Next round completed

I’ve had a bit of a break from the patchwork (English paper piecing). I got sidetracked by Handy Hands and their calendar!!! I wanted to submit a pattern for that but it took some time for a ‘good idea’ to hit BC3. Finally it did but more about that much, much later.

So now that’s off my ‘to do’ list I’m going to have another sewing session. Well that’s when I can find all the bits and bobs!!! 

I did manage to finish the last round that I was working on while I was at my various craft clubs and this is what it looks like now (well, if you wander further down the page). 

I then spent a few days wondering how to finish the edges off and straighten them a bit. In the end I decided that I’d do another round!!! Am I bonkers or am I bonkers?

No need to answer that if you don’t want to!

Just for a change

I just want/need something relatively easy to do in the evenings at the moment. I am fiddling around with new ideas but not happy with anything (including myself!) at the moment.

Blog posts may become a bit sparse til I get BC3 back on track!!! We'll see. 

Meanwhile this is my relaxing tatting which is keeping me awake in the evening. Without it I would probably fall asleep!!!  I've used this pattern so many times in the past and here's just one of those 'times'.  

Oh, here's another too!!!  I'd completely forgotten this one.  I wonder where it is?  Ah, probably in the box in the cupboard!!!!

The butterfly snowflake - again!

I know somebody who will like these - eh, Diane?

Still playing around with this design and enjoying it too which makes a change!!!

Last Monday

We had an appointment at eleven thirty. Simple really so we got in the car and toddled down there. 

We didn't get back til seven that evening after a few 'things went haywire'. The reason I'm telling you this is because I didn't take my handbag with me (I rarely take it out anymore as I use my phone to pay for 'stuff'). 

Now you may well ask, what is the old git rambling on about? Well, no handbag means no tatting supplies. Well it was just to be a quick visit to the doctor, wasn't it? The following day I was WELL prepared to be out for what turned out to be even longer!!!

These are my regular containers for sitting around tatting when I don't need to concentrate. I have the 'intermediate' supplies but these are the 'emergency' tatting supplies!!

I LOVE these little containers. They came from Walmart many, many moons ago  (probably around fifteen) so I'm not sure if they're still obtainable. I sit and make butterflies to give away while I'm in situations where I need to keep an eye on what's going on around me but also need to keep my fingers busy!!!

The smaller green type of container I tend to use for larger beads too. I think they were in the cosmetics section of Walmart but it was around fifteen years ago that I bought them!!!  All the sections in the pink one have ready wound bobbins  and shuttles.  

Butterfly snowflake again

Now these two are made using some HDT that Sue kindly gave me. 

I used the same variegated on both but with the top one I used a plain Lizbeth green too. 

I know which one I prefer - the bottom one which really shows off the thread. Thanks, Sue.

Another 'go' at this snowflake

I've already given this little guy a name - the Butterfly Snowflake. 

I started it weeks ago and then got distracted to try a new idea - the koala.

I’m so, so thrilled at the reaction to the koala.  It’s restored my faith in tatting again although I’m finding it harder and harder to think of new ideas!!  I think poor BC3 is feeling his age at the moment.  The long grey days of winter and other problems don’t help either.

More tomorrow.

It's finished and ready to be made!

Just a quickie today to give you the link to the koala. 

Here it is

There are a few techniques to make it more 'interesting' and more life like. 

There's a folded ring which is explained within the pattern, a bead added to the centre of a ring and I've used the double double stitch too to make the chains firmer in places. Jenni hadn't done any of those before but she whipped up hers within an hour or so. Here he is.

For my Australian friends

Here in England we've been hearing about the devastating fires in Australia but there's so little we can do to help. It occurred to BC3 that another animal design may be useful for my Australian friends to make to raise funds to help the wildlife. I've already done a kangaroo with it's joey so a koala sprang to mind as the 'next project'.

