A blue ribbon

Well I got a blue ribbon - by proxy!!!!!!!!

Not really but I am sort of slightly involved!!  I got a message from Pam Esbjerg who, by the way, was my teacher's assistant at tat days.  She entered the Lacewing Shuttlebug she'd made in the State Fair.  Here's what she said-

"Good News – I am so excited.  Your bug from Tat Days that I tatted won a blue ribbon in the SC State Fair – am sending a picture, although he looks much better after Bonnie blocked him and fixed his antennae – I left them long and she put a knot in the end and made them shorter.  When I get him back, I will send you a better picture.  I love the design – Thanks so much!!!"

 

Pam also won a blue for a necklace she designed and made. Here it is.  Boy is this a stunning design.

Advertising on my blog

One thing I think I'm allowed to do is advertise on my blog.  Not that I want to or feel the need do it much!!!  I only support things I believe in and this is one of those things.  This is my own Jane Eborall advert so 'sit tight' and enjoy the ride!!!

As we all know - needle tatting is SUPPOSED to be easier to learn than the traditional shuttle.  This was probably true in the 'dark ages' but not now.  I'll explain the thoughts of brain cell # 3.

Do you remember the 'dark ages'?  Those were the days when all us OG's like me sat in our homes and shuttle tatted (because the needle hadn't been invented) on our own and in total isolation?  My own 'dark ages' started in 1956.  Just had a had a thought.  We weren't OG's in those days - just training to be.  Sorry, I digress as usual!!!

We were able to buy the odd and rare magazine with patterns in but not a lot else.  No coloured threads, no contact with others (well, I did have my gran but she was a learner too) and never a bead entered the equation.

Then along came the Ring of Tatters (here in the UK) and twice a year a Newsletter popped through the door - with patterns and gossip.  This was started some years ago now - nearly 30, I think.

Then roughly fifteen to seventeen years ago the light was switched on!!!  Finally the internet arrived.  Now ANYBODY can easily learn to shuttle tat.  It's not rocket science but it IS easier when you can actually SEE it being done slowly and carefully.  So the Ring of Tatters took the opportunity recently to make their own DVD which anybody with a computer (and I know that you, dear reader, has one or you wouldn't be reading this ramble!) can now learn to SHUTTLE tat the traditional way.

There, that wasn't such a bad advert, was it?  Least there was no irritating music!!!!  


I also have a link on my home page to this page too.  You won't escape!!!!

I've spent my birthday money!

Now what did I spend my birthday money on?  Oooooh, well, there's a story.

Anybody who knows me will realise that I'm not very good at spending money.  I'll only buy something 'when I need it'.  I see things and think - oooooh, I'd like that.  Then brain cell # 3 clicks in and says - "but do you NEED it"?  99 times out of 100 the answer is "not really" and I don't buy it - oh, unless it's threads, beads or something tatting related, of course and then I might!!!

So, when I tried to upload a pattern (still not quite ready for you guys!!!) onto my web site a few days ago and it wouldn't 'go' I realised that the time had come to 'bite the bullet' and buy myself some more web space!!!!  That's what I spent my birthday money on.

I've had the tattysaurus up on a free web place since his 'birth' but he's always had those infuriating banners above his noble head.  So I 'bought into' freeservers.com.  Instead of getting the tattysaurus when you put in this url you now get my front index page.  The links will take you back to the original site but it may mean that more people get to see the patterns - if they want to!!!

Oh, Georgia, don't panic.  I'll not be changing anything on the original site - promise!!!!  I've now uploaded all my site onto the freeservers server - just in case!!!

From a fairy to a snowman in one easy step!!!

On Saturday I had the following email from Geraldine:-

"What wonderful animals the palmetto tatters come up with. Glad you enjoyed yourself and told us all about it.

This little chap I came up with by using your 3D flower fairy pattern. It was for Charnwood tatters open day back in September.

A hanging Christmas tree decoration was the competition. Yes I WON with him. Hope you like him."

 

Now this is what I think should be happening in tat land.   Geraldine took my pattern (courtesy of brain cell # 3 - may he live forever) and used parts of that pattern to come up with something really novel.  What is so pleasing is that not only did she acknowledge her source but she also shared it with all of us.  

