Horseshoe - nearly done!

Well last night I thought it was done but now I'm not so sure!!
Obviously it needs some ribbon to carry it or even a tatted cord but now looking at it today it still needs something more.
Nothing will get done today as I've a busy morning followed by (hopefully) some more sewing on the bags this afternoon.
This evening I'm giving a talk out in one of the villages to their local W.I. group about - guess what?
'How to plant your potatoes'.
No, seriously, tatting!!!

Horshoe again

Simply MUST tell you about yesterday.
During the morning my neighbour came round to use our internet connection (she's having trouble with hers) and I put on my laptop where she sat with it on the sofa. I was pleased that the horseshoe wasn't lying around and whispered that to Nick. After a while she said 'darn' and I asked what the problem was. She'd generated something which then told her to print off the email receipt. No probs, says I - we can print it off from the main computer and I toddled off upstairs followed by neighbour!!!
Fortunately I got into the 'office' before her and noticed that I'd left the scanner open (remember the black background to yesterday's picture?) and quickly closed it before she noticed the horseshoe lying there on the platten. Phewwwww, a narrow escape!!!!
In the afternoon I went to give my 70th donation at blood donor. I kept getting the feeling that one or two of the staff were watching me while I was donating. Afterwards I sat and had the usual cup of tea (darn, no bourbon biscuits this time) and then went to leave to walk home a few minutes later. As I was nearing the door three or four of the staff descended on me. Was I still doing that ........ you know, making butterflies?
So out came the tatting again (I'd had a quiet tat as I was waiting for my 'turn') and away flew a few more butterflies. I made my next appointment and left. When I got home I started thinking about what to do instead of 'boring butterflies' and have decided that next time I go (in November) I'm going to take them some beaded hearts like these.
I finished the outer trimming to the horseshoe last evening and started on a narrower one for the inside. This is definitely a 'make it up as you go along' project!!!!

Horseshoe in progress

In case anybody was thinking I'd packed my bags and left tat land well, no, I haven't!!! I'm giving brain cell # 3 a break at the moment and just 'playing'.
We're going to a re-wedding in September and I wanted to make something special for the bride (our neighbour) so I'm making a horseshoe. This is it 'so far'. I want to decorate it lots and am currently working on a gold (beaded, of course!) edging which I'll show in a few days time. Meanwhile here it is mounted on fabric and stiffened.
Oh, this is the reason I found the way of adding beads while working - too lazy to decide ahead which ones to load onto the shuttles!!!
Ah, so does this make it truly a lucky horseshoe?

Katie's man and turtle!!!

This is from the bonus button family and came from Katie. I'm going to share what she said -
"I wanted to send you also the man from the button family that I made. When our little tatting band met at Janie Armstrong's for Mark's workshop, we all brought some little tatties to make a b-day and thank you card for him. I took the red-headed man with a shuttle and Mark's turtle. I don't have a scan of the final card."

Results brought by my visitor!!

Remember my visitor? Brain cell number 3? Well, she's finally fulfilled all her promises!!
I've been playing around with the idea that I showed last time when the visitor arrived. I wanted to have beaded picots on this design but just couldn't work out what colours I wanted or where I wanted them. I thought I'd have different colours on each picot but working out how to thread them onto the shuttle or chain threads was more than the other two brain cells could cope with!!
So I played and eventually came up with another way of doing it without having to add the wretched beads to the shuttle thread first. Everybody knows what a pain it is to have so many beads on a shuttle - not fun.
So I devised a way of 'cheating'. I've run it past the tatting gurus who live in tat land and neither have seen it written down anywhere. So, I thought I'd do it. Here's the link to this technique.
I'm just so pleased with it as it's going to save a lot of trouble in the future. I do hope brain cell # 3 stays around a bit longer or even invites friends to join the others!!!!

I've had a visitor

Yes, it's true. Guess who? OK, I'll tell.
It's brain cell number 3. Don't think it'll stay long and I'm very excited about what he brought with him. Actually, make that a female brain cell. It could only be a woman that thought this idea up!!!!
I'm actually not going to share it today as I'm running it past a few of the gurus in tat land to see if they've seen it done before. It's certainly revolutionised my tatting.
Ah, before I go. Another puzzle for you. What AM I making now? Below are the rough and first attempts.

Roly Poly Tat Bags

OK, here's the new 'range' of integrated tatting accessories which I'll be listing shortly on Etsy. Least I'm hoping some of these (there are only the three so far) will make it to Etsy as I've been selling privately now for weeks and nothing has got into the shop!!! First of all there are the 3 new bags.

