March already

I had a blog from very long ago, 20 years or so

and embellished it some time ago.

Now I needed a little memory quilt and found it in my stashes

The memory is for 50 year wedding anniversary of Brigitte and Hartmut - 

dear friends

and both have their 75th birthday festivities.

So counting everything together this makes 200.   

We were invited with many friends 

The piece of lace was given to me from Brigitte to work with it

So now, some of it went back to her.

It looked like that on the day




Stitching for TAST 2019 goes on

Below is the inverted feather stitch - week 10 - 

Sharon Boggon from Pintangle provides about 5000 members

each week with a new stitch.

I took part already in 2010, 2012 and 2104

Wating for spring - looking for little signs

Comparing Boston and Stutensee (Germany)


Sitting in front of of TV with nothing to do? -

Absolute no-go! Finger gloves.

Key board and iPad always very near.

Spring

Three days it was like that

and now look at the carpet

In Karen Ruane's class I made this - a sample on English broderie

part of my daughters baptism dress - Long ago those times, 50 years 

A piece of machine embroidered lace

BEFORE:

and AFTER - I didn't like the coloured buttonhole stitches

so I changed it completely - two fillings by hand

And for the next cold season - hopefully very, very far away

I am knitting a vest/waistcoat

It is so thick - that I don't touch it these days - I have to join the seams - that's all.

For the moment I lost interest because weather is so lovely.

Pincushion

Finally enough place for needles

made of all sorts of scraps

  

When I started to try pulled threads i used an even weave fabric

which was no good, for the threads couldn't be pulled apart.

so I tossed it into the scrap box. From there I took it out two years later

to make something useful of it.

A pincushion embellished with vintage lace, bullion knots and flowery scraps.

      Christiane's quilt 2014

The pincushion

After a long time ....

... posting again. 

I am taking a class with Karen Ruane "Embroidery School". Here is the link to her

very inspiring site: http://karenannruane.typepad.com/karen_ruane/

We are stitching by hand but also by machine - FME - free machine embroidery.

I always liked to make holes and then surround them by buttonhole stitches.

French knots never fail to be applied - they are so decorative.

We can also play with paper strips - also fixed by FME

and overlayed with homemade lace

Fabric is a great theme, too. Hand sewn seams.

Embellishment with bullion knots and beads. 

Appliqued octagons - the English paper piecing comes in handy.

I surrounded them with rope stitch. If you would like to know how to

make rope stitch - here is the link to SharonB's stitch dictionary:

http://pintangle.com/2014/04/29/take-a-stitch-tuesday-110-and-111-rope-stitch-

and-zig-zag-coral-stitch/

It is 1" in diameter

More embellishment - a fabric buttonhole and as a gag a little

square piece of lace on the point - from a secondhand shop in France.

A hexagon filled with silk with some beads and next to it

a little pocket - it is open on top

I embellished it later with bulllion and French knots.

You can find all those stitches in SharonB's stitch dictionary.

These silvery beads are called "smooth purl" - they come as a long string

and you cut them as short or long as you wish. Normally used for gold work.

I ordered them at 

http://www.sarahhomfray.com/shop/search.php?q=smooth+purl 

(absolutely no affiliation).

This time it is the chain stitch which is framing the hexagon. 

I use fil à broder no. 16

A buttonholed loop which of course is never intended to 

be pulled over the square pearl-of-mother button

The embroidery school will still be running for 8 weeks - so there is

more to come.

It is not tatting - river Ognon

Once more the lace.

Thanks to :Diane and Deanna.....

I know now that this excellent lace is crocheted.

---- Question ---- And the circles?

and the flower - might there be needle-lace involved?

 

We do a little walking or biking every day - here to the bridge

and back - We like to look how waters of the small river Ognon

are changing - is it higher or lower - are there fish in it -

Our children and their friends started a kayak tour two years ago

from here to the next town Villersexel.

It wouldn't be possible now - the level is too low.

I do not know much about kayaking - they would probably have to

carry their kayaks a little further.

 

 

Spider-web - a bag - fleamarket and a souvenir

 

 

Work of a busy spider - does she want to catch some insect?

I amsure it is a she...

See our rusted gate - that's why we call the farmhouse a villa

 

Spider-web

The bag:

As it was before - lying about

as it is now around my hip or on the shoulder

It accompanied me to the vide-grenier - fleamarket - marché aux puces

and there not only old rubbish but also goodies to eat

Sausages on the vide-grenier

And then my true find - lovely old lace - for near to nothing

This one is tatted - old but without any flaw.

Tatted lace

I am not sure how the left one was made

 

it it so delicate and fine

 

 

Detail of tatted lace

How long a young lady or a woman sat to make it -

so many years ago - and I get it for 1 (one) Euro!

More lace - can you hear my scream of delight, Karen?

 

 

 

And then the souvenir of Hvar, Croatia, with

daughter - granddaughter - and happy grandparents

Meanwhile I washed and damp stretched the pieces

of lace - and they came out wonderfully.

Now, what to do with them - just look at them?

I will certainly keep the tatted girdle-like one complete

as it is.

 

It is February

In Karlsruhe

We walk to town - it is about 2,5 km. Here we are on our way back.

The trees are being cut every year

Another fabric bin with Chinese horses

Impression of what I am working on

 

Lace - hiding a seam with French knots and buttonhole stitches -

cross stitch letters.

Don't ask me what it is going to be - just a sample perhaps.

 

Mit Blogsy veröffentlicht

Lace - which I found

Look - look - something very beautiful!

 

 

 

Now tell me - isn't this fantastic? I found it at a village sale - really small village

They call it "vide Grenier" - which means "empty attic". This must have come

from an attic of a very talented or rich lady. It is entirely hand made.

The piece is square - about 40 cm.

I washed it very carefully and it is drying now.

When I bought it for about 2,50$ i.e. 2 € I had in mind to cut it apart and use it

for applique or something like this - for pillows and pages (Karen Ruane) or

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