Yesterday was a 'play day'!

I've given up on the little tree I've been working on for a few days. Frustration set in!!

My sister's been around this weekend and she gave me some magnetic clasps. I'd bought some in the USA so wanted to test both for myself. I feel better for having a 'play day'. I must do some autopilot stuff today - an order from a friend and then after tat? Who knows!!!

Here are the results of yesterday's play.

Late, sorrrryyyyy

I know that Christmas has come and long gone but time seems to rush by. Something to do with getting older, 'they' say!

Anyway I haven't spoken yet about the gift I received in the Secret Santa exchange that Giina Brummet ran on the tatting goddess list.

My huge jiffy bag arrived about ten days before Christmas and the address looked familiar. Me, being me eventually got curious and looked it up in my address book. Ah, Carol Lawecki. Now Carol's been a great tatting friend for years. She used to test tat my 'bits' in the early days. Now she's working and raising two teenagers she's got a very busy life.

I was very, very good and waited til Christmas Day. Very difficult as it was sat in front of my armchair all the time!

Anyway, what was in the bag?
Inside were lots and lots of goodies. A lovely picture - framed beautifully - of Pam Palmer's partridge in a pear tree. Then there were sweets and chocolates (looooong gone!). The tins are now being used to store things (the emotitats live in one to stop me losing them!).

Also in the packet was a ring pull thing that you have on name tags in offices. On this was a tag with my name beautifully tatted attached. There were also notelets (made by Carol's mum), tea bags (yummy), beads in a dear little sachet, a key ring (with more tatting in the clear part), three spools of quilting thread (which I've already 'test tatted' and found superb especially for jewellery), flossing 'thingies' and finally needle pullers (best things since sliced bread - LOVE them).

Nick and James sat and watched me open each little packet and oooh and aaah. They were quite a lovely shade of green by the time I'd finished!!!

Denim purses

Just before Christmas these two dear little denim purses arrived from Grace Kock - another tatter I've met via my dear friend the internet and our associated passion, tatting. Aren't they cute?

New edging

This is an edging I've been working on for a month or two. It's worked in one pass (no second row to go back and 'do'!).
There is also a corner which could prove useful when doing a hanky edging. Currently I'm using it with a number 30 thread and making neck and sleeve edgings for a new tshirt. I call this my 'autopilot' tatting as it's relaxation when I've finished playing with new ideas!
I'm hoping to add this to my web site in a few weeks time along with the Palmetto patterns for 2007 and one or two other 'forgotten' pieces that I've found lurking on my computer.

Last ring of the season!

I just HAD to find an excuse to use the thread that Carol Lawecki sent me in the Secret Santa exchange so what better 'test' than to make a final finger ring. These need a firm thread and, like the Dual Duty that I showed t'other day, this one has that quality. It's a Coats quilting thread.

I had three colours to choose from. Green, pink and brown. Just lately two of my favourite combinations are pink and brown. I've tried photographs of these but they didn't work too well. These are scans and still don't give a true idea of this stunning colour combination.

Ring in the New Year

Corny, or what? This is what I was playing with last night. Two new finger rings. The pattern is here if anybody wants it. The green is worked with the Dual Duty thread which my friend TatBit sent me. The gold is worked with the 'new to me' Oren Bayan which I got from Tatting and Design. This is a metallic thread which works up beautifully and is easy to use.

Finished the letters!

Here they are in all their 'glory'. Flowered and butterflied with gold threads and Madeira. I will Scotch guard them when the weather is fine (better to spray them in the garden) and then they're ready to go!! Below the individual letters is the final hanging.

Last letter now 'bordered'

Done. That's the last one finished!!! Now to add some butterflies, flowers etc. At least I think that's what I'll do!!!!

Next two done

The next two letters are finished - just one more to go. I'm thinking of adding some flowers and butterflies using gold and silver threads. These letters really look much better in 'real life' than the scans show.

Back to the B again!

