Dolphins Chasing Tails

A little diversion for me from the last few weeks of learning Bucks Point.  My hand drawn design filled in with honeycomb and triangle ground dolphins with glitter thread workers used in the splashes, variegated thread with seed beads used in the waves, and my favourite aqua sequins used around the border.  

The path of the pairs and plaits proved interesting and I made use of the border to throw out threads which had been attached to the dolphins which I worked first.  My usual style would have been to make this all in one go, but I did enjoy the relative simplicity of adding elements as I went along and working them piecemeal. 

Unusual for me, there are no tallies!

The triangle ground proved a real challenge, it looks simple enough when finished, but to make it stay in line and also bend around with the shape of the dolphin meant doing some of the ground in reverse!  

I had fun with this one.  The pattern is not released at this time. 

 

Bobbins? What bobbins?

How to make your bobbins disappear.

These any size two fold bobbin books hide themselves away in bookshelves.  

I couldn't resist this tapestry book fabric and had just the right place to use it.  These newly aquired painted Geoff Mudge bobbins needed a little case of their own and they will be used for metallic and sparkly threads.  This will leave my working bobbins free of those thread ends which tie up bobbins till that thread is needed again.  

I made the case to fit the pattern, with plenty of easement for the spangles and heads to not be squashed.  Well padded, they will come to no harm among my lace books.  

Have a look at the bobbin holder opening in the video here  Bobbins? What bobbins? You tube video

Daffodil Frieze

A little play on words to start with - freize and freeze with these bright, joyful flowers often appearing through the frost and snow. 

We live in a sheltered valley in the warmest bit of the country, so warm that back in Victorian times, early railways were used to get the flowers and soft fruits to London at speed.  

The growing season here is up to a month earlier than other parts of the country and daffodils were such an intensive crop, that hillsides were covered in them. 

The hillsides have been now taken over by the same woodlands which were destroyed to make room for these crops.  The daffodils grow at the foot of the trees, still in rows, making a woodland walk quite magical.  

During the wars, all non essential crops were abandoned to turn the land over to growing food for the nation.  Flowers were not a priority so the bulbs were dug up and thrown to the sides of the fields.  

Our old Cornish fields are surrounded, not by fences and walls, but by Cornish hedges. * These are wide, angled stone plinths running for several miles sometimes, infilled with soil, often covered completely with wild growth, sometimes full trees are growing up from them.  A haven for wildlife and rare plants.  Having been thrown to the sides, the daffodil bulbs just carried on growing, even from the depths of these hedges, and soon they bloomed, cross pollinated and now liven up the Cornish hedges with their yellow nodding heads. 

This design is really only one daffodil, set back to back with it's mirror image.  I do love art nouveau design and I was delighted to see that this flower lends itself to a repeat pattern in a similar style. 

This design only takes a few bobbins because it is made in sections.  The leaves are cloth stitch with a few lines of twisted worker to create veining along the leaf.  Use up odd bits of green thread to give the leaves a bit of depth.  I chose orange for the frill on the trumpet but there are so many colourways and shapes in the daffodils I see around where I live that there is no need to be particular, anything from white to yellow to deep coral can be used for the flower.  The petals are often a different colour to the trumpet. 

I made the daffodil wrong side up, so I made the small leaf first so that it was on top of the larger leaf when the piece is turned over.  There is no need to work from the back, it only depends on how you choose to join the sections, and if you want to work any sections with a rolled edge.  

This pattern was originally printed in the Lace Guild Magazine as a new pattern. Each Easter, I think 'is anyone making my daffodil?' so, after a few years, I decided to release it again.

This is designed to be printed at A4.  If you would prefer the .pdf, it is in the Files section of my Lesley's Lace Facebook page.    https://www.facebook.com/groups/907516516997481/

Old Cornish Hedge

Daffodils at the foot of a gnarly old tree growing out of a Cornish Hedge. 

* from the Cornwall Council webpage   "A Cornish hedge is a boundary structure distinctive to Cornwall. They are typically two independent stone walls to either side of a rab and earth core. Traditionally the stone used to construct these hedges relates to the geology of the local area. This is what makes them so locally distinctive. There are over 30,000 miles of Cornish hedges across Cornwall forming our largest semi-natural habitat. The majority are medieval in origin, and some were first laid out in prehistory."

Colour Plait Motif

Time to play about with a pattern again.  This little motif has been sitting in the wings, waiting for it's turn to get some attention.  There is a gap of a couple of years between making the two pieces, just long enough to find I had too many bobbins with coloured thread ends still attached which had reduced the number of useable bobbins.  

