A Bedfordshire Book Mark

Over the last ten years I have been working on and off through one of my Bedfordshire lace making books. This is design number 6B in the book, a little book mark featuring  flowers made of six tallies, and six pair crossings.

Note that this is design 6B. Two years ago I finished this handkerchief which was design 5 in the book. Personally I think these two designs should have been swapped. The book mark should have been Design 5, and the handkerchief edge should have been design 6. Surely it would be better to practice those flowers in something small like a book mark before tackling an edge. Just my opinion.

Anyway, my little book mark is finally finished. I have practiced those little flowers again, and I still need more practice! This time though I played with some different thread. The cloth stitch border is a King Tut variegated quilting thread, while the flowers are a combination of the king Tut thread and a Mettler Silk finish 100% cotton No 50. I thought the two together may have been too thick, and it is a bit, but its a book mark, so its OK. It was an experiment, so now I know what will happen when I go to do something like this again. It will be a useful tip to know to bring in some creativity into my lace.

Now onto design number seven, a little simpler I think, but time will tell. Watch this space!

A Reticella Bookmark - UFO Number 4

I found this book mark half done when looking for some fabric. It was in amongst all my scrappy, left over, even weave linen pieces. Just another UFO I had to finish! I had worked the buttonhole stitch, the satin stitch, and the four sided stitch, and there had been two cuts made ready to withdraw some threads. The piece was obviously meant for some reticella. It also came complete with threads and threaded needle!

It had been worked very close to the edge, and for reticella I needed a hoop. So I added some strips of calico so I could place it in a hoop to finish it.

It didn't take long to work the needle-lace filling, and it was good practice for working those bullion picots.I just needed to add a tassel, and a backing, and UFO number four for the year was finished! I have no idea how long it had been sitting there. I had began my reticella journey over ten years ago, so it could have been sitting there for that amount of time.

Anyway, it's finished now, and i have another pretty bookmark to use.

Double Eyed Spider Book mark No 3

This is my third attempt at this book mark with double eyed spiders. I wanted to do it again to get my notes down pat, and to see if  I could work it again just from my notes. I still had trouble, and my notes are not the best. These double eyed spiders have certainly got the better of me. I usually found that I got interrupted half way through working them, then got lost, so just tried to figure it out following the lines on my pricking.

Anyway, it's finished now, and I am already onto something else. I think I may let these little spiders a rest for a while.

The book mark itself is worked in Guttermann Sulky 30  thread, with a gimp down each side of Guttermann Quilting cotton in a double strand of plain blue. It's difficult to see in this pic, but it's there, and a little thicker and more noticeable than the last attempt. The quilting cotton was a bit tricky to work with, but we got there in the end.

I've been keeping track of the hours it has taken me, and I have worked out this book mark  has a value of $200. No wonder I only give my bobbin lace to people who appreciate it.

A new book mark has already been started, another deign with no spiders, just seven little tally flowers. I've tried these flowers before and they certainly were a challenge. Oh well, practice makes perfect and I am always up for a challenge. Watch this space!

A Textured White Bookmark

This little book mark was born form spotting a scrap of fabric in a bag on my coffee table. It was left over from making some Christmas decorations, but not big enough to make another one. It was big enough, however, to make a book mark.

What to do? Firstly it needed a buttonhole edge to finish it, and I had a thought I would work a needle lace edge later. I have found over the last few years that I find straight buttonhole stitch edging a little boring. It just needs a little something to add to it.

OK, so the buttonhole stitch was done, now what? I needed some inspiration so looked in a few books to see what inspired. I spotted a lovely edge of two rows of 4 sided stitch with bullions angled in a zig zag worked in between. This would do. I am so used to counting by four, I left only four threads between the two rows of 4 sided stitch. It really needed more, possibly at least six threads to make the bullions stand out, and then it may of been too wide for this little book mark. A lesson learned for next time.

So once this row was done, I was left with a blank space in the center which needed to be filled. Back to my book for some more inspiration. I spotted some bullion flowers that would work nicely, so spaced them out evenly,  then worked a row of satin in between, also decorated with bullions.

The little book mark was cut out, and I decided to only put a small amount of needle lace in the corners, rather than all the way around the edge. Then I made a tassel to finish it off.

I am quite happy with my new little book mark and do intend to use it.

Double Eyed Spider Bookmark No2

Back in April I finally had a go with this pattern featuring double eyed spiders. There are four of these spiders in this book mark, and on that attempt they were all different. I vowed to myself I would do another one to practice them. At the time, I made notes on how to work them, and I wanted to test my notes out as well.

