Tatting lesson and Sharon's work

I went to see the lady in the antique centre and we got along fine.  She quickly got the hang of the 'flipping flip' so that was good.  I will pop in to see her when I wander down the town which will be later this morning as I have two Etsy sales to mail!!!  There is only 1 roly poly left now in the purple and I had to make an 'emergency' purple pouch half way through the day.  Sadly I have no more of that fabric left for another pouch.  Still, somebody might want 'just a bag' for their cosmetics or something!!!!

Below is Sharon's patchwork mat which she sent me a picture of yesterday.  It's SO rewarding to actually see that people can understand my patterns and make them up.  It's very strange nowadays as I rarely get to hear about them being used unless I see them on other people's blogs.  Gives the 'old git' a buzz every time I spot them, though.  Even brain cell # 3 comes out of hiding to take a bow!!!!

I wish I could analyze my 'need' to design and why I continue.  When I've finally finished a design and it's put on the web site it's like having delivered a baby.  That enormous sense of relief!!!  Very soon after, though, the need to make something 'new' comes over me!!!!  Suppose tat's life!!!

Lots to tell you!!

First of all there are two new bags in my Etsy shop. These are a stunning purple with a lovely contrasting turquiose lining. Again I'm tempted to keep a set but I can't justify it. This fabric was in the stash that Aileen gave me for helping her out.

I've also added more patterns to my web site. I've added the daisy earring, bracelet and necklace set, two of the sequin designs and finally the Christmas tree brooch and matching earrings. I was going to keep the Christmas trees for myself but am asking that people don't sell them online as I will be listing them in the Etsy shop eventually!!! Also there are two new 'how to' pages by Jennifer Williams and probably one or two that people haven't seen before of my own!!!

Here are the bags in the new purple fabric. They will be the only ones as this is all of this fabric that I've got.

A new design - probably!!

At long last the muse has struck again!!! I'll blog this when I've made a bit of progress.

This morning I'm taking a big risk!! I'm going to the antiques centre in town. The risk is that somebody might want to buy me as an interesting piece of antiquity!!!

Seriously. I wandered in there on Saturday to see if there were any new stalls. There used to be a great little place selling a few beads and buttons but it closed down some six months ago. Anyway this time I found a lovely jewellery place and got talking to the lady who runs it. She'd got some very pretty necklaces but I was looking for loose beads which she doesn't 'do'. So we were talking and she noticed some of the tatting I was wearing. She asked how it was made and I said it was tatting. Eventually she asked how much I'd charge to teach her. Silly woman - as if I'd charge!! In the end she said she'd pay me 'in beads'!!! So, we'll see how things go this morning!!!

I got the purple zips yesterday morning so hope to make a start on the purple set of roly poly bags this afternoon - specially as it's raining again!!!!

Some progress!

I had another look at trying to link up with flickr in order to add a slide show to this blog. I'm not stupid - well not THAT stupid but I've still not got it 'sorted'!!! Perhaps I should just give up!!!

I had a welcome interruption to the morning yesterday so nothing got started until later in the day. I've still got to check out the new web pages but that should only take half a day and then I can 'go public'!!

Bags and pouches are selling steadily in the Etsy shop so as soon as I get a moment I'll be making more!!!

I'm also feeling the urge to design something new coming over me!! Can't decide which idea to tackle first - will consult with brain cell # 3 - a reliable chap!!!

I finished the second seahorse yesterday and took Saturday's to pieces again. I just wasn't happy with the size of the poor wee thing in the bracelet. I found a slightly smaller bracelet and have made more seaweed and mounted it again. It looks so much better.  These little guys will be in the Etsy shop sometime this week!!!

     

Nothing much happened!!!

Yesterday was one of those rare days.  I had the 'sillies' on me.  I decided to make roly poly bags out of the purple fabric but as the zips hadn't arrived that I ordered that stopped that game!!!  I then decided to make blue bags as I've got a lot of blue fabric and zips too!!  I wandered into the room where I sew, got the fabric out and wandered off again!!  I decided to check out the web pages that I've uploaded before announcing them but I didn't get back to the computer!!

Then I sat down to finish off a seahorse in a bangle that I'd started the evening before!!  So, having got the variagated number 80 (or thereabouts) out to do the seaweed I finally got going.  BUT that didn't work out either - the 80 thread broke and it just didn't 'look right' either.  Back to the thread stash and out with a 40 variagated green.  That worked out fine.

While I was doing this I was also trying to add a slide show to the blog.  What a performance!!!!  Two of us tried to work it out.  I got the Flickr account to link with the blog and vice versa but the darn thing still doesn't work.  I've binned it for now!!!  So, a day wasted.  I HATE wasting time (or food, or money, or anything!!).

