The sheer scale of numbers and budget that the IOLI have is mindboggling compared to our Australian one (hey but we have quality if not quantity!) - you are so lucky that you have the opportunity to go to such a big event. I personally want every bit of value for the money I spend on workshops/accomm etc. so I am one of those who gets up hours early to do more work before a workshop, has a very quick drink/loo break and lunch break and does more work back in my room in the evening - don't like to waste a minute of the chance to learn more lacemaking skills. And Jean, if you're still collecting preferences, I vote for full size cut in half prickings please. Can you please tell us the details when the book is available too? Liz - I'm sure your boyfriend is correct in theory about taking a lace pillow through Adelaide airport, but in reality I can tell you that I have passed through Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Melbourne airports, both domestic and international terminals, approx 15 times in the last 18 months (most of them since Sep 11), and every single time I have had sewing needles with me. Not once have they been taken off me. I have not risked taking a travel pillow as hand luggage because I am sure if there were hundreds of pins that would get commented on and I would not want to risk losing my pillow to the security rubbish bin! I cannot go travelling without some kind of hand work to do, so I always have embroidery or tatting with me. I use plstic shuttles with the pointed tip so that I don't need a crochet hook, and I have at least 2 sewing needles on me. I use a Clover cutter instead of scissors, and have never had a problem. The basic rule is, don't take anything as hand luggage that you are not prepared to lose. A few needles or a Clover cutter are not things of great value if taken off you, but your travel pillow is. A belated Happy New Year to you all as well, may it be safe and healthy and full of lots of lacemaking. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Raffle Update
Gidday all, Below is the list of entrants so far in the CorelDraw lace design files raffle: Jean Nathan Diane Z Sharon Whiteley Alessandra in Italy Robin Panza Judy Tucker Jacquie in Lincolnshire, England Ann Geddie Helen Clarke Bev Walker Shirley Meier Malvary Cole Mary Stewart Sulochona in India Shirlee Hill There is still time to enter for anyone else interested - I will draw the name out on New Year's Day. Good luck and Merry Christmas to you all. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Raffle
Gidday all, I have a set of Torchon and PG grid dots/components, suitable for use with CorelDraw. I purchased these from Deborah Robinson a few years ago and used them for lace design. I left my software behind along with my ex-marriage, and now use Lace 2000, so these diskettes are useless to me. I would like them to go to a good home for Christmas. There are 5 diskettes - Torchon (.plt format) Torchon Circles (.plt format) Pattern Components (.cdr format) Bucks Point Grounds (.plt format) Circles (.plt format) All are able to be opened only by CorelDraw (I had version 7 at the time so pretty much any version of the last few years will be able to open them). I have been unable to convert the files to any format that any other programme can open, so they are only of any value to those of you with CorelDraw. They are VERY useful (the dots come in various degree angles and there are basic Torchon shapes that you can just copy and paste in etc.) and there are some guidance notes as well. If you have CorelDraw for other purposes and have always thought I can't make my own designs, then consider this an opportunity to have a go. I will post anywhere and will take names up to the end of December then post from Australia. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: mobile phone laws
Gidday all, In Australia it is definitely illegal to use a mobile in the car unless you have a hands free installation, and it is enforced. A friend In South Africa - same law, but as someone else pointed out it is the enforcement, and here that is not done (through lack of Police resources mainly), so people just do what they like. The road death toll here in one week is the same as Australia's for a whole year apparently, and if you drove around where I live you'd see why. Of course some people observe the rules, but in my experience there is generally not a lot of use of seat belts (and cramming up to 12 people in one van or shoved in the back of a utility), using mobile phones, speeding, a lot of unroadworthy vehicles, very dangerous overtaking on roads in poor condition with a lot of locals walking along the edges. The drink-driving alcohol limit is 0.05, same as in Australia, but when we at a restaurant or party say oh its my turn to drive so I'll only have light beer/soft drink thanks, we are laughed at, because no one ever expects to get caught. In Australia we DO get caught, so we don't dare do anything wrong. They are very strict about everything there and it pays off because a lot less people are killed on the roads than say 20 years ago. As for totally stopping at a Stop sign, if you DO the person behind you bips his horn at you! Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Carry Bags in Oz
