Green t-shirt

What I didn't tell you was that when I bought the yellow t-shirt for the eye, heart, T, A, T, I also bought two more as they were such lovely fabric AND cheap. You've got to realise this about this OG - I'm as 'cheap as chips' as the saying goes!!!!  Let me point out - that's English chips and NOT American ones!!!  There's a vast difference between the two!!!

If you look at the top picture you'll see that the garment has a sweet sort of edging already so I didn't want to cover that.  The first 'row' is simple split rings joined on one side (the variegated side) with a vsp.  I then went back along one side with a lock chain which lock joined into the vsp's.  Simple to make.

For the plain thread I used a 'somewhere around 50' cotton thread that I have in my stash. For the other thread I used a Perfect Quilter doubled.

IF I remember I'll show you the completed t-shirt which will hopefully have the same trim at the bottom of the sleeves too.

Mystery changes colour

So, I got bored after the purple and I worked the next two parts in two greens HWT'd together. 

This was a nice easy relaxing couple of rounds and thoroughly enjoyable.

Next time I add to this mystery I think you'll find it quite different.  I'm not saying anymore so just 'watch this space'.  Not the space between my ears but the space on this page!!!!

Eye love to tat

I actually made a start on sewing the 'bits' onto the t-shirt over the weekend but also had to undo and reposition twice. The eye was originally too high up and the two too!!! Then this picture shows the two re-sewn again but this time the '2' is crooked so I've got to take it off and do it again.

I (thankfully) abandoned the idea at the last minute of using fusible web stuff to hold the pieces in place before sewing - think of the pickle I'd have got into trying to get the 'stickiness' off when I wanted to re-sew!!!!

I also did this eye a little differently - not quite the same as the pattern. This is because in the pattern I used long picots which were cut. When I sewed the eye onto the last t-shirt it looked wonderful but each lash had to be sewn down in several places. That wasn't too bad as I've got a lot of patience.  BUT after many washes the lashes looked - well, manky.  This time I didn't do long picots - just ordinary chains so the lashes are sewn on with a black thread afterwards on this t-shirt. I'm sure this will wash better and keep it's 'good looks'!!!!

More on the mystery!!

First of all I must say Happy Birthday, Bill.  Bill?  Well more commonly known as William Shakespeare.  Well I really ought to acknowledge the old guy as he was born near me and spent a lot of time getting into trouble around this area.  Does that sound familiar? I swear, though, that trouble finds me without having to look for it.

Now this next stage in the mystery may look exactly the same as the last time I showed it to you. Well, must admit I thought I'd got into a muddle when I looked at my files!!!

BUT if you look closely there is a row around the whole piece now. I think I found a small mistake either in the last part or this so had to 'wing it' round the ends!!!! Made BC3 work hard on getting it right!!!

I'm still pleased with it but feel that if there's anymore to be done then another colour will have to come into play!!! It's getting boring now - colour wise!

Finally all components are finished!

Everything is sorted and ready for the t-shirt which is now found, bought and home!!!! 

Yellow is the colour I chose in the end and yesterday I pinned all the bits of tatting on so that today I hope to have time to begin the task of sewing them on!!!

In fact I may use fusible web to 'stick' them on first so that they are easier to sew and I'll then use my 'favourite' thread with which I have a love/hate relationship!!! It's the invisible kind - IF I can find it!! That's supposed to be a joke - invisible - find. Get it? Sorry!!!

Today I've uploaded the 2 and T A and linked them to the eye and the heart. Also added links to them from the eye pattern so all links SHOULD work in case anybody else wants/needs to do similar!!!

Did anybody notice the front page of my pattern site?  I've changed that slightly too.   I like to change stuff regularly - now, Nick, how about I change you?!?!?!!?  That was a joke too!!!

Part 3 of the mystery

Just showing you the next part of my mystery. Any guesses yet?

Must go 'off topic' and tell you about our trip to the vets with our cat last week. Catching Tilly is always a problem and we had the usual 'catch me if you can' event landing up under the bed in the back bedroom.

Going to the vet is something we ALWAYS dread. There is on street parking nearby but you have to (a) find a space and (b) pay to park in it. The vet's do have their own car park but it's a nightmare. 

First you have to negotiate an archway which is just a tad wider than the car. Once through there you have a small courtyard with a right hand turn up a steep ramp to a space where about six cars can park. Meet anybody on the way in or out and you've got major problems. So between us there's always a 'discussion' as to who should drive there. It's only about five minutes drive and twenty minutes walking. We've walked in the past but carrying a 'cross' cat in a carrier is hard work with frequent rest stops.

This year we both had the same BRILLIANT idea. Why not use Nick's mobility scooter? So, that's what we did. I walked as usual and Tilly's carrier just fitted on the foot well under his feet. 

When we told the staff at the vets how we'd avoided the car park issues they said they'd never had a patient arrive like that before!!! Tilly? Well she was not impressed with her annual visit as usual but we now know that this is the way she'll be travelling in future!!!