In the morning I had this magazine from Tove in Sweden.  It's beautifully presented but it always gives me a bigger thrill to see my patterns in another language.  Sort of makes me feel famous in this small little pond in tat land!  So, below is the cover and one page of the magazine.  Also the seahorse which will go into my Etsy shop as soon as I have time!!!

          

Playing!!

Oh, yesterday was SUCH a good day.  I managed to finally get all the web pages finished.  I just need an hour or so to check them out with brain cell # 3 on board and when I've heard from a friend about her pages I can launch them into public tat land!!  Whoooppeeeeee.

While I was taking a short break in the early evening I started to plan my next stint of sewing.  I found this wonderful piece of purple fabric in the stash that Aileen gave me.  Isn't it wonderful?  Am I going to be able to part with bags made of this?  I just need to buy some zips as I don't have any the right colour and then I'll make them up.  Meantime I will make more out of fabric which I DO have matching zips for!!!  That'll keep me quiet for a while today!!!  

Evenings - hmmmm.  Heading towards new designs but want to make some more tatting for the Etsy shop.  I made another dolphin to replace the one which swam to the USA the other day (now listed here) and have a 'half made' seahorse to finish today.  I may make another of each of these creatures and then perhaps it'll be off to see what's on my 'to do' list which continually grows and grows!!!

     

Gina's mystery motif and more!!!

I think Gina Brummet's a bad, bad girl.  I had to send for brain cell # 10 to get this one sorted.  I even had to ask her for help!!!  How did I tat stuff like this when I was only 13?  

Anyway, I know it's against the rules but just as pure, unadulterated revenge I'm going to show you the results.  Find them below on the left.

I'm afraid I told a lie yesterday (didn't mean to, honest, me lud) about the dangle I blogged then.  I found the proper one which is really, really my biggest favourite and is the one I'm going to keep.  This one is worked in a variagated thread from the new Artiste range from Coats.  A thread I really, really love.  I used it on both shuttles so that the effect could be seen properly.    

Anyway, enough from me - here are the pictures of the mystery motif and the dangle!!

     

The last for now!!!!

I think this is going to be the last sequin motif for now!!  I'll be honest and admit that I've got totally 'hooked' on making these!!!  I love this one and might just keep it for myself!!!!

I sold my last dolphin in my Etsy shop yesterday so will make another this evening to replace it!!!  I love these little projects although this one does take a long time to make as the waves are a bit time consuming!!!  Mind, it's what turns a boring dangle into more of a 'picture'!!!  I may well make a seahorse too but that'll be more than an evening's project!!!!  

Before I start either of those projects I'm going to have another 'go' at Gina's mystery motif.  I find these the most aggravating projects I've ever done!!!  I both love and hate Gina in the same ds!!!!  She challenges me to go back to when I was 'born' into tatting over 50 years ago - but without the pictures!!!  It's made me realise how much we all rely on pictures and the modern way of writing things down!!!  I even had to pull in brain cell # 4 yesterday evening before throwing down the shuttle in disgust!!!  Still a quick email conversation with Gina has got me back on track and raring to go!!!

Which reminds me - I spent  hours and hours yesterday making up web pages.  Several technique pages are 'ready to go' and two out of three patterns are 'almost there'!!!!

Phewwwwww

Well this week has started out a lot, lot calmer than last week!!  I couldn't take another week like the last one!!!  

Right, yesterday I managed to list the rest of the 'made up' (here's the link) roly poly bags and have already sold one set!!!  I'm SO glad I kept the partner to that set!!!  This proves that sometimes I have 'good taste'!!!!

In the evening I finished off Mark's swan.  This is a SUPERB pattern (again, here's the link) .   Thank you, Mark.  I took a little bit of a 'liberty' with it and added an eye bead - just so the poor thing could see where it's going!!!

I also managed (because it rained nearly all day) to get started on building web pages for several patterns which are in my 'done but pending' tray.  Or, to be honest, forgotten for a while by brain cells # 1 & # 2!!!!

Aother sequin idea

Although I made this one on Sunday I've only just re-found it again (it's been hiding under the scanner lid!) so I thought I'd share it.  Hopefully I'll soon get the instructions for this up on my pattern pages - this one and all the sequin ideas I've been playing with recently!!

I've made a decision.  Yes, I've managed it finally!!  I'm going to keep one of the turquoise butterfly bag sets and one of the natural/beige with tiny flowers on too.  I thought about keeping one of the 'blue with roses on' ones too but I'm going to have to part with some.  I'm the same with everything I make.  It takes me a few days to break the ties with things but then once the decision is made I'm fine!!!  So, later today (time and life permitting) I'll be listing one butterfly, one beige/natural one and two of each of the other sets.  Let's hope that I do get time!!

