One of my needle tatting adventures

Another piece from my old suitcase!!! Remember the small giraffe pattern on my site? Originally the giraffe was made as an earring to amuse the kids I was teaching. I then heard about needle tatting.

Goodness knows how I heard about it because it was in the days of stage coaches and the penny black stamps!! Well, not really but it was a long time ago.

I heard about Ed and Selma Morin's needle tatting book and took the enormous risk of putting dollars in an envelope and writing to America which was (in those days - the 1970's) somewhere over the other side of the moon.

I bought needles too. Not sure who I bought these things from but I did. So, having bought the needles I tried them out.

Oh, watch this space tomorrow. There will be news of the new patterns!!!!

Somewhere I've still got the ghastly (truly ghastly) needle tatted top I made. I was quite pleased with the giraffes but didn't like needle tatting one bit. I've never gone back to it even though some years later I bought finer needles.

Bags again!

This is one of the finished new bags. I must say I was very pleasantly surprised with these. The colour (which didn't show so well on yesterday's post) actually glows.

I'm also adding the fabrics I'm going to be working with next - pretty, pretty patterned one and the stunning pink.

Next set of bags!

Well the next set of bags will be paisley. This is such a pretty print and I already have one order for a bag!!! I cut them out and got a good start yesterday so may well finish them today. Below is a picture of a completed butterfly bag too.

The £%&$*" pattern is progressing well. What a relief. The new way of working is going well.

I also managed to take the mower for a walk round the garden. It enjoyed the experience. Mind our garden is a postage stamp size compared to the yards you see in America. I'll take a photo sometime and show you.

It's a real English garden, I guess, with walls on two sides. It's a very easy garden to manage and most of the stuff seems to grow in spite of me!!!

Yesterday saw the completion of the three other butterfly bags AND one matching poke proof pouch. One of the bags and the pouch have already been spoken for!!

I spent a little bit of time on the new set of patterns I'm working on. I'm hoping that they'll be ready to go soon!! I'm really excited about them all and can't wait to see what people say about them. There's still some work to do on the set as I've changed my mind about how to work part of them so I'm having to re-work them all AND alter drawings!!!

Also I have to add some fun bits to two parts as well. Just to keep me amused, of course!!!

Also because of this set of patterns I have made up a new technique page. It's one I've used before but never quite got round to putting a page together. Now who was that who said 'typical'?

One down - three to go!!!

What with housework, shopping and other boring stuff I didn't get much time to sew yesterday!! However I did manage one of the butterfly bags and I'm delighted with it. Hopefully I'll get the others done today (hmmmm, difficult typing with my fingers crossed!) and then I'll list them.

Oh, I noticed a few days ago that I'd got 100 followers. I mentioned this to Nick who said (rather dryly) 'one of those is the Inland Revenue'!!! Which reminds me - must do some more to my tax return!!!!

A rose by any other name!

Seems like I've put the aged and gnarled old foot in it!! Apparently the double double ds that Rhoda shows in her book turns out to have been published under the name of the balanced double stitch by Ruth Perry!!! If only Rhoda was contactable I'd have a word in her ear for causing me this bovver!!!

I'm adding this link here as it gives food for thought from a well known local chap!

Anyway to turn to nicer thoughts! I'm showing a picture here of some of the prettiest fabric in my stash (well, that's my opinion for today) and to let anybody know who's interested that I've cut four bags t of it. This piece (the leftover) is enough to make a matching poke proof pouch!!! I'm hoping to get to sew one or two of them today!!

I'm delighted that I've already sold three of the six bags I listed two days ago in my Etsy shop. I wasn't intending to list them as I was trying to make a batch to sell in the vending room at Palmetto to help towards the cost of flights. I think I'll just have to make more!!!!

More about the double double idea!

Yesterday I managed to squeeze in time to do this page explaining Rhoda Auld's idea. There's a picture at the bottom of the blog of what it eventually looks like.

I'm not sure it's going to be a lot of use but it's an interesting idea!!! Well, it interested me for a few hours! I'll be returning to Rhoda's book for another look now she's woken me up again!

I also managed to list two sets of coasters and the tatting bags in my Etsy store yesterday. It was another of those occasions when I'd finished listing and wandered off to do something else. I returned half an hour later and one of the bags had already sold.

I'm now wondering whether to use the butterfly fabric or a rather nice brownish paisley print that I've got. Mind there are so many it's very hard to choose out of my stash.

How did I get so much done when I was out all morning teaching Silver Surfers?

Ever heard of a 'double double' stitch?

