Handcrafted Lace from Brugge

I have admired fine detailed lace work for many years.  These beautiful pieces of jewelry were on display in a store in Brugge, Belgium, a place where lacework is still appreciated and crafted.

The owner of the store and the artisan gave me a demonstration of her lacemaking.

She moved her spools so quickly I could not capture it clearly in a photo.  I really should have video taped it so you could see and hear the speed and clicking sounds.

I found the prices to be extremely reasonable given the work involved.

I did collect quite a few pieces for myself.

Here is just one piece of lace in progress.

The framed example is how I feel about this lacework.  I consider them to be tiny works of art.

For this reason, whenever I find hand made lace or tatting unloved or damaged in antique stores I feel compelled to protect and recycle them in some way.

This year I am part of Stitched.

If you would like to learn how I permanently encase fibers in resin you will love the class I created for Alma Stoller's program this year.

Click here to visit Alma Stoller- STITCHED 2015.

Click here to visit Alma Stoller- STITCHED 2015.

Little Sewer Pendant - Resin and Fibers For STITCHED Blog Hop

This bezel features a small girl and some pretty lace items which are embedded in resin.

My project began with these items.  

A vintage lace table runner and ribbon, a little girl cast in resin and a bezel.

This year I am part of Stitched.  

Click here to view more details

My online class shows you how to embed tatting in resin and this post shows you that the same techniques can be used with other fiber crafts.

There are seven online classes in STITCHED taught by an eclectic group of artists.

Hanna Andersson, Lynn Krawczyk, Celeste Beck, 

Lesley Riley, Lidija Miklavcic, Carrie Payne and myself.

In addition, Alma, the organizer posts a new online class every month for the entire year.

Everything from doll making, silk ribbon embroidery and crochet, including two art quilt classes called Ladies of the Canyon and She's so Unusual.

There is also a 12 x 12 Block-of-the-Month every month.

+6 giveaway prizes that any registered STITCHED student can win.

STITCHED 2015 will last the entire year. 

It starts March 1st 2015 and ends March 1st, 2016. 

It is hosted in a private ning.com site.

It consists of over 25 online video instructions for only $89.00 

 If you would like to know how I cast my little girl in resin, just stop by iloveresin.com for instructions.

My resin pour was a success.  My little girl is being held firmly in place in resin.

My fibers are now permanently embedded as well.

I cast my girl with black resin so her details were difficult to see.

I used some metallic gold rub on to bring out the detail.

It really is amazing how much detail the rub on shows off.

I have a give-away today also!

If you would like to win this group of bezels just leave a nice comment at the end of this post.  I'll do a drawing Monday April 20th

If this project has inspired you I would encourage you to sign up for our

Stitched Year of classes!

Stitched 2015

Click here to view more details

Be sure to visit the blogs below for more tutorials and giveaways!

April 3rd: Celeste at http://goatfeathers-celeste.blogspot.com

April 6th: Carmi at http://carmicimicata.blogspot.ca

April 7th: Lidija at http://www.bludor.com/magazine

April 8th: Lynn at http://smudgedtextilesstudio.com/blog/

April 9th: Hanna at http://www.ihanna.nu

April 10th: Alma at http://almastoller.blogspot.com

Stitched Has Started!

Stitched 2015 is now open!

I am so happy to be a part of this extraordinary group of instructors.

Click here to view more details.

Today I wanted to share with you a little bit about how I came to know of Alma Stoller.

A few years ago I was in a bit of a sewing slump.

Now I can sew.  I have a degree in Fashion from Ryerson so really, I understand the concept of sewing and design.  However, I just didn't seem to have any interest in making anything.

That did not stop me from collecting fabrics and fibers though.

My stash of vintage laces, ribbons and all types of fabrics was quickly overflowing a closet.

I needed something.

A new interest.

That is when Alma came into my life.

I saw the announcement for her online fabric bead class and signed up without giving it a second thought.

I looked forward to each any every post and video.

Alma introduced me to the concept of hand sewing.  

Simple stitches and fun.

I was hooked.

In the last several years nothing has brought me more joy or relaxation than the act of hand stitching.

Let me share with you some of the beads and fun objects I made after learning Alma's techniques.

 Her workshop on fabric beads had me making these for weeks at a time.

I use all the bits and bobs in my stash now.

Some I make just to admire.  I keep these in an acrylic box.

This is what I sometimes do with the beads.

In this case I used a vintage fabric and ribbon to make a set that I wear together.

Felting became a favorite for hand stitching as well.

 This is what I do if I find a vintage salesman collection of ribbon.  I make something beautiful out of every inch.

There are no limits or critiques needed.  Just stitch.

I think you can see my theme here.  The black ribbon was the inspiration.

I love the green hues in this group.

I especially love one of a kind square beads.  Her pattern for them is brilliant.

Every time I finish a bead I am completely satisfied and grateful I came across Alma in my Internet travels.

If these projects have inspired you I would encourage you to either sign up for our big Stitched Year of classes or sign up for Alma's special fabric beads class that I also linked here.

Stitched 2015

Click here to view more details