Gidday Jenni, Does anyone know if there is someone who makes bags or carriers for lace pillows so I can keep everything together? In Victoria, none that I'm aware of - if you can't make one yourself, admire someone else's and ask where they got it from. I had a quick look through my Lace Inspirations catalogue, which is your nearest supplier, and the only carry bag listed is one that comes with a 45cm block pillow. My catalogue, however is over a year old, so it might be worth emailing Maureen to ask if she now has any in stock. Her email is [EMAIL PROTECTED] and telephone 03 52411295. The main one I use I bought years ago at an ALG workshop week, and from memory it was made by a lady in SA - if its the same person that made the ones Ruth mentioned, then they are terrific. Mine is padded and has zips up 3 sides so you can open it right up to pack things in, and it has one side pocket inside. You could get matching zipped small holder things too for putting your pricker, scissors etc. in - very handy. I'm picturing the woman who made them, but for the life of me I can't remember her name. I have another smaller one that a secret pal sent me years ago, and the great thing about that one is that it has 2 straps sewn diagonally across one side of the bag, so that you can carry it horizontally. Perhaps there are some patterns on the internet - I haven't looked but someone else might have come across some? Or you could use one of those casserole-carrying bags and enlarge it, or adapt any other bag pattern really. Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa counting down - 30 days 'til I come home to spend a month with my kids and my mum, and very excited because I saw the new LOR trailer yesterday and it sent shivers down my spine. Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: house numbers
Gidday all, Is Smith Street really that long that it has over 1,358 houses in it, or is your numbering system based on some other principle! Some other principle ;-)) Say that Smith Street runs North-South, and 13th Avenue crosses it East-West. The house numbers between 13th and 14th Avenue would all be 13xx, odd numbers on one side of the street, even numbers on the opposite. Wow, I've learnt something today! I had no idea you had such complicated (to a stranger) numbering systems. I really thought you just had very long streets. In Australia we just have ordinary numbers starting at 1 and going 'til the street ends, with odds on one side and evens on the other. An exception is a court (dead end street, usually quite short, with bowl shape at end for turning car around) which usually is just numbered 1-? starting at one corner and going around the court until you are back at the opposite corner. Mostly our streets are named as well, with relatively few 1st Avenue type names. Some cities are laid out in a grid pattern, Adelaide being a good example, but others are a mess (we've already discussed the difficulties of navigating around Canberra's circles), and the radiating out from the centre that you talk of is not something used (in my experience anyway). We use the term block but it is applied to a general going around the immediate corners/area which is not necessarily a square/rectangle. When a new housing estate is developed, the powers that be try to be creative with their street names, so you often find a whole area with girls names, flora/fauna, animals etc. Actually that could be unoriginality and boredom instead. Here in South Africa the streets also seem to be ordinary numbering, although there is far greater use of 1st Avenue type names. Using street names for posting mail is irrelevant in a lot of areas anyway as there are no letterboxes or street postal delivery in a lot of area, and in the areas that there is, it isn't reliable, so most people have post office boxes. Where I live if you don't have a post office box, you don't get any mail! Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa wishing the postal service was better here so that I could join the secret pals To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: Canberra roads
Gidday Helen Noelene and all, But by getting lost there, one can discover some wonderful little 'gems' we ended up on the grounds of ANU (Australia National Uni), and discovered a little museum in a very early pioneer's house. Except that when you ARE trying to find that gorgeous little house, you can't! We drove around those roads with street directory on lap 3 times before we discovered that the road on the map that went supposedly across the main road, actually went underneath it instead. Luckily it was worth the effort as my then-DH was not impressed at all the trouble I was putting him through just to see some girly rubbish! You really can't call yourself a good navigator until you've been lost in Canberra (or Croydon obviously!). Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa 26C today and just perfect Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Tatting winder
Gidday all, Today I came across this tatting shuttle winder gadget - https://secure.adyx.co.uk/tatsecure/products/accessories.htm#shutw Has anyone used this and how did you find it? It seems pricey to me, maybe that's just because of the UK/Australia exchange rate, but if the general opinion is that it works very well then I might add it to my Christmas wish/hint list (along with a zillion other overseas items!). Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa where it is going to be 35C today and the wind coming off the ocean is blowing industrial black soot straight in my doors/windows. Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Flanders Question
