7 October 2009

Second pair!!!


This is the second pair of earrings that I made and I'm pleased to report I can follow the pattern!!!!

The final pair will be different but I'm not sure where the pattern is - watch this space!!!

6 October 2009

Earrings


This is the first of a 'series' of earrings that I'm making for a friend.

They are based on the 3D snowflake that I made years ago and I've used the top motif (first part of that snowflake) many times when I've made earrings for myself.

The only problem I've always had when wanting to make 'another pair' is that I have never written it down properly. 

This time I have - AND I've done the lower motif to work directly on from the upper.  In fact the whole thing is done in one 'hit'!!!  I

did have to use one split chain and two SR's to do it, though.  Well worth the effort in the end!!!

5 October 2009

Back in the old routine!!!


The glue's out again!!!  These are a few of the bookmarks I've just finished and sent out to the Ring of Tatters.

The Ring gives away bookmarks at shows to promote our obsession with tatting.

They also sell a kit for wannabe tatters to buy and recently they've added a 'tatalong' DVD to their repertoire of aids for new tatters. 

Here's a link which tells you how to buy the DVD and here's a link to the Ring's website.

3 October 2009

Fishes galore!!!


This is a picture of a 'boy' chain that Jane made.


Isn't it lovely?  She went off to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe last Tuesday and took gifts for the children of the friends she's staying with.  Lucky kids.

While she was there she met up with Judith and they had a mini 'tat day'.  Here's a bit out of her message:-

'Judith showed me how to tat using more economical hand movements, which I've been trying earnestly to use since I got back home! I showed Judith how to tat over the ends at the beginning of her work, which should save her a lot of sewing in ends. I left some doilies with her, which she's going to show to her tatting group and put on the Bulawayo show next year. Oh, and Judith gave me a clover shuttle and I gave her some thread I'd dyed. Judith gave me copies of patterns for edgings, which she has 'translated' from old patterns into more modern style.'


2 October 2009

How to load a shuttle!!!!


As most of you know I'm a shuttle only tatter!!  Born and bred to it.  I did once try the needles but as they're not traditional and didn't give me a good result they were soon abandoned.

What always surprises me about shuttle tatters is the various ways they start to load their shuttles.  I've seen so many struggle with tying to the hole in the bobbin or the hole in the centre of the post shuttles that it amazes me that they ever get started!! 

Life can be so much simpler if you use a slip knot.  Let me tell and show you.

First make the slip knot.  Easy peasy.  Start like this leaving about a one and a half inch end.

Pull a loop through the loop and then wrap this round the shuttle.  Either the bobbin type or the post type (with the post type you obviously have to go through both ends).

Tighten around the shuttle and wind away from the knot so that it tightens.  The small tail will help you to get the end bit off the shuttle when you've finished.


Hope this helps.  I always wind back my thread onto the ball I've been using.  Mainly because so many shades are so close to each other and once or twice in my tatting 'career' I've had a nasty shock when I've thought I'd got the right shade and it's been 'wrong'!!! 

1 October 2009

More Palmetto pictures


Now I get teased unmercifully by the Palmetto girls.  It was a few years ago that I discovered where they 'hid' the ice cream at the last venue that they used.  I didn't find it until the last evening meal and then every time I went to get some I was called away!!!  Frustrated?  You betcha!!!

So then Tat Days was moved to White Oak where - HORROR of HORRORS there is NO ICE CREAM!!!!

This year dear Bonnie Gieger was determined not to let me go a whole weekend without ice cream.  Joanie picked me up (along with Hope Green) from Columbia airport and off we went to Bonnie's for lunch.  YUMMY - this wasn't just ordinary ice cream - it was home made ice cream and chocolate too WITH chocolate chips in.

Thank you Bonnie.

Must tell you about the evening after tat days when Hope, Joanie and I 'invited ourselves' back to Bonnie's to eat again.  WHAT a nerve the three of us had, eh? 

We did take the makings of a meal (Joe and Bonnie cooked the salmon which was delicious) and - guess what?  Bonnie made MORE ice cream and this time it was coffee.  Want to see?  Here's a photo.

Now you didn't really think you were going to get any, did you?

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Happy Beaks

Happy Beaks
I beg your pardon? I didn't quite catch what you said.