Monday, September 24, 2018

The Saddest Day Ever

My furry helper's condition worsened rapidly overnight and this morning we had to make the hard decision to hasten her departure. I miss her terribly already. She has been helped me on every project since 2003, and I have lots of un-posted pictures and projects to share. I hope that you won't mind if I hold off on posting for a little while. I can't imagine any sort of sewing or handwork without her, and it's too raw to relive the memories just at the moment.


Thursday, September 20, 2018

Repurposed Tatted Lace Partlet

One of the projects I have on the go at the moment is a bit of an experiment. I found a fabulous but tatty vintage lace runner at a thrift shop and snapped it up. It has a diamond pattern with little roses and I think it is tatted (which is out of period) but passes for neeedle lace.

The piece had a few rust stains, but with some careful laundering I managed to brighten it up. I cut the piece to use the two parts as the front panels of a collarless partlet. I managed to use the pretty edging on the central parts and avoid most of the remaining rust marks.

I made the back part of the parlet up in linen and hand hemmed it with a small hem. I pinned the tatted panels in place. I will trim the excess tatting on the outer edge (which will be hidden by my gown) and trim with binding. I have a couple of colour options waiting to be tested for the binding as matching the colour is difficult.

I have been pretty busy with projects for other people lately, so this one is sitting in the to-do pile, but I am looking forward to getting it finished as I really love the tatted piece and it makes me happy to think that some other ladies' hand work is getting a new lease on life and will be admired rather than languishing in a bin of ugly doilies.





Tuesday, September 11, 2018

A quick update after a long absence

Wow, I knew it had been a while since I posted, but I wouldn't have said it was over a month!
Obviously I've been busy. I have been sick on and off, but also crazy busy with projects.
A lot has happened, SCA wise. Big changes; all for the good. Time for a bit of self reflection on how I play the game and which direction I want to head in. A real appreciation for my SCA group who are really good friends and who support me and make me feel valued.
Some projects finished, new ones started, and a few that just seem to go on and on and on!
I have been taking photos as usual and I will get some new posts up very soon.