The same pattern was used for both, but I chose to start some plaits in different places, miss out some picots, and change colour of some tallies.  Instead of running the threads through the cloth stitch trails to throw them out, which leaves a small streak of colour, I tied the thrown out threads off.  Where I needed to throw a plait out, I hid it in the tally where I could, or hid different colours inside a whipped stitch, throwing single threads out as needed.

This gifted pattern is shown in several different guises along with the full motif shown in the photo.  A small center motif with a smooth edge, an edge only motif which could be used as a photo frame, or to put your own center inside, and a combined 9 pin edge and center motif. 

I used mostly Empress Mills 29 wraps per centimeter thread (they have 56 colours!) but I suspect some bobbins may have contained Dewhurst's Sylco thread, maybe even a bit of DMC Broder Machine 30.  They are all 100% cotton, practically the same thickness, so work well

I would love to see this made all in one colour, or even in white, which is what I prefer to use for a first time working a design.  The full motif takes about 52 pairs working both sides at once from top to toe.

Thread End Santa

All year long I make bobbin lace, why? 

So I have lots of curly thread ends to play about with at Christmas of course 😄

This fun decoration is simple to make, although it pushed the edges of my craft tolerance with the glue, such messy stuff and it always prefers to stick on my fingers rather than the craft.

Thread End Santa

Place a blob of craft glue (the white stuff that turns clear) on a piece of plastic (it will be peeled off this plastic later).   

Tease the threads out to remove any short ones which will fall off , press into the glue blob, building up a generous pile. 

The threads spread out in all directions from the glue blob, make one direction longer than the others. 

When the glue is thoroughly dry, peel the beard off the plastic. 

Make a little tassle with some of the short straight threads for the top of the hat. 

Cut out two red felt hat shapes, add a bit of scrap felt to stick out of the hat at the bottom,(this is to sew the beard to) and a little brim, sew them together, adding in the tassle at the top, and add seed beads along the brim. 

Sew the beard onto the bit of scrap under the hat, from the back. The top section of the beard above the glue is folded down to create the moustache, covering up the glue dimple. 

Sew the pink bead for the nose between the beard and the hat, don't worry if it sits a bit over the beard.

Add a thread if you want to hang this Thread End Santa up, or just stick it to a card.  I chose to leave the beard ridiculously long, but you can trim to your own taste. 

Old Lace Pillow Rescue.

A grubby plastic bag, thick with dust, was pulled out from under the market stall.  

"Been hoping you would come in today" the lady says, with a look that means she has no intention of taking the thing in the bag home with her if I don't.

This sad little lace pillow had been dropped off with her, nothing was asked for it, just the hope that someone could make use of it rather than throwing it away when emptying a house.

I stuck my finger into the pillow, a slight crinkle, very little resistance.  Experience told me that this wasn't a pillow that just needed a new cover. 

As I pulled the pillow out of the bag, the stall holder's hand shot out and took the hat pins out of the top. 

"You can take it for free, if I keep these".

Well, the decision looked like it had been made for me. The poor little pillow, like a neglected puppy, was going to be taken home where it would be fattened up and cared for. 

Credit where credit is due, the pillow had been used for making lace, not everyone has the tools, materials and inclination to mess about with these things like I do.  The main purpose of a lace pillow, is to enable lace to be made, and that's all it needs to do, doesn't need to win beauty competitions or be a best in class.  I have been known to chat to the rescued pillows as I start work on them, what their lacemaker made, the life they had, how near to being thrown in the rubbish the pillow came.

The wooden bar with the bit of pipe insulation and elastic bandage used to hold the pricking was nothing to do with the pillow, I wondered if it was an artist's Mahl stick, or a very short curtain rail.  

This one had good 'bones'.  The wood inside was well fixed and cut, the maker's pencil measurements still showing under the straw.  One day it would be nice to remake one with straw or sawdust, but the humidity where I live is too much for that, so I used ethafoam and polystyrene.  

A piece of the everlasting pool noodle (it never seems to get an shorter!) was used for the base of the roller, which I covered in layers of a vintage Whitney boiled wood blanket.

To my surprise, being strictly a navy blue lace pillow kinda gal,  I chose a patterned fabric for the top cover of both the roller and the pillow. 

After this madness, why not go for the whole hog I thought, then added an unneccesary edging braid to finish off. 

Now I had started wandering down the overdoing it road, I felt it needed something else, so I went for the overkill and made a lacemaker's heart pincushion to match.  

Will I enjoy using this? Probably not as I don't use roller pillows, but I do enjoy reviving these sad, abandoned pillows.  