Gidday all, Has anyone made the piece called Circular Mat With Peas In The Round, on page 33/34 of Inge Theuerkauf's Tierisch Flandrisch ? If so can you tell me which method you used to join the end to the start ? I'm thinking of doing this piece, and looking at the photo and the working diagram it looks to me like the start join have been done using the normal Torchon type method rather than the more European overlapping sewing with a needle way. I would like to do it using the overlapping way but am wondering if it would work successfully ? Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: variegated threads
Gidday Jane and all, You asked about variegated thread thicker than DMC 80. I don't know if I have a ball of Manuela crochet cotton in a size 20 - quite a large ball and it is variegated in pastel pinks/mauves/lemon shades. I got it from a secret pal years ago so I assume it is available in the US, although it seems to be a Spanish? brand going by the label. You can also get DMC Perle 5 and 8 in lots of variegated shades and I know Linda McCrae does a lot of needle tatting using these threads. It gives a very nice effect and is definitely thicker than the Special Dentelles 80, but depending on the result you want you may have to stiffen the bookmarks as it is very soft. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: Getting Food into Oz
Gidday Jean and all, I do know that you are not allowed any food in your hand luggage, recall when we landed by boat at Sydney Harbour in 1962 I have been in and out of Australia many times in the last 15 months and I can tell you they are VERY strict about what you bring in. Anything containing fruit, nuts, meat products or honey are particularly a no-no, and they now insist that you put your hand luggage on the ground whilst waiting at the luggage carousel so that sniffer dogs can check your bags not just for drugs but for food as well. Hiding things in your checked-in luggage doesn't work anymore either as they do a full scan of your suitcases as well, and their scanning machines are amazing now and give glossy colour pictures of absolutely everything inside. Having said that, if you are prepared to take the risk of losing something then do bring it but DO declare it as Ruth said. I have taken chocolate bars and lollies home for my kids, and always gotten them through - but I do declare them. Chocolate seems to be generally alright in my experience but certainly anything involving fruit, nuts or meat gets confiscated. Travelling from an African country I always have to tick the have you been in a country in Africa in the past 30 days box and they even check your shoes for seeds/hay etc. if you have been in a rural area. Lots of people bring souvenirs made of wood and grass-weaving, but its ok as long as you do declare them - they do a pretty thorough inspection but will let the items through if they pass muster. I find it quite amusing when I come back to South Africa - cos' I could bring anything in and they wouldn't care less! When you walk through the Security barriers over here, if they beep you just keep walking cos' it beeps at everyone and they just let you continue! Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa 30C and a light breeze today To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Wedding Cloth-Photos Now Uploaded
Gidday all, Found the webshots password etc. so I have now put two photos on there of my beautiful lace cloth. Michelle Long Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Wedding lace cloth
Gidday all, tatting. I ended up using a 12 perle to make a horseshoe for Michelle for her wedding. I could not say to much as you can guess it is so hard to keep quite The horseshoe is lovely, it is a lavender colour and was stiffened, very very pretty. news. Just before lunch we gave her a small table cloth, that the group had made. It was made from the Cleveland Pattern, which is based on squares. We where all given some squares to make and in the middle was a piece of linen which one of our members embroidered and Pam Lloyd made all the lace edging, We have all had to be very quite when emailing Michelle not to let on to her and it was worth it. Oh boy was I surprised! The cloth is absolutely divine, the girls spoilt me soo much, it is really stunning and I am so lucky to have these wonderful and talented lacemakers as friends. The cloth was given to me about 10 days before the wedding, so we were able to use it on the day, on the card table my mum had set up for us to sign the wedding certificate on. It was a simple, small, informal wedding on our block of land in the Dandenong Ranges, about an hour's drive East of Melbourne and very green and pretty - I think we had the only decent couple of hours of weather in the whole month I was there! One day when our house is built there we will be able to stand in the lounge and say this is the exact spot where we were married! I have a couple of photos to put on the community webshots site, but I can't remember what the user id and password is so if someone can jog my memory that would be great! Each Torchon square is about 4 x 4, and the wide edging all around was done by Pam, as well as her sewing it all together and mounting onto the linen. Even my mum knew about it and didn't let on. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Men Making Lace/Tatted Basket-Wedding Update
