Russian rabbit!

What are you expecting from this post?

Maybe not this?

I made this little rabbit from lace - it is in the Russian style and is a tape lace to define the outline with a filling of plaits, picots and circles. 

The pattern came from a Dutch book Motieven in kleur by Sebastiana van den Henrik.  It is the only thing I have done from this book as yet.  It is quite repetetive to make and allows little room for adaptation. 

I mounted it on a contrasting fabric to show off the lace and then did some outline quilting round the rabbit and big stitch quilting round the edge interspersed with some bright beads, the a contrasting border and finally a velvet binding! 

Still really like this piece, although I was a bit fed up with making all those picots by the end - but that's traditional Russian style apparently!

Do svidanya! or Until we meet again in Russian!



Nicky

Who doesn't like Easter Eggs!

These wall hangings are entirely my own design.  I was inspired by Faberge and his Imperial Easter eggs to make this version in silk.  I bought the silk at the Ardingly Quilt Fair one year from a company that imports silk saris - sorry cannot remember the name.

The problem with these fabrics was that they shredded very easily which made the hand applique quite tricky - I ended up using Bondaweb on some.  Then to increase the opulence I added a velvet border which I embellished by making the flowers in the corner.

The second one was an attempt to use up lots of bits of lace which I was making at the time.  I was worried they would get lost or rumpled up so I decorated some eggs with them.  They are sample pieces so lots of different types of lace including Bruges, Brussels and Torchon lace.  At least they are safe and now get a showing every Easter rather than remaining scrunched up in a drawer somewhere.

 Even though these are tiny pieces of lace they represent some hours of work - one of the reasons I no longer make lace but I have invested in it too much to give it up altogether.  I am now patching with some of my lace friends so I might slide back into it with their help but as large pieces of lace is slowwwwww going you have to take delight in the mini-world!  

If you make dolls what better way to finish off their clothes than a tiny piece of hand made lace - and on that scale it does not take long to do enough.... Tempted???   If you are...


You can connect to the UK Lace Guild here! and you will find a list of US Lace Guilds here! and the Australian Lace Guild is here!  Even if you do not take up this craft you may enjoy looking..?

Enjoy lace!  Leave a comment if you want to know more...and I will get back to you.

Nicky