Bobbin lace- Desire unfufilled

 When it comes to crafts, I have learnt quite a few of crafts. Some are inherited from my mother, like sewing , crochet, hand embroidery etc. Some I learnt from different craft teachers. Painting and sketching - I never learnt  from anybody, just tried it, sometimes it was good sometimes disaster. I can say,I'm still practising pencil sketching . Every time I make pencil sketching, I  feel I have achieved not even 10% of perfection : (.  While learning tatting , I literally begged a lady to teach tatting. I know , still more to learn, and very long way to go in this arts and crafts world!
Today, when I was trying to clean my crafts materials. I found this kit .This is a bobbin lace making kit I had bought 3 years ago. Hmm... I never got a teacher from whom I could learn this art of converting thread into beautiful laces. I know , you all will suggest me to go through some online tutorials. But I feel, some arts require teacher, who will be  with us to guide  whenever we are stuck, give easy tips to learn fast. Especially in crafts involving threads, there are chances that patience will be lost in case of knots.   I have gone through some of the online tutorials too, tried but in vain.

You may wonder, why I'm so much murmuring about not learning bobbin lace. Any craft lover if sees the bobbin lace would have the desire to  learn this art.

Image courtesy-Wikipedia

Image courtesy-Wikipedia

Bobbin lace making is an amazing craft of converting threads into beautiful laces. Bobbin lace is woven with pairs of threads which are woven on these bobbins.

 The magic of threads getting converted into laces :

Image courtesy-Wikipedia

Its an European art , which spread to many parts of India by Christan missionaries. Now also, in Kanyakumari its an industry, and the laces are exported to Italy.
When I visit Kanyakumari, I will explore more about this craft. Hope, I will find a teacher to fulfill my desire of learning "bobbin lace making"

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana

Machine Embroidery work on Satin cloth

My first teacher for sewing is my mother. She had USHA sewing machine. Now also she has that sewing machine which is 50 years old, still in good condition. When I learnt hand embroidery, I always thought, machine embroidery would be faster. But I didn't have the embroidery machine. My dream of having an embroidery machine came true, on the first Deepavali after my marriage. Shankar gave me Usha Janome Machine as Deepavali gift. I've used it a lot, to stitch, for embroidery, to make quilts etc. After 12 years also its still in good condition. 

Today while remembering about the embroidery machine, remembered the works made using the machine. One is Satin bed spread, on which I embroidered using my machine. 

4 motifs on the corners and joined by vine design. The design was not copied from any book . I drew it myself and transferred on to the cloth using tracing paper. I had lots of patience  :-)

The motifs: 

Closer view

I didn't have practise, so its not perfect. Whatever, operating of the machine is very easy and stitches also come out very smooth. I started loving machine embroidery. I made many projects using this machine. Most of them are not with me now :-(.

A year back, bought a heavy duty embroidery machine. Now I'm using the same for all machine embroidery works. Completed the Kalamkari patch work on a saree using the same machine(At last :-)) 

So next post , I will share about the Kalamakari patch work,

Until then,

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana

TAST Challenge week 11-Whipped Wheel Stitch

This week's TAST challenge is Whipped Wheel stitch. You can view about TAST challenge here.
I enjoyed working with this stitch. I tried the combination of Shisha(Mirror) work and  running stitch with Whipped wheel stitch on a Salwar neck.
 Here it is:

Closer view:

Shisha(Mirror)work, Whipped wheel and running stitch

Made a big motif with Shisha (Mirror) work and Whipped wheel stitch

Visited other's works also. Really stunning works by all of them.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts also, I'm slowly getting back to hand embroidery. Its making me very busy and of course happy.  So you will see lots of work here.

So keep watching ....

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana

Quilt

I like making quilts.This quilt has patchwork on it. I have gifted this to my cousin's son (1 year baby)