Creative Arts - 2017

Big E closed yesterday - the 101st year of the fair is now a memory.  This morning I went to the fairgrounds to retrieve my entries.  It was bustling with all the vendors taking down their booths and the hustle to get off the grounds.  The fair is 17 days long and many of them were there some five days before it opened.  The Big E is one of the last large fairs in the northeast.  Many of the vendors travel south for the fair season in the southern states.

I did my usual demonstration on lace on Connecticut Day.  This year with the possibility of rain on and off seemed to hold back the crowds.  Nonetheless, folks stopped by and we talked about lace and I listened to their stories of their Gram or Great Aunt making lace.  I was able to work on a project I had started to sew onto some felt squares my bit 'n pieces of tatting.  Due to the slowness, I was able to get about half completed.

Crochet - Remember the 40's Doily

Tatting - A Year of Samples

Crochet Filet - Geometrics

 These are this year's entries.  The tatting took a third - and that's just fine for the time that I had put in.  Next year....  hmmmm I've been thinking of what I could do for next year - something traditional or something modern?

The filet crochet piece took a first!    The crochet doily took a 2nd - which I was surprised, though the judge (a new judge to Creative Arts) didn't like the thread (?) go figure!  I thought I'd get points off for the ruffle.

I took the time this year to finally gather all my pictures and evaluations into one place.  Never again will I let the paperwork get out of control.  It was driving me nuts when I was looking for the prizes and the evaluations from previous years.

Actually I've been clearing out "stuff" out of the studio. Like things with like things, shaking my head at items that need to find someone else's home.   What I have found is way too many unfinished projects or UFO's as we call them in the craft world.  Back in January, I said I would clear more of the UFO's and left overs from the past.  I truly need to minimize the space it all takes.   More on this in another post.

Thank you Creative Arts - see you next year!

BIG E Time once again!

Happy Spring everyone!  It is a few weeks early - though with a slight sprinkle of snow this a.m., it is time to think past winter.

It's BIG E time --- yes it will be September 16th through October 2nd.  This is a very special year as the as the Eastern state Exposition is celebrating it's 100th Anniversary.

 More information can be found at http://www.thebige.com/

And Yes - I will participate as a sponsor of the Best Tatting Award this year once again.  

What are you thinking about making for this year?

Hi Everyone.....

It's been a while since I've posted - life and lace can take you away and keep you from posting.

This past Monday (21st) I was interviewed for a 30 minute show on Lace!  It was truly exciting.  So for the last day or so, I've been posting to various sites that love lace like I do and reaching out to our community to help pass along the word.

Actually I had broached the producer to talk about this almost six months ago!  If you don't plant seeds, then there can not be a harvest.  So the seed was planted - and we had the interview.  It was so much fun, the research was plenty, of course.  I rehearsed in front of a mirror, the cat, bless her, would listen if only one ear was cocked, to friends. I would pace back and forth.  Go pick up a piece of lace, pick up some research and then............ there was no time left - I had to be dressed and in the studio for the taping.

Please take a moment to visit the site - the tape went live yesterday....  the interview begins at about 32:15 into the clip.

http://blip.tv/nctv/common-sense-connecticut-april-21-2014-6855520

Pass it along to anyone!

Thank you all,
Patty

Pinterest

Technology creeps into our lives from every direction.  Some time ago, I was told about this social networking site - Pinterest.com.  I have a Facebook account, YouTube account, Twitter, Myspace, etc. and now I need another one?  It was regulated to my "to-do" list.

Finally, it is off my to-do list.  I can not imagine why I waited so long!  I set it up this week and I feel like I have a new lease on where stuff is.  It is a free site, though you need to set up an account - email address and password and then you are sent to your bulletin board, for lack of a better term.  You are requested to sign up for a couple of categories/Boards and then click a follow button.  Don't worry, you can "unfollow" them later.

You will also need to download the "P" for your browser.  That functionality will allow you to Pin what you are viewing to your own Pinterest account.  If you are using a tablet and/or smart phone - then download your respective app for your device.  Wow - it's that simple.

