Presents

Yesterday the postman came. IF he ever brings me anything it's usually a household bill!!!

There was a packet for me from the USA. I was SO excited as I wasn't expecting anything. When I opened it I found the shuttle below tucked inside a Palmetto tshirt. I was going to model the tshirt and then lie on the scanner to show you but for some weird reason I couldn't get myself to fit on the platten!!

Best of all was the letter inside which was from Barbara Hevener. She's the lady who won the competition for the tat days logo which you can see on their page. Apparently she thinks I did a lot to help her but I'm not sure I did!!! She has a copy of the drawing programme I use and all I did was nudge her along into using it - she's a VERY fast learner. I honestly don't think I did much but I'm SO pleased with my presents. Thank you, Barbara from a VERY happy bunny in the U.K.

Good points and bad points

I've been working on the pendant and you can see progress below with at least two ideas trialed in the outer round. Looks good BUT it isn't really! The way I've added the central teardrop bead looks really good and is very easy but it's not in the right place. I need to get it dropped from the bottom of a ring and then re-joined later. I did this in this bracelet design so it's just a matter of changing things a little. Either that or I change the centre completely.

I'm reasonably happy with the outer round but it does need a lot of tweaking with the stitch count or a change to a number 40 thread. I'll decide later today!!!

I had fun yesterday adding all the blogs that I follow to my dashboard. Still not totally sure how this works but I'm gradually understanding it. I've now got 11 followers - yipppeeee.

I forgot to add that I've re-listed the remaining tatting leaflets in ebay.

All sorts to tell today!

A boring, boring, megga boring evening on the telly and several false starts on the next earring which has now been upgraded to a pendant because I feel it's a tad toooo big as an earring - even for me!!! Also, of course, it gives me more scope to play. I've put two of my false starts down below with the third better one (with a hanging bead). I shall continue with this later. Also 'down below' are the finished medium earwigs which don't look half as good as they do in 'real life'. Nick says they look like expensive Victorian antique jewelery.

Goodness knows how but I was fiddling around with the blog and found a new gadget - followers!!! So I added it to the top left of the page. I was totally gobsmacked when I put it on to find that immediately I'd got five followers. Can't tell you how brilliant that feels. I use google alerts for blogs but I'm going to have a look at the gadgets again to see what others are being offered. I shall be looking to add myself to other people's blogs too!! BEWARE - daft old git at large!!!

Thanks to Sherry (celticdreamweaver) I have now added the Spanish couple to my site. I'd completely forgotten them. Sorry, Sherry but thanks for reminding me!!!

Earrings again!

This earring 'phase' is set to last a little longer, I think!! Doing these isn't as easy as it would at first appear. Adjusting stitch counts and making a very small (very beaded!) motif for the centres is also very hard.
Anyway, below is the progress on the medium sized hoop.
On the left is a central motif that just 'didn't work'. This attempt has now been 're-cycled'!!!! The middle one - this has a new inner but I wasn't happy with the outer part. I needed to adjust the stitch count and use better beads. The final attempt on the right is fine - for now!!! I love the hanging bead in the centre and hanging below the hoop. Looks 'classier' than the long beaded picot on the first trial.

Fun with earrings

I finished the other earring of the pair I was making the day before yesterday (the brown ones) which means that I have yet another pair to choose from in the mornings!!! I really MUST clear out some of the darn earwigs - they're taking over my bedside table - in fact I'm sure they're breeding!!

Anyway yesterday morning I sat down and did the drawings for this pair. This is a fairly big task even though it's only a small piece as I want to be sure that people can follow my perverted way of working it easily.

In the evening I started working on the medium sized hoop. This one measures 1" in diameter so I don't want to make it any larger than that if I can help it. I've solved this problem by working beads into the covering over the ring.

The inner (as you can see below) is sort of OK. I shall work the central large bead into it in another way. I really fancy a 'dangly' something in the middle there. In fact I've been experimenting with ways to do that (the pink 'bits' at the bottom). All I've done is take ......... heck, I'll explain it on the pattern and do a drawing but it's really easy.

If you look really closely at the scan you'll see there are definite variations as I've worked round the ring. I was trying to work out how many ds's to do etc. I think I'll add another large 'dangly' bead at the bottom instead of the LBP. Anyway, that's this evening's task sorted!!!

The new brain!

