The penny dropped at long last on another way of adding findings to your work.
People often mention they've finished their tatting and now have to add the findings and then I've seen them add a metal ring round a ring or a chain. Now that worried me as I always use split rings (like key rings) so that there's no chance of the tatted piece finding a gap (as there are in jump rings) and consequently falling off. I've always added my findings as I go along - like this.
The thought of getting out the pliers (split ring pliers) to open the metal rings and then poke the tatting through them horrified me. I thought of the stress on the thread - UNTIL (as I said before) the penny dropped!!!
As you know by now - I'm a lazy moo when it comes to tatting. I like to find easy ways round problems so this is what occurred to me - perhaps you could add findings like that without harming the tatting by forcing it through a metal split ring. So, here's what I came up with!!!
Then me, being me, realised that somebody in Tat Land was BOUND to have thought of it before so I did a quick search. I was right!!! Marilee did it here but she used a jump ring!! Same difference at the end of the day. Anyway - enough of my rambling - I'm off to have breakfast!!!
5 comments:
I think this is what they call "K I S S ". - so simple, what a good idea.
Great idea and better than what I was doing. I prefer the metal 'split rings' too. I had been stringing them on with the beads, and when I tatted the ring where the 'split ring' was supposed to be, treated it like a 'bead' and put it on my hand along with the other beads that needed to be in the ring. BUT before I closed the ring, I had to unload the shuttle full of thread, slip the shuttle thread through the split ring, THEN rewind the shuttle and close the ring. Works, but it's a bit of a pain if there is quite a lot of thread on the shuttle. Your way is SO much easier!
StephanieW
Easy. Now if I can remember next time I need to add a finding.
I will definitely use this! Trying to put the split ring onto a completed tatted ring always pulls the tatting out of shape. I think this will work much better.
I agree, too, about open jump rings. They just aren't secure enough. However, if it's a situation where you can join directly to the finding, a closed jump ring -- soldered shut so there is no gap-- works great and is smoother to join to than a split ring. Then if necessary you just use a split ring to attach the closed jump ring to whatever else you need to.
Great idea and easy indeed! I should only remember to use it...
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