Meanwhile here's the latest sequin design on both a black and white background.

     

These are my choices!!!

The first three are the bags I really, really love at the moment.  I keep dithering about which set to keep.  Anybody else want to help me choose?!?!?

The paisley and black print ones are waiting to be listed too.  I love those too.  

Once I've made up my mind which I want to keep then I'll list the others.  Although I've got two of each sort I still need to make up my mind.  I'm such a full time ditherer!!!! Isn't life hard at times?

                    

Decisions!

I'm having a problem. My problem is the roly poly tat bags and pouches. I have in my handbag the first one I made. It's fine - a bit 'rough round the edges' but it was the prototype. Then I gave my sister my pouch last weekend (another prototype!!) so I decided to make myself a whole new 'set'. Great.

I looked through the fabric I have left. I've used all the nice stuff that Sue sent so decided that I'd have to make one out of BJ's kind donation. I made her order up and loved both of those. Would I make one like hers? Then I found a very pretty rose printed piece amongst the FQ's so made that up. Lovely - that's mine!!!  Well, that was on Friday!!!

Aileen's fabric then came along and in it there's this fabulous bright coloured butterfly print. Whoooopeeee, that's the one. I made that yesterday. Boy, is it bright - no chance of missing that in my handbag!!!!

Then I had a look at the other fabrics and found a lovely beige floral print which says 'Jane' all over it too. I'm going to make that up today. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll be able to list anymore in Etsy as I fall in love with everything I make!!!! The pretty yellow and brown floral sets already in Etsy were favourites once I'd made them.  I didn't have much of a feeling for the fabric as it lay ready to cut out but once it was made up - WOW!!!!

I must be a funny old git but I do find it hard to part with these bags but it's great when people say they've got them and love them!!!!

TW3

That Was The Week That Was - also known as TW3.  For those not in the UK this was an iconic 'alternative' news programme donkey's years ago.  It looked at the news in a satirical manner.

Well I've had one of 'those' weeks too.  I can't remember another like it but I'm glad it's over and settled now.  Do you ever have one of those times when everything you touch or do causes more problems?  Well that's what happened.  Just one of those times happened to my friend Aileen who had connection problems with her computer and that took me nearly a day (separate days, too) to fix.  Ended up by having to access her wan and lan settings and being talked through it all by the help line in South Africa.

In payment for this (which she really didn't have to do as I learnt a lot from the experience) Aileen gave me a lot of fabric for roly poly bags.  This is a woman who is THE most fantastic 'crafter' and some of the work she's done over the years is mind boggling.  Recently she's bought a computer and now is heading towards opening an Etsy shop.  Her sewing and quilting is just perfection.  I'll show you when she's up and running.

Me?  I've done very, very little this week but did get some bags done yesterday afternoon for a special order and some tree earrrings designed and finished in the evening. 

Hmmm, I thought I'd taken pictures of the bags but didn't!!!  I'll take them later and add them to this post - or put them on another!!!

Here are the bags.  BJ sent me the fabric as she wanted a set made of the paisley (middle picture) and a set made of the black fabric too.  I started them last weekend and have finally finished.  Well ..............................that's my story!!!!!!!  I will tell the whole of it sooooon.

          

Yesterday!!!

Well, tat was the day tat was!!! Or rather tat was the day I didn't tat!!!

This week I seem to be chasing my tail. I started on the sequin pattern page and the Christmas tree page but both got nowhere fast!!!

Interruptions galore also not helped by the electric man coming to change the meter. So while he was here I thought that it would be a grand time to cut out more roly poly tat bags - no electricity needed for that!!!! Forgot that after the visit all clocks etc had to be re-set!!! BUT things have a way of stopping even a dedicated sewer cum tatter.

The windows needed cleaning. No problem until it comes to the outside of the living room. These need 'planning'. It's not a good idea to tackle these during daylight hours. People tend to walk past and it's 'imperative' on an old git like me to speak to them and pass the time of day. How much time did they take to clean? I'm not telling. They did eventually get done but the back needs doing now.

The day before yesterday I had an appointment to help a friend with computer stuff in the morning. Setting up a Paypal account, online banking, changing passwords etc. Took longer than I thought. When I got home at lunchtime another friend had called for help so I bumbled round to her house to sort her out!

Hopefully today I MIGHT get something done although this morning I'm chasing round getting our utility supplier changed too!!!!

I promise myself an evening of tatting!!!!

Two separate subjects today!