Back in 1974 or 5 I bought Rhoda Auld's book "Tatting the Contemporary Art of Knotting with a Shuttle". I bought it for patterns, of course, as it was in the days of 'no tatting patterns'.

There are no patterns in the book BUT it's a mine of information and inspiration. I still take it out from time to time to just read for sheer enjoyment and whilst doing that the other day I came across the following paragraph.

I decided to play with this idea and found that it works well for chains too. I'll make up a technique page for it and maybe call it the 'double double' stitch (dds). Not that it really NEEDS a page as it's so simple and SO obvious!!!

This evening I'll play with it and show you what happens tomorrow. I was going to play yesterday evening but the latest project 'took over'!!!

On the horns of a dilemma!

Well, not really but I do need to decide which fabric to use next!!!

I LOVE these butterflies but also the sewing notions too.

So hard to decide which to use.

First of all here's a close up of the bobbin fabric that I used for the last two bags. Isn't it lovely?

Oh, before I wander off for a shower, breakfast etc I must share this link with you. What FUN. I wish I'd been there to see this performance - I'd have tried to join in, knowing me!!!

Two more bags

I dragged myself away from the computer yesterday for long enough to finish these two bags!! The print is of bobbins which is one that I love. I've only got enough for these two bags - I think. Must check that!!!

I started them on Thursday but time and tide waited for no man (nor me either!).

I'm getting more and more excited about the tatting design I'm working on at the moment but I'm NOT giving any clues - yet!!! I think I might be able to make a sort of challenge/game out of part of it too. That's the reason I was spending SO long on the computer yesterday - I want to make the drawings VERY clear so that most people can make it/them/whatever!!!

I HATE not sharing - just isn't in my nature!!!

Yesterday

Yesterday I wore these earrings for the first time when I did something a little 'naughty'. I made them about two years ago and they've been in a box since so had never been worn before.

I did something VERY brave yesterday - I gatecrashed a 'do' which I thought I ought to have been invited to!!!

I was greeted with great big hugs and had a FINE time talking to people - some of whom I hadn't seen for forty years!! Everybody to whom I spoke thought I should have been invited.

Moral of the story? Don't exclude Jane from things as she'll turn up anyway!!!! The proverbial 'bad egg'!!!!!!

More of the past

When I was looking through the ancient suitcase the other day I came across these two necklaces. I've never worn them and can't for the life of me think why I made them either!!!!

The cat is out of the bag!!

First of all I can let the cat out of the bag!! I only knew last weekend but was sworn to secrecy. Something which I find difficult. I've always been able to keep other people's secrets (years of being a teacher saw to that) but NEVER my own!! Mine just don't seem important enough.

Now I can give you this link so you can see MY secret.

I've found out where this motif came from which means I must've done it a looooong time ago as it's from the Penelope Book 3, page 4 bottom right!!! This is the book-:

I gave up using these leaflets many years ago when they started falling to bitsl!! I've now got them all scanned and saved onto the computer which means I don't have to get them out and if I want to make the odd pattern then I just print the page!!!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday? What a pointless wish when the person you're talking about has been dead for more than four hundred years!!! Still, happy birthday, Shakespeare and happy St. George's day to all my fellow Englishmen and women!!!

Right, that's got that out of the way! Back to business.

This the first proper finished bag and I'm VERY pleased with it. Thanks to a tip from my friend Aileen over the inside pockets, it's turned out very well. Below are the pictures.

I stiffened the base with some very thick vilene which is washable and dry cleanable. I stitched it onto the bottom of the base so that it won't 'shift' between that and the lining. The holes for the ribbons to run through are double buttonhole stitched too. Inside you can see the pockets. Those have worked brilliantly.

The first picture of the closed bag does contain the scissors which fit in just brilliantly. More (I might add) by good luck than by good judgement. I think my scissors are slightly longer than usual - I'll check that out later. Now I need to work up a few more so that I can work out prices.

I've got some fabric with sewing notions on and (I think!) some with lace bobbins too. They'll be my next task. Once I've made a few then I'll know how long they take to make. If I charged according to the first one then I'd be overcharging as it takes hours of mithering to get the pilot one made!!!

Times gone by!

The other day I found a suitcase I'd forgotten about!!! This is full to the brim with old tatted pieces of mine. It's not a huge suitcase and most of the stuff was made for exhibition purposes or just for fun.

I'm going to show you a few of the things I found while I wait for the finish of the first bag!! Actually, it's nearly finished but I had SO many interruptions yesterday it never 'quite' got there!!

Today I'm showing some coasters I made about 15 years ago. I tried to sell these in a local handicraft shop but they didn't sell. I think this was mainly because I asked a realistic price for them of probably around £1.00 an hour of my time!!! Nothing changes - handmade goods just don't get the prices they should do!!!