First reports on the new brain suggest it's a clumsy one!!! I hardly ever spill beads nowadays as I use those lockable bead containers. I managed to drop a small container that isn't lockable yesterday morning so had to get the small handheld hoovery thing out (with the piece of 'hosiery' that I keep for this purpose) and put this over the end to retrieve them. So, an hour or so later they were all back where they belonged.
Blow me down - I dropped more beads two hours later and they were some of my favourites - 3 blues all mixed up! So I reckon it's a clumsy brain that Martha sent me!!! I'm still sorting those!!
Still I managed to get started on my big project. Let me explain.
I've got two sorts of earring hoops and want to start using them. One sort is open (easily closed with a pair of pliers - on the left below) and the other is closed with a small ring at the top (easily removed with same pliers!!).
There are three sizes of one and two of the other so yesterday I scanned and measured them all. I've started on the smallest one first and this is what I've come up with (along with the pictures of the hoops I've been talking about). The blue and white is my first attempt, then there was another brown one which I wasn't happy with and haven't shown. The brown one below is fabulous and I'll make another to match.

A NEW brain - at LASTl!

I think brain cell # 3 can go into retirement now because I have friends out in tat land who think of me and offer help in an entirely unexpected way.

Yesterday morning I received a letter from Martha Ess. Now this struck me as sort of odd as we usually email each other. So I opened the letter and there was a card. The note in the card read like this -

"Dear Jane. This all started when Beth Sims (of the Tennessee Southern Belle Tatters) made an off hand comment that she wished there was a tatted brain for her neuro-scientist boss. Well, I couldn't resist that ...... But everyone who saw it, including Beth, instantly said 'Jane needs more brain cells'. So here you are"

I read the card and wondered whether Martha had 'lost the plot' until I opened the folded sheet of paper inside the card. On this sheet was a pattern for a brain!!! Yes, honestly. That AND a brain included (see the picture below). Now I've NO excuse for not getting on and doing stuff. I'm now 'over brained'!!!! I don't think I'll ever become a genius but I'm certainly on the way now thanks to Beth and Martha. Thanks, Martha.

By the way - I nearly peed my pants when I saw my new brain.

Christmas colours!

Yesterday I drew up the diagrams for this little earring/motif. I could do with a good name for it. I always struggle with naming my stuff. At the moment it's called a 'ring on ring in ring earring' but that's a bit of a mouthful and I don't think it should necessarily be 'marketed' as an earring either. All suggestions welcome. I am wondering if anybody would like to try this out to see if they can follow the instructions. I have them in a Word document so would happily take on a volunteer or two.

I also managed to do part 3 of the TIAS 4.This game is proving to be very good practice at doing block tatting!!!! I've sent Sherry my three stages this morning so she can blog them when she gets time. I've solved the mystery of what it's going to be but you'll have to wait until later when it's blogged here!!!

I'm warming to this one!!!

I'm really beginning to love this earring. YES, I will wear them as earrings. Somebody mentioned making them in Christmas colours - that's this evening's 'task'!!! I'm currently drawing up the stages so it should be 'out soon' at a cinema somewhere near you. Sorry, I mean web site!!!!

Having made a few of these now I'm finding them fast to make.

I've been forgetting to mention my student at the antiques arcade in town. Remember that I was teaching her to tat? Well I pop in about three times a week for a fast lesson. She's managing rings now with picots and is ready to go onto the next stage. I think I'll have to stop calling her a student as she's become more of a friend!!!

A girl has to do what a girl HAS to do!!!

Now most people know I'm not married but live happily in a muddle with my dear partner.  This means that the threat of divorce doesn't hang over me - once bitten twice shy in both our cases.  BUT this doesn't mean that a relationship doesn't have 'those moments'!!!  So in order to avoid one of 'those moments' arriving I felt obliged to tidy up my tatting stuff yesterday!!!  It does tend to migrate somewhat!  I decided to put the books (well over 100) tidily on the shelf as I tend to take them out, look at them and put them back on top of the others!!  I came across the leaflets (about 50) that I've collected too and then decided to dispose of the duplicates.  As the title says - a girl has to do what a girl has to do.  So I spent yesterday afternoon listing them in ebay.  The reason I've got so many duplicates is because people tend to list them in clusters and sometimes there are leaflets in a 'cluster' that I want so the others become duplicates.  

I also got part two of TIAS 4 done and I know what it's going to be.  It's a miniature Eiffel tower (or Blackpool tower!!!).

I got the earring finished too and a rough draft of the pattern.  I'm not sure if folks will want to wear this idea as earwigs as they are rather large!!  I know I will but if not they could make them as zipper pulls, decorations for handbags, brooches - almost anything.  