So, here is attempt number two of this book mark. It is worked in Guttermann Sulky thread, just a slight different colour than the last one. This one is more green than blue, and I put a plain bright blue pair of Guttermann Quilting thread down each side. Unfortunately it gets lost and is not noticeable. I may need to double it next time to make it stand out.

All my spiders are the same on this one. I followed my notes working them, and for the most part they are good. They just need to be tweaked a little at the end.

I want to work another one still, just so I know my notes are fool proof. Once they are correct, I will type them up and store them with my pricking. So watch this space to see version number 3 of this book mark.

A Little Book Mark In Pueblo Stitch

Just over a week ago I met with my creative stitching group. This year we have all been taking turns to inspire each other with a little exercise of some sort. At our last meeting our inspiration was Pueblo Stitch.

We were asked to bring a piece of fabric, two different threads that could not be divided, and a needle that would accommodate both threads at once.

I threw in a variegated crochet thread , a plain Perle 12, and some scraps of even weave linen that was left over from another project. I had no idea what we would be doing.

On arrival, we were given a page of notes on Pueblo Stitch, and told to go for it.

It was an instant decision to make a book mark, so I left enough for a hem, and just started stitching. The piece of fabric was only small and I soon came to a corner. Another decision had to be made, how to get around the corner? Once worked out, I turned the corner, worked some more, turned another corner and worked some more. This continued all the way around until I was nearly back at the start. It was here I made an instant decision to keep stitching in a square spiral in towards the center until there was no room left. I might add here that this entertained me for the day.

When I came home I added a hem and a tassel to finish it. Such a quick and fun little project in which I learnt a new stitch.

Double Eyed Spider Bookmark

Back last year when I was working my yellow lace edged handkerchief, there was a pattern for a book mark on the same page as the edging. I had wanted something little to take to lace meetings, so I drew up the pricking and proceeded to start.

What I hadn't counted on was these double eyed spiders, and they stumped me. I tried so hard to work them out, but my lace meeting was getting closer and I needed something to do. In the end, I changed my pricking and inserted  whole stitch ground  diamonds instead. That book mark can be seen here.

I was going to master these little double eyed monsters, so I tried again, and still had trouble. The pricking was tiny and the lines were fine, so I made a larger version to try to work out the thread path. By looking at this larger version, and also at the photograph in the book, I realised that I had pin holes in my pricking that should not be there. OK, I could just try to ignore them for now and fix up my pricking for next time. One problem solved.

As I continued to work, I still got confused every time I came to one of those double eyed monsters. In the end I came to the conclusion that that there were still pinholes there that should not be. I couldn't figure out what to do with them. Anyway, I got my book mark up to a point that I could take it to a lace meeting and have something to work on for the afternoon. One of the ladies at this meeting had made a number of these book marks, so I had a chat to her and she sorted me out. Yes, those pinholes needed to be there, but as support only.

So behold, my new finished bookmark! It has been made with Guttermann Sulky 30 thread, with a purple crochet thread acting as a gimp down the side. My double eyed spiders leave a bit to be desired, and like the spiders in nature, they are all different. Watch this space for another one when they are all the same.

A Bobbin Lace Book Mark

Slowly but surely I have been working through a bobbin lace book I have on Bedfordshire Lace.

This is pattern 6a in the book, and it took me a total of fourteen hours to work, not all at once I might add.

I have been working through this book for some time now, and another lace maker that I know has advised me not to use it because of the shoddy work shown in the book. Well, I love the patterns and designs in this book, and I was not going to be put off. I have not had a problem with the book, until now.

I started this book mark back in November 2017 at my local lace group. I had spent the afternoon winding bobbins, then was just beginning to set up to start when it was time to come home. I packed everything up well, or so I thought, came home and put my lace pillow away. I was about to go on holidays and would not have time to touch it for a while.

It was not until after New Year that I got time to pull it out again, and this is what I found!

Obviously I had not secured everything well enough for the short distance I had to travel home. No, my Fluffball of a Sasha Cat did not get into it and have a play. It was packed away where she could not get to it. In my years of making bobbin lace, I have never had a pillow in such a mess! It took me some time to sort it out and make it neat again so I could work.

OK, so I was all set up to start my book mark. I started reading the instructions in the book, and it was like reading double dutch. I was so confused! I had started two other bookmarks similar to this before, so I ditched the book instructions, pulled out the notes on those other book marks, and figured the start of this one by myself. Once I got the start sorted, I was off and running.

