Finished!!!

I finished two new blue butterfly bags and pouches and another rather nice purple, green and mustard one that I started a couple of days ago. When I woke up this morning I found a comment on the blog from somebody who wants to buy one of the blue set so I will only be putting one blue and the purply one in the shop later today - with a bit of luck.

I'll probably be on the computer for quite a time after I've cleared up yesterday's mess as I've some drawings to do for another tatter.  Good excuse not to do too much housework!!!!

Yesterday I went to visit my new pupil in the antiques centre. She's doing really well and will soon be able to make a reasonable ring. Unlike most new shuttle tatters she's not tense and so has found the flip pretty easy.

In the evening I continued with the latest project. Quite good progress but need to undo some of what I did and 'try again'!!! So, what's new, I ask myself!!!! I did draw this part out yesterday afternoon which helped but as usual things are never the same when actually tatted up.

I've no pictures today so this will be a naked post but if you go to Gina's blog you'll see my version of her mystery motif!!!!!!

Whooopeee

Yesterday morning on my way back from town and posting roly poly bags I popped in to see my new student. She was busy with customers but did say that she'd been practicing but couldn't get the thread to pull up into a ring. I reassured her that she was perfectly normal and that most new tatters had that problem. I'll pop in later this morning and show her again.
When I went to see Aileen on Wednesday I told her about the purple fabric and the blue fabric selling so well as roly poly bags (she'd given me those two pieces too). She disappeared for a short while and came back with more of the blue!!! So, yesterday I started making two more bags with this. I did confess to having kept one of these sets for myself!!! Below is 'one I made earlier' to use Blue Peter speak!!! I hope to list these two and another very pretty one over the weekend.

Tatting?  Well I'm still working on the new idea but 'fell out' with it yesterday evening.  Now this is a reasonably good sign - along with a nudge from Georgia Seitz who orignally suggested the idea a few months ago!!!!  It means that I need to start the second half of this one again - maybe this evening!!!!

Tatting lesson and Sharon's work

I went to see the lady in the antique centre and we got along fine.  She quickly got the hang of the 'flipping flip' so that was good.  I will pop in to see her when I wander down the town which will be later this morning as I have two Etsy sales to mail!!!  There is only 1 roly poly left now in the purple and I had to make an 'emergency' purple pouch half way through the day.  Sadly I have no more of that fabric left for another pouch.  Still, somebody might want 'just a bag' for their cosmetics or something!!!!

Below is Sharon's patchwork mat which she sent me a picture of yesterday.  It's SO rewarding to actually see that people can understand my patterns and make them up.  It's very strange nowadays as I rarely get to hear about them being used unless I see them on other people's blogs.  Gives the 'old git' a buzz every time I spot them, though.  Even brain cell # 3 comes out of hiding to take a bow!!!!

I wish I could analyze my 'need' to design and why I continue.  When I've finally finished a design and it's put on the web site it's like having delivered a baby.  That enormous sense of relief!!!  Very soon after, though, the need to make something 'new' comes over me!!!!  Suppose tat's life!!!

Lots to tell you!!

First of all there are two new bags in my Etsy shop. These are a stunning purple with a lovely contrasting turquiose lining. Again I'm tempted to keep a set but I can't justify it. This fabric was in the stash that Aileen gave me for helping her out.

I've also added more patterns to my web site. I've added the daisy earring, bracelet and necklace set, two of the sequin designs and finally the Christmas tree brooch and matching earrings. I was going to keep the Christmas trees for myself but am asking that people don't sell them online as I will be listing them in the Etsy shop eventually!!! Also there are two new 'how to' pages by Jennifer Williams and probably one or two that people haven't seen before of my own!!!

Here are the bags in the new purple fabric. They will be the only ones as this is all of this fabric that I've got.

A new design - probably!!

At long last the muse has struck again!!! I'll blog this when I've made a bit of progress.

This morning I'm taking a big risk!! I'm going to the antiques centre in town. The risk is that somebody might want to buy me as an interesting piece of antiquity!!!

Seriously. I wandered in there on Saturday to see if there were any new stalls. There used to be a great little place selling a few beads and buttons but it closed down some six months ago. Anyway this time I found a lovely jewellery place and got talking to the lady who runs it. She'd got some very pretty necklaces but I was looking for loose beads which she doesn't 'do'. So we were talking and she noticed some of the tatting I was wearing. She asked how it was made and I said it was tatting. Eventually she asked how much I'd charge to teach her. Silly woman - as if I'd charge!! In the end she said she'd pay me 'in beads'!!! So, we'll see how things go this morning!!!

I got the purple zips yesterday morning so hope to make a start on the purple set of roly poly bags this afternoon - specially as it's raining again!!!!

Some progress!

I had another look at trying to link up with flickr in order to add a slide show to this blog. I'm not stupid - well not THAT stupid but I've still not got it 'sorted'!!! Perhaps I should just give up!!!

I had a welcome interruption to the morning yesterday so nothing got started until later in the day. I've still got to check out the new web pages but that should only take half a day and then I can 'go public'!!

Bags and pouches are selling steadily in the Etsy shop so as soon as I get a moment I'll be making more!!!

I'm also feeling the urge to design something new coming over me!! Can't decide which idea to tackle first - will consult with brain cell # 3 - a reliable chap!!!

I finished the second seahorse yesterday and took Saturday's to pieces again. I just wasn't happy with the size of the poor wee thing in the bracelet. I found a slightly smaller bracelet and have made more seaweed and mounted it again. It looks so much better.  These little guys will be in the Etsy shop sometime this week!!!

     

Nothing much happened!!!

Yesterday was one of those rare days.  I had the 'sillies' on me.  I decided to make roly poly bags out of the purple fabric but as the zips hadn't arrived that I ordered that stopped that game!!!  I then decided to make blue bags as I've got a lot of blue fabric and zips too!!  I wandered into the room where I sew, got the fabric out and wandered off again!!  I decided to check out the web pages that I've uploaded before announcing them but I didn't get back to the computer!!

Then I sat down to finish off a seahorse in a bangle that I'd started the evening before!!  So, having got the variagated number 80 (or thereabouts) out to do the seaweed I finally got going.  BUT that didn't work out either - the 80 thread broke and it just didn't 'look right' either.  Back to the thread stash and out with a 40 variagated green.  That worked out fine.

While I was doing this I was also trying to add a slide show to the blog.  What a performance!!!!  Two of us tried to work it out.  I got the Flickr account to link with the blog and vice versa but the darn thing still doesn't work.  I've binned it for now!!!  So, a day wasted.  I HATE wasting time (or food, or money, or anything!!).

In the morning I had this magazine from Tove in Sweden.  It's beautifully presented but it always gives me a bigger thrill to see my patterns in another language.  Sort of makes me feel famous in this small little pond in tat land!  So, below is the cover and one page of the magazine.  Also the seahorse which will go into my Etsy shop as soon as I have time!!!