Brain cell # 3

Well he (brain cell # 3) finally got a result late last night.  I don't totally like it yet so will take # 3 to one side and have a word with him later!!!!

It took all evening to achieve this one sample!!  The reason?  Brain cell # 3 kept wandering off into the other room so by the time I went to bed I'd decided that this was something that was going nowhere!!!  Looking at it again in the 'cold light of day' I can see that it has great potential.  Let me explain.

The centre motif is easy.  You do have to tie and cut but that should be the only one in the whole thing.  Actually covering the brass ring and including the central motif is easy but it took several attempts to get this right.  I've now got the 'recipe' for that sorted.  

What I should've done is put 1 bead onto the pink thread on the shuttle so that I could include a bead before the bottom pink split ring.  Then all you do is leave threads dangling.

The next round is just SO simple - rings and chains.  What I should've NOT done here is try to be so flipping clever.  I don't like that long beaded picot at the bottom.  It sucks big time.  I shall miss that one out on the next attempt.  I will have to add more doubles to the chains too.  Another mistake I made (and had to retro tat) is where I put the hanging LBP.  The first time I did it I put it on a chain instead of above a ring - dugh!!!  I think I'll probably use a second shuttle here and make a ring with the jump ring added.  

IF brain cell # 3 works properly this evening (and it is a wine drinking evening!!) then I should be able to get him to fathom a way of finishing the motif without sewing ends!!  That's the plan anyway.

Arrival of brain cell # 3!!!

Well the pink dolphin and seahorse didn't stick around for long!!!  They were snapped up out of Etsy and are well on their way to the USA!!!

I started Sherry's TIAS 4 and have one thing to say.  Just one complaint/criticism. It's VERY dangerous to tell old gits like me to 'put aside for future use'. VERY dangerous!!!! I just know I'll lose it. Well done, Sherry - looks good but so far no guesses - unless it's a basket!!!  OR am I just a 'basket case'?  Answers on a pin head please to lovetotat at gmail.com!!!!

OK I started on another idea yesterday evening.  If you take a look at the brown earwig beneath you'll see that this was made on a brass curtain ring - one I made some years ago.  Not sure where the pattern is but I think it's on my site somewhere!!!  

Anyway, having learnt how to cover a ring with knots I decided to give it a whirl the 'modern' way - I don't like the ugly brass showing through.  First of all I made the centre purple part.  I then added the beads to each picot.  Next I took the tail end of the green thread through each picot to sort of 'lock' each bead onto the picots.  Next I used the shuttle end of this thread to cover the brass ring also working over the tail running through the picots.  This locks the purple centre to the inside edge of the ring - firmly and neatly.  

In the purple/green scan on the left you can see that I haven't put enough knots over the brass ring.  The next one shows an improvement but I think I still think I need more ds.  Using the tail end I've next worked a small SR to take me to the outer round - but knowing me this could and will change.  

Now why do I bother to cover a ring when this could be made by just tatting round the purple inner?  The reason is because I cannot stand 'bendy' earwigs.  Mine have to be very firm but pretty.  On other designs I've relied on beads to help keep the shape but sometimes there are 'other ways'.  I'll play with this again and although it might sound hard it's really VERY simple and I'll draw it out when I do the pattern.  

Hmmmm

First of all I managed to get round to listing the pink dolphin and a few more roly poly bags yesterday in my Etsy shop.  The orange with purple flowers bags are really bright!!   I was tempted to keep a set but will part with both - I think!!!!  As it rained again most of yesterday I did quite a bit of computer stuff and also managed to make a banner for my shop!!  That was a big step for me!!!

Below are my tatting achievements for yesterday.  The orange and pink was going to be earrings but after you've looked and laughed it will be cut up and recycled.  Talk about major boo boo!!!  IF only I could read my own patterns!!!!  I didn't count how many beads to put in the centre of the first ring on the SCMR so that put the whole pattern out!!!  Actually it would've been too big for an earwig anyway!!!  I used a no. 80 with a sewing thread but next time (IF there is one!!!) I'll use just the no. 80 as I know that'll work!!!!  As a consolation to myself I made a sequin motif.  This one uses two sorts of chains.  First the lock stitch chain using 1st half flipped second half unflipped and then the other chains are 1 double flipped followed by 1 double unflipped.  I'm quite pleased with this so may add it to the sequin page as another alternative.

      

Well, somebody had to do it!

Somebody really, really had to do it so I thought it might as well be me!!!  