These are followed by the 'poke proof' pouches (no hook or pick will get through these!!!) with separate bobbin holders which fold into the pouch.

Another sequin idea

I finished off this sequin design yesterday evening after a long day of sewing.
I'm not sure yet if this one will be the final idea for the Christmas giveaways but it's nearly there. Probably a bit complicated and intricate but I do like it.
The next thing I really ought to do is put these ideas on a web page for anybody who might want them but I've a bit of a concern at the moment. My friend Jennifer wrote yesterday evening and gave me a link to Bev's Dillon's tatted coin bracelet as she wondered if what I was doing with the sequins might be the same as Bev's idea. Well, although I've used more SR's and a different stitch count, it is in essence the same. I've written to Bev to ask if she's OK with me using this idea - even if it did occurred accidentally. OR (another thought) was it one of the two brain cells retaining the idea if I saw it once before? Now, there's a mystery. All answers on a postcard to the comments section of this blog!!! Please send a stamped addressed envelope if you want a reply!!!!!!!!!!!
It's been said before but it's going to happen that great minds keep going down the same avenues of thought!!!
I've taken some photos of the new 'range' of roly poly tat bags and shuttle pouches and will blog them tomorrow by which time I'll (hopefully) have finished a third set.

It works!!!!

Well, I said watch this space so here we go!!! The new pouch is fabulous (with hook/pick proof bottom) and I've also got bobbin holders that I'm pleased with!!! What a relief. Suddenly the second brain cell woke up yesterday afternoon and reminded me that I should try 'fitting' the bobbin holder inside the pouch. Not sewn in but placed in. This now means that if people want to buy a pouch off me then they'll get a bobbin holder too - whether they want it or not BUT if they don't use bobbin shuttles then they can just throw it away!!! Two problems (or more) solved. Here's the pouch.

Here's the bobbin holder (I know they're different fabrics but that's so it shows up what I'm doing!)

Here are the two together before the pouch is closed with a velcro fastening.

My two favourite brain cells

Well, they're my two favourite cells because they're the only ones I've got!!! They were both working well yesterday!!!
I've been trying to design a shuttle pouch for my Aero shuttles. I want it to be suitable for shuttles with picks too and also to have spaces for spare bobbins. Well the actual first attempt did all that but needed some tweaking. Then I decided that it still hadn't solved the problem of hooks poking through the fabric. This has been nagging away at the two brain cells for a week or more now with no luck so yesterday I went down the town to try and resolve this problem.
Oh, before I say more - I'd already tried to resolve this by cutting up plastic lids and inserting those but they were way too bulky and didn't lie well.
So, off I trundled down to the town and I decided to annoy the fabric store first. In the dress fabric section Mrs Miserable was on duty so no luck there! I then wandered into the curtains section and with much joviality was pointed out that probably a certain tye of cloth would do the trick! This shop is SO expensive and I only needed about 3" by 3" to try it out. So, 'girding my loins' (whatever that means!) I decided to annoy the curtain shop on the way home.
EUREKA. The man there has a sense of humour and when I told him I'd come to annoy him he 'rose to the occasion'. I finally bought about half a yard of this type of cloth for a pound!! He said he was glad to see the back of it (it was the tail end of a roll) as I left!!! Actually I reckon if only I'd have been a bit quicker I could have asked him to pay ME to take it away.
Point is, it looks as if it does work. This means that the production of shuttle pouches will soon be underway!!!! I've decided not to make integral bobbin holders but to make separate ones exactly like those I've been using for years!!
Watch this space!!!!!

The difference one double makes

I'm intrigued. After all these years of tatting I still don't know the answer. Perhaps somebody can help?
As anybody who's been following this blog will know I've been struggling with a decent way to enclose a sequin within two layers of tatting but with the proviso that it must be worked in one 'hit'. Years ago I made them by working two rounds and joining them with the third one working outwards from the sequin.
I finally managed to do this in one round a few months ago and was pleased with myself!!! I went back to this again a few days ago and was bitterly dissapointed because it didn't work so well this time. However much I tried the sequin was loose in the tatting.
While out walking the other afternoon I thought about the problem so then sat down two nights ago and tried doing it another way - again in one hit.
Now, the question is that on this final and utterly fabulous attempt in each SR there is a total of 7 ds. YET in the version before which was loose, there are only 6 ds. Can anybody explain?