 

I don't think I ought to say this but I think he's going to melt soon!!!!

My own Precious butterfly

Having found the piece of hairpin lace I thought it would be a grand idea to use it before I put it away safely again!!!  Oh, how I HATE being tidy - it's so hard to find things that you've put away tidily!!!

Here's my butterfly.  Very easy pattern to follow - thanks Hope.

Precious - or a butterfly by Hope

This gorgeous butterfly (below, on the right) is Hope Green's design which she presented at tat days (Palmetto).  Isn't it just SO pretty? 

It was given to us on a fabulous paper flower but sadly I couldn't take the flower with me.  I left it for Joanie to enjoy.

Also in our gift bags was the hair pin lace 'middle' for us to make our own Precious.  What a splendid idea. 

Third pair!!!

This is the third and final pair of the order I had.

This pattern (I've just discovered!) is only available on the Palmetto CD of 2007!!  Why?  Because this daft OG has forgotten to put it on her web site!!  How's that for being dumb?

They are really, really simple and only use rings.  

You could 'improve' them to make them 'tattable' in one but I don't think they're worth the effort of sorting out which beads go where before starting.  One day I may do that but don't hold your breath.  

Actually, that's bad for your health (holding your breath) and can lead to an early demise!!! 

I delivered all three pairs yesterday and she was very pleased with them.  

Now, what shall I do next?  Ah, I know!!  No, not telling - not yet, anyway.

Second pair!!!

This is the second pair of earrings that I made and I'm pleased to report I can follow the pattern!!!!

The final pair will be different but I'm not sure where the pattern is - watch this space!!!

Earrings

This is the first of a 'series' of earrings that I'm making for a friend.

They are based on the 3D snowflake that I made years ago and I've used the top motif (first part of that snowflake) many times when I've made earrings for myself.

The only problem I've always had when wanting to make 'another pair' is that I have never written it down properly. 

This time I have - AND I've done the lower motif to work directly on from the upper.  In fact the whole thing is done in one 'hit'!!!  I

did have to use one split chain and two SR's to do it, though.  Well worth the effort in the end!!!

Back in the old routine!!!

The glue's out again!!!  These are a few of the bookmarks I've just finished and sent out to the Ring of Tatters.

The Ring gives away bookmarks at shows to promote our obsession with tatting.

They also sell a kit for wannabe tatters to buy and recently they've added a 'tatalong' DVD to their repertoire of aids for new tatters. 

Here's a link which tells you how to buy the DVD and here's a link to the Ring's website.

Fishes galore!!!

This is a picture of a 'boy' chain that Jane made.

Isn't it lovely?  She went off to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe last Tuesday and took gifts for the children of the friends she's staying with.  Lucky kids.

While she was there she met up with Judith and they had a mini 'tat day'.  Here's a bit out of her message:-

'Judith showed me how to tat using more economical hand movements, which I've been trying earnestly to use since I got back home! I showed Judith how to tat over the ends at the beginning of her work, which should save her a lot of sewing in ends. I left some doilies with her, which she's going to show to her tatting group and put on the Bulawayo show next year. Oh, and Judith gave me a clover shuttle and I gave her some thread I'd dyed. Judith gave me copies of patterns for edgings, which she has 'translated' from old patterns into more modern style.'

How to load a shuttle!!!!

As most of you know I'm a shuttle only tatter!!  Born and bred to it.  I did once try the needles but as they're not traditional and didn't give me a good result they were soon abandoned.

What always surprises me about shuttle tatters is the various ways they start to load their shuttles.  I've seen so many struggle with tying to the hole in the bobbin or the hole in the centre of the post shuttles that it amazes me that they ever get started!! 

Life can be so much simpler if you use a slip knot.  Let me tell and show you.

First make the slip knot.  Easy peasy.  Start like this leaving about a one and a half inch end.

Pull a loop through the loop and then wrap this round the shuttle.  Either the bobbin type or the post type (with the post type you obviously have to go through both ends).

Tighten around the shuttle and wind away from the knot so that it tightens.  The small tail will help you to get the end bit off the shuttle when you've finished.

