Since I am attempting to blog everyday in April, I am trying to find different things to talk about. Today it is Romanian Point Lace (I still can't believe that this is the most popular thing on my "quilty blog").
RPL starts with a crotchet braid (there are various ways of making this). I like to use #10 Cebelia cotton by DMC for the braid and the filling stitches.
The braid is basted to a pattern,
and various decorative stitches are added. All the work is done on the back and when the project is completed, it is removed from the pattern (so you don't really know what it is going to look like until the end).
I taught myself RPL using these two older Anna magazines.
A couple of weeks ago, when I was at Nordic Needle, I bought myself these two books by Sylvia Murariu (I thought I should have some proper books on the subject). They are very nice and I would recommend them to any one wanting to learn more.
Another really nice book is this one - "The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework" by Thérèse de Dillmont. The book was first published in 1884 by DMC, and is a great reference for all kinds of needlework.
There is a great section on Needlemade Laces, which is useful for RPL.
The book also covers knitting,
tatting,
crotchet,
along with all kinds of embroidery - some I have never seen elsewhere.
This was the first piece of Romanian Point Lace that I made.
This table centre was the third and last piece I made. Both of these are Anna patterns.
My second piece is a Christmas Ornament I designed as an introductory course on Romanian Point Lace for my blog (the link and picture is on my side bar).
The top photos are of a piece I am currently working on. It is a pattern I designed.
One of the lovely things about RPL is that it is so easy to design, plus you can easily change the size of the pattern with a photocopier and by using different thicknesses of thread. You can also make different styles of braid and use various filling stitches to suit your taste. The lace is also very sturdy and doesn't really need too much blocking.