Time after time I find anomalies like this. When I work on animals something done a few days/weeks previously can be knocked out of shape by one join meaning a re-think or even re-start on the whole thing. It's absolutely no good drawing it out first as this still happens.
Anyway, this is last night's outer round.

Eureka!!!

Well I'm sure that anybody looking at yesterday's post would've thought that the sequin design was OK. Well, let me tell you it wasn't. I wasn't happy with the fit of the sequin in the centre of the two sides of tatting. So I suddenly had a brainwave.

Yup, one of the two brain cells had a growth spurt and came out of hiding. Sometimes this happens in my little corner of tat land!!! It's meant re-writing the centre part again but it's still done in one 'hit' and it gives a fantastically snug fit to the sequin.
With these particular sequins there are two holes and it's possible to join through those if you want to. Personally this is such a good fit now that it's not at all necessary. Ooooooh, I'm SO pleased with myself.
Next I want to do another one or two outer parts and also work on Martha's idea of a smiley sequin face which then will be added to my web pages. The two I have just done are fine but they don't give much opportunity to use beads and you know how much I love my beads!!! I want something that will be my Christmas giveaway so I want something sparkly and fun and which will fit in a bracelet to hang on the tree.
I'll take a few more days to play with this and then I must do something for a wedding we're going to in September. No, we're not getting married at last - no time for all that!!!

Here's one I made earlier!!!

Well, actually something I made yesterday evening!!!
I'm not sure I like it or will bother with it again but I suppose it's different!!!
I went back to playing with sequins and might stick to that for another few days - until I've worked it out of my system!!! I'm not that happy with the first round and may play with that to make fewer split rings if possible.
Back to what I did ages ago - or should that be years ago!!! I went through this phase once before but hope I can now improve on it!!!! Well, where there's life there's hope, I guess. Wonder who said that? Well apart from me!!!!!

Been tagged.

I've been tagged by Sherry!
6 unimportant facts about me? Tat's easy!!!! Now if it was six important facts then that'd be a challenge!!!!

1. I've been tatting for 52 years - with a few breaks for other laces and crafts!!!
2. I hate makeup, haircuts, looking in the mirror!!
3. My sense of humour gets me into a LOT of trouble and most days.
4. I can cope in bad situations - but fall to pieces afterwards.
5. I snore and talk in my sleep - so I'm told but I don't believe it!!!!
6. I managed to drag up two daughters while working as a fulltime teacher. They turned out brilliantly too. Hmmmm, how did I do tat?!?!!?

Now for this award thing!!!! Not sure I understand it but here are the rules
Rules:
1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award,
creativity, design, interesting material, and also contrubuites to the blogger
community, no matter of language.
2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3) Each award-winning, has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
4) Award-winning and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y pico"blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) To show these rules.

Blog number 1 is the walking the streets blog. I like this blog as it was written about my area but I cannot reveal the name - well, not the real one.
Number 2 is this one but I'm not prepared to say who's it is or where they fit into my life!!! I love her dry sense of humour.
HECK, I'll have to come back to this another time!!! Need to find thread and beads to tat!!!

100 done and dusted

Well I did it!!! I had a late start on them yesterday evening because the garden needed a little 'attention'!!! I'll pack them up and post them today.

Now I've been tagged again by Sherry and Ais has sent me an award. Need to dust off one of the two brain cells and find out what to do about these!!! Which of the two will I use? The 'sensible' brain cell or my favourite - the other one!!!!

I'm now wondering what to do with myself this evening. Several options occur to me but my favourite is to play with the sequin idea again! I just want/need to get one idea out of the blur inside my head.

I also managed to get all of the new roly poly tat bags photographed yesterday afternoon and up on a temporary url to show people. My next move was to list some of them in Etsy. BUT, they've all sold again without reaching the shop!!! So, when I get time it'll be back to the sewing machine!!! I really must finish getting the garden sorted first!!

Oh, I've noticed that the 'timeless tatting' site has dissapeared (for now at least). So all the natives in tataholics in tat land must have done some good by complaining!!!!

Are we there yet?

Do you remember the kids sitting in the back of the car and saying 'are we there yet?' after you'd done a mile or two on the holiday journey? I do!!!! I feel like that with the snowflakes!!! I've now done 84 and a half so should finish this evening. Well, if I don't get distracted!!!
Ah, tattingchic, the 'im wot must be obeyed' is Nick!!! He isn't a person who thinks he should be obeyed one bit. The kindest man you'd ever wish to meet but (like me) he has a HUGE sense of humour!!!! We thrive on each others company.
I made some more roly poly tat bags yesterday so hope to have time to list a few more in my Etsy shop tomorrow. I'll keep you posted!!!