Now you are off in "pinning" images.  How it works is simple.  In the past, you would visit a webpage and if you liked it, bookmarked it in your browser window.  That way you could visit it again, provided your browser list is really organized and you could remember what site it was!

Pinterest is a way to pin the image to your account - it actually connects the image with a link, all in the background back to the absolute original before any pins.  On your account - you can set up your own boards to help you organize your finds.  You can have public boards and secret boards.  I've set up boards on different types of lace, great food, gifts, etc.  Some of my pins are from other members in Pinterest and some of my are directly from websites that I have visited.

This is even better than going to a candy store.  Now I have a place to store/see those images I thought were cool (of course at the time I saw them).  My niece, Jessica's, P account came up and I clicked to 'follow' her.  In the last couple of days, we have 'texted' and we have decided that we have lots of 'cool' pins and each of us will make one of our pins each month and share them.  Stay tuned for our first share!

Give Pinterest a try - just watch, it can become addictive!

Interested in looking around my Pinterest account is here to view.

Alencon Lace

This morning at the NELG Blog - there is a post from Sharon that gives a great link to a video on alencon lace.   This page, written in 2010, discusses places to visit in Normandy-Pays de la Loire - especially this about this famous lace.

Quite some time ago, NELG had a field trip to RISD Museum in Providence and we were able to see a great piece of Alencon lace.  It was part of the bed covers from Napoleon Bonaparte.  There was this "bea", hundreds of them, on the netting (click on it to see the picture from RISD).  Each of them separately made - (needle lace) - and caught the attention of one of the members Carolyn.  Later on, she hosted a program at the NELG monthly meeting, and we were able to make the 'bea'. I'll admit, this is needle lace and not up my alley yet.  So you won't bea seeing my attempt at this time.

Go to the video, while in French, it takes the viewer through the stages in preparing the pattern, setting the outlines, and makin the lace.  The finishing of the lace was quite interesting - see the tool that was used - can you guess what it is?

PS  you can find an article in PieceWorks Lace addition from a few years ago by Carolyn.

Love your lace,
Patty

Time to get back to the Lace

Lauran Sundin & me

It's been some time since I wrote.  NELG responsibilities are coming to an end so I'll be writing more here and making more lace!  I've enjoyed the ride, one may say, it's always a challenge. 

Today's picture is to honor Lauran - she is an amazing artist and lace maker.  She wrote to me to give me links about the Under 40 event that was held in Italy back in April.  It was an amazing event.  One blog is on the IOLI site - thank you Devon -

IOLI ning (look under blogs http://laceioli.ning.com/profiles/blog/list  Live blogging The Young Lace Makers Symposium- Doily Free Zone

and

http://stitchlily.blogspot.com/ Written by Orla.  Check both of them out.

In the mean time, welcome back and lets see what is going on about lace.  I'll be sponsoring a lace award for the Creative Arts - Big E to open on September 13th!  So are the any Tatters out there?  It will be for Best Tatted Lace.  I won't be able to win it this year, yet we can begin to offer awards to lace makers in whatever their favorite type of lace they enjoy.

Stop by - see you soon!

Patty



piece of needle lace

Earlier today, I posted two entries from Sr. Madeleine on the NELG.us site.  She is having technical difficulty posting to the lace blog herself, so I volunteered to help her out.    She is in  Bruges right now and from her emails she is having time of her life.  She is taking lots of pictures - hope she backs them up to the cloud!

Yesterday I was cruising on the NING site for IOLI (initials stayed the same - name changed - how convenient) to find some information about contemporary lace and tatting.   There is a small group of enthusiasts that love contemporary lace.  There are amazing links to exhibits that happened - from Europe, of course.

I exchanged a few posts with Emily from the UK who is 31 years young.  This is exactly the age group we are completely missing.  If we wait for that age group to get to their 50's, geez, there may not be lace to make, to teach, to learn.  Though one can always learn.

Enjoy the lace,