The new roller bar sits into the little square cut out where I found a pinhole.  I assume this was to anchor the roller so I put some holes in the bar for a thickish divider pin to stop the roller turning.

I didn't put much of a slope on this pillow, because I use Midlands, and have my pillow at an angle but the rounded edges should be good to let continental bobbins hang off. 

The top fabric is the heavyweight cotton 'Strawberry Thief' with navy background from 'Laura's Beau'.

Costs:- 

Ethafoam £13, Fabric £8.50, Braid £3, Pool noodle, stick, glue, leather, staples and ribbon £2, Time 4 hours. 

What is that pole for

The discovery bit

This is what's left

The Lace Pillow maker's Breadknife!

.Complete with Lace Maker's strawberry heart pincushion. 

 

A Storm and Æ

The rain is being driven hard against my window, storm Bert is half way through and the lights are flickering.  I got up early because the shed roof is rattling in the wind and that doesn't aid sleep much.  

I saw a post asking if there was a lace pattern for the character Æ and I jumped at the chance to indulge in my long time love of creating lettering and fonts.  

I pressed the magic button that makes the house warm and settled with my pencil to have a doodle, this is my first draft.   Milanese would be my first choilce of lace to make it in, maybe it would look nice just in two colours and a half stitch filling?   

For anyone with the initials A.E. , this would make a great monogram. 

Slinca Bauble

This is a new technique to me.  I only knew of 'dancing spiders' or circles made with trails before.   Slincas use turning stitches to create the hole in the center, the tensioning is important so the circle doesn't pull to one side.  These two baubles were made different ways. The first is Sybille's working which uses up to 10 pairs at a time.  The complete outside edges are worked first,  followed by the two trails which are added to the edge and sewn in at the opposite side, then the slincas are added.  The piece is worked from the back.  Beads are added in the center band of slincas.  The red and white threads used for the slincas show how the two red plaits and the two white plaits follow different paths. 

Worked by Sybille Zapf

I started my working of the bauble at the top loop using 4 pairs, two for the 'pin under four' edge, and two for the passives.  The most inside passive and the worker use a turning stitch instead of a pin.  Tension is important to make sure the band stays even because there is only one row of pins being used.  To make a turning stitch, use cross, twist, cross, twist, cross, leave the outer pair and use the inner of the two pairs to work through the waiting passive as normal with a cloth stitch and work the pin. 

Turning stitch

There are no pins used in the center, the center is worked using turning stitches.   A turning stitch is shown on patterns with a small circle where you would expect a pin to be.  This technique is used a lot in Milanese Lace, well worth having a look at some videos to see it being made. 

My thread was a bit on the thin side for this, so I added picots to each plaited 'leg'.   I worked my version by starting the edge on both sides and working down to the tail, adding each band in turn.  This way I added the threads for the bands and trails into one side as I worked the edge, and tied them off at the other edge before working the next trail or slinca band.   If I had been working with all one colour, I could have taken the pairs into the edge passives and thrown them out as I worked down the edges but there were a lot to throw out at once, four consecutive edge pins had to have two pairs thrown out, so tying off was a better option.  The side which faced upwards had to be the 'wrong' side of the finished lace because of the knots.

The thick coloured sparkle thread was added as a single gimp thread.  Twist the worker twice after working though the passive pair before the gimp thread.  Lift the LEFT worker (this is the same whichever direction you are going) and pass the gimp under the left and over the right bobbin, replace the left bobbin to the left and twist the workers twice before the next passives are worked in cloth stitch.  

This way of adding a thick thread is traditionally used with only white thread, sometimes with a thick thread, sometimes with a bundle of ground threads, sometimes a thick thread may 'carry' some ground threads along with it to get them to a further point.   The single worker which goes over the top of the contrasting gimp in this piece gives a stripy look to the edge and trails. 

Worked by Lesley FW

Following the diagram for the slinca, the two plaits added at the center top split into pairs to make a double halo. The two outer plaits split into pairs and weave in and out to create the contrast in the center.  Between the two halos, my worker has two twists because the thread was rather thin, this exaggerated the space between the halos. A thicker thread, like Sybille's, may only need one, or no twists, it is worth experimenting to find out what your thread needs and which look you want to go for.  There will be other ways of making slincas, in a way, it is a bit like a fancy compound spider. 

Slincas are unusual in that they can be added after a piece has already been finished.  If it is still on the pillow, you can add to the outer edge to make a piece bigger, or fill in a space with just an odd slinca.  They can be made alone, but they would need stiffening because the points of the plaits may try and warp. 

