History of Juliana and round 8

Two weeks ago I had a GOOD IDEA!!! I went onto Facebook (I know I've mentioned this before) and put out a call for help in all the tatting groups with finding the designer of Juliana. 

A lady called Angela contacted me and she had been in touch with Ben in Holland too. Ben said that the publishers are a company called Eska who are based in Utrecht. I had already realised that they were the publishers as it's in the book but it did trigger BC3 into trying to contact them. So far no reply!

Ben also says that the designs were done by the nuns in the St Rosa monastery in Amsterdam. I have tried to google this monastery/convent/nunnery but with no luck. 

Here is a bit more from Angela's message:-

"I'm keen to know more about this St Rosa monastery - when I was in Amsterdam last I visited a former monastery that was run by nuns after the war as a 'finishing' schools for young ladies. My auntie's went there... the girls learnt how to make beds, cook & clean so that they were prepared to take up home duties when they married."

So my plans at the moment are to put the pattern up on my pattern site and give the history of it's provenance as far as I know it. Copyright will be assigned to 'unknown' although I think I've earned a mention too!!!! It's going to be a long pattern as I've done a lot of work on the notation and there are also drawings for each row too.  

I am now asking for dedicated tatters to test tat it up to round 9 which will be ready shortly.  I will be putting the same request out in the Facebook tatting groups too.  The only skills which will be required are rings, and chains.  For round 9 (which I've started work on) the test tatters will need to know split rings and lock chains.  They are not in the original pattern but will be used in round 9 to avoid too many ends to be sewn in.

Meanwhile here's round 8!!!!

Not MORE fabric?

I mentioned in this post that I'd been back to Birmingham even before I made up the fabric I'd bought on the previous trip!!!

So straight after making up the first lot of fabric I started on this new short sleeved top (pictures below). 

As I mentioned in the post about the first top - the pattern was challenging but obviously easier the second time around. I'm really pleased with this top too and it fits in all the right places as well!!!

I really love the print but the finished top doesn't look very good on the picture as it must've been a dull day!!!

Juliana round 7

Another week of ‘not so many’ posts as I’m concentrating on Juliana and finishing her as soon as I can.  Can’t wait to do something else but if I drift off to play with other things this won’t get finished. 

After round 6 this wasn't so much work. It's been pretty easy to notate and draw up too. 

I'm hoping to get round 8 done over the next few days as that looks quite straightforward so keep your eyes open for that later this week. 

Then I MAY hit the skids with round 9. I've already started studying it and I'm thinking I MAY have to 'go off piste' with that one in order to save a load of sewing in of ends. I'll (obviously) keep you posted on progress.