68 done - too many to do!!!

So a few more done!!!
A frustrating day yesterday but I still managed to get a few more roly poly tat bags sewn. Frustrating in that I had to walk to the nearest hardware store to buy paint for 'im wot must be obeyed' twice!!! Still, I managed to get a few more bags sewn before, during and after!!!
Here are the tiny 'snowflakes' that I'm working on. 68 done and boredom is setting in!!! I hope another two looooong evenings will see them done!! Least I get to watch the telly while I'm doing these!!!!

51 down - 49 to go!!

The small snowflakes I'm working on are only teeny tiny ones - 10 minutes a snowflake!!! I sort of 'race and pace' myself when doing these so they go faster than usual!!!

Yesterday I made a couple (or was it three?) roly poly bags and have thought of two improvements to the pouches. Major improvements to the two shuttle one which will ......... I'll show you when I've made one!!!

Now another thing which has shaken tat land during the past few days has been somebody who has been taking images from other's sites/blogs etc and using them to publish 'her' e-book. Not only doing this without permission but also charging for patterns (when you eventually get to the 'nitty gritty') that are already in the public domain!!! She would have you believe that the images she's using are the patterns in the book. Very misleading. In the UK we have a very good law which is the 'Trade Descriptions Act'. This means that if she lived here she would be in major trouble. Also charging $27 for something which is available for free AND not refunding a purchasers money as promised if they're dissatisfied is downright criminal.
If you want this lady's (or man's) email address and further information please ask me for it. DON'T buy any online patters from anywhere before reading the small print and asking around first.

A day in the life of ME!!!!!

On odd occasions we take a trip 'out of town'. Yesterday was one such day.
Have you heard the nursery rhyme - 'Ride a cock horse to Banbury cross'? Well we took the car there (to Banbury) yesterday (couldn't find a horse anywhere!).
The small market town is about twenty miles from where I live and has a shopping centre (the 'normal' boring sort with all the big stores) and some super small shops like our town used to have. There are several fabric shops so they were a great place to browse.
I found some Opera thread which I bought for a friend (£1.00 a ball) and some zips on a market stall (there's a great street market on a Thursday and Saturday) for my roly poly zip bags.
I also posted the penultimate bag off to America from the Post Office which is close by the cross. Hope to start on another 'batch' this afternoon for the Etsy shop where the last one is at the moment.
I'm also working on some shuttle pouches and will pop pictures of them on this post. There are one or two 'design issues' at the moment which need to be sorted!!!

OK below are the two pouches. The one on the left holds two bobbin shuttles with integral 'pockets' to hold two further spare bobbins. The pouch on the right holds four shuttles with pockets for a further 4 bobbins. I think I will go with the 2 pocket pouch. I only make things I just KNOW I will use. I've been meaning to make a 2 shuttle pouch now for ages - one to fit the roly poly bags. I'm also thinking along the lines of a 'hook/pick' protector at the bottom of the pocket but I'm not sure what to use or how to 'fit' it. I will get there in the end!!!!

Tatting at the moment is a no, no. I can't get started on anything new. I made a tentative start the other day but it went nowhere. Then a friend rang (I do wedding stationary tatting for her) and asked for another 100 snowflakes. Doing these on 'autopilot' gives my mind time to wander and the ideas usually start to flow as the boredom sets in!!!! I've done 41 so after today should've cracked the half way point!!! THEN I may go back to the sequin 'share a tat' as I have more ideas about those.

Simply a teaser!!

I thought I'd just show a picture of what the bonus is for TIAS 3!!! As this game is on url's it can be started and completed at any time. There are now 70 ladies up in cyberspace with a few more promised. Now, as you know, I did say there would be a bonus and a few were expecting the man to go with the lady. I thought I might just add a picture of the bonus to this to this blog to show you what everybody who has completed got. Just the picture, mind, not the pattern - you have to earn it!! DO I LOVE teasing?!?!?
I can see this little family being great for kids clothes, on cards or just little giveaways.
I've just added the lamb to a 'bonus bonus' page. This is Martha's and I've added it to a another page to save you printing off all the others again!!!! It can be reached from the bonus page!!!!
I also must mention before I go that the TIAS will still be accessible from this page forever or until I run out of space on the server!!!