Hairpin Lace Pieces

Dec 2, 2020Dec 2, 2020 toomanystitches9 Comments

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Recently, I feel life has been an exploration of synonyms for tired. Fatigued, exhausted, spent, weary, shattered, frazzled… I think if it is possible to feel all of them at once, I am doing an excellent job. Much better than I feel I’ve been doing with my crafting, though I have managed to sneak in a little hairpin lace making of late!

Making Freestanding Lace

Oct 21, 2020Oct 14, 2020 toomanystitches6 Comments

As you might have noticed, I’ve been having a lot of fun with machine embroidery and one of the things I have been trying to do is explore all of the possibilities with the technique just to start building up some breadth of experience. I’ve recently invested in an assortment of different stabilisers and one of the things I was very keen to try was making freestanding lace, which requires dissolvable stabilisers.

London Embroidery School: Limerick Lace

Sep 30, 2020Sep 20, 2020 toomanystitches7 Comments

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links meaning if you make any purchases via these links, I receive a small commission that contributes to the running costs of the blog. However, any recommendations and opinions in this review are my own. For more information, please click here.

Sadly all good things must come to an end, including the London Embroidery School’s Lace Series course but at least it ended with another nice technique, Limerick lace. Like a lot of laces, it was something I recognised, but never knew the name for and it was a really interesting experience to get the chance to work on a new ground fabric, net.

London Embroidery School: Broderie Anglaise

Sep 9, 2020Sep 7, 2020 toomanystitches12 Comments

Do you remember that time when we used to go to classes? Where sewing groups would meet, exchange biscuits, gossip and the best way to stop unruly seams from rolling? Those halcyon days? Well, lucky me, because I recently got to head back to the basement of the London Embroidery School for a spot of Broderie Anglaise, where I started their Lace Series Course what seems like a couple of lifetimes ago.

Lace Appliqué Class

Mar 25, 2020Aug 1, 2020 toomanystitches10 Comments

After my burst of inspiration to finish the embroidery for my canvaswork piece, I ended up signing up to a few craft courses, one on sock knitting, the other on lace embroidery, to try and learn a few new things. A matter of days later, everything was cancelled, but I did at least have the chance to go to a class and, as for the rest, we’ll try again later…

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Swiss Tour I – Ballenberg

Oct 2, 2019Oct 1, 2019 toomanystitches6 Comments

I’ve blogged before about how a country’s textile history often shaped its social and cultural history, as well as infrastructure and landscape, and Switzerland is no exception to that. While perhaps most famous for the St. Gallen embroideries and lace (and you can see some fantastic examples of that at the local textile museum), Switzerland also has a rich history of silk and cotton production and even passementerie, particularly in the Basel region.

astitchornine (1)

Bobbin Lace I

Aug 28, 2019Dec 27, 2019 toomanystitches9 Comments

One of the techniques on the very long list of things I want to try has been bobbin lace for a long time. I’ve tried tatting, hairpin lace, needlelace and generally enjoy fine ‘lace’ crochet, but having seen the magical creations people can make with just some wooden sticks and a stupendous number of pins, bobbin lace has always had a great appeal. Plus, this is a technique with real historical richness, with so many books having been written on different styles and the evolution and social role of lace in society.

astitchornine

The Wooly Haven of Kiel, Germany

Mar 13, 2019Mar 9, 2019 toomanystitches7 Comments

Kiel is a charming city in the north of Germany, only about an hour and half from Denmark, with plenty of beautiful waterfronts. Maybe inspired by the slightly… brisk weather during the winter though, it also seems to be home to a surprising amount of spinning, weaving and wooly goodness.

astitchornine (5)

Textilmuseum St. Gallen

Feb 6, 2019Feb 3, 2019 toomanystitches6 Comments

Given the historical importance of textiles to the town and its interest in trying to preserve as much of its history as possible, it probably comes as no surprise that St Gallen has a wonderful museum dedicated to textiles with regularly changing exhibitions if you’re lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend regularly.

astitchornine (39)

Visiting St. Gallen, Switzerland

Jan 30, 2019Jan 23, 2019 toomanystitches6 Comments

My first adventure of 2019 was to St Gallen, a Swiss town famous for its bustling textile trade and, if you want to be fair to all the official Swiss languages, otherwise known as Sankt Gallen/Saint-Gall/San Gallo/Son Gagl. As you might guess, its history in the embroidery, lacemaking and fashion industries has left a footprint of the city of great interest to anyone with a passing interest in textiles, crafts and art and this charming little place has plenty more feasts for the eyes as well.

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