I've no idea where the pattern is from but the thread is number 20.

I'm SO excited

What is the saying? Little things please little minds? That's me. A (not so little) thing with a little mind. I love it when inspiration hits me and makes me excited.

Remember I was going to make a new 'line' in bags? Well I looked and looked online for ideas but couldn't find any that I really, really liked. I thought of a Dorset bag and then cried off as they are bulky when finished and not all that suitable for popping in another bag. In the end I decided on a Dolly bag which would be something like this.

The first three pictures below show the first trial one. I like it a lot but don't love it - YET!!! It's just the right size but if you look at the third picture which is looking down onto the inside (incidentally it should show as navy blue) you can see I put a pocket right across the middle. This is fixed and could be useful but I DON'T like it!!!

In the last picture below that you can see the next idea in progress. The bag will look the same as the first one BUT this is going to be a sure winner, I think. The last picture is showing the lining and how I will put small 'pockets' on the inside of the bag.

If people have got time and inclination to let me know what else they carry in a tatting bag then I will incorporate it into the lining. I can go no further until brain cell # 3 makes the final decision.

Oh, I'll also be putting some stiffener into the base of the bag so that it stands firmly on it's butt!!!

Oh, before I go and get on with the day. Please go and visit my sister's new blog for more tatting.

Crochet bag

Do you know - I forgot to show you this bag I made!!

Many, many years ago I inherted a wee shopping bag from either my gran or an aged aunt. It was a dear and useful little bag which I'm sure I've still got somewhere in this house of horrors!!! (Horrors because this house HIDES things when you start looking for them).

Anyway I noticed a pattern for making one on Talking Crochet (fabulous online magazine that I subscribe to) last year and so when I found time a few weeks ago I decided to make one. I think it's a dear little bag and I really enjoyed making it. Here are a few pictures.

The only problem I had with it was 'translating' it into English English as it was written in American English!!! I found a great conversion chart and used that. Wonder how it happened that we both got to differ on crochet terms? Interesting question but not one I'm willing to follow up!!! Here's one conversion chart but I can't find the original I used and it's time to go and have a shower!!!

When WILL I learn?

When will I learn to keep my BIG MOUTH SHUT????

Remember these small motifs that I made for my mate? Well now the sewing machine's out again and back being 'busy' I remembered that I'd offered to make the buttonholes for the dress she's made. No probs.

Jacqueline duly delivered the dress on Wednesday afternoon and we discussed where the buttonholes were going and how many. Four. Just four buttonholes. NO PROBLEM. Did I say 'no problem'?

Yesterday afternoon I decided that I'd do these four buttonholes before deciding on the testing of a new tat bag. Hmmmmm. I carefully measured out where they were going and did the first top one. Stand back, Jane, take a look. Slightly but oh so slightly 'out'. Perhaps nobody else would've noticed but I did.

So I settled down to unpick. As I'd 'double stitched' it this took ages (why did Jacqueline get such a superbly matching sewing thread?!?!?!). Job done.

More measuring and off again. This time I wasn't happy with it as it appeared to have a 'slant' towards the top. BUMMER. I decided to leave it for a while and do the other three.

They were absolutely NO problem at all so then I went back to number 1, unpicked it and finally (there's truth in the saying 'third time lucky') the buttonhole was up to standard. Job done. Just shows that when brain cell # 3 decides to have an afternoon nap then nothing goes right!!!!

I am pleased to announce

I am pleased to announce the return of brain cell # 3!!!

Goodness knows where he's been for his vacation but I think he got burnt out getting the Palmetto submission patterns done!!

Anyway, he's back and a tentative start has been made on a new design. NO, I'm not sharing as I go this time. You're gonna have to wait!!! There will not be a break in the blog (I hope!) as I'll try to have other things to share. This next one is going to be a 'biggie' in that it'll need lots of re-tats to get it drop dead right. Even then there are bound to be mistakes - I wouldn't be me if there weren't!!!

A clue? Hmmmmm, no, not yet.

More bookmarks

Yesterday I found time to list some of the new poke proof pouches in my Etsy shop - the shuttle and pansy fabric ones.

Well it was SO funny. I finished listing (which takes me quite a time as I'm easily distracted) and went straight downstairs to make a cup of tea. When I got back upstairs again with the tea I found one of them had already sold!!! No, I didn't drop the tea but it was a close thing!!

These bookmarks are from my sister. She made them following Jane's pattern. I asked what threads she'd used and she said they were old fine ones which she doubled up. Aren't they just SO pretty?