St Maelruain's Flower Festival

Last night was back from the Flower Festival at St. Maelruians Church in Tallaght and I have to say I am just a wreck with tiredness.  It was 3 great days and I think the actual Flowers was absolutely amazing. Every single arrangement was talking to you saying a specific story. All in all was a great experience and a think to tell you what a bunch of great people can do for a community where nothing is going on usually , or not with help from the authorities.
Every single flower was sponsored by people from community.
I will let you now to judge some of the flowers

Here is the lovely way to the church where all the bicycles have been painted in some of the sport clubs colors

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 then the lovely entrance of the church

 This amazing arrangement represent the retirement times . I would really love my retirement to look so good

 This was the Girls Brigade corner 

 Every single window was decorated with a different colour and was following the months of the year.

 The big wreath if you follow it from right up to left is like birth with buds of the flowers and then full bloom as your life would be at 20-40 years and the start to be drying up at your end of the life

Beautiful idea and very true

And our lovely crafts hall .

Me being busy ....

 On the middle of the hall was this big Photography exhibition.

Happy Crafting All

Hugs

Renata

Wine glass coasters- tutorial

Wine glass coasters

         

Materials needed:

-           size 10 cotton thread

-          Size 0.50-0.75 crochet hook        

-          Needle (darning needle or any needle which can handle size 10 cotton thread),

-          Optional make another 30cm of the zigzag braid

-          Needle and cloth for the pattern

Start with doing the braid and will be better if you can do even with about 5 cm more than the pattern requested.

First we imprint the pattern in a piece of cotton. The cloth can be any color which will allow you to see clearly the design and the work.

The pattern can be drawn with a single line or two. When you have a single line you need to lay your braid on the top of the line and when there are two lines  lay your braid between the two lines.

Next we will start to do the basting of the braid with a contrasting color.

   

After all the braid is in you can start sewing in the ends and where the design need to catch together the braids to give shape to the motifs.

            

Next is the fun part of filling in the needle stitches.

 

Here you have the finished coaster but if you want, you can add an outside rim to make it more sturdy .

 

Now your lovely work is ready to be taken off the pattern. It is advisable  to cut the basting thread from the back of the pattern so not to cut the lace by mistake.

These coasters are very lovely in pastel colors for a Easter table or Christmassy colors, matching with the table cloth or napkins.


Now I hope this is an enjoyable tutorial for you all.
Happy crafting all
Renata

Romanian Point Lace Jewellery

Love the way how the time is actually flying . I never get the chance to say I am getting bored or to say " I finished one thing and what I am going to do now".
Some time ago I have done few more crocheted jewellery where I used as base the Romanian Braid
presented at end of Jan 2013

Now I got so nice and lovely cotton thread from Aimee Rose shop and I will probably give a try to few more jewellery. This looks like a very good way of checking how the braid is looking . I never was thinking the colour of the thread would have change the way how the braid look. Always was using the classical tan shades   for my projects.

happy crafting all
hugs
Renata

Elizabethan Embroidery

OK.., I have decided to take up the tests to become a craft teacher in ICA Ireland.
I do believe is lots to work and at the moment I decided to start to learn my self few techniques and then with few more lessons from specialists maybe polishing my skills.
One of the subjects for tests will be  the Elizabethan Embroidery
My very first attempt did not come so nice but I will keep insisting on do it .

The flower do not have all the petals even and they did not raise properly as my cloth did not was stretch in off so most of the filling have been going on the back of the cloth instead of in the front of the petal.
As for the braid next time I have to mark my entrance and exit points so I will be able to do an even braid, probably need to use different kind of braid for such design .
By the way have not have an actual design bu just give a try with some flower .

Happy crafting all
Hugs
Renata

St Maelruian's Flower Festival

I never know when I have to start to prepare for a craft fair or like now for this Flower Festival.
I don't know how many flowers would be but I know for sure everyone is knighting tea cosies like crazy.
I am not so good at knighting or maybe better said I refuse to get better . So I decided to get a bit creative and do little thinks with embroidery.

I start with two little pin cushions , here is front and back of them.Entirely hand made .Flowers ?... hmm I do believe are few on the embroidery.

