Sally's Angel - Eureka!!!

I think it's finished. Well, apart from more testing and tweaking. I've only shown a few of the trials I've done of this but it's been a nightmare. Finally I started in another place to get this one!!! Sally suggested that the wings coming out by the neck were probably half the problem!! SO right. This meant a whole re-write. Thank goodness for copy and paste in word processing and a long cold day here in the UK!!!

I've only roughly tied her into the bangle but I'm so much happier with her. Not sure whether to do the wings differently. Again Sally and I discussed whether to make them rings and chains. I may try that as an 'alternative' idea although I do love the effect of these lock stitch chains in two colours.
Oh, I also left off the fingers too on this one!!
I've scanned her twice so that if you look at her carefully you'll be able to see all the little faults that may need correcting. I'm not sure about the halo either. Should it be bigger/smaller, come from another place or what?

Sally's Angel - part 3

Well this relatively simple angel has caused a lot of problems! I wasn't at all happy about the neck/head/body region so thought I'd start from a different place!!

Originally I'd started with the body ring which was attached to the bead and then worked the arms, first wing, skirt, second wing finishing with the head.
Next I tried starting with the head, following with the same order as before. Nope, tat didn't work either.
This time I started with the arms then the body ring (joining to the bead as before) followed by the head, first wing, skirt, second wing finishing back at the neck. I think this gives a much better look to the whole design. I now am happy with the head and the skirt (apart from a little more tweaking) and the arms (still wondering whether to 'do' fingers or not). The only thing I'm not entirely happy with is the wings. I like the lock stitch chain but I'm not totally happy with it yet .............
Ah, the surprise is that it will fit snuggly into a 3" bangle. Sorry, Sally, is that too big for you? I will try for another smaller angel when I've got this one sorted out!!!
All suggestions will be welcome!!!
Now I'm happy to go back to my big project for a while!!!

Sally's Angel - part 2

Life has been hectic the past few days. I've got the last few Aero shuttles listed on ebay and have a stinking cold too.

The angel is progressing in forward and backward leaps! I am also working on another large project too - no, sorry, not another TIAS yet but that is rapidly approaching on my list.

Back to the angel. This is the latest version. The head of the last one was too small but I've a feeling this one is too big. The halo is OK, I think!!! I've made the body above the bead smaller and also added two more SR's to the arms so that they have more 'definition'. Not sure that the hands really need fingers either. The lower wings have gone and that's made the whole thing better by a long way.

The skirt is slightly wider with an interesting further addition of anther ring and beads. I shall add beads to the bottom corner SR's too and maybe make them (the SR's) a little larger!!

The wings are dreadful. I mean - truly dreadful so I may have to resort to another long think about them. Not sure they need to be small SR's but maybe just a zig zag chain as opposed to a lock stitch chain. Maybe even an 'ordinary' chain with a picoted ZZ one in the middle. Goodness knows. I may take another shot at this tonight. I think the size will be fine for the bangle which I threw onto the platten with this sample. Whatever - it will be a quick and easy one when it's finished and I hope to be able to suggest other types of beads to use too (like teardrop ones)!!!

Sally's Angel

My poor sister has been 'nagging' me for a year or more for an angel to fit in a ring!! I've tried 'adjusting' several other designs but couldn't quite get them right!! The only thing to do was to start from scratch myself!!! I've already got a good supply of these little heart beads so that seemed a good place to start!!!

Below is the first 'real' finished angel (scanned on both a white background and a black one). Not sure that I really like it yet. The lower wings are (I think) a bit 'too much' and will probably be left out in the next version or adjusted to come lower. The arms and hands which go round the bead are also not 'quite right' so probably they need adjusting too - maybe it's just the colours are the wrong way round. I like the head and the skirt. It's a reasonable start and I will get back to it so that we've both got a Christmas giveaway in plenty of time this year!!!

More on the split SCMR

This is an attempt (and a very good one too) that Gina Oschmann who is one of Riet's guild sent in. Riet said the following.

Gina Oschmann , one of the members of the guild tatted chalenge number three she mailed it to me on saterday afternoon, but there was a problem with the picture, this morning she mailed the picture for the third time and now I could open the picture and could see what she did.
She started with a splitring, in the first part of the splitring an inwards picot (2 firsthalf ds - 2 second half ds) in the second half throw of rings and a join with bead the join is made with the shuttle thread by tatting first 2 second half ds make the join and 2 first half ds.
To write down the pattern is difficult, but I will try
Sp1 is dark blue,

Sp2 is light blue.
Sp1 SR: 3ds, 2(firsthalf ds), - 2(second half ds), 3 ds / 4ds, [R1: 4-4], 3ds, 2(second halfds) +b 2(first half ds), [R2: 6-6], 4 ds [R3: 4-4], 4ds cl RW
Ch1: 7ds RW
SR: 7 / 7 cl. RW.
Ch 7 go on with second eye in mirorlook of first eye and the hair are chains with long picots.

I'm not sure if this is the way that I did it as there doesn't appear to be a split self closing mock ring here but it certainly gives the same result.

Split SCMR

Katie Verna had a look at Sharren's bookmark and decided to 'have a go' from just the picture. Well done, Katie. This is what she said and her picture too.

"I tried the Sharren's flower that you posted yesterday on your blog. When I read about it, I didn't think I could do it, but in trying I understood. Thanks to you and to Sharren for exploring this crazy, lovely little technique. I always have trouble figuring out how much thread to leave for the
split chain, but this one worked out. I think the secret is that you can always stretch the thread a little, but you can't shrink it."