Christmas Bauble 1

A Bedfordshire Cluny style (with a bit of Muaiga) Christmas tree bauble.  

This can be worked from the loop downwards in one piece, or work the outside and work each band in turn.  The loop can be plaited, or a narrow (2-3 pairs passives) length of cloth stitch.  The single threads are worked through all the bands, continuing through the next band down. 

35 pairs approx. Size 11.5cm. Thread = DMC 80 at 27/30 wpc. Thick glitter thread 10 wpc for the two colour chevron edge and two pairs colour of choice in the trails. 

I chose to include a chevron edging using two thicker threads which create an interlocking 'V' shape.  These can be made by alternating the threads on every row, or on alternate rows.  I prefer the alternate rows as this gives a longer, more defined change of colour.  

To keep the chevrons even, I draw an arrow at the top of the pattern so I remember the direction of work which has the change over of the top coloured pair.  There needs to be at least one pair of normal passives on either side, more if there is room.  

One of the coloured pairs lies inside the other, blue green green blue.   These are not worked as conventional pairs. After working the normal passives to one side of the coloured thread, lift the center coloured pair, green green, and pass the worker underneath in one go. Place the coloured pair back in the same center position, blue green green blue, continue with the normal passives.

On the next row, work the normal passives, lift only the center coloured pair, green green, and place them, one at each outer side of the blue pair.  This makes the blue blue pair the center pair.  Lift the blue blue center pair, pass the worker underneath them and place them back down in between the green green pair.  Continue with the normal passives.  The chevron is now green blue blue green. The worker pair passes twice between the two pairs of colours per change of colour.  

This can be made by swapping the coloured pairs every row, the chevrons will be shorter but maybe a bit tighter. 

The tallies, when worked in the bands, are four pairs which zigzag between the bars. The center is made with a simple half stitch with two twists around the pins.

The thick glitter threads I used can be changed for thinner threads, just add more pairs. Glitter or thick threads need to be carefully tensioned so keep an eye on those. 

On the curved trails, I used a pair of thick glitter threads with a normal passive pair on each side.    On the wavy trail, I used two different colour thick threads.  At each pass of the worker, they were swapped over, right over left. This gave them a stripy look. 

See my video on chevron edging on my youtube channel here 

https://youtu.be/UhnNNR43b48?si=lDEVRQX4LO7NNRes

See my video on tallies here

https://youtu.be/Thc-6D7Y1ZE?si=4CRvxryIHZOloatf

also more info on my  ‘Lesley’s Lace’ blog.  

This is A4.  If you can't get your printer to print this at the right size, the .pdf is available from my 'Lesley's Lace'  facebook page in the 'Files' tab. 

One Way to Wind and Hitch Bobbins

Winding, winding, winding, a never ending chore.  I have a few cases of bobbins which I always use for the first making of my own designs.  This way I don't have to worry about running out, or not winding enough pairs to start with.  Any bobbins with enough thread to rewind get put at the last row of the case so I can use them to add single bobbins, or wind on just those tiny amounts that can appear in non geometric designs.

I stick to the same bobbins too, having a consistant weight in the hands when thinking about what happens next is good, an odd weighted bobbin flicking off the pillow can distract and interfere with a thought process which is busy planning several trails, many moves ahead. 

Start with a secure wind onto the bobbin. 

The first bobbin is wound with as much thread as it will carry.  The trick is not to load the bobbin with too much thread which makes the thread wider than the head.  This can cause the thread to skip over the head and get tangled.  The second bobbin I wind only the top half of the neck, usually with a meter or less of thread.  This is usually enough for my designs, leaving me with only one bobbin with waste thread on.  The full bobbin simply refills the empty one as needed. 

Some bobbins are made with wood which doesn't seem to want to be polished glass smooth, worth remembering these, they come in handy for metallic, sparkly, thick or rayon threads which simply don't want to stay wound on the neck. Worth having a couple of pairs of rougher bobbins just for these special threads.

The winder I use is one which appeared from the magic shed at the end of the garden some years ago, a breadboard, a bit of kitchen work surface and a rolling pin had been turned into a wonderful, thoughtful present and has served me well.  The handle winds in reverse, so that  stops anyone else asking to use it!

The hitch I use developed simply by being the most trustworthy of all the different hitches I tried.   If the very first bit wound onto the bobbin is not secure, the whole wrap can rotate and this can make any hitch come undone.  Sometimes I find a solitary bobbin keeps unravelling despite the correct hitch, and the only way to correct it is to wind back to the beginning and get that first wind secure.