I had this terrible and dreadful urge to make it so in the end I gave up trying to resist 'the call'.  I know that I'm classed as being 'slightly odd'.  Eccentric might be a better word (well, more 'upmarket') but I actually prefer the description of 'stark staring bonkers'!!!  So, I did it - a pink dolphin.  There, I said it - A PINK DOLPHIN. 

I got out the thread (well, actually the pink was already out from making yesterday's seahorse and was already being used on the second one below) so no excuse not to.  I made the dolphin to list in Etsy as a sort of 'would anybody really, really want one' but I must admit that I love it and will have to make another for myself!!!  I'll list it later (along with the seahorse) and then make another this evening!!

Reports are coming in from my 'snouts'  in Palmetto and apparently the roly poly bags were successful.  Whooooppeeeeeeeeeeee.

   

Fiddling around and talking to myself!!!

First of all thanks to Tattycat and BJ who have awarded me the 'I love your blog' award.  I will add seven people later when I've done my 'duties' for the day (dad's housework etc)!!!!!

I finished a seahorse last evening and another is on the way too.  One of these is for my Etsy shop and the other is for a present.  I'm going to make another dolphin for the shop too and then a pair of earrings that I 'have in mnd'.  

The 3D dangly flower is sitting looking at me waiting to be finished too but I'm not inspired in that direction at the moment.  

Yesterday I finished off two roly poly bags and matching pouches but again am waiting to find the 'inspiration' to put them in the shop.  It takes quite a time to do the listings - it's the 'tag' part that really annoys me!!!  The rest I can copy and paste from something that's in the shop already but the tags - grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Not a lot to say!!!

This is silly.  I've not got a lot to tell today!!!  I've done a lot but nothing new or earth shattering to show.  

Yesterday I made some more roly poly bags and pouches.  Not the ones below but others which need finishing and photographing.  What else does an old git do when it rains constantly?

In the tatting part of my life I finished the basic 3D flower but it needs 'mounting/hanging' and  there lies a problem.  I've tried a couple of ideas but I'm not happy yet.  It also needs more beads.  I'm also still working on a birthday card.  No, tat's a lie.  I did nothing towards it yesterday cause I forgot!  I did some more to the baby booties in the evening and that's all!!!!

These are the bags I finished the week before my grandkids arrived.  They're not on Etsy yet and I'll probably not list them for a while until I've built up stocks.  Unless, of course, somebody wants them before then!!!!!

          

New bags!!!

Here are some previews of the new bags!!! I'm not 100% sure of these yet but one thing I can say is that they're easy to use.  I've  made the top wider than the bottom so you don't need a telescope to see to the base and what is in there!!!  The one on the left and ini the middle is the larger one and the other on the right is a smaller version.  I've lined them so they could be reversible!!!

          

New book on the shelf

Yesterday I got a new book.  This is so new that the ink's still wet!!!  Well, not really but you get the gist!!!  It's about tatting with the double bobbin shuttle and is by Sheron Goldin.  It's a really comprehensive technique book with a few patterns in to show how these shuttles can be used on loads more patterns.

I know it's going to be available at the Palmetto tat days this weekend and then afterwards from Sheron herself.  I can give you contact details if you write to me.

More roly poly bags and ........

Yesterday I made two more roly poly bags and also tried out another idea for bags.  I made these other bags (1 large and 1 small) out of some fabric that I don't like!!!  When I'd finished them I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked the idea or not!!!  Now, is it the colour of the fabric or the actual design?  I used a regular design but have modified it slightly to give a wider top when opened out.  This should (well, it does, actually) give easier access to the contents.  I'll try and take a photo today and show them tomorrow.  

Tatting.  Well I'm back working on the 3D flower again.  I've repeated the one I did in that grotty green colour with the yellow beads.  This time I've played with bead numbers, added more to joining picots and actually used WHITE thread!!!!  I went to the cupboard to get the stuff to tat late yesterday afternoon and couldn't decide what coloured thread to use and as I think this design will be more about the beads I picked out white.  Anyway I also played with the next round but there are SO many options for this I think I'll do another trial before the 'real thing'.

     

Spanish dancers

The working of the drawings and text are going well.  The text is finished.  I now have several 'heads and torsos' hanging around in tat corner but managed to finish both dancers yesterday evening to my satisfaction!!!  Next I have to check the drawings and finish off the web page.  This is where I lose interest again and am raring to go on the next idea!!!