I only started this less than two weeks ago so it's a really quick one for me. Mainly, I'll admit, because I got focussed because of the impact to wildlife 'down under' is so devastating so I kept going. Judith made a couple of suggestions (thank YOU) which finally added the finishing touches. 

Another Australian friend (thank you, Jenni) then wrote to ask me for help with designing a kangaroo or koala - this was the day after I'd completed mine so I wrote back with advice on making animals and the pattern to test!!! I think (or hope) she was a little surprised!!!

As soon as she gets back to me with her alterations (which she now has) I'll finish uploading all the pictures and links. Meanwhile get out your black and grey thread ready!!!  Oh, and a couple of beads for the eyes!!!

Round 3 second thoughts on motif

As I was having a bit of hassle from the purple fabric I decided to just do enough of these hexagon shapes to put on the ‘corners’ of the whole project. 

The sides will require 2 on each ‘side’ so 12 altogether and that’s too many to struggle with the wretched purple!!!

So I decided to put the purple surrounded by the other colours in the sides and this is what it turned out like. Two pictures as I wanted to see the difference on the backgrounds!!!

Jan 7 motifs finished

I've done a little doily made with Jan's motif which I started playing with back here.

Now you may well wonder why I've put two pictures up today showing the same thing!!! Well that's not strictly true although I see that I've put one with the swirls going to the left (bottom picture) and one to the right!!! How dozy can I be? NO NEED to answer that!!!!

The reason there are two pictures is that there's a glaring mistake on the first one which caused me to have to take out the final motif. 

Can YOU spot it? 

There was a bit of cussing for ten seconds but I never mind re-doing stuff so that's what I did!!!

A good idea

Yes I had a 'good idea' the other day.

A week before Christmas it was panic stations for giveaways as I'd done the dreaded thing of giving away all of my stash!!!! How silly is that? Also there were people who didn't get one and who I wished I could've given to - like my son in law and my Zumba teacher. 

Fortunately over the Christmas period I managed to make them a couple or three!!! 

Then my dear friend and supporter (BC3) decided it would be a 'good idea' to start on 2020's giveaways now so that's what I've started doing!!! A first attempt below!

This is weird!

I've got one of the hexagons done for the next round of the patchwork but something 'strange' is happening here!!

Well I think it's strange!! The purple fabric doesn't want to play nicely with me.

All fabrics are either pure cotton or poly cotton of some sort. As they're all remnants I've no idea of their true content and this seems to be causing a problem with the purple one. 

I'm using a fabric glue pen like this to hold the papers and it works a treat with all the other fabrics but it doesn't 'like' the purple one. 

Come on, purple, get a grip on yourself and BEHAVE or you'll be on the redundancy list!!!

Round 2 - completed

Here's round two of the patchwork finished. 

I've taken the papers out of the previous round and the centre to make it easier to stuff into the box that I'm keeping all the bits and pieces in. 

As you can see from this post I've got the fabric cut out for the next round already. Only snag is - I've got to cut the papers out now!!! These are not easy to do as precision is vital to enable everything to fit. I'm wondering what the next round will look like and IF I'll still be interested enough to do a further round!!! Only time will tell!!!

A Vicki Clarke motif

I have two kits that I've been given which contain all the bits and pieces to make a motif but this isn't the one that I was going to do first!!! I've mislaid that one somewhere in the tatting cupboard or in Tat Corner!!! It'll emerge like a butterfly from it's pupae one day!!

I love Vicki's little designs. They always make me smile for some reason. Vicki's blog is here and is well worth a visit.

This is an easy tat and the instructions are VERY clear. I'm not sure where or when I was given the kit but I really enjoyed making it. THANK YOU, Vicki and I'll be making up the hexagon one - when it next emerges!!!

Another Dora finished.

Do you remember that waaaaaay back in the summer I decided I needed an 'on the go' project? No?  Well here's a link to the start of that journey which started back last July. It's travelled a few miles since then and has been backwards and forwards to craft groups back here in the UK a few times too!!! 