Hope this helps.  I always wind back my thread onto the ball I've been using.  Mainly because so many shades are so close to each other and once or twice in my tatting 'career' I've had a nasty shock when I've thought I'd got the right shade and it's been 'wrong'!!! 

More Palmetto pictures

Now I get teased unmercifully by the Palmetto girls.  It was a few years ago that I discovered where they 'hid' the ice cream at the last venue that they used.  I didn't find it until the last evening meal and then every time I went to get some I was called away!!!  Frustrated?  You betcha!!!

So then Tat Days was moved to White Oak where - HORROR of HORRORS there is NO ICE CREAM!!!!

This year dear Bonnie Gieger was determined not to let me go a whole weekend without ice cream.  Joanie picked me up (along with Hope Green) from Columbia airport and off we went to Bonnie's for lunch.  YUMMY - this wasn't just ordinary ice cream - it was home made ice cream and chocolate too WITH chocolate chips in.

Thank you Bonnie.

Must tell you about the evening after tat days when Hope, Joanie and I 'invited ourselves' back to Bonnie's to eat again.  WHAT a nerve the three of us had, eh? 

We did take the makings of a meal (Joe and Bonnie cooked the salmon which was delicious) and - guess what?  Bonnie made MORE ice cream and this time it was coffee.  Want to see?  Here's a photo.

Now you didn't really think you were going to get any, did you?

Palmetto pictures

I'm not going to show you many 'normal' pictures of tat days - mainly because I didn't take many 'normal' ones!!

Each time I'm lucky enough to go I make a pact with myself to take pictures of my students.  Trouble is I get so involved with the teaching that I forget!!  Always want to put too much into a short time.

Anyway, I digress as usual.

The first picture I want to show you is of my winnings after the corn hole game!!!  This is the link to that post.

Pam and Jerry Freck kindly presented me with the popcorn (DIY variety) and the lovely scarf.  I can't wait to get back over to play again.

Thanks must go to Joanie Culverhouse who actually put up with me at her house.  I'm not much of a guest as I'm so distracted by the hummingbirds and the other birds that she feeds.  Joanie - you're a star.

One of my favourite tatting tools.

A few years ago I discovered this type of safety pin - a coilless (or, coil less!!) one.  It's about 2 1/4" long and doesn't have that 'bit at the end' where you always get the threads either caught or on the 'wrong side'!!!

I now cannot tat without them!!!  I'll show you  why and what I use them for.

Firstly I use them to hold bits and pieces!!!  These are the small centres of motifs, tiny butterflies and anything which might otherwise get lost down the side of the chair.

Secondly I use them to make a very small picot space.  It's not really a gauge but it's sometimes useful just to 'mark the place' of a vsp  (very small picot) which might otherwise lose itself!!  Sometimes they do that if you put a vsp at the base of a chain or even sometimes when working block tatting.

Thirdly I use it to 'hold' beads on a very long picot.  It leaves enough of a space at the end to enable a join (later) which is very useful.  In the 'To Bee or Not to Bee' pattern which I taught at Palmetto it not only held the beads at the end of the first very long picot in the tail - it also held all the others too.  This meant that I only needed one 'holder' for the entire tail - fewer safety pins/paperclips to get muddled up!!!

Finally I use it for this trick.  It's a neater way of making the first split ring after a ring (when CTM can't be ued) - OR of adding in a 3rd shuttle  like when making Millie and Carrrter which were two patterns I taught at Palmetto tat days!!

You add the second thread whilst working the first ring.  Just put the safety pin on the end of shuttle 2, hold both shuttles together and work a few doubles to cover both the ends.  (See below).  Now, of course, you can do this without the safety pin but I used to pull that short end out time after time by mistake.

When you're ready to start the second side of the following SR you can pull the shuttle up so that the safety pin lies next to the ring.  Don't take it off until you've worked the SR and then tug it before cutting and the end will hide itself in the ring. 

PS you can buy these in the USA - here's a link.  http://tinyurl.com/y8vpsy2 
I ordered mine online in the UK.

Ooooops!!!

Before I start my morning's ramble I must tell anybody who drops in that I've started listing the bags (and some tatting) in Etsy again.  

