The table runner is finally finished. I don't think I will include another picture of it. I have certainly posted enough. Anyway the most recent photos were only missing one row of lace so they are pretty close. So now I am at the enviable spot of being able to start a new project. I think starting new projects is my favorite part. I did a small trial piece of lace from the book by Brigitte Bellon " Gekloppelte Reticella". This is one of my favorite books for bobbinlace patterns. I think she has a nice collection of patterns that look very similar to picture of existent pieces from Italy in the 16th C. This is the 19th piece of lace I have made for the 50 challenge.

In the scroll category, I just finished a grant of arms based on the Codex Purpureus scrolls. The person getting the scroll has a Roman personna, so I was trying to get something that would have been appropriate for her period and era. It is a fairly simplistic type of scroll and I was a little leary about making it for an award as high level as a grant , but in the end I really wanted to stay closer to her personna than make something flashy and inappropriate. I also wrestled with the idea of leaving the scroll with the original greek letters or move to the roman letters which is closer to her personna. In the end I stayed with the Greek letters that were on the original scroll. The Midrealm Dragon in the picture is actually green, but the picture does not show that very well.

I have chosen the next big project for lace making. The new Janet Arnold book "Patterns of Fashion 4" has 2 smocks on page 60. One of them has inserts of bobbinlace in a chevron pattern, adn the other is made of recycled cutwork. I am going to try making a chemise with bobbinlace insert. I think I will try making the chemise pattern from the cutwork chemise though. The chevron pattern is a little more difficult, and I would rather start with the slightly easier piece. For a lacemaker that book is absolutely gorgeous. We usually have to make do with photos of portraits. This book shows real closeups of the lace itself. I am looking forward to trying to workout the patterns of a some of them myself instead of depending of someone else's version of the pricking. I am almost far enough along with bobbinlace to be comfortable enough with the techniques to try making up my own patterns for the pictured pieces.