Dorset buttons

Well having seen Diane’s Dorset buttons I had to have a go myself.  I remember doing some many years ago but had forgotten how easy they are but how they are quite a problem to get looking good.  Diane’s leading the way with making them while I think that I’ve now given up - at least for many more years!!!

I declare it finished!!!

It's finished with the trimming on the back too!

I took a trip to visit my daughter and family a week or so ago and my son in law took some photos of me wearing the silk top.  I can 'see' this over a black top with black trousers so I may eventually wear it but I'm not sure I'll ever attend an occasion where I can!!!  

If not I'll wear it to scrub the kitchen floor!!!  I'll miss it as it was an enjoyable upcycle.  Now to look in the charity shops for another project.  I'm realising after almost 78 years on this planet that it's not as hard as I thought it would be to mess around with altering clothes.  Mind this was a big alteration from an oversized man's shirt to a wearable top!!!

Beads assembly continues

The best laid plans of mice and Jane never seem to work out!!!  If you'd have seen the mess I got into with trying to assemble this with the invisible thread you'd have laughed your socks off.  It was so, so frustrating and in the end I gave up.  It was fine (well ish) adding the invisible to the beads and then onto the piece of dowling I found BUT when I picked the wood up the whole thing instantly tangled and it was impossible to sort out!!!  

The air was blue around me as I spent a good few hours trying NOT to give in to the problem but in the end I had to declare it 'NOT a good idea' and abandon it.  Now the problem with invisible thread is that it is truly invisible but when tatted with it does become sort of 'not' invisible and doesn't produce a pretty result.  Well,  not in my opinion.  

This was 'after the invisible' and before another decision was made but more about that later!!!!

This looks so much better

Now that I’ve added the ‘shadow hiding’ edging this looks a lot better.  I’m really beginning to like this project a lot.

The back is a bit plain though so I may do an edging along the yoke at the back.  I’ll ‘wait and see’ about that, though!!!  

Starting to pull it all together.

Back to the beads again.  Now I’ve got almost 20 covered beads it’s time to decide exactly what I’m going to do with them!!!  

I’ve got it in my mind that they’ll dangle in the living room window as a sort of decoration.  They need to be sparkly so I’ve added lotsa beads to the bottom of the big covered beads - well to dangle from them.  The original pattern which can be seen here also shows how to add beads to the actual tatting around the bead - well, on the largest one but it does take a phenomenal amount of beads to do that.  None stringed onto the thread before starting, though.

In this photo you can see some of the beads assembled but I don’t like the thread showing.  I need to get into the tatting cupboard to find my invisible thread.