Learning something new - Bobbin Lace

You might ask why would I want to learn another craft when I already do so much.  Well the answer is two fold, I firstly was given a set of bobbins with a pillow and roll from a friend, secondly, Fibres and Fabrics have a bobbin lace group which is growing each week. I love watching these ladies work their bobbins in and out of their work creating such intricate designs that I was thinking this would look so nice in my crazy quilting, thus the eagerness to learn once I received this wonderful gift.

I had a personalised lesson with Veronica last week, who has won many firsts and champion prizes in the short time she has been doing it. I've been told I'm a natural, although I think I need far more practice. I eventually would like to design and create my own patterns and add them to my crazy quilting, never one to aim half-way.

Here is my first attempt at Bobbin Lace:

10 pairs of bobbins and the worker pair.  Glad I only started on this size as it was a bit mind boggling at first.

Veronica had a wonderful bag that she carried her work in and as I have decided to continue to do this whilst traveling the bag was just a natural progression.  So I borrowed Veronica's bag and copied it, adjusting it to suit my larger roll and more bobbins. The fabric is the same as the one in my FREE tutorial here on my blog or on the APP, I had excess and thought it would look wonderful as a bag.

Here are pictures of my completed bag.

Front:

I adjusted the handles to be longer as I prefer it this way.  The butterfly button is the same as another on a bag I am in the progress of making, so they will be a matching pair.

 Back:

There is a strap that is connected to the front and comes all the way around and secures with velcro on the back to hold in place.

Side-on View:

With the back open:

Now fully opened:

There is a skirt that covers your work in progress so that everything stays in place.  The butterfly pocket on the top is for work that has reached a length to long to stay on the roll.

The Skirt flipped over (this side sits on your work and is of soft cotton).

There was an Deceased Estate giveaway recently and Veronica managed to get 100+ pair of bobbins, and some other accessories so the group divided them evenly amongst us, so I needed somewhere to store those that I was not using, being in pairs also, as it was frustrating them all mixed together and getting tangled, so I made myself a bobbin roll. Matching the bag and skirt.

This photo is of the bag I keep the roll in with the roll tied up:

Unrolled:

I designed it to have a flap over the top of the heads of the bobbins, this is to help keep them in place and clean:

This shows the flaps open:

This last photo is my first sampler finished and sitting on my new bag with the skirt underneath (which is not how the skirt would be normally):

Well if you think you'd like to try, give it a go, but don't give up on the first lesson, give it a couple of goes first then decide.  If I had of given up on my first lesson I wouldn't have continued as I couldn't get the sequence right.

Arlene

Fence Weaving - Fibres and Fabrics

Our group Fibres and Fabrics were asked to decorate some ugly work boundary fences on Magnetic Island. The result: much better to look at, what do you think?

More photo's on Fibres Blog:
Fibres and Fabrics - Fence Weaving

Arlene

In memory of.....

September 13th, 1999, was the day I lost my mentor, friend, confidant and most of all my Mum.

Remembering you everyday......

Photo taken in the late 50's, a sewer from way back, where I got my skills from. My older brother Edward helping mum sew.

Arlene

Last Class with Joggles

Barbara from Joggles has finally realised she is not Superwoman and can't do everything, so something had to give.  Barbara has decided that this last quarter of the year will be the last of the online Classes.

My Beetle will run for the last time on Joggles on October 21st, (which happens to be my birthday).  If you would like to do this class before Barbara closes them for good, pop on over to HERE and book.

There will be some changes happening now, so stay tuned.  I am working out how I can run my own online classes.  Once I have it worked out I will let you know.

Arlene