The pricking was drawn up on a 5mm grid, and I used DMC Special Dentelles thread to work the lace. The thread was possibly a little too fine for the 5mm grid, but I am happy with the result. Next time i might try a Perle 12.

A Lace Book Mark

I have a few lace book marks now, this is the first one that I have used variegated thread in. I had picked up the thread in Spotlight one day , wondering how it would be for my lace making. In reality, it is a bit flimsy for a bookmark, I think I would like it with a bit more oomph. Still it's pretty.

So how did this book mark come about? I was searching through my patterns one day looking for another handkerchief edge to work. I found one, and beside it was this book mark. They both looked easy, mmmmmmm......... yeah right!

I drew up the pricking for the edge, and was so grateful I started on a sample first. No matter how hard I tried, or how many times I tried, I just could not work it out. In the end I asked the on-line community of lace makers that I know who gave me all kinds of help. The main piece of advice I got was that it was 'triangular ground', so the research began. It took a while, but thanks to You-Tube, I now know how to work triangular ground.

OK, so I got my edge started, but I needed something to take to my lace meeting. The edge was being worked on my block pillow, and it is a bit bulky to take to our limited space. So I drew up the pricking for the book mark. It could be worked on my cookie pillow and there was room for that at our lace meetings.

I wanted to have it started at least before the meeting, so that I wouldn't get stuck and have nothing to do for three hours. So a week before I wound bobbins and tried to start it. I got so far then got stuck. The pattern had something called a double eyed spider, something I have not done. It's in one of my books, but no matter how hard I tried I just could not work it out. I think I was just in a hurry.

In the end I changed my pricking, and put in a whole stitch ground diamond instead of the double eyed spider. It looks OK, not as pretty as the spider, but still pretty.

Ok, so this one is finished. What's next? You will all just have to come back for another visit to find out.

A Bedfordshire Lace Bookmark

This little bookmark is a Bedfordshire lace one. It started as something to take to my lace meeting. I had ( and still do) a handkerchief edge on a pillow that I really wanted to do, but the pillow is a little cumbersome and uncomfortable  to use at lace meetings. Something about the height, it is a block pillow, and high at the front. My other pillow is a cookie pillow, and nicer to work on, so I dug out the pricking for this bookmark and thought I would make another one. The pattern came from an Australian Lace magazine, summer 2005, and is by Olwyn Scott and Robyn Hueppauff..

I had made this bookmark before, about three years ago, and thought there would not be an issue. So I quickly gathered my supplies and off I went to lace. As I started to set up my pricking and sort out bobbins, I thought I had bobbins with thread left from a previous project, and thought I would use them. The thread in the container with the bobbins was a cotton one, so I assumed all the bobbins in with the thread would have that thread wound on them. As I started to set them up and begin to work the lace, I could see that there were two different threads. One was a linen, complete with slubs, and the other was a cotton. Would it matter if the bookmark was worked in two different threads? One way to find out!

So I continued on my merry way. It got started, worked a bit, then left for some time while life got in the way. Next time I picked it up I snapped a thread. Mmm........ I could cope with that. Just add in another one and knot later. Famous last words! If I snapped one thread, I snapped a hundred! I know that linen thread has problems in dry air, and I have been told to lay a damp cloth over my work to create humidity. So that's what I did. Most of this bookmark was worked in high summer in air-conditioning, so every afternoon when I packed it away for the day, I would lay a cover cloth, a damp tea towel, then another cover cloth, so creating a layer of humidity.

Although I had made this bookmark before, I still had to remember lots of things. It's been good practice for my tallies, and I had to remember how to make picots, ( thank goodness for reference books!) . Then there were issues with colours of thread to colours on the pricking, as well as issues with pins. I have also learnt how unforgiving half stitch is. Never mind, it is finished now, and the only person I have to please is myself.

Now watch this space for my handkerchief edge that will be coming soon, sometime hopefully this year.

A Fill In Bookmark

I have been working on another major project lately which requires twelve  little finished pieces, so I have been using up my linen scraps. Sorry, you will all have to wait a while to see that project. One of the scraps was big enough to get two of my finished pieces, but not four. I could have got three, but that would have left me with one tiny scrap of linen left which would not have been much good for anything. So I decided to work  two, and use the bigger scrap left to make a bookmark.

A book mark , well then I had to make some decisions as to how to work the book mark, what colour, etc etc. What better way than to Google some bookmarks to get some inspiration. I did think of some blackwork patterns, but worked in colour of course, but decided on a Hardanger one instead. Then it was a look in my stash of threads to see what colours I had that I could use.