Happy crafting all
Hugs
Renata

Beautiful blooms

I did not visit my blog for so long time but been in paint over my head . We try to decorate the house and our plan was for a very speedy job . Do you think was working ? NO  NO all the wrong things happen . Sealing going down , paint making bubbles and all sort of other thinks. In the middle of all this madness I came with the idea of re potting my beautiful Chinese Hibiscus . Then I hold my breath to see how many of them are going to die as they was having buds and is my understand when they start flowering you could not disturb them. Pruned them well in the same time.
And here they are after about two days , I was wondering how strong the stalk is for this two pink flowers to stay so strait up

The Orange one initial was Yellow but over the last 2-3 years became orange and the the Pink one was Red
Is  very nice to wait and see what colour will be next year.
And  I still have the initial Plant with what I start my little garden

Of-course Tiger had to check and see if this roses retained they own taste as he is eating them for desert as hairballs medication.
Another beautiful flower at which I start to get better are the Orchids

I do hope by next week to finish painting ( still have a bedroom , stairs and kitchen )and then get back to some sawing as I am busting with ideas and notice my stash is starting to go up to the sealing .

Happy crafting all
Lots of hugs
Renata

New skills ??

I have to give a try to many more types of crafts. Very interesting to find out how many types of embroidery are in the world. For the start I will try to get going with the classical embroideries. And here is my first attempt to Crewel embroidery

I did not used the colors which was on the patterns chart but I did this one only to learn the stitches and the technique .The original design was in shades of grey . Pattern is from Hazel Blomkamp’s   new book 

I think I will like this a lot and probably I  definitely get a kit which will have all the right colors

Happy crafting all

Renata

ICA Ireland - Romanian Point Lace classes

I find really difficult to keep up with posting in the blog and do some work in same time.
Anyway I had a really great week , last week, when I have been staying very comfortable in An Grianan and teaching a class .
Here I have just few pics with the job done because as I say we been to busy to be concerned  with pictures or any other media devices.

Everyone was so busy as you can see

I was having in my mind we maybe will be able to go over the technique and do a little glass coaster
but I have to say my lovely students have actually done around 3pieces each.
they start with this lovely brooch

See the below wearing proudly the brooches.
Josephine is having a peach colour one

and Mildred was going for variegated blue which have to say matched very very well with her lovely blue eyes

Because Geraldine skipped this step she was in a more advanced stage and had started a lovely bunch of flowers so I have no pic for her brooch.
She did start the applique below

Her ones are actually withe with a yellow middle and leave are a dark variegated green
Unfortunately as I said I was to much all over the place to remember to take a photo of her work in progress. She did very well doing two of the leaves and one of the flowers plus some of the cord.
The she decided she had in off of the big design so move to do the initial little flower which I did prepare for them. I actually was amazed by her imagination and willing to go over many more stitches so this is the final product.

I did enjoy to the maximum this week and this is thanks to my absolutely amazing students .

happy crafting all
Renata

Table cloth

Is seams I become very short minded.I can't get used to make pictures and add on my blog so often I would like to. Another table cloth finished some time ago , maybe 7-8 months is this:

In this one I try to use some of the stitches which are  used in Boris Lace. Boris lace is an tape lace practised in the village of Boris Ireland. Many of they own stitches are used in RPL only they use ready made tape .

Finished stuff

I know is my fault to leave everything for last minute. I am going to teach one day class next Saturday and I am still not prepared with everything I want .Then the following week I teach a class in ICA Ireland and  I am in same situation. To say the truth I really do not know very well how can I be the best prepared.
Kits I have in 3 designs , patterns in about 7-10 designs , some sort of books for guidance , crochet hooks, needles ,thread and my main ingredient a lot of EXCITEMENT.
Anyway to not bore you anymore I have to make an update with some finished work. When I got my first prize for the quilt I received some lovely fabric which did not was more than a fat quarter in two patterns . So did not was in off to do any major project and I was thinking something small will do . Come up with a table runner which could not be whole without a trimming from Romanian Point Lace.

Done a bit of embroidery too in some of the patches were was no decorations. I actually was very happy how came out and if I think I probably have some fabric for one more piece or maybe I can think of four mats .

Happy crafting all
Renata