Honiton lace win!!

I was thrilled to find that I had won the Best Lace exhibit in a local show (the Geelong Show) with a Honiton piece. It also won first prize in its section. Honiton lace for those that don't know is the finest English lace, made with thread size 180 (the larger the number the finer the thread). The bobbins used don't have spangles (beads at the bottom), their ends are just pointy as it is a freeform lace (rather than making a long strip) and you need to join sections, this is accomplished by drawing one bobbin thread through a previous stitch forming a loop, and putting the second bobbin through the loop (thus easier with a pointy end) and tightening. Not many people do this type of lace here, but the results are worth the effort.

Lucky win for me!!

I was so excited last night as I received a prize from The Needlework Show from Darlene Lara, the designer for The Marking Samplar. It had travelled from Knoxville, Tennessee, took 3 weeks Airmail. Funny how you can travel to USA from Australia in 1.5 days but mail can take up to 4 weeks.

Anyway it is a most darling sampler, a miniature sampler reproduced by Darlene from the original made by Mary Clark in 1848. Here it is below for you see.

Aren't I a lucky girl!!

Thank you so much Darlene, I was really touched to receive this!!

Finished a UFO in Bedfordshire lace

I've finally finished a UFO lace piece (Beds lace). The photo shows this piece (the central edging) which will be stitched together with the 2 edgings outside this edging. Now I will make the central piece which probably isn't so hard to make, but has a lot more bobbins!!

Recently I've begun trying Milanese lace, which is a free lace, with not too many bobbins!!

Staff Arts and Crafts competition 2011

Here are this years entries:

The miniature bears are called Bruno and Brunhilde, the Christmas tree is made from parchment paper (Pergamano), the decorations are bobbin lace, embroidery and a Mill Hill cross stitch ornament.

It was fun putting these together, now to add another post as I actually finished a piece of lace today!!

My work Staff Arts and Crafts competition 2010

I didn't post last years entries for which I won the Decorative crafts award at my workplace Staff Arts and Crafts competition, so here they are at last! There are lots and lots of photographs and paintings entered, not a lot of craft though unfortunately.

I really love the temari ball, the blues, yellow and orange go so well together. Not my design of course. Hope you like them!

Paper tole

I was just asked by Jackie if she could see an example of my paper tole. I have a number of pieces part-done, but here is a little finished (un-framed) picture, photographed front on and a bit side-on so you can see the 3D effect

Bingo prizes!

I was recently VERY lucky and won not one but TWO prizes from two different stitching Yahoo groups, finally located my camera, waited for a sunny day and at last here they are!

Thank you so much to Heather and Viv for running the competitions, the wxsw group prize was a gift voucher and the left hand pic shows the items I chose, 2 packets of John James needles size 26 (as I am always wearing mine out!!) and a skein of DMC colour variations 4240, a gorgeous dark blue/purple combination which I need to finish a project from another group, Friendly Stitchers!

The right hand picture shows an adorable Mill Hill kit sent by Viv from Mill Hill Stitchers group, its a perforated paper picture (Buttons and Beads Spring series, Main Street: Ice Cream Shoppe). Viv must know that I love ice-cream, I couldnt resist opening it to show you the pretty threads, beads and the cute ceramic button.

Thanks also to Amy of Down Sunshine Lane who sent these so quickly, the parcel only took one week from USA to Australia!!

Happy Stitching