What I've been doing!

Well I started a new idea when I was in Cincinnati but you know what I'm like over staying with one thing and seeing it through!!!  I 'duck and dive' from one thing to another all the time!!!!


One thing I try constantly to avoid in my daft ideas is the dreaded cutting and tying.  I HATE it!!!

Most of my time I spend trying to avoid these situation in a design and this is what I've had to do recently.

The pattern is almost ready to go but before I do that I want you to see what I came up with!!!  It's not rocket science but it does help this new pattern to 'flow' without any sewing except at the end!!

Do you remember the CTJ (continuous thread join) that I've used in several patterns?  Here's a link to the technique and here's the pattern it was 'created' for.

Now I'm presenting the DOUBLE continuous thread join!!!!  Here's a description and some pictures.  I'll get this page up on my site soon (and the pattern)!!!

  This part of the pattern will originally have been made with picots on the row before.  (Note, this could be on rings, split rings or chains).

  In figure 1 you see the work progressing from left to right (A – B).

The aim of the DCTJ is to take you back to the beginning of the chain as illustrated in figure 2. Make a lock join into the first picot made using BOTH threads locked through the picot.

 Then you make a double stitch and lock join into the next picot.  This is then followed by another double stitch, lock join etc.   

 Continue in this way until you get back to where the pattern indicates.

Job done!!!!

Arrived safely!!!!

I can report the safe arrival of the new batch of shuttles from my 'skinny blister' (rhyming slang for sister!!).

I will be listing these in the Etsy shop on Sunday 21st at 2pm - that's British Summer Time.

The prices are now currently up to date and can be seen on the Pop A Bobbin Shuttle page for which there is a tab at the top of this page.

I have 14 to list which all have the new hooks and they are as follows:-

2 apple, 2 walnut, 2 cherry, 2 cocobolo rosewood, 2 purple heart, 2 mahonia and 2 ebony.

All have been tested by the quality control engineer - Sally!!!

Here's a 'teaser' for you - one of the new Mahonia wood ones!

Please look at this.  This is a wee duffle bag that Gina gave me when we had that lovely day together in Cincinnati.  Isn't it CUTE?

BUT look what was inside!!!

Two packets of beads and such yummy colours too.

Thanks again, Gina.  This is the front.

 This is the back - see the wee straps?

Now feast your eyes on the beads.  Are you jealous?

New idea from Geraldine

This is a message I received from Geraldine while I was away.  I'm sure you'll love to hear what she said and see what she's done!!!

"While on holiday at Minehead the last two weeks I took your Fandango pattern to tat. Well as you know I like to play with patterns and I came up with these two book marks.(hope you don't mind). I used Lizbeth for the variegated and Altin Basak for the black and green. I did a SLT as you have done to get the black running up the middle and used your trick round the edge to stop the blips. On the green one i inverted the pattern and reduced the count from 4-4 to 2-2. I love them both. I'm now going to have a go at the pendant as i'm sure my sister will like it."

Presents

OK, more about the second kidnap!!!!  

Remember Sue Anna had already sent me a box full of goodies for when I arrived in Cincinnati.  She also gave me another skein of HDT and also one for Sally (which I handed to her when I got back home).  BUT this lady is SO generous that she gave me a snake.  No, not a real live one but one she'd made herself in bobbin lace.  Here it is.  Isn't he gorgeous?  He's perfect too.  I risked life and limb to get him out of his bookmark sleeve to get a good scan of him and then struggled to persuade him back in later!!!

As I didn't know I was going to meet these intrepid travellers (Sue Anna drove six and a half HOURS each way) I didn't have anything to give them.  

BUT Diane gave me one of her new Dorset bags with a MATCHING blinged shuttle.  Also in the bag were two balls of Lizbeth - a gorgeous pink and another in brown.  I'll be telling you more about this colour combination later in the year but I'm keeping it a secret at the moment!!!  You'll have to wait!!!!

Can you also see next to the shuttle a small dangle thingy?  Well that's now dangling from the scissors she also gave me.  Interestingly Diane said that the reason for those are so that if you drop your scissors then the dangle hits the floor before the points of the scissors which could break.  What a cool idea.

In this next picture are the scissors (now in use and replacing my usual nail clippers!) and more 'toys'.  Can't wait to play with the daisy idea and the retractable leash is going to be SO useful too.  Many, many thanks, Diane.

After the holiday in the holiday!

Well, back in Cincinnati and life got back to normal duties helping out with the little kids that Karen 'minds' during the day (oh, the joys of an iPad with Angry Birds on!) and lifeguard duties when required.

I'm now going to tell you about a second kidnap attempt!!!  This was with Sue Anna.  YES, woweeee, I finally got to meet her and MORE.  

Remember that Gina travelled a vast distance (well, by UK standards) to meet?  Well if Sue Anna had travelled the distance that she did in the UK she'd have fallen off the edge and drowned in the sea!!!!  

Not only did she drive a humungous way but she also picked up Diane (Lace-lovin' Librarian) on the way!!!!  WHAT a treat for me - two wonderful people in one 'hit'.

Now one of the things I find so different in America is the fact that here we were - 3 tatters with no place to go to natter.  Remember that part of the USA was suffering a major heatwave and we would've melted outside.  So we went to Panera Bread which is a food outlet chain which spreads all over America (I think!!!).  There we commandeered a corner for the entire afternoon.  Here's a picture of the three of us!!!

Now, if you ever get the chance to meet these two lasses - be warned.  Be VERY warned about them.  They laugh loads and talk lots (well, I guess I do too!!!!).  Both are beyond generous which I'll show you on Monday.

We were in our wee corner of the restaurant for about six hours just talking and tatting.  WHAT a joy.

So, it's finished!

Well, here it is finished.  Did you think it was finished two days ago?  Sorry, forgot to mention that I wasn't happy with it like it was.

Well, it's not really totally finished as it still has to be mounted on fabric.  I will add a doweling rod to the top so that I can hang it up on a wall somewhere in the house.  Of course, this depends if it ever DOES get 'mounted' as it will probably (knowing me!!!) just get 'filed' in a drawer somewhere.

Statistics on this are.

Each diamond took roughly 3/4 hour to make.  

There are 354 diamonds (222 form the actual stars of which there are 37)

There are 18 triangles in the final round.

Then, of course there's the border and all in all the whole thing measures from side to side 27" and just over 31" from point to point!!!!

Quite a lot of work but something I would tackle again - or even more!!!!!


Oh, in case you didn't know - the patterns are here and here!!!

Sadly

There was one big disappointment during the trip and that was not being able to meet up with my hostess with the mostess from South Carolina.  


DJ (short for Dear Joanie) emailed me JUST before we were due to go on the 'holiday in the holiday' to say they were a 'few miles away' and could we meet up.  Unfortunately due to lifeguard duties in the yard, me not picking up the message in time and the family taking a united decision to leave for the ocean a day early this turned out to be impossible to achieve.  I was very sad about this as Joanie is such a dear friend who has given me a bed to sleep in and sustained me throughout two Palmetto Tat Days.  Which reminds me - don't forget that Tat Days registration is now open here.  Well worth a visit for fun, tatting, great company etc.

I mentioned that Joanie said they were 'not far away' and I still can't get over the size of America or the fact that people drive such HUGE distances to visit each other.

When Gina came to see me she drove nearly 180 miles and this makes me feel quite strange.  I'm going to tell you about another meeting in a few days - one which was just as extraordinary.

Oh, this picture is for Gina!!!!  Why?  Well, Buster is one of the family dogs and he totally and utterly fell in love with Gina.