Anniversary

Last Saturday was the 30th Anniversary of the  Edinburgh Lace Club for which they held a lunch party - and to which I was invited as a past member.  The party took place in the church hall where the group usually hold their annual Lace Days, and was set out with tables and chairs, cafe-style, with a large buffet table across the width of the room, and several display and workshop tables around the edges.  On the walls, along with a few bunches of balloons – oh dear - were pictures of lace made by the members, and a small pictorial display of the making of the lace jabot to be worn by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which was a very early club project.  It was interesting that some of these members are still in the group almost 30 years on, and were at the party itself.   In fact the lady in the light coloured dress, presenting the lace to the Moderator, though long retired as a member was invited to cut the celebratory birthday cake.  I think she was the founder of the club.

It was great to meet up with  lacemakers I haven’t seen for a long time, and join them for lunch.  Here’s my sister with her plateful of goodies from the buffet, and here she is again later, taking a very popular “workshop” on making pipe-cleaner teddies!

 

Here’s one she made during a demo!  I had a go,so here are my teds too! 

 

 

 

The yellowy one was my first – and I think best so far!   The white one has since been turned into a dog – without a tail!

There were several other activities on the go during the afternoon.  Margaret, on the right, demonstrated the technique of making “leaves”  continental style, and urged us all to go home and have a go at making some Christmas decorations using the technique!  Might make a pair of earrings for Christmas!  (Margaret is also in the Moderator’s Lace photo above, on the right)

Liz demonstrated how to make little gift boxes from old Christmas cards, something I used to do a lot of.  Here’s someone having a go!   Then she took names of people who wanted to buy the pattern for a lace-made Remembrance poppy, – with permission from the Poppy people of course, and with proceeds going to them as well -  It’s very beautiful.  I put my name down!

Lorena who had been quietly playing the clarsach during lunch, later gave Ena a lesson in harp playing. ….

….and the 30th anniversary commemorative banner was shown off.  I took a few pictures of  it and a few of the individual pieces, but they did not come out too well.  Here are a few that weren’t too bad…

The lace is wonderful, it’s just the photos that are sub- standard.

 

 

 

 

Coming away from the hall, I felt inspired to pay a first visit  to the reasonably new branch of Hobbycraft at a big retail park on the edge of the city.  Aladdin’s cave!!!  It is packed with items for arts and crafts ranging from model making to knitting, embroidery, cake decorating, painting and all sorts of other crafts!  Not the kind of place you can visit and not spend money!!!!  So, what with shopping there and later at IKEA on my way home, I came home with considerably less in my bank account than when I left home with in the morning!

Well, when it’s spent, it’s spent!

Talk again soon.