This is my first blog post devoted to all the old fashioned arts I love and have recently become even more obsessed with. I've been embroidering and making bobbin lace for years, but due to the pandemic, I have discovered a new zeal for such projects. Because, well, what the hell else am I gonna do with all this free time? So I'm starting this blog to document all the new projects I'm trying and, even more miraculously, finishing.
For example, as a result of being home even more than I usually am (which was already a lot, what with my being a partial recluse and all), I finally finished a bobbin lace border for a table runner that I started in 2015, took a 3-year hiatus from in 2016, and then picked back up in fall 2019. Here's the piece while it was still in progress:
It was halfway done when the pandemic hit. But then I started working on it almost every day and kept that up for weeks. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you really commit to something. Here's the finished piece:
It measures 28" by 18", which is nearly 8 feet of lace. I estimate this particular project took me somewhere around 150 to 200 hours to complete. Now I just need to design and embroider the table runner to go with it. But that's on hold for a bit while I explore a variety of embroidery techniques. When you spend that long making lace, you want to make sure it's going to trim something worthy of it. And for that, I need time and research and planning.
Because I found the lace making process so soothing in the midst of a global health and economic crisis, I decided I needed to make even more of it to continue to distract myself. Which was how I ended up making lace bookmarks for several work colleagues:
They seemed to go over well, so now I'm making more as gifts for various relatives. These are kind of nice because each one only takes 3-5 hours or so (depending on the pattern and whether I have to go back and undo any mistakes).
I also picked up whitework embroidery recently and have begun working on a sampler. Here's one of the squares, which I did in open trellis filling:
Next up is my first foray into goldwork. I have a kit, I've prepared my fabric, and my new embroidery frame is on its way (hurry, UPS!). As soon as it arrives, I can set it all up. Hopefully that will be this week, but we'll see. Stay tuned for more updates.
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