Just realised after my post yesterday that I'd actually not put that edging on my web page!!!  Thanks to Maureen too for checking!!!

Then I also remembered that a heart I did for a few special people hadn't been 'made public' either!!!  So, please take a look.  You may not be really interested but as I'd got nothing much else to say today then I'm sorry - tat's the end of tat!!!

Oh, here's a picture of the heart - good practice for the 'other' way of closing a SCMR!!!

Handkerchief edging - finished AND sewn on!!

'They' say that miracles never happen.  Well, here in my small corner of tat land they sometimes do!!!

I not only finished the handkerchief edging but I also sewed it onto the cotton.  Actually I hand sewed the hanky itself a few months ago.  These 'blanks' were a batch I bought probably twenty years ago and they were machine sewn and not straight.  Well, not to my eye!!!

I cut off the excess round the woven section where the weft and warp were slightly whiter and hemmed them up along the outer 'line' of white.  I used white sewing thread for this. 

However to add the edging I used invisible thread - known by me as 'nightmare' thread!!!!!  Still, keeps an OG out of mischief!!!

I'll check later to see if the pattern is already on my pattern pages.  Not sure as it's been a long time since I last 'inspected' that area of my life!!

All's well that ends!!!!

Finally finished sorting out the cupboard. Here are some pictures!!

First of all the top shelf.  Not a lot of interest here!!

Next shelf down.  This is the thread shelf and there are more behind the ones you can see.  I've stored them according to colour and mostly they're size 20.

Down one more.  Here are the number 80 threads and a lot of other odds and ends.

Now down one more to the bead section.  This is a close up of the back of the shelf so that you can see my neat labeling!!!

This is a view of the whole shelf with a container (that big one on the left) full of bangles and 'stuff').   Below that picture is a picture of the other beads returned in front of the labeled ones.  I know what's in these - a mixture of 11's in most colours.

 

Finally at the bottom you can see the sewing section.  

About to find freedom!!!

Just another hour or so and the task of tidying up will be complete - today!!!  I'll be so glad to get it all done - I'm NOT tidy by nature - I'll take photos when it's all done.

Yesterday I spent part of the time unpacking the cupboard again.  Yup, that's right - unpacking!!!!  I took everything out again and labeled each container.  This meant several trips upstairs to the 'office' where the computer and printer is - to type and print labels for each box.  I put one label on the top and one on the side.

I also managed half an hour or so out in the sun cutting up two beaded belts.  Least I guess that's what they were in the first place.  My lovely neighbour gave them to me a few months ago and I've only just got round to 'sorting' them.  One was lilac and the other was brown.  Love re-cycling beads!!! 

I've also finished off (needs sewing on) a handkerchief edging which I 'sort of' worked on while we were away.  I need to have something to do but which doesn't involve beads when young kids are around.  The hanky was my 'task' this time.   Not sure if this one's on my web site or not - must check!!!!  It's another 'one pass' type of edging.

All my lessons are now 'un-done' and packed away - apart from one piece which I will finish.  I'll explain.

When I plan lessons I try to get the techniques and difficult parts over in the first half hour or so.  I work up the pieces to several different stages so that I'm prepared if a student gets 'stuck' anywhere.  This involves several shuttles and beads at 'odd' stages.  I rarely ever finish them off when I get home!!  I unwind (or use up) the odd amounts on shuttles and re-stash the beads.  Apart from one which I hope to finish off tonight!!!  I'll show you!!!

Trapped

Foolishly and rashly I promised myself a big tidy up of my tatting cupboard when I got back from the trip.  BOY, that was a foolish thing to do!!!  I've been trapped for two days!!!

I started two days ago.  I delved into the 'middle' room where the cupboard is and started.  I'd got lots and lots of tins and containers with beads and bits and 'stuff' in.  All these came out for 'sorting'.  It's a long way down to the floor and a long way up again when you need a cup of tea or a pee.

I think I've got it done now - nearly.  Next will be the drawer in tat corner and labels on each container!!!!  Hmm, it'll be another day or two until I escape!!

It's been several years since this sort of massive tidy up was last done.  So pleased with myself.  I'll take pictures when it's finished.