25 November 2007
New earrings
23 November 2007
Found normal at last
SharonC left a comment on yesterday's post (please email me privately) about the pattern for these trees. This got me thinking (sometimes this does happen) and later in the day while talking to SueH 'live' on the phone we got to discussing this. The following are my opinions and dear SueH listened to them!!
I devised these trees way back in the very early 1990's and the pattern was published in it's 'then' form in a UK craft magazine. SueH mentioned that they'd also appeared in a Workbasket magazine too and we've seen them in various other places. As they are a 'generic' pattern (i.e. one anybody could have devised) this is the reason that I've not added them to my pattern pages. (I do have a copy of mine if people wants it - email me privately). It would, of course, be interesting but impossible to find out who first devised this idea and mine has morphed over the years as I've learnt split rings and split chains. Remembering, of course, that at the time mine were published in the UK the internet was a mere baby (if it had even been born!) and I had never heard of, let alone seen, Workbasket magazines!
Another interesting pattern is the one that I've used below. This little generic 'baby' came about after doing the 3D one. Chicken and egg syndrome. As this FLAT little snowflake is so simple I do not consider it as a pattern in it's own right but when it's taken to the 3D state then I consider that part as being my copyright.
This makes me ask myself the question of what we can call original and thus being somebody's copyright and what is 'generic'. By generic I mean that it is a complete pattern which is easily arrived at by a relative beginner to designing. Nothing at all wrong with that and any designer is to be applauded BUT by putting a copyright notice on everything then are we going to come to a stage when everything 'belongs' to somebody. Will this stifle creativity? Will this cause arguments? Do you follow me? Have I lost the plot? Time for a cup of tea, I think!!!
22 November 2007
I've lost normal!!
Meanwhile I shall continue sulking!!!
Just to cheer myself up I'll show you the two that are ready to go!!!
20 November 2007
Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!!!
Anyway, this is what has happened to this blog!!! Normal service has been interrupted by an influx of orders for Christmas tree earrings!!! I didn't sell all four of the ones I listed on ebay but shortly after had orders for 13 more plus 2 pairs of snowflake earrings. This plus a day (yesterday) of sorting out many personal hiccoughs and problems AND after two night's bad sleep have stopped most 'normal' service at all. Needless to say when I do get a spare moment I've been tatting Christmas trees!!! Once these orders are filled then I shall list more on ebay and on Etsy.
16 November 2007
Even more Christmas trees!!
The green ones are to list again on ebay or Etsy as stocks are dwindling again!!!! I shall finish off the pair (with red beads) that I've started and then go back to giveaways or to finish off my Secret Santa exchange.
15 November 2007
Made up with myself!!
13 November 2007
I fell out with somebody yesterday
Now to explain why! I saw on HBT that there was a discussion going on about Rubi threads so remembered that I'd got two balls which I'd been given at the Palmetto tat days. Out they came. I was so busy concentrating on how I felt about them (and for once sort of watching telly) that I went wrong. Unfortunately it wasn't until yesterday afternoon when I thought I'd finish the motif off that I realised that I'd made a mistake in the first round. Boy, was I cross with myself!!!
Anyway, what do I think of the Rubi threads? LOVE the colours but don't like the thread. Marginally, (only marginally!) better than perle but that's all. Such a shame they're not a tighter twist. The one I fell out with is the first one and after I'd got over my dissapointment I made two others. Same colours but different ways round!!!!
Santa's arrived in Tatland!!!
Thank you SO much, Martha. Where DO you find the time?
Me? I'm still working on the idea which I shall 'launch' after Christmas and am also making more 'giveaways' which I hope to post again here soon.
11 November 2007
More Christmas trees!!
I think my favourite trees are still the black ones but the new red ones are fighting for top place. I found the small star shaped buttons in a tiny outlet in the town yesterday. Couldn't resist using them.
Sorry, my apologies to ebay!!! It wasn't them that was at fault but my computer!! I managed to get all the other trees listed from my laptop!!!!
9 November 2007
Favourite doily
Tatted Christmas Tree Earrings
The first pair are white and silver and have red beads. Why am I telling you that when you can see for yourselves? Duh!!!
The second pair (when the other one arrives!) is/will be black with a silver filament running through. I would love to know anybody/everybody's opinions on these as I am thinking of putting some in my Etsy shop and/or on Ebay. I shall make some more in traditional green but want to try something different. Maybe even bright pink next?????!!!!!!!!!!
I have to finish these off as you can tell by the lack of findings and the 'tails' running from the bottom bead!