Gidday all, Scoff not! Iain makes lace when we are on holiday which is 7 weeks a year. He thinks it helped him re design our bobbins and to understand more when My New DH of two weeks (also an Ian) refuses to have a go at lacemaking, even though I know he'd be really good at it, but he does weave very well, and in fact in August I insisted he enter a white cotton table runner in my WI group's annual craft show (it might be a Women's Institute but in this day and age of equality they allow men to enter!), and he won 1st in the Craft-Other section as well as a Special prize for outstanding piece. He was very popular with the ladies at the cocktail party/prize giving, much to his amusement as they were nearly all 20+ years older than he! The downside to having a 'crafty' husband is that in the tiny 2 bedroom place we are living in whilst in South Africa, there is nowhere for any visitors to sleep because the 2nd bedroom is totally taken up by a huge 8 shaft weaving loom! For those who recall my asking questions about tatting a while back, I did get all the baskets completed in time, although I did not do the handles - did one and didn't like the way it looked so I left them as handle-less. I used clear-drying Bostik craft glue to secure the cut-off knots, and stiffened them in a sugar/water solution, and each lady at the wedding got one with a gold and silver chocolate heart in it. I figured the tatting would be wasted on the men and probably get thrown out, so instead they got a little paper parcel of those lolly hearts with the writing on. I had also made calico cake bags rather than the paper ones, embroidered with a spray of lavender. My mum made a gorgeous ring cushion with Elizabethan embroidery on it which my 12 y.o. son carried the rings on. Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa just returned from Melbourne Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Pin Boxes? Ideas Needed For What To Do With Finished Projects
Gidday Vivienne and all, particular pin was broken up. We have a few left which we guard with our lives as we need one for each pin box we make. When they have all gone we will probably have to give up making the box as I have never found any thing else to I've just returned to South Africa from 5 weeks away in Australia, and am umpteen zillion digests behind, but can you tell me please what is a pin box? If it is to put pins IN, why do you only use one of the longer pins and what for? I'm intrigued! Also, I need some ideas for what to do with completed cross-stitch/embroidery pieces (I mean picture sized, not small bookmark sized) - apart from getting them framed or making cushions out of them. I've done quite a few embroideries over the last year or so and apart from the cost of framing, I don't want to give the same person yet another framed picture year after year. I keep seeing projects I want to do, but would like to do something different with the finished result. Thanks. Michelle Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Channer's Mat-boring-challenging etc
Gidday Vivienne and all, the people on this soap box have never seen the mat, second it is quite boring, third they couldn't do it and finally the only thing that excites people is the number of bobbins! As someone planning to make Miss Marple's Bathmat very soon (VBG) I have to disagree. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but whilst you personally may find it a boring piece, I consider it to be 1) very pretty and 2) a challenge. Whilst the individual components of the mat may not themselves be extremely difficult, the challenge lies in negotiating and handling such a huge amount of bobbins whilst at the same time concentrating on making the lace tension even and getting a great end product. I will be very proud of myself if I can do this - to me it is the ultimate Floral Bucks challenge, perhaps because no one else has come up with something as large complex? so this is all we have to aim at. I think that the experience of making this piece of lace will make me better at understanding the intricacies of floral point ground work, and give me more confidence to design complex pieces myself. I think this is a good thing - perhaps if more of us made the mat, there would be more lacemakers with the skills to design similar-in-complexity/size lace designs produced. There currently isn't a lot to choose from is there (well not that I've come across). As far as they couldn't do it, well discussions over the last few days have shown that there are many lacemakers that like to do exactly what lace tutors tell them they can't! There you go everyone - take up Vivienne's challenge and prove that we all CAN do it (provided someone can get around all this copyright stuff!). One day we can have a Bathmat Display. Michelle Long an Aussie living in South Africa (who was was lucky enough to buy my Ruth Bean pricking a few years ago when there were still copies available) Getting back to my packing now.how can there be so much stuff to fit in two suitcases (more craft things and presents for teenage children than clothes at the moment) Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: bent pins/pre-pricking