It's always very flattering to find that people can understand my patterns. Specially some of the 3D ones!! This message and picture came to me a few days ago from Judy.
"I am currently tatting one of your patterns- the diamond motif. In 2006, I did your 3- bear in size 80 thread. I am pleased to say that it won a first at the NC State Fair - see attached picture. He is sitting on a bottle cap."

Now below is another Christmas tree. BUT it's in development 'mode' at the moment (wrong bead for the trunk so the threads aren't cut yet). This one is smaller - an earring size.  I think the top still needs some more work too so this particular effort might get the 'Jane recycles' treatment.  Cut up and beads re-used!!!

A matching set of brooch and earwigs!!! How's tat?

Two to show today!!!

Now from famine to feast in one day!!!!
First of all is Sunday's motif. This one was worked using a variagated Coats and Clarks thread in a number 70.  Single thread.  
The second is the same green variagated thread with a plain green C & C quilting thread (the same as this one.) The orange is the same combination too. I like the second one best, I think!!!

Mind, a lady can always change her mind!!!!  Ah, Nick's just pointe out yet again that I'm NO lady!!!!  Cheeky man - but as usual, he's right!!

     

Not a lot!

All I have to show today is another tree!!!  There is another dangle done but not mounted on the bracelet yet!  

Janny sent in her lady for the last TIAS and that can be seen here.

I spent some time yesterday listing roly poly bags and pouches in Etsy.  I really like this set - the prints are so summery.

So, that's about all for today.  I'm gradually getting bored with trees and dangles so hope to move on to something really new soon.  It's too hot to design right now but the 'need' is beginning to hit me!!!  I've also started drawing up and making web pages for the trees and dangles too.  Again, when it gets cooler a lot more will get done!!!

Another experiment

This time I used a number 80 thread and it worked out slightly smaller than yesterday's combo!!!  At least I got to use this fantastic bracelet from the 'SueH' collection!!!

Another day - another dangle!

First of all - thanks to everybody who left comments on yesterday's blog.  I've decided that I will share the tree pattern (and, of course, the sequin one) with the hope that I can sell a few trees online.  It occurred to me that I might just wake up dead one morning and then nobody would quite know how to make them and that would be a shame.  Anyway, I love them SO much that it would be hard to not share.  All I need now is the time to do the web pages for both (the pattern for the trees is very simple and short but will need some careful diagrams to explain how to make the branches).  

I'm still making roly poly bags and they are selling as fast (almost!) as I can make them with special 'private' orders arriving every so often too.  I think I've done about 58 now!!!!  These are taking precedent over the computer during the day!!!

So yesterday evening I tried a new thread combo!!! This time I used the 20 thread for the inner round which contains the sequin. Then I doubled up some Coats & Clark Star Machine Quilting & Craft thread that I bought in Cincinnati last year. The colour range in this thread is great. Some lovely bright colours. It's a size #50 (which is not a 50 as in crochet thread) and is an Egyptian cotton.

Well I doubled this and used it for the dangle below. To double this I wind an Aero bobbin about a third of the way and then make a loop without cutting the thread and wind back onto another bobbin from the original one and the spool. This means that when I've finished I've a continuous thread left on the bobbin to wind back onto the ball - IF I want to. There is so much yardage on a spool (1200 yards) that I doubt I will ever run out!!!  

Oh, this motif did fit one of Sue's bangles - EUREKA.  This evening I will see how a number 80 (or thereabouts!) works out!!!!

Same - but different!

Now, I've got loads and loads of bracelets that SueH sent me and the reason for this year's dangle was to start using those!  Well that didn't work out as the dangle is a tad too big for any of them.  It did force me to sort them and grade them into 'bundles', though!!!  

Anyway, it occurred to the aged brain cells (#1 & #2) that it might be an idea to use a size 40 thread inistead of 20.  Ah, but this would throw out the holding row for the sequin.  

Solution is below.  I used a 20 for the first row to hold the sequin and then 40 for the outer row.  It works a treat.  Then I went to choose one of the pretty rings that Sue sent.  It didn't fit any of them.  The relief is that it does fit the same size as all the others do but better.  I would've thought that going down to a 40 would do the trick but no way!!!  I think  I may experiment with other thread sizes too.  Perhaps a doubled up sewing thread?  Hmmm, watch this space!!!

Now for the rest of my tat life in tat land.  I made another Christmas tree brooch too.  I really need to draw this one up and get it on my web site.  I'm sort of reluctant to part with this pattern as I want to try selling them on Etsy and/or Ebay (need to start saving in earnest for flights to get to Palmetto next year).  I think I'll let the pattern out with the 'rider' that people can make as many as they like but ask that they don't use these two outlets to sell through.  Anybody got any comments on this?  It's just too good a pattern to keep to myself.