This is what I've done to one of the B letters. I will do a border for each of them in different colours. Then - well, I'll show you what I plan to do next in due course.
Well, actually I'm really making this up as I go along so even that may change!!

Next stage

I have mounted my letters onto some pink denim. I will now put a border round each one and then (probably!) put some small flowers and butterflies on each. This is the 'prettying up' part and is the process which I've been looking forward to most - naturally!

Letters finished

I've now completed the four letters I need. I'm now going to mount each separately onto some pink denim fabric which I'll stiffen with some buckram. Heck, I'll not sit here telling you about it - I'll show you as I go along!!!
After this they'll probably need decorating with - more tatting!!!!

Letters - part 3

This is a bit better and I may settle for this one. I shall start on the next one today. I must admit I always start with the hardest thing first so that the rest 'seems' as if it gets easier. Life should've told me by now that this isn't necessarily so!!!!!

Tatted letters - part two!

This isn't good. I know it isn't good so I'll have to have another re-think!!! I don't like the centre where the top and bottom part of the B meets. I'm going to try it again but taking out those two rings and putting in chains instead. OR even a split ring. More thought needed on this. I also realise now that this won't be like Julie's HO, HO design as I'm not going to put chains on the other sides of the rings. I'm going to add beads instead!!!
Back to the start again, Jane!!!!

Tatted letters

I need some tatted letters. None of the patterns I've aldready got were 'quite right' for what I have in mind!! That is until I got my Newsletter from the Tatters Guild of Australia - the New South Wales branch. One of the 'gals' in the group is Julie Patterson and she's got a super pattern in the November issue for a Ho, Ho, Ho wall hanging. It's just those letters but they are exactly the size I need. So I wrote and asked her if she would be doing the other 24 letters of the alphabet!!! I know she's very, very busy at the moment but I thought I'd ask!!! Unfortunately she hasn't done the letters I need so I'm having to muddle my way through devising my own (based on hers!). Here's the first one 'in progress'!! Once I've done the other two that I need I'll send her my notes in case they are good enough for her to use.

Two more emotitats!

I did two more emotitats last night. A wry smile one and a scary one. I've added them to my web page and I'm emotitatted out now!!! Off to play with something else this evening and I don't suppose there'll be much more going on on this blog for a few days.
Well did I just say that? Hmmmm, perhaps I could share the next project!!!!

Emotitats

Thanks to Wally the new name has stuck in the aged brain and I LOVE it.
Last night I played again so I'm going to list the ones done below.
First of all there's a happy face (tweaked from yesterday's!)

Next there's the sad face also tweaked.

This is the kissing face (with the eyes closed!)

Next the sticking the tongue out face!!! Rude!!

Finally this one needs more work but it's going to be the 'wry smile' face. I need to work on the chain for this one.

I'm also going to explore the possibility of making larger versions of the emotitats but naturally these will need more work done in the 'eye' area!!! Should keep me out of mischief for a while!!! I hope to start a web page later today with the completed ones on it. I will add to it as I make them.

Go tat a smile - or not!!!

PS - thanks to Wally Sosa these are now going to be known as 'Emotitats' in future. Great name, Wally.

Last piece finished!

This is the other edging (same pattern as yesterday's) that I needed to finish. This time it's on a low cut round necked shirt and I've sewn it on so that it overlaps the edge which I think it makes it a little bit different. Well, I've never done and edging that way before!! I'm hoping that you can see how I've sewn it on from the picture. I slipped a piece of card underneath it to show it up and I see that there are some fold lines on that. They're not unfinished ends, promise!!!

Edging finished

I managed to finish the edging AND sew it on yesterday! As you can just see on the picture - the shirt was from Walmart (at least I think it's Walmart that sell Faded Glory). I love this brand of shirt as they wash SO well. Tat's another 'thing to do' off my list of WIP's!!!
Oh, this is the pattern I used just in case anybody wants to use it!!!