Do not be concerned when I say I drop the bobbin on the floor, I am not smashing the beads on ceramic tiles, or throwing the thread into muddy footprints!  There is a special little quilt just for the job, I wind so many bobbins, that this gives me the fastest way to measure.  Here's my rough guide. 

Drop from the waist - sitting = 60cm

Drop from the bust - sitting = 90 cm

Drop from the waist - standing = 1 meter

Drop from the bust  - standing = 1.25 meter. 

The weight of the bobbin hanging down from the table also helps to avoid tangles and twists in the thread.

Different bobbins, thread weights, twists, thread content, and plys can call for different hitches.  Always worth checking, when starting a new style of lace, what method is suggested at the front of the book, or how the teacher suggests.  They will know more than me about this!

My video on winding my everyday working bobbins is on you tube here

Wind and Hitch Lace Bobbins Video

Videos for the Christmas Stocking - Working the Gimp Threads

Working the top band on the Christmas Stocking using Gimp threads and spiders.

The thick, red thread on the sample is used as a single thread, not worked as a pair. These threads are called 'gimp' threads. Sometimes in laces like Honiton, one thick thread can be paired with a normal thread and worked as a pair, these are called a 'coarse' pair.

Christmas Stocking 1 - Starting and adding the Red Thread.

Start by working the first row of pins only. This can be with any edge stitch you like. I used a simple half stitch, pin, half stitch, hanging the pairs on temporary pins above the top pins. The stitches need to have two twists ready for running the red gimp thread along.

Hang the red thread around a loop above the top pins and laying the two bobbins down on the work. The red threads are not worked as a pair, but as single threads.

Working to the left or right, the same method is followed, always lift the left, pass the gimp thread over the right ground bobbin place the left bobbin back in it's place.

Working to the left...Lift the left of the first ground pair. Take the left red bobbin pass the Red bobbin underneath the left ground bobbin, leaving the right ground bobbin on the pillow. Place the left ground thread back in the same place. Twist the ground pair twice. The red bobbin is now on the other side of the ground pair, held in place with the two twists. Repeat with all the bobbins.

The red gimp thread should lay in a single thread line with two twists on either side, holding it nicely in the space between the pins. If you wish, you can alter the twists so that a gimp thread actually sits close up to the pin and next to the ground pairs. This makes a tighter outline, or even a wider 'halo' effect.

https://youtu.be/iY-yPNEOrGw

Christmas Stocking 2 - Turning and Ending the Green Threads.

The red and green gimp pairs are used as single threads, not worked as pairs. Each single bobbin follows it's own path. The green gimp threads are being thrown out (ended) and they need to lie alongside each other for several pins until they are more securely held together, being secured by the double twist on the workers and maybe a few more ground stitches before cutting them off. If they are not in the way, you can leave them until the piece is finished. Missing out the two twists between the red and green threads makes it look more like one thread, rather than two.

https://youtu.be/4-pm2jCDrhU

Christmas Stocking 3 - Crossing the Red Thread.

To bring the two single red gimp threads together for crossing over, pass one of the threads though all the ground pairs (which have two twists ready) to the opposite side. Take the waiting red thread and work back, laying the second pair alongside the first one. No twists in the ground pairs until both red threads are together and they have swapped sides. Put two twists on all the ground pairs and continue with the pattern.

If gimp threads are being thrown out, they need to lie alongside each other for several pins until they are secured by the double twist on the workers and maybe a few rows worked before cutting off the gimp threads.

Missing out the two twists when laying two gimp threads together makes it look more like one thread, rather than two. Of course if you wish to keep the two threads effect, keep the double twist between the crossing gimp threads but be aware, that's a lot of twists between two pins!

https://youtu.be/oWmGZn36l10

Lesley's Lace Blog lesleyslace.blogspot.com Facebook facebook.com/lesleyfw Facebook Group facebook.com/groups/907516516997481

.pdf available from the 'Files' Tab on Lesley's Lace facebook page. You need to be a member to access these.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/907516516997481/files/files

Firework Flower

This Cluny style design with just a touch of Muaiga, was created while playing with a program on an ipad.  This is great fun to do but doesn't take into account the practicalities of a hand drawn original design where you can see the dance of the bobbins following their paths, the program is more of a 'chuck it in and see where it lands' sort of vibe.  Lines may line up, and make a beautiful colouring in mandala, but they cannot work out how bobbin lace needs to be made.  This causes some puzzling out to be done when working the first trial piece.