8 November 2007
Tatting outside the home!!
I took my small suitcase full of bits and pieces including the tattysaurus, some pattern books, a few of my shuttles etc, etc.
The meeting took place in a house - it's a posh village with a lot of wealthy people living there and enormous houses. I'd made notes to follow which were my original notes for the last talk I gave - but with a bit more added. Pamela Myers asked me yesterday how I planned this sort of thing and I told her that I took these notes along but usually just 'winged it'. I find I can't stick to a natural progression as things lead me sideways. Again the hit and miss method works well.
After twenty years in a classroom full of four/five year olds I am able 'go with the feel' of the event as it was happening.
After the talk I had about four people who wanted to learn and they all caught on pretty quickly. There's also another group in the village who have craft meetings and they asked if I was prepared to do a workshop for them. Wonder if it'll happen?
Apparently they all enjoyed it but the biggest compliment came from a lady who said she thought she was eccentric but I'd proved that I was much, much more so!!!!
I gave everybody a little butterfly to take home with them - a real crowd pleaser!!!!
7 November 2007
Mystery shuttle - continued
I had the following email from Heidi Nakayama
Even though the mystery shuttle looks very similar to the Parker patent, the Parker shuttle was made of bone and the 1868 patent date makes its years apart. Jane, I would suggest to the shuttle owner to visit the US Patent website:
Look for the “Issued Patents” box. Click on “Patent Number Search”. Enter 1,173,102
Click on “Images” to see full description.
The Dill Shuttle is the closest match to this shuttle. The application was filed in 1914 and the patent approved in 1916. There’s a possibility they put 1915 on the shuttle because they thought it would be approved by 1915. The best thing to do is read the description and look at the shuttle to see what similarities there are. There's also a possibility that the mark "Patd 1915" was put on the shuttle to discourage copies or it could be an English patent.
Enjoy researching this, please let me know what the shuttle owner thinks after reading the patent.
Heidi Nakayama
Another message on HBT from Sharren also suggested looking in Heidi's book. See following.
It looks very similar except the bobbin on the shuttle above is wound using a key. Her dad might have adapted it for her, or it might be something new.
Is there a UK patent office? It might be worth calling them or if they are online, looking through the site.
Jeannette wrote this too
Another suggestion was that there may be a hole in the shuttle for a crank. The owner says this isn't so as there's no sign of a hole.
I will add any further information to this blog if any comes in. I tried accessing the patent site but the images wouldn't show up for me. What a nuisance!!!
5 November 2007
Mystery shuttle
3 November 2007
Other things!
30 October 2007
Finally the bag is finished!
I also stuck animals all over the bag. I think it's finished although there is still room for more critters on it. I feel that if I add more then it will be too overpowering!!!
Here is the front.
Next are the two sides.
29 October 2007
Gluing onto my bag
I'm going to test out a sample today to see if it's happy with Scotch Guard and once I've done that and sprayed the bag then I'll be able to use it!!! I will also take some photographs today too.
Last night I did two more Christmas giveaways. See them below.
28 October 2007
Luck strikes again!!
I am going to be busy this afternoon as I've got some new pieces of tatting to put on ebay.
A few weeks ago I started making Christmas tree earrings - like the ones I did last year. These proved very popular and I was making them right up til the last few days before Christmas - in spite of having to run (well, waddle quickly) down to the library to use their computers cause our broadband had gone down!!!
I've also got a few more Aero shuttles to list (there are some already on etsy).
27 October 2007
Another two
Not sure if I mentioned that I got some new glue from our craft store last weekend. It said on the packet that it would stick anything to (more or less) anything but that it was also washable too. Ah, tat's exactly what I needed for my bag!!!
When I got it home and opened up the packet it said that before using you should wash the garment well! Also mentioned that denim should be washed four times before sticking!!! On yer bike, thought I!!! When I made my shopping bag (translated to American as tote bag!) about six months ago I stuck the bits of tatting on with some other glue that I'd got. This isn't washable and I didn't expect the bits to stay on. They're still there and looking just as good as the day they were added!!!
SO, I reckon that I'll just use this stronger glue on the 'virgin' denim and see what happens. After all, if the pieces fall off I can stick them on again AND knowing me - I'll not like the bag in a few months time anyway!!!!
Below are two fishes that got done before the red wine took too great a hold!!!
25 October 2007
Playtime!
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Tatting and NOT a Lot Else by Jane Eborall is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://janeeborall.blogspot.co.uk/.