Back to the Luniville hook

Well I have no scheduled classes and the projects are done. My Church Christmas Fair was Saturday and if I just ignore Christmas is just 20 days away I can now get back to the quilt I am working on. I am doing it on my slate frame in sections using the hook and the needle. I thought I would show you the reason for my love affair with the hook.

This is the first piece, except for a small pin I did as an introductory at Ecole Lesage. Susan Elliott took some pictures for me and you all
 know how great her pictures are

.

Taken by Susan Elliott

Taken by Susan Elliott

One of the things I love about the French 

embroidery is their use of materials that I have not seen 

used much in modern American embroidery.The lightest pink and the purple in the flowers is raffia and the leaves are chenille. The piece is done on silk , organza.

This is my chop

Flowers from the Past

Long before I took the class with Candace Kling I was making and arranging flowers. I think some of these are from her book.

This has been in the reject draw since 2009. Maureen Greeson** spotted it in the picture Susan Elliott took of me and posted on her blog. She said I was holding out on her so here it is.

**This is Maureen's web site http://www.maureensvintageacquisitions.blogspot.com/

I wish I remember where I got the gold wire ribbon with the metal edge!!!

Welcome to all of you who saw the wonderful pictures of my quilt on Susan Elliott's' blog. http://plays-with-needles.blogspot.com/ Susan is a wonderful photographer and made the quilt I have looked at for the past 3 years look new to me again.

Thanks for looking......

Candace Kling

Here is the tail end of report on the Candace Kling workshop. It was a truly wonderful experience. Candice is a true artist ... I knew all of the ladies taking the class with the exception of Susan Elliot .... http://plays-with-needles.blogspot.com/ ... she is as delightful in person as her blog . All in all it was great fun facilitated by a gracious host Maureen Greeson.

After the class was over, and I finished all of my ribbons I had an inkling of something I had long ago read that was not in the ribbon section (HA HA) of my library. I love to collect old stuff about embroidery etc. and lo and behold I had found a treasure that I never fully appreciated until now.

This is a correspondence course in ribbon work copyright 1916.

Now I have to read it alllllll.................

Corncockle and Dragonfly

Life sometimes gets in my way.... I finished corncockles and dragonfly several days ago but didn't find the time to blog it. I decided not to add the botanically correct name to the bottom as it looks really hard to do and I somehow managed to loose the thread I was supposed to use. SOOOO I can not do it and not feel guilty about it

Another thing I have been doing is collecting "stuff" for my next class I have signed up for with Candace Kling at Maureen Greesons.. I am soooo excited. I went to one of my favorite places last week in Brattleboro VT to collect fabric. If you ever get to this neat town go to Delectable Mountain Fabrics. Yummy yummy yummy . Its a small shop but packed with silks, velvets, vintage laces, buttons, etc... A little slice of Crazy Quilters heaven.

I am ready to go and looking forward to the class . I think there are still spaces available!!

Flying away

These are the wings for my dragonfly. I have no excuse now but to add her to the corncockles.

These are good wings for a beetle. I saw a beetle in flight and its wings come out from under the hard outer wing cases (elytra). I have some beetle elytra somewhere and I may try an experiment......

These are for some fantasy bug yet to be born!!!

Now if life will get back to normal whatever that is I can get back to stitching.

Sequined and Beaded Pins

I am still busy with "wings", however, I came across some sequined and beaded pins I made in another lifetime.  The first one I made as practice for my first Ecole Lesage classes. The pattern comes from Ecole Lesage Chez Vous page 116. As the book is in French and I do not speak or read French this is my copy with the sequins and rhinestones I had on hand.

My interpretation

Original pattern Ecole Lesage Chez Vous page 116

I also dabbled in beading and particularly like Laura Macabe. She had a shop in Mystic Ct at one time and gave classes there. I was fortunate to take a class from Laura at Maureen Greesons and also at Ann Benson's shop in Manchester Ct. This was my interpretation of some of the "eye" jewelry she loves to make. The eyelids were my idea.

They tend to freak people out so I don't wear them much. In case you want to check out Laura's web site here are a couple I found ...

http://justletmebead.com & http://lauramccabejewelry.com

Corncockle and Dragonfly... continuing saga

Well I have just about completed the corncockles... A few finishing touches the center of the open flower, one of the ribs on the bud... (a bullion stitch ... 1 strand of silk on a #12 sharp needle with 24 wraps), and some bends with the tweezers to turn and twist the sepals into more pleasing places??

The top two dragonfly wings are almost done but I am afraid I will not be able to stop with this set of 4 wings. I can't possibly put scissors to these two sandwiched pieces of Divine metallic organza and waste the rest. I am on a mission to find some wings for another deserving butterfly or dragonfly or whatever to make at least one ... or more... sets of wings. I will be doing a lot of cutting when the time comes!!! soon I hope

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