Good job I like the puzzle aspect of bobbin lace making!  A second puzzle was that I had 35 pairs of bobbins to put away, but I only counted 27 needed for the piece, maybe it was all the in and out short thread ends I was using up on this piece,  let me know what number you come up with, although this can vary according to how you choose to do your own bobbin dance.

I started by adding 'magic threads' in with the starting pins because I knew I wouldn't be able to get a needle or crochet hook into the start of plaits or windmills when it came to joining the ends to complete the circles.  These are simply 5-6 inch long loops of left over thread, preferably coloured, tied at the ends which are placed through the starting threads at the pins.  These are pulled out at the end, drawing with them the threads you need to pull through the pinhole to make the tie off.

There was a bit of plait joining going on at the end, so to avoid having lumpy knots along a plait, I took the threads along the plait with a bit of rolled edge technique, throwing out the threads one by one and finishing with a 'surgeons knot' using an extra loop fed into the last thread knot.

This is not a beginner piece, it doesn't follow all the techniques relating to a specific style of bobbin lace though I would say it was more akin to Cluny than Bedfordshire lace.  The main difference is in the crossings.  I prefer the crossings which don't take the pair into the passives one side and use the existing passives from the opposite edge to go out on the other side. I find this makes the trail have a spliced look.  The Cluny style crossing also leaves the actual passives in place, very handy if they are a different colour, being used to carry gimps or colours, or short threads. 

13.5 cm  -  27 pairs -  Thread 27 wpc equiv to Presencia Finca 30, Empress Mills Cotton 50s  

The square tallies were difficult for me as I am not well practiced in making these yet, so please forgive the irregularity of them!  The two threads for the square tallies can be changed for a different colour as these are independant of the design. They can also be changed for four pairs instead of two single pairs and made into a half stitch bud to fill the space.  The angle they come in from is wider on one side than the other, this caused a little concern but I'm sure with more practice, I could get them more even.

13.5 cm  -  27 pairs -  Thread 27 wpc equiv to Presencia Finca 30, Empress Mills Cotton 50s  

Techniques:- Cluny crossings, single and double thread picots, false plaits, Square and leaf tallies, windmill and complex crossings, raised and rolled tally in half stitch ground.  Magic threads recommended for joining at end. 

If you have difficulty printing this at A4 on your home printer, you can download the .pdf  at  Lesley's Lace Facebook Group look for the Files tab for this and other patterns.  

If you print at 'letter' size, the pattern will be a little smaller, but the tolerance is 13.5 to the outside of the picots, and it should still work with the same thread size at a smidge less than 13cm

Would love to see a picture of your finished lace on my FB page.

Print at A4

Print at A4

Seed Bead Strawberry

This unseasonal Strawberry was a little diversion for me. A change of pace to use big, coloured threads and play about with beads.  The challenge came in finding the right size crochet hook the right size to catch one pair of threads to draw through the seed bead, and secondly to go through the center of the seed beads.  My seed beads were from a random bag so I don't know what size they counted as but the were on the larger size for seed beads. The thread was a magenta crochet thread, the nearest I could get to a proper red but it paired up nicely with the soft peridot green I had.  

The 'pin under four' or 'two pair edge' makes it easier to sew the green leaves to the top but a standard two pairs twisted about the pin is still acceptable. 

I started at the top left corner, this allowed me to see where the threads went before adding more.  The ones which were happy to 'bounce' off the opposite edge went back into the ground.  Sometimes I had to look at both edges to see which was the most appropriate pair to use for this purpose.  Because this is not a true geometric shape, some artistic licence has to be used and the lacemaker has the final decision to make on pieces like this.  

This piece is worked from the back.

The seed beads were added at alternate pinholes, with one Torchon stitch being pinned between each.  I used single Torchon (ct,pin,ct) but in hindsight, I think a double Torchon would have given me a stronger and thicker ground between the beads. 

 If you choose to use sequins, only use alternate pinholes to leave room for a small sequin.

Tension on the beads is important.  Make sure that there is no slack thread on either side of the bead before working the next pin.

I ran the pairs in with the passives along a straight side to finish, easier to throw out a lot of pairs along a straight edge than all at once at the point. I sewed in the last few threads at the end.

Reuse 2 pairs of the bobbins rewound with green thread for the leaves at the top.  Two versions are available, either the plaited zigzag, or the leaf tallies.   The leaf tallies are worked continuously.  Work the leaf upwards, pin and turn to make a plait back down to the strawberry where a sewing is made, and onto the next tally and plait until the last one is made when you tie off the last plait into the strawberry.  

