Japanese Knot bag

I fancied a change!!

Crazy Mom Tats visited me a month or so ago and very kindly gave me some fabric.  I find it hard to buy fabric except online.  We have a very expensive shop in town that charges an arm and a leg for their stuff.  There's a tiny shop in Alcester where I go to Crafternoon and theirs is a little cheaper but there's nothing as good as I can get in America when I visit so Sandra's gift was amazing.

Now stupidly I'd left the stash of new fabric out a few weeks ago when Liz and Jim came over for a family get together.  Liz spotted the cats!!!  She's got cats and loves anything with a cat design on it.   She asked if I could make her a bag.  Now I knew that the little square bags were probably of little or no use to her (she doesn't tat!) and I'm not sure if the print is too big for them too. (That will be tested in the future!!!). So, having been shown a Japanese knot bag I decided I'd research that as a possible task. 

I found two designs - one a floppy saggy design which would be easy peasy and the other with a round bottom (not quite so easy). Me, being me, decided to 'go' with the latter!!! When I showed the finished item to Nick he didn't quite know how to tactfully tell me that the handles weren't the same!!! I had to smile. I then showed him how the bag closed and he was well impressed. So, that was that. Then somebody asked whether I was going to make them for the Etsy shop!!!  Now, what do you all think?  It's actually a great size for carrying tatting around in. Any comments welcome.

More shuttles very soon

Below is a list of the shuttles I'll be listing in my Etsy shop which can be found here.  Don't forget to look at my little bags too.  If possible please buy one or two or even twenty to help an old git to keep up with her bead and thread supplies!!!!

I'll list the shuttles on Saturday so that I can get them in the mail on Sunday. Not sure what time I'll put them 'live' but they'll be there.

POP-A-BOBBIN SHUTTLES all with hooks 

3 OREGAN MYRTLE £18 

3 SPALTED BEECH £18 

3 SYCAMORE £18 

2 SEQUOIA £18 

3 ASH £18 

3 ROSEWOOD £18 

1 YEW £18 

1 EBONY £22.50 

1 MAHONIA £20.50

Day 8 - shuttles

I have another like this but until then I'd never seen one. This style (metal) must've bypassed me back whenever.

I started off with the Milliards shuttle as they were readily available in all haberdashery and knitting/sewing shops - even in our small town. BUT I never came across these metal ones 'back then'. So, I now have two in my collection. I'll try test driving this one soon.

Day 7 - shuttles

I think this is the best of the shuttles that I won on that Ebay listing. In fact, I'll admit, this is the one I had my beady eye on in the first place.

I do have a very similar one already which I'll show you sitting next to this another day. 

I wonder how old it is? Pretty old, I think.

Round 8 finished

There you are!!! Round 8 of the Jan doily done and dusted. 

I've been trying to understand myself and this addiction. 

Is it because it's an easy tat with the added frisson of working out the bead placements and the actual stitch count? Or is it because I'm not really worrying about it?

All I really know is that I can't put it down. I've a new design which I really ought to be working on but whenever I sit down I choose the doily!!! Maybe I'll give up on designing and just stick to tatting which is what I mainly did for the first thirty to forty or so years.

Day 6 - shuttles

Now today I'm showing you this metal shuttle. I've got some metal ones that I bought years ago but this one looks as if it may have been plated. I'll never use it and count it as a 'bonus' for the accidental collection!!!

Day 4 - shuttles

Today's shuttle is another pretty wooden one. This time there's a pheasant on one side and a blue tit on the other.

People seemed to think that yesterday's flowers were hand painted and I should think these are too but await further comments if you've got time.

Day 3 - shuttles

This shuttle (again wooden) has a very, very pretty Iris flower on one side and an oriental poppy on the other. 

I am not an expert on these things so have no idea if they're hand painted or are transfers. HELP?

Halfway round on round 8

This was last week so I'm a bit behind showing you progress!!! I apologise to anybody who's remotely interested!!!

I'll try and get the completed picture of round 8 up before long but I do tend to just carry on and forget that I've made progress. Too many other things going on that require my attention during the day!!!

Day 2 - shuttles

Another wooden shuttle and I'm showing both sides of this. Yes - both sides. Isn't it amazing? Look how the inlaid parts of the dark wood are so well done. Absolutely exquisite.

I wonder who made this and where it came from? Suggestions? 

I don't think it's an old one but it's certainly a great addition to my accidental collection!!

I say 'accidental' because in the days before the internet and because I was always brought up to consider the shuttle as 'just a tool' I didn't really bother about them. OK, I had a beautiful inlaid one which was given to me when I was 14 (it'll be making an appearance later in this sequence of posts) but that was all I really had for many, many years apart from my work horses!!!