The dark green was my first pick, a Perle 8, then I found the variegated one , also a Perle 8, but I needed a Perle 12 to do the eyelets and needle weaving. I found some leftover in a smokey blue that I had hand dyed, and previously used with this same variegated one. All set, I was ready to stitch.

All was going well, but as the base fabric linen was white, it needed to be toned down. so I decided to fill in the background. I tried a four sided stitch over four threads, but quickly pulled that out. Then I tried a four sided stitch over two threads. Still not real happy, but I left it there. Possibly would have been better with something diagonal. It certainly toned down the white. I worked this background in a pale green stranded thread. I used the same green to work the eyelets.

Then we came to the needle weaving. I worked two bars in that smokey blue before I quickly pulled it out. It was way to dark and heavy, and looked all wrong. I thought a yellow would be nice, but me have yellow in the house? A yellow Perle 12 thread as well? Not likely! I didn't even have much in the way of yellow stranded thread, nothing suitable any way.

In the end I just used the same pale green stranded thread I used in the background to work the needle weaving and Dove's Eyes filling. Stranded thread is a **** to use for needle weaving, but I did manage it and it looks OK. A tassel in the same dark green that I used for the hem, just finished it.

It may not win any prizes, but I have used up some scraps, entertained my self for a while, and now have something that I can use.

A Lace Bookmark

Behold, my latest finish! A Bedfordshire Lace bookmark.

This little book mark started as a filler. I really wanted to continue my lessons from Pamella Nottingham's " Bedforshire Lacemaking" book. I am up to lesson 5, and rather than just doing a sample like I had done with the other four, I wanted to make a finished piece. So I decided to continue the edge around in a square, and when finished, I would mount it on some handkerchief linen. So I made my pricking, and  tried in on for size on my lace pillow. Immediately I could foresee problems. Yes, the pricking did fit, but it was flat, and my pillow is dome shaped. I could cut the center out to make it fit better, and as the edge has a scalloped footside as well as a scalloped head side, the finished  lace could be moulded flat when I mounted it to linen. Mmmmm...........  But the edge of the pricking came very close to the edge of my pillow, and I knew this would drive me crazy when working it. So I invested in another pillow, a bigger  square one with 9 blocks that I can swap around as needed. This would take time to arrive, and I wanted to do some more lace now!

So while waiting for my new pillow to arrive, I looked through and found this book mark pattern. Could I do it? I thought I could, it was plaits and tallies, and I knew how to do those, so I went about making my pricking.

Step 1. Make pricking - note to self - to consider the colour of thread to be used up against the colour of the pricking when choosing the colour of the contact. Remember to use a contrasting colour !

Step 2. Wind bobbins - how many do I wind? Oooops - not mentioned on the pattern, I would have to work it out!

Step 3. Work out the working order and how to start so I can calculate how many bobbins to wind Mmmmm........... next question - this wasn't on the pattern either and I had no idea how to start!

Luckily I am a member of a few on-line lace groups, so I put the question out there. One of the ladies on this group very kindly sent me a diagram and some notes to help get me started. My thanks go out the her ( she knows who she is). As a result, I could work my book mark above.

It is far from perfect, but I am proud of it. My tallies are different sizes, but they did get better as I progressed. My picots are all wrong, but hey, they are there. I was having problems with them and could not get the tension right. Then when I showed it to some real lace-makers, some comments I received had me going back to refresh how to do them. It was only then that  I realized that I had done them wrong. No winder they didn't tension right!

Oh well, it is finished and very usable. It has served me well in being a filler while waiting for my new pillow, as well as giving me some good practice and revision lessons. Now this one is finished, and my new pillow has arrived. So my handkerchief edging is happening as I write. Watch this space!

Special Book Marks For Special People

Back in late February & early March I made some bookmarks to say thankyou to some special people. It was a spur of the moment decision to make them, and as I was going away for a few weeks R & R, I packed some of my own hand dyed linen, what I thought was some co-ordinating threads to stitch with, & just one book for inspiration. They have all been recieved now so I can show you all what I did.

This was the first one, and I started by buttonholing the edge first, no counting. Then I decided I had better count what threads I had to work out what would fit in. The book I had taken with me was Gay Eaton's "Wessex Stitchery", so I found a motif that I liked, worked out placement & started stitching. I could fit three motifs in the space, but they needed something to link them together, so the back stitch borders were born. There are three in all, one is in a fine gold thread which is not really clear in this pic.