Techniques:-  Torchon Ground (single or double). Add plait or leaf tallies. Add seed beads. Take in and throw out pairs into the edge. Add beads to darker dots.   20 pairs for ‘pin under 4’ edge, 18 pairs for single pair around pin edge.  Shown is the 5cm Strawberry using Coates crochet thread no 20. using a 0.5cm crochet hook to add large seed beads.  

Dachshund, a little dog that just keeps getting longer!

The shape of this little dog took my fancy one day, and I was about to start filling the outline with my favourite Bedfordshire stitches then I thought, why not try something different?  Torchon didn't immediately spring to mind because it isn't a lace that lends itself to organic, fluid shapes, being based on a 45 degree grid 

The 'Adventurous' series of patterns I designed needed another project so this little dog volunteered.  The long, comedic shape of the 'sausage dog' gave me the idea to extend the body, and to have an insert which can be repeated multiple times to make the dog as long as anyone could possibly want.  A bookmark?  Why not make it long enough for a belt, or an edging?

This one was made with no 40 Crochet thread, I used a thicker thread than usual because I wanted to practice making a series of video tutorials.  Sequins and some sparkly gift tag cord was hunted out and the bobbins were wound.

I learn as I work and make the decisions where threads go as the pattern progresses.  I thought it would be interesting to include the choices, and why, when making a design for the first time. 

This pattern uses only a line for the outside edge trail.  The straight lines of the Torchon stitches dictate where the pins have to be along the edge.  As long as the outside pins are kept relatively equidistant, then the edge should sort itself out without the need for pin dots. 

The dots are dictated by the ground.  The ground pairs follow the grid and where they meet the edge, or need to be added/taken out, or turned to go back into the ground is where the pins go. This changes a lot on an organic shape and the Torchon grid does not allow for these irregularities so the lace maker has to make the choice.  The outer pin is placed as evenly as possible. I have not marked the pins on this piece because my intention was to show how a piece is constantly being worked out when made for the first time.

I use a 180gsm blue card which I find is easy enough to stab my pins through directly into the pillow without the need for pre pricking.  I like to make notes and mark alterations directly onto the card during working so I don't cover with the plastic film which is used to protect prickings in normal use. This also allows me to move pins about if needed.  The final prickings are usually drawn up after my first working but on this piece, you are seeing the first working being made. 

I decided that life really is too short to spend time on things I don't enjoy so videos are made in one take.  There is no excitement at the thought of staring at a computer screen for any longer than is absolutely necessary, so editing is not an option for me.  

It is hard enough trying to make lace and talk about it at the same time that I am figuring it out, for me to refilm it all over again for the sake of an odd blooper or two.  

Please do award yourself points when you find the bloopers, I see it as a novel way of seeing if you are paying attention and all part of the learning process!  I only have a mobile phone on an old camera stand and it sometimes obscures the actual work I am making!  

The full playlist of the Dachshund videos is here    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtaX_I87zRKXiWEIGw5d68HzykZ8NuDJr&feature=shared

The .pdf is in the Files tab of my Lesley's Lace facebook group

This prints at A4

Angel Wings Butterfly (made in two different ways)

Created as a butterfly, I wonder if the wings would work on their own, stiffened and attached to a figurine, maybe making an angel, or a fairy?

This 2020 pattern was made to practice tallies and experiment with variegated thread. This extravagant butterfly gave me plenty of practice and I was glad to finish it! 

Start with two small tallies and work plaits to create the antennae.  Add 2 pairs at the top of the head as a worker and a passive and take in the two plaits to form the head.  Work the thorax in half stitch, or cloth stitch with twists to widen the ground. The first and last pairs are worked in cloth stitch.  Add two pairs at each pin down one side.   

Add 2 pairs at the top of the head as a worker and a passive and take in the two plaits to form the head. 

Work the thorax in half stitch, or cloth stitch with twists to widen the ground. The first and last pairs are worked in cloth stitch.  Add two pairs at each pin down one side.  

When I made this butterfly originally, I added the pairs onto both sides as I worked the body.  This created a large bundle of bobbins which did not need until I had finished the first side.  In hindsight, I should have sewn in the second side after I had completed the first side. 

Another option is to make the body first by adding an extra two pairs for a two pair edge (pin under 4) and making a rolled edge (a Honiton method) then sewing the wing pairs in as I needed them. The body can be made in a variety of stitches.

Each plait needs two pairs adding.  Working away from the body, more plaits are added to the wings.  The picots on the windmill crossings were worked one pair before the windmill, one after.  This can be replaced by the Honiton method featured in 'Blossom' ground. 

The non tally plaits crossing the wings are taken back and forth, crossing the trail worked between the two wings, then carried along with the passives at the outer edges until they work back across both wings to the other outer edge.  