Day 1 - shuttles

Remember my win on Fleabay? Whoops, I mean Ebay!!! 

I may not have mentioned it here because I'm a bit - well, the kindest word is forgetful!!!  There's a picture at the top of this post of the win. I paid very little considering the contents and count myself extremely lucky.  Over the next few days/week or so I'm going to show you each in detail. 

Today's shuttle is a very shiny one. It's wooden and it appears old to me but I'm not sure. Any ideas would be very welcome.`

Another couple of mice!

A few days ago I showed you this adorable mouse from Ruth in Canada. It's been a very busy and emotional, hectic week here at Chez Eborall so it's taken me some time to get these up on the blog to show you. 

Here are two more mice from Ruth. I love these meecies to pieces.  Who said that?  Was it Tom and Jerry?  No, that's not right.  All I can remember is that it was an American cartoon.  Least I think that's right!!!!

Personally I think the grey one on top of the tape measure is about to sky dive down onto the other one!!! 

Just hoping that when I stay with Ruth in September that the spiders she's cultivating at her house are under control - unlike her mice!!!!

More of round 7

On the way round!!!

You can see on this picture that I've taken the shuttles off the round 8 piece that I started. Thanks to being bobbin shuttles I have put the bobbins in tiny plastic bags (sealed) and they add no weight to the piece while I'm working.

Really pleased with the way this is working out and it's sadly become an addiction now!!!! Still it's keeping me out of mischief - supposedly!!!!

Pattern is ready

So the bookmark addiction continues!!! I do go through phases of addiction and have never understood why!!!!  Hang on - I think I do know.  I am forever trying to improve on whatever I'm designing.  At the moment it's using the different colour combinations and I think this one's my favourite.  OR can I find a better one?

I've got the pattern finally put together and you can find it here.

Meantime - do I carry on with the Jan doily or shall I start another bookmark? Decisions, decisions. Not easy for an OG who's WELL past her 'sell by' date!!!

LOVE those pink eyes!

Can you believe this little guy? Arrived yesterday all the way from Ruth in Canada.

I'm not going to tell you what she says as you'll have to go and visit the Exclusive Club over on this link.

All I can say is I just LOVE those pink eyes!!! Mind, I'd not want to meet a 'real' mouse with those scary eyes - would you?

Another bookmark

This time I wondered what the bookmark would look like without the picots. 

I'm not a huge fan of picots so this is an experiment. I don't like it as much so it'll be back to testing another idea I've got!!!!

Starting round 7

Up, up and away on round 7!!! 

I seem to have missed the beginning of this round - it's just off the top right hand side. Before anybody says anything - no, I was NOT drunk in charge of a camera or phone come to that!!!

I'm still in the throes of the 'big tidy up' session but light has definitely been spotted at the end of the tunnel and I'm rapidly approaching it now. Hope to reach the end (of the tunnel) by the start to middle of next week. Sally will be pleased as she's going to need somewhere to sleep next weekend!!!

Another bookmark

Well the bookmark I showed you yesterday seemed to be well received. I'm just waiting for a rainy day and the major tidy up to be finished and then I'll have no excuse not to get the text, drawings and all links sorted and up on the pattern site. 

Meantime I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with the pictures of what is to come.

This picture shows that I've added a bead to the motif in the tail. That's to give a bit of weight to the part hanging outside the book. Well, that's my excuse!!!!

A new project

I wanted to design a new bookmark. Well, that's not strictly true although it's sort of!!! That doesn't make sense so let me explain.

I was making the last starry button bracelet when it occurred to me that if I took the buttons out then it would be halfway to becoming a bookmark. 

Oh, silly, silly me. Life isn't that easy and this project certainly proved that a 'quick conversion' in tatting doesn't necessarily work.

I guessed at the stitch count and that didn't work very well.  The outer part of the SCMR's was fine but getting the 'button' part the right size proved a right royal battle!!

I'll now show you the first bookmark!!!  This will be improved on - believe me!

Round 6

Nearly there - round 6 and the end is nigh!!!!

Next I've got to work out the bead placements for round 7. That should keep me busy and quiet for a while!!! Least I know somebody who'll hope it will!!!!

Meantime during daylight hours we're still doing our big tidy up and sorting out of junk!!! Not our favourite job ever but it has to be done!!

Finally

I finally got round and found time to stitch down the fabric on the second 'scrap bag'.

Next stage is to locate some lining fabric and then make some handles. 

Now, when it comes to handles they have to be long enough to fit over my shoulder and be strong too. The reason they have to be 'shoulder friendly' is because the milk I carry back from town can be heavy. I really don't fancy having one arm longer than the other so everything hast to fit on my shoulder - even when wearing a winter coat!!!