After all these motifs I'm STILL not tired of this wonderful little design by Dora Young.  The book can be found easily from most tatting suppliers and it’s called The All New Knotless Tatting Designs.  In fact here’s a link to get it directly from the lass who put the new version together.

I've added two pictures today but neither really show up what it really looks like in 'real life'. The 'rounds' are done in cream and white alternately. I've also added an edging to the final round just to hold it a bit better. It's worked in size 40 thread which is another detail I normally forget to tell you!!!

Moaning Monday!

Well nothing much to moan about really but I am going to moan about being 'forced' into a purchase. 

I've bought myself a new vacuum. The old one was beginning to fail but the main problem was the fact that I was actively 'not allowed' to plug it into the usual socket in the hallway that I've been using for the past twenty plus years!!! 

The socket now has a new 'purpose' and I wasn't 'allowed' to unplug it, use it (the socket) and then put the other plug back in. So I took matters into my own hands and bought myself a new vacuum!!!! That's independence for you!!! Old Gits can still make radical decisions!!!

The old one was a Dyson but this new one is a Shark!!! AND it's cordless so no more discussions on the most convenient place to plug it in!!! 

Ah, craft related part!! It's easy to click apart and the handheld 'bit' has tools with the option to add a tight (as in the sort of thing ladies wear on their legs) or similar over one tool to 'pick up and save' any errant beads that might accidentally fall onto the floor!!! A real bonus in my little world!!! 

Want to see a picture? OK!!! 

YES I got it in the sale too and it wasn't even Black Friday - more of a grey Saturday, actually!!!

Jan's pattern - 4 motifs done

Now those of you who have made this pattern will notice that I've made different joins for the motifs. I have never understood fully the way Jan writes his patterns so I'm afraid I work it out another way. I use the 'normal for me' method of doing front/back tatting.  That's just me, though!!!

The motif with the red thread hanging on it (middle left) is the centre motif and I marked it that way so BC3 wouldn't lose the plot!!!!

Each motif is worked from beginning to end without cutting and tying.  To get the threads from the centre to the next round does require a split chain and then a single shuttle split ring with the one shuttle thread hidden inside the ring.  Just needed some thought - and a friendly BC3!!!

Another day's blobbing!!!

The colours are the same as yesterday's - promise!!! Blobbing doesn't make for good photos, I guess!!

Can you see that on this one I've put the orange diamonds next to the centre - just to make it more interesting!!! Even blobbing has to hold some interest in the old fuzzy brain whilst stemming the flow from the stupid little nose that is mine and mine alone!!!!

So, admittedly not a lot of tatting has been done lately but I will have some more progress on the Jan motif to show soon. Maybe even tomorrow!!!

More progress on the patchwork

These are the colours I’ve chosen for round 2 of the patchwork. This is round 1 and the centre finished.

I think this round will be a big contrast to round one but I’m hoping that round three will pull it all together. Well if not then there’ll have to be a round four!!! Not sure BC3 will be able to manage that!!!

I’ve spent a LOT of time ‘blobbing’ over Christmas as I’ve not been well. I’ve had a STINKING cold so have not had the energy to do much more than sit and sew while watching catchup TV. My friend down the road calls it ‘blobbing’ and that’s exactly what it is. Sitting like a blob of something and doing nothing in particular.

Cutting out the fabric

Now if you go back to this link here you'll see again where I'd got to with the 'whatever it is'.

The next decision needed to be made on colours for round two so I got the fabric out and started cutting. 

Well the colours I thought would work for the next round left me with lots left over so there was a quick change of mind and I carried on cutting those to make enough for the following (3rd) round. 

Again I needed to re-think round two and that's what I've got in these two little bags. Enough for round two and round three - unless I change my aged mind yet again!!!

I think I'll have enough to keep me busy over the next few days so I'll wish you all a happy Silly Season (Christmas) and leave you with a break of a few days from the OG. 

Well I'm guessing nobody has time or inclination to read the ramblings of a slightly bonkers old git in the UK during the festivities.