The second one I made was this pink one. After having fun trying to fit patterns in the last one by not counting the edge, I decided to count fours on this one, that way I would be able to fit in lots. Mmmmmm............. So the buttonhole stitch edge was first, and all the while it screamed "drawn thead " at me, so the satin stitch & eyelets were born. The coral knot channels were first, then the needlewoven center channel. It was fun, because by the time I got to working the center channel, I had decided I wanted to mix up colours & patterns, & this is where my counting by fours didn't work, hence the dominant three needle woven bars in the center. In retrospect, I wish I had of placed this section one block lower, it would have made it more interesting. Maybe next time. The back stitching in burgandy was an after thought to bring out the burgandy backing.

Finally we have bookmark number three. This one was born following a day with my creative stitching friends. On the day, one of our members had us closely looking at pieces of work with a list of questions. I had picked out one piece from across the room which I thought was a piece of counted thread work, but on closer inspection found to be smocking. The patterns were interesting, so from across the room I drew in my sketchbook the patterns that I saw. It was these sketches that I tried to interpret into this bookmark, but they didn't quite work. All that did was the yellow line. So the yellow line got repeated, stitches added in between, & thread colours changed as I felt, usually when they ran out in the needle. The extra yellow lines were added to give balance.

So the bookmarks have all been recieved, & I had some creative fun. They are all original

one-0fs that I am proud of & I know the recipients are enjoying.

Fun & Frivolity

Last Saturday was the monthly meeting of my creative stitching group. It was a coolish, very wet day( it absolutely poured!) so what better way to spend it than stitching with friends.

Part of the day was spent study a particular embroidered piece, in particular how the stitcher had used her stitches to effect. So the afternoon was spent playing with stitches on a doodle cloth. As it happened, my doodle cloth was a piece of scrap linen left over from something, and my stitch play has turned into this bookmark.

Anyone interested can read about the remainder of the day here.

My First Bedfordshire Bookmark

One of my personal challenges this year was to start learning Bedfordshire Lace. Anyone who wants to see my progress so far can check out my bobbin lace pages.

The bookmark above is my latest attempt, and my first attempt at designing this type of lace. That is if you call it designing. It is just an edge pattern that has been mirrored with some extra tallies & plaits down the center. I also experimented with some different picots, and some DMC stranded thread. It will be a while before I use either of these elements again. I found the stranded thread a little too soft for bobbin lace, though I would not rule it out altogether as there are some great colours available. As for the picots, these were just simple ones, and I like the twisted ones I did before much better as they hold their shape better.

Anyway, the book mark is finished, and now I can move onto the next piece

A Wessex Bookmark - A WISP Finished

It is amazing what one finds in a clean-up. Last week I was sorting through some "stuff" & found none other than another three WISPs. The above bookmark is one of those three. Stitching all done, just patiently waiting for a backing & to be fringed. Mmmmm............ just a few minutes work. I wonder why I left it so long?

Wessex Stitchery, worked onto my own hand dyed even weave linen, using a mix of Perle 8 & stranded threads.

One WISP finished, just approx 50 to go. Now that's a scarry thought.

More Bookmarks

I have finished off two more bookmarks over the last few days. They didn't take much as the stitching was already done & they just needed some backing. Both started off being samples for this piece, which I worked for the Stitchers Plus Group that I belong to. I just turned the samples into something usefull!

Pulled Thread Bookmark - June TIF Challenge

Yesterday I finally finished the TIF challenge for June. Only nine months late, but who is counting.

This bookmark started purely as a sample for stitching eyelets onto this RR Sampler, then ended up being part of the TIF challenge run by Sharon B last year. The stitching has been finished for quite some time, all it needed was a backing fabric to be slip hemmed onto the back to hide the reverse side. Now it can be ticked off the list. Yippee!

Another Bookmark

I've been playing with my bobbin lace again. This is another bookmark to give away at our display later this year. This one is made up of a variety of threads and three different colours, not that that shows very clearly here. I have then threaded some ribbon through at the end. If anything, I have practiced some stitches, and emptied some bobbins, and I think someone somewhere will appreciate it. I might even keep it myself yet.

A Lace Leaf Bookmark

I've been playing with some more bobbin lace. My local lace group are having a display at the library where we meet later this year and our fearless leader wants to give away bookmarks to all the children who show an interest. Nothing fancy mind you, all to be simple. E.... gave us this pattern for a gum leaf to work. I am soooooooooooo out of practice. I thought I would have a go anyway & see what I could do. Mmm............. still more practice obviously required. And before anyone comments, the large holes were meant to be there! I have never added in pairs before, and I had to think by myself how to start. The next one will definately be better.