Round 5 - done!!!

At last I've finished round 5 of the Jan doily. No picture, I'm afraid as I've just started in on round 6!!!  I'll just show you earlier progress - to keep you interested and stop you going to sleep!!!

Round 6 should be easy as it's quite straightforward.  Simply rings and chains like round 4.

I'm getting more done at the moment due to the heatwave and sitting around at the rehab hospital near Leamington. Not a family member, thankfully, but sadly a really lovely neighbour.

I'll show you pictures of round 6 when I get it underway.

Two new bags

I sold one of my square tatting bags on Monday (or was it Tuesday?).  Oh, it was Tuesday!!!

To celebrate that event I've listed two more which were waiting in 'drafts' on the Etsy site. Sometimes I can't believe how organised I can be!!!  In fact I amaze myself!!!  

Once I've sold a few more I'll have the incentive to play with the new fabric that Crazy Mom Tats kindly gave me.  Just need to think it's worthwhile before I start.  Do you need a push sometimes?  I need more than a push - a shove would be a better description!!

So, here they are in all their glory (below) and here's the link to the shop.

Sewn and sorted!!

Well, just the one!!!

With all this heat and the loft project still ongoing I've not had time to get to the sewing machine. Yesterday I called a halt to the loft and decided to sew down the pieces of fabric. Well, I got one done before I dissolved in a puddle of water. Old git water!!! Not a pleasant sight.

Still I'll tackle the other one another day as today I'm going to be out during the middle of the day. Where does time go?

A reminder

Now I've not got a lot to show at the moment. Mainly because I'm sorting out the loft in our house. 

Why is it that houses have those spaces where you can 'put stuff'? It's so tempting to do just that - put it somewhere in case you need it again. What are the odds of that happening? Well we've decided that a lot of those things must go. I'm spending hours up in the hot loft sorting and chucking things down and then putting them in the car and taking them to the tip.

For that reason little has been done either in the sewing or tatting part of my life. Well, that's a bit of a lie as I am working on two new ideas but neither are in a state that can be shared!!!

Just to cheer you up - here's a link to my sister's giveaway. Don't forget to enter it.

The right side!

Here are the right sides of the projects I showed you yesterday!!! 

For those who know me (and some of you guessed yesterday) you'll probably have realised by now that these are going to be 'scrap bags'. All the leftovers from the squared away bags didn't get thrown away - they're currently being re-cycled into this project.

I've just looked it up and it's three years since I last made similar bags - they're shopping or tote bag sized.  In fact you can see the series that I made here.

Now, one of those bags I kept for myself and that one has been used almost everyday of it's life. It's my 'take into town' bag - and I go there most days. It's still looking really good and doesn't need replacing (it's just had another 'bath' courtesy of the washing machine) but I MAY well keep one of these two new ones as Etsy isn't doing very well with the square bags. Perhaps it's time to retire from being a 'bag lady'. 

Now, who said I'm no lady, I heard you. Bet it was Pigmini!!!.  Most folk who know me will tell you that I'm no lady - I'm an old git and proud of it!!!

Heee, heeee, heee!!!

I'm SUCH a tease!!! This is what I was doing the other day!!! Just the reverse side so I'm going to let you see just that!!!

Tomorrow I'll show you the 'other side' which may not be much better!!

Any further guesses? 

Nearly there

Just a few more motifs on the Jan doily. 

I'm also working on a new design but have currently gone 'off the boil' on that so have diverted back to this project!!! I'm like a butterfly - I flit from one thing to another at the moment. 

The sun was out yesterday so, after taking a neighbour somewhere I decided to pull out the doily and sit in the garden. Hmmmm, not ten minutes later the sun disappeared!!!!

A new member to the exclusive club

Welcome to Pearl. That's the name of the mouse - not the tatter who's name is Michelle.

Pearl arrived yesterday morning - all on her own after a flight across the pond from Canada!!! Pearl is now in the Exclusive Tatting Club (see the pages tab at the top of this page). Here is what Michelle has to say - well, not all of her comments as you'll have to read those in the club news!!!!

'I would like to introduce Pearl, who as her name implies has a row of "pearl" beads tatted into her neck row. She seems to be asking " Did someone leave this cheese for me?"'

Another project started!

Lots of fabric, a small table top ironing board, an iron and a load of patience and fun!!!! 

Off to a good start!!!

Now, what do you think I'm doing?

More of round 5

I'm enjoying this round 5 of Jan's doily and find odd moments to work on it. I did some at Crafternoon on Friday too. 

Meantime in the other 'odd moments' I'm up and running on another new project. More about that tomorrow - if I remember!!