Gidday Julie, Robin and all, matter at this stage, but if I really keep going at this, I'm going to have to find a way to have better prickings with fewer bent pins. If you want fewer bent pins, you're going to have to break down and pre-prick. That's the only way to minimize bending brass or insect pins. I agree. I always totally pre-prick my patterns, and as I do a lot of fine Point Ground work that means sometimes huge numbers of pinholes. I still bent a lot of pins even doing that. I have found that the best thing is to think of it as part of the total getting ready package i.e. winding the bobbins, getting pricking ready, pre-pricking. What I used to do (before accompanying nearly-DH to South Africa meant a Visa that does not allow me to work over here..gee what a shame VBG) was take the pricking to work, and sit and prick during my lunch break. You can easily prick and eat at the same time and it then is wasting non-productive time anyway rather than jutting into your busy at-home life instead. I am at the moment getting my things together to start Miss Channer's Mat (or Miss Marple's Bathmat as it is affectionately known around our house) when we return from our wedding in Australia, and have the daunting task of pre-pricking the largest piece I've ever done. I will do it in stages, half an hour blocks I think as I'm not in a hurry and you can't do too much in one hit without getting a very sore hand. I also find that using an ergonomic pricker (little wooden handled one that fits inside your fist, rather than a pencil-shaped one) makes a huge difference to how much I can do at a time. If you do the pricking on decent pricking card and pre-prick, it will definitely last longer if you intend to do a pattern more than once too (not that I intend doing the Bathmat more than once!). I only use the contact-over-photocopy quick method for workshops or samples. Michelle an Aussie in South Africa, where it is light at 6.00am now and we are heading for some warm Spring weather already down here Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: Dairy-free cake recipe
Gidday Tamara and all, Spiders... Do any of you know of a recipe for cookies which doesn't require any dairy products or eggs? Sara *can* eat chocolate (as long Not biscuits (our word for cookies!) but a cake recipe for you that is dairy free and really easy, and pleasing to any child: Chocolate Fudge Cake 1½ cups SR flour 3 tbsp cocoa 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tbsp white vinegar 6 tbsp oil ¼ tsp salt (optional) Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Pour into greased 20cm ring-shaped tin. Bake in 180C oven for 35-40 mins. Cool 10 mins before removing from tin. Ice as desired or just sprinkle with icing sugar. (Notes: Cooking time may vary depending on your oven. Remember the cup sizes are Australian.) Michelle an Aussie living in South African and still tatting baskets! Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Reef Knot for Broken Threads
Gidday all, Years ago someone on Arachne posted a clear picture and instructions somewhere on the 'net about how to do the reef knot method with third hand, when you have a broken thread. I've lost my picture and did a search and came up with nothing. Can anyone remember where it was located? Michelle an Aussie living in South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Weaver's Knot / Top 10 Hints
Gidday all, Jean said: Don't know if this is what your looking for - the diagram of the weavers knot is certainly clear: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/1404/weavknot.gif and BarbE said: I would have to say that learning this knot ranks in the top 10 of hints that I have learned from lacing. Yes that is it, thanks Jean! I couldn't find my copy anywhere, and I can never remember how to do it without looking at the picture. Actually I guess I don't break enough threads to get enough practice - not complaining either! I agree about it being one of the best hints. I would add my no. 1 hint as well..when doing Point Ground and you have a weaver coming out of a cloth stitch (or other) section into a ground section, making a catchpin and returning straight in to the cloth stitch secion, a tutor years ago showed me how to cheat. Instead of making the usual CTTT catchpin stitch, make it CTCTTT. This has the effect of ensuring the same 2 bobbins remain as weavers, instead of one half of the pair going off into the ground, which means that you don't get that pull which can cause your gimp-around-the-cloth-stitch-section to go slightly out of shape. Not sure if I'm explaining it properly but it works so well. I use CTCTT instead of CTT in honeycomb areas too if the same problem occurs. Michelle an Aussie living in South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] RE: Rosemary Shepherd book
Gidday all, If anyone's looking for a copy of 'Introduction to Lacemaking' by Rosemary Shepherd, there's one on ebay, starting price $4.50 located in South Carolina. Postage can be a bit steep from the US to the UK, and vice versa. That reminds me, a few months ago we heard that Rosemary's book rights had reverted back to her and that she was re-publishing it herself. I thought it was to be published in about May, but haven't heard anything since. Does anyone know when it will happen? Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa (madly working on tatted baskets, and mind boggled at the thought of a 70th wedding anniversary - as someone about to get married I'll have to live to 107 to get to mine!) Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: Little House books
