Finally!!!

Yes, I really, really, REALLY mean it this time.

Just couldn't resist trying the Fandango in blended threads.  There are Swarovski crystals in the middle too.  

SO pleased with this one that I'm going out on a 'high'!!!!!

Hmmmmm, another 2 Fandango pendants!!!

So I thinked and I thunked and I thought darn hard (well, not really!) and came up with a new look Fandango motif!!!!!

First of all I wanted to make the centre 'cross' a bit more prominent and so I found that all it needed was one SLT to do the trick!!!!  How easy is that?

Then I thought - why not MORE beads, as you do, so this is what happened - see below.  

Actually I used my favourite metallic threads.  I get them from Lyn Morton at Tatting and Design.  

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday little sister!!!!  Hope you have a great one.  I won't mention your age but I wish I was 21 again like you!!!!!


In CASE anybody had missed my sister's blog - here's the link!!!!

Final book chat!

Also amongst the books was this final small one which I'd not seen before - a Workbasket.  This is volume 14 and number 6.  It was published in March 1949 when I'd have been 5 and a bit years old.

Finally I'm showing you the handwritten notes that were in the package.  These SO reminded me of the ones that gran made and which I have somewhere in the house.  Little notes as reminders on working the patterns.  I really, really wonder who the person was who owned all these treasures.

More about the books

Today I'm showing you the two most exciting finds in the collection.  Not exciting in looks but pretty darn good in content.

Both are Dutch.  For that reason I wrote to Riet to tell her about it and she said this:-

"There are three books about tatting from ESKA and also a bobbin lace book.  I have those books all 4 The first tatting book is the book I bought when I was 17 years old in that book is the oval dolly That I tatted for my Moeke (mum) for mothers day."

The second one is more of a leaflet and the front cover has been damaged.  Nonetheless the contents are good and there are some interesting netting patterns which I'm hoping to find time to do too.  Actually I'm not sure if this is Dutch or German so I'll have to ask Riet about that!!!!

Interesting story about one of the books!

Now to show you the one book which does for me have a story.

When I was in my teens and my gran and I were 'heavily' into tatting we suffered a real dearth of books.  We had the Penelope and Coats books which came out very rarely but that was about all.  

Somehow gran heard about the 'Every Woman's Complete Guide to Tatting Illustrated'.  She asked about it in the local library and about six months later they'd found a copy in a library 'up north'.  Remember that in those days everything was done by letter and/or phone so it took time.

Well we were so excited when we were loaned a copy for a month or so.  BUT that wasn't the end of the story.

A few years later and at the age of 70 my gran took a round the world trip with the main intention of meeting her brother Harold whom she hadn't seen for 40 years.  So she landed up in Australia where this book was published and where Harold lived.  Whilst there she 'advertised' on the radio and television for this rare book and was offered a copy which she obviously bought and brought back home with her.  I now have this book.  I did make a few things from it back then.  

Below is the copy I won from the Ebay lady.  OK, the cover is 'tatty' but the 'innards' are excellent.  I think I'll probably sell this on Ebay later this year.  We'll see.  

Of course we now know that the book was by Norma Benporath and has since been re-printed.  I really wonder how this copy got to dear old England - was it like gran's and travelled back with another tatter when it was new?  If only books could speak.

Dissecting the Ebay win!

OK, following up from my ebay win I'm going to show you slowly and surely what was in the packet. Now, where shall I start?

Let's start with the things I've already got and which I'll be 'letting go of' sometime later this year.  To good homes, only, I hope!!!

First of all will be La Frivolite - a book which I bought brand new many years ago.

Then there were two of these leaflets - Penelope 1338 and as you can see one is in better condition than the other so one will go into the bin or something!!!

Also in this category is a Penelope Book 4 with my all time favourite doily in - Snowflakes on page eleven!!!!

More of the Fandango motif!!!

I know I promised you (well, I don't think I actually used the word 'promise') no more on the Fandango but I do have two or three or more posts about it - this is one of them!!!

I desperately wanted to see what would happen with more colours so this is what I did.  Of course half way through this little exercise I suddenly thought of something else - which I'll show you soon. My apologise for interrupting the flow of books AND for not ironing this very well either!!!!