Lovely lace and pretty collections.

I really have a free weekend ahead of me. So the possibilities...

I have dragged out my collection of old laces and trims. They have built up over a couple of years and I am going to use them! Mostly they have been trims on nighties and slips that I have found for 50c or less. Some of them are so beautiful!

The one on the left above is a baby pillowcase... gorgeous.

When planning projects if you work out the largest projects and start with those and work down to the tiniest ones and use the smaller bits and scraps from the bigger ones you tend to get a lot more bang for your buck. Even tiny bits will look beautiful on cards and gift tags.

Since I know lots of girls who love pretty things I have some lovely gifts right here. 

Many laces are net that will melt if ironed. I usually wash things, lay them flat while wet or hang them in the breeze and then there are no creases. Crumpled flowers do well if you use food tongs and hold them over a steaming kettle, the creases drop out. 

For large amounts of lace your best bet is old curtains. Even if you need gathered lace this can be cut from valances etc and you get so much so cheaply! But for smaller amounts of really pretty lace and trims baby linen, nighties, slips etc are great sources. Often petticoats etc are bagged up in op shops not hung up so you may have to ask to go through them. Oh my goodness there is gorgeous stuff! 

I will sit in the evenings and snip off the trims (unless I have found something I want to keep or wear) and add it to my collection for a weekend like this some time!

Sometimes I have found lace and trims in old sewing baskets, craft areas of op shops and also old embroidered items like table runners and so on, all with stunning lace, embroidery... gorgeous treasures.

I have a heap of things I want to make... covered diaries/notebooks, pin cushions, pin boards and cards and tags. In the past I have covered boxes, coat hangers etc with laces for some lovely gifts.

Another one is to take a plain longline cardigan and just add lace to the pockets. It makes it look so pretty and "designer" I saw this in Peter Alexander a long plain soft cardi had lace pockets...

I also would like to add luscious lace trims to some pretty pillowcases. Taking them from pretty to gorgeous. It's a matter now to see how far I can go with what I have. But I have a lot! 

Whatever your dream craft item it is amazing how inexpensively you can collect supplies if you hunt. Another source of luxury fabrics and laces is to just buy an old wedding dress. I once bought a wedding dress covered in cream taffeta roses and made it into cushions. The whole thing was $25 and had so many metres of stunning fabric with ready made roses which I placed in the cushion corners.  Many times the fabric in these is worth hundreds and the laces.... just wow!

Have a beautiful weekend. I can't wait to get into mine. I need to get cracking and get my work done this afternoon so we have a lovely Friday evening. xxx