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This meeting was slightly different from previous meetings, being an all day event and not split into doing two different things.  The other change was that Anne Weston of Needle Paws was running it.

Today we were combining some simple needle lace with goldwork and basically using gold threads to create needle lace stitches and some 3-D embroidery.  This meant that most of us had to get to grips with a beautiful needle lace tool - a "half cone stick" or "shoe" - that most of us had never used before.  Anne had provided a little kit with materials and the medium sized half cone, which had been made by her husband xxx using beautiful pieces of wood.

Our task was to make foxgloves.  The first step involved us drawing around the half cone sticks, either the full cone length or part of it to enable us to create different sized foxglove trumpets.  Once we had drawn about half a dozen, we then re-enforced the tracing paper with sticky-backed plastic [as the traditional Architects Linen is no longer available].  This was then tacked down onto 3 layers of calico.

Before attempting to make a foxglove trumpet using metallic thread, most of us decided to use the Steff Francis fine perle thread that Anne had provided in our kit and practice making one with that, to get used to using the half cone stick.  We couched a double thickness of the thread one the outline we had drawn to make the cordonnet which would be the foundation of our needlelace piece.  Once this was done, we then made a foundation row of even spaced buttonhole stitches and then followed this up with corded single Brussels until the shape was filled.

Now the fun started!  We tacked the half cone onto the shape we had finished filling and began again with the buttonhole stitch and the corded single Brussels until our shape was finished and hey presto; one foxglove trumpet!  Now it was time to be very brave and attempt it using the metallic thread.  The air was not as thick with expletives as was expected!  But it did go very quiet as we all concentrated on the task at hand.

In between all  this, Colin arrived with "the shop" and we helped ourselves to tea, coffee, biscuits, and home made cakes!  Colin experimented on us, by making a chocolate cake who's main ingredient was actually beetroot, and very tasty it was too!  We broke for lunch and then resumed our tasks until we finally reached the end of the day.

Now we could go away and perhaps finish the task in hand so it would look something like the piece Anne had produced.

Our most sincere thanks to Anne for the most interesting class.  Here's to October 2011.