On the last section of tallies, the biggest boxes, an extra two plaits in variegated thread are added.  These two pairs make the extra tallies which zig zag through the final two tallies and create a need for an 8 pair crossing. 

While working the last row of boxes with the extra tallies, the middle tally, which has come from the body, is taken into the edge (or tied off if you wish).

The nipped in point between the two wings is where you can finish by sewing the larger wing's edge into the smaller wing edge. The trail between the wings  continues working around the outer edge of the smaller wing to join at the sharp point. 

I asked another lace maker to try out this pattern, and, with only the pricking, this beautifully graduated was made.  Sybille Zapf made this in a completely different way to me, using the European style tape lace methods rather than the Bedfordshire methods which I use.  This method meant far fewer bobbins were used at any time, and control over colours and remembering what goes where is improved. 

The outlines were made first, with the strands of tallies and plaits worked by adding then taken out by tying off into the edge trails.  This method is more forgiving in using strong colours which one would not want to have to add into the trails to remove. 

A wonderful use of fine wire used by Sybille in the antennae and around the edges and body made the butterfly poseable when taken off the pillow.  A great idea which really brings the lace alive when mounted.

An A4 pdf is available from the Files on my FB page 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/907516516997481/

These need to print at A4. If your printer decides otherwise, down load the .pdf mentioned above. 

Giraffes - A Milanese Lace Challenge -New Giraffes added as they are made.

The online bobbin lace group I enjoy socializing and learning with has chosen this rather sweet pattern of 11 giraffes made in Milanese Lace.  This is a bobbin lace which uses few bobbins, usually a dozen pairs give or take a few.  

The swirls and interlocking ribbons of the designs marry with the precise, geometric patterns to create some of the most fluid and beautiful modern pieces of lace I have ever seen.  I wanted to use Milanese Braids very early on in my lace journey and have only now started to approach them and these little sampler bands working with 11 different Milanese braids are an ideal introduction. 

Giraffe 1

The first little giraffe started fine, a bit of double edging and cloth stitch for the head to get the confidence up, then into a relatively simple, straight edged band of 'Lotus'. So far so good. 

Here is the playlist of the 5 youtube videos I made to help our Bobbin Lace Along facebook zoom group.   

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtaX_I87zRKWuzSJOWTQ1fhYMYTvV8D6B&si=zhBkAaniGapKNjO2

ttp://www.kantmetklossennl/ http://www.kantmetklossen.nl/

Bonny Van Bergan kindly donated this pattern for free and it is in the 'Files' tab in the 'Bobbin Lace Along' facebook group, her other lovely patterns are available from   h

https://www.kantmetklossen.nl/op-het-land

Giraffe 2

The second giraffe proved a little more difficult.  We had to learn how to make a Milanese scroll to make the head bend at the neck.  The 'Fish number 1' braid was easy enough to make but I made a mistake when drawing out my own, narrower version for making the video.  I have marked on the diagram below, the two twists I missed off my little sample pattern, but on the video I corrected it as I made it.   I made the 20 minute video in one take (I don't do editing), so I just made a note in the comments and carried on. 

The more I learn, the less I feel I know about this delicate and challenging fibre art. 

https://youtu.be/c7v0fdOkWyU?si=ccSf04gb-rCQwyN_

Giraffe 3

To be continued...

Larger loop for picots.

Different ways of making a larger loop for picots.

The Bobbin Lace Along FB group are making Bonny Van Bergan's Milanese lace 'Family of Giraffes' as a group learning experience. The giraffe horns are created by making a particularly large, round picot. This lead to some discussion about how these can be made.

The options were:- a thick divider pin, four standard pins tight together, a standard pin with a bugle bead on, and to wrap paper around pearl head pins.

My thoughts: The divider pin is ideal, but is most likely to leave a hole in fabric/foam pillows.

Cluster of standard pins, not really a round shape, may leave a hole.

Bugle bead, ideal if you buy the good ones with heat smoothed ends, the cheap ones (like the one I tried) have sharp, uneven ends and I would worry about cutting the thread if it slid underneath.

Paper wrapped pearl pins. A half inch strip of paper at the top of the pin. I used the scissorribbon method for curling the paper to start, double sided sticky tape to fix and roll up with one sided sticky tape on the outside. Pushed into the pillow, these were the best option, and can be made to fit any size needed. The pins will be covered in sticky residue if the paper is pulled off so best to make a couple and keep them for this purpose.

The pattern for the giraffes is available as a free download in the 'Files' tab of the Bobbin Lace Along facebook group.