Crafternoon

Yesterday it was 'Crafternoon' at Alcester library - the second meeting. 

I have two great friends who I volunteer with on Wednesdays/Thursdays and they'd asked if I would teach them to tat. 

It's ages since I've taught people right from scratch and I found it so interesting.  I realise that my hands are 'trained to tat' and that holding a thread is no problem because of that.  It's hard for new tatters to first of all 'see' the flip and secondly to achieve it.  I try very hard not to be a prescriptive teacher but to watch and see how a new student is comfortable with holding the threads and then work from there. 

Actually they did very well for a first lesson - just hope they come back for another 'go' rather than hit me over the head with a mallet!!!!  If you don't hear or see me after next Friday you'll know that the mallet came to Alcester!!!!

Remembering

A day to remember Gina. 

It's hard to believe that it's two years today since Gina died. She was my buddy for such a long, sweet time.  Although we live thousands of miles apart her quiet humour and patience with me was immeasurable.  A true lady.

I know lots of you have seen this picture before and I was really lucky to take it as we'd spent the whole day together without any cameras being taken out of our bags!! Gina was just leaving (you can see her car keys in her left hand) when I realised and took this one picture.  This was only a few months before her problems started.

Between this picture and her untimely death we spent hours emailing each other and talking about the dreadful fight with the cancer she'd got.  Always, but always Gina was positive so it came as a terrible shock when it won the battle Gina  had so bravely fought.

Miss you, Gina - the TIAS hasn't been the same since you left.  I miss you testing the pattern beforehand.  

Second version

Now this is the second version of the motif I showed you yesterday.  I went to make one of these a few weeks ago and couldn't follow my own directions.  I was tired and BC3 was on a short break away from me - said I was causing him too much stress.

Anyway, I finally got the motif finished and then decided that I really needed to do the directions again from the start.  It's only the final join that's the problem and really it's easy.  The hard part is explaining it.  In the end I decided to do it with pictures rather than drawings.  I hope this works for you.  Here's the link which I forgot to put on yesterday with this version at the bottom.

Playing around and updating.

This has always been a little favourite of my older designs.  Not sure why but I think it's cause it makes an ideal pendant.  

Often pendants swing round when you wear them and the backs aren't always as pretty as the fronts.  Well, in this case - that's not so.  As you can see - both sides are the front (or back if that's what you want to call them).

During this 'reincarnation' I decided to add beads.  Well, more beads!!  I've also changed the centre and got rid of a large picot that all the SCMR's had to join to.  Instead I've put in small vsp's and added beads to the rings on the SCMR.

Tomorrow I will show you the other version - IF I remember, of course!!!

Crafternoon

I have two things I enjoy in life - one is my crafts (mainly tatting, of course) and the other is teaching elderly people computer skills.

I teach on Wednesday mornings and nearly all day on Thursday. In the morning on a Thursday the sessions are in Alcester which is a few miles away from where I live. So ten days ago one of the library staff came into the silver surfer sessions and put a poster on the table advertising their new 'Crafternoon' which was starting on the 6th. 

Well, you know who was tempted, don't you? Yes, me. What a wonderful atmosphere in that room. Betty arrived who also attends silver surfers and she had us in stitches. Not the knitting, sewing or tatting ones but the 'can't stop laughing' ones. 

The library staff had kindly baked cakes - YUMMY and provided tea and coffee. It was a wonderful afternoon meeting new (and YOUNG) people who do a variety of crafts. I'll be back next week with a garment a friend gave me which I'm trying to felt as there's a smashing lass there who does that. I'll be picking her brain!!!

Maybe I'll pick up a few tatters along the way but mainly I just loved being with people who 'make'.