Gidday all, There are also other books about her life and the cookbook, including A Little House Sampler, which has many photos of the family. Another two in my collection are- Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography (by William Anderson, 1992) (includes some good photos) Let The Hurricane Roar (short novel by Rose Wilder Lane, c1933) Obviously there are a lot of closet LIW fans amongst Arachne. I've just re-read the lot and they just get better and better. When I was 13 my cousin and I made matching Laura and Mary rag dolls and I used to often make-believe I was Mary (I'm the sedate indoors type!), wear a shawl around the house and my hair in plaits and beg Mum to let me light a little lamp and use no electricity - she never would. I've read my books so often since I was about 11 that I have had to replace 3 of them because they wore out. Michelle an Aussie living in South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: Mugwumps
Gidday Tamara and all, Recently, a new word appeared on my horizon: mugwump Within the lyrics of Creeque Alley by The Mamas The Papas, circa 19??, are the lines. When Denny met Cass he gave her love bumps Called John and Zol and that was the Mugwumps AND Mugwumps, high jumps, low slumps, big bumps Don't you work as hard as you play I never had any idea what it meant, but as soon as you mentioned the word, it popped into my head. Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Tatting Questions
Gidday all, I came across a cute and easy tatted basket pattern a few days ago: http://www.ringoftatters.org.uk/patterns/jeborall/jeborall.html and have ambitiously (crazily?) decided to make enough of these for favours at my wedding in September! So, having decided this at the last minute I have dropped everything else and am madly tatting. Ian's task for this weekend is to wind me lots of shuttles, to save me time when I run out of thread. I'm doing them in DMC Perle 8 in ecru, with tiny pearl beads on the edge of the final round, so they are coming out a fraction larger than the stipulated size in the pattern, which uses 20 cotton. To save time, I am not planning to sew in the ends of each round and have just left them hanging at the moment. If I get them all done and have time I will thread the ends in, but alternatively I am thinking of cutting them off very close and dabbing with a spot of a clear-drying glue. I know years ago there was mention of a product called Fraycheck? that people used for this purpose, but in the coastal town that I am now living in there is no hope of finding that, so I wondered is there some ordinary everyday variety of glue stuff that anyone can recommend? The kind that you will find in any old hardware shop or might have lying around. My intention is not for these baskets to be family heirlooms and last forever, so a bit of chemical damage to them that might be destructive to the basket over time does not worry me in this instance. Am I right in assuming that split rings cannot be used on this pattern? My experience with split rings is only that I've a length of practice ones, and have the instructions, but I don't do tatting often enough to have ever minded sewing in a few ends. From looking at my diagrams it seems you need 2 shuttles to do them? I don't particularly want to use a second shuttle for the ball chain here because they annoy me dangling down, especially when I'm trying to do things quickly. My other question is, can someone please tell me really easy instructions on how to do the last join of the last ring in a round, where you have to do it in some funny backwards way to get it to sit right?! No matter what I try (going through the picot from the other side etc.) I always end up with a twisted joining picot. I found in some old Arachne bits, a piece of advice that said to turn the bit of tatting to your left twice, so tried this yesterday and that was even worse. I'm obviously just not getting it. Better get back to my shuttle now and stop wasting precious tatting time. Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa where I am still amazed at temperatures of 28C in the middle of Winter! Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] RE: Onions
I envy any of you who can handle onions. I've tried all of the things so far mentioned except the freezer one, and I keep onions in the fridge, but I just can't get past the chopping off the roots and outer leaves without the tears just pouring out. Even doing them in the food processor for fine chopping, doesn't work. I've even tried putting a peg on my nose! I have found by experience that I am definitely worse with brown and Spanish onions than white, but I prefer brown and Spanish because I like the stronger flavours, particularly when using them raw in salads etc. I've also found that I am getting worse as I get older. Spring onions and leeks also affect me, although they're not as bad as onions. The only thing that works for me is..don't do it! I just avoid chopping onions wherever possible and get Ian to do it for me unless I really really have to. I'll experiment with the freezer idea this weekend for sure, thanks Ruth! Michelle an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Aust Lace Guild Proficiency Assessments
Gidday all, If anyone has done a Stage 3 bobbin lace proficiency with the ALG, could they contact me privately please. I need some general advice before I get too far with one. Could really do with a support group! Living so far away though and with no other ALG members within thousands of kms away, I need some general advice please. Michelle An Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED]
