Ebay treasures

Do you remember the leaflets I sold on through the blog a while back?  Well, to recap, these were part of a batch of tatting booklets sold on ebay.  The seller had listed them as 'buyer collects' and when they didn't sell first time she re-listed and then I wrote and asked if she'd mail them to me IF I won them.    

Well, we did a deal and eventually at the end of the time I won them fairly and squarely, I paid the extra for mailing them and tat was tat.

Just over two weeks ago I had an email through ebay from the same seller telling me she was listing more tatting leaflets so my ears pricked up big time.  I waited for them to appear.  

When they did there wasn't a picture and the listing was for '8 tatting manuals'.

Fast forward a few days and still no picture but a list saying just this appeared.

8 pieces
2 books
6 magazines
good condition
sent via royal mail or collection

I waited and waited (no pictures still) and so I asked her for further details and she mentioned the one book that I'd already got (another story about that another day!!!) and a few leaflets.  Eventually there was a bid on them and I thought I'd let it all go.  Then I took a gamble and put on a very high bid - after all in the last 'lot' there were one or two leaflets I'd not seen or heard of before and this might happen again.  A gamble from an OG who isn't a gambler by nature!!!!

Eventually I won - no, I'm not saying what I paid!!! 

More on Monday but here's a quick picture for you of the whole lot!!!!!

Two more and the last!

Promise - these are the last two pairs of Winsome Drops - for now!!!!

If you look closely you'll see they are a little different.

I wondered what would happen if I made the long beaded picot start in a different place.  I can never leave things alone!!!  The top pair were made by putting the LBP (long beaded picot) near the start and end of the ring.  Gives it a sort of bulge but not a lot different to yesterday's.

Now, the red ones I LOVE.  The LBP is made just a bit before the finding is added and a bit after.  I used a heart shaped bead between the ring and split ring and then happily and accidentally found that  the LBP formed a heart shape too!!!

This is what I was aiming for and THOUGHT would happen in the pinkish pair.  I'm never sure at the outset what will happen in situations like this!!!

Remember these?

Well they're DEAD.  They had a serious case of 'scissoritis' a few days ago.  

Why?  Well I just didn't like the way the lower SR didn't stay in line with the top ring.  It sort of swung to lie sorta sideways on.  So, it was death by scissors!!!!  BIG TIME.  The Swarovski crystals were put back in the crystal box and the findings were used again on these.  Here are the new pair.

All I did was add two very small beads below the joins to the very long beaded picots.  Simple solution to a worrying problem - I hope!!!!  

One at each corner!!!

I THINK this will be the final version of the Fandango square.  This time with joining picots.

These were a pain in the wotsit to get in the right place but finally brain cell # 3 came to the rescue - long may he live!!!

I can still see more potential in this design but time's running out for me so I must abandon them for a few days!!!!  Can you see the four below and imagine them with beads?  I can!!!

So, having played with this over the past week I can now announce the birth of the 'new and amended' pattern which you can find here!!!!

Must point out that it's a shame I didn't just stick this under the iron before scanning it - I'm such a lazy moo at times.

Another variation on the beaded Fandango

I'm stuck in a rut again but this time with the Fandango square!!!!

I'll still be working with this for a while - with side trips to do other things too!!

This will be another pendant with a plethora of Swarovski beads at the bottom!!!!  I'm hoping that Diane (Lace-lovin' Librarian) doesn't spot this as it's her favourite colour!!!

A star by any other name!!!

Not really sure what you'd call this.  I call it a star even though it isn't really!!!  It's now a pendant as you can see!!!  

This is a variation on the star pattern that Donna will be teaching at Palmetto Tat Days in September.  If you take a trip down this page and on the left you'll see the original.  You'll have to wait until the CD comes out with the pattern on OR get yourselves down to SC in September!!!!   All I did was just added a bit more 'bling' in this version (also known as beads)!!!!


One or two people have asked me recently about adding beads to tatting and I think it's about time I put in a weeee plug for this invention.  I THINK it was mine and it's one I'm truly ashamed of.  Why?


Well, after over fifty years of tatting (and a good many of those with beads!) it hadn't occurred to me that there was a better way than adding them to the shuttle or chain thread until roughly 2007/2008 when a bit of thought and a good day for brain cell 3 happened and the long beaded picot was born!!!!