In the afternoon I managed to finish off two more sets of roly poly bags.  I have another two sets to finish today and have thought out (and made in newspaper) the beginnings of an idea for another useful little bag.  This just needs me to work out a few more glitches before I make a 'proper' one.  I think I'll make this design in two sizes.  

Ah, here are the 'happy couple'!!!!

Yesterday I did ............

Well first of all I worked on the Spanish lady drawings.  It's amazing how much you can achieve when you get to this stage and how the text helps the drawings and vice versa!!!!  I've uploaded the web page that I also started so now I can tat what I've done from that.  Always a good sign if you can understand yourself, I find!!!  Mind, I don't make a lot of sense sometimes!!!

One thing that will be new in this pattern is how I've made the head for the lady.  This is a ring on a split ring but the ring is a different colour.  I've put the drawings below as a 'taster' but they may not make 'sense' without the text to go with them!!!! You'll have to wait for tat!!!!!

In the evening I sat and did a re-tat.  DUH, don't like the skirt anymore so will have to re-re-re-tat tonight!!!!  I doubt anybody will notice the difference but I'm not happy with the centre of it.

I also managed to cut out and start to sew some more bags in the afternoon.  SO good to get the sewing machine out again.  Loved having the boys but also good to get back to normal.

          

Normal service will be resumed!!!

After a hectic week I'm now back in 'tat mode'!!!!  Tat corner had to be cleared but it's now getting back to it's usual cluttered state!!  That's after just one evening!!!

I'm currently working through the text for the Spanish dancers and will start to do some drawings later today (with a bit of luck!).  I might get delayed by roly poly tat bags as I need to replenish stocks in the Etsy shop!  We'll see.

Today I've added the page I'd got ready before the invasion.  It's just how to make a ring on a split ring.  A friend asked for help with this so I was prompted to draw a page up.

Latest project

I haven't had a lot of time to tat the last few days but did do this the other evening.  It's 3D and is going to be a flower (with a bit of luck!).  The centre ring is actually a small metal split ring (like those used for key rings) covered with ds.  The colours I've used are A1 grotty but were readily available in tat corner!!!

I'm now wondering if the green motif I showed on Monday might form another 'layer' to this fantasy flower - with added beads, of course!!!!  I can see this working with pretty threads and beads and with that 'improved' way of adding beads to long picots it's just so easy to play with colours as you go along.

Tatting with a head in the way!!!

First of all the good news.  Remember me telling about the photo site where some of our well known designers work (as in books) had been uploaded and left open for all to see and download?  That post is here.  Good news.  Google has been told and has taken it down.  

Have you ever tried to tat with a head and a mop of curls in the way??? Not easy. We have two little grandboys here at the moment and the smallest (who looks just like a curly headed pixie) is here for his first stay away from home. I'd left some beads in a container (child proof, thankfully) and he found them. He found a couple of shuttles too with thread on so he wanted to know what they were for. Eventually I had to show him - he really does have a mind of his own - so we settled down in a chair with him on my lap. I wrapped the thread round my left hand and gave him the shuttle. He made the stitches and I flipped the flip!!! I've no doubt he'll never pick a shuttle up again but it was mildly amusing for twenty minutes to see him try!!! If only that head full of curls hadn't got in the way I could've seen what was going on a lot better!!!!!!!

Next project

The next project I want to do will be for pure pleasure. At least I hope it will be!!!! I will blog this one in progress and will write the pattern down too. Not sure if it'll ever get onto my pattern site - I'll leave it to see if there's any interest.

A few weeks ago there was an exhibition in our Civic Hall. This time it was by local wood turners. The Civic Hall (not the Town Hall, by the way!) happens to be on my route into town so it was very tempting to wander in to have a look. I bought three small wooden vases. Now these are for presents eventually but need something to 'brighten them up'. I'm hoping to do a flower for each. Not a 'stand up' sort of flower but a 'droopy' fantasy sort!!! Well, I know what I mean!!! Hopefully it will work!!!!

I did this last night for a 'tester'.  It's nowhere near what I hope to eventually finish up with (this is some nasty coloured thread that I'm trying to 'use up') BUT it has lead me to think of something 'new' for an earring out of it.  Well, out of the first row or two.  I've squashed it on the scanner but  it actually is sort of 3D.  The first 'ring' is worked as in covering a cabone ring but this time I worked over one of those tiny split rings (like a jump ring but without the gap).  Fewer picots on this (2 fewer) will make it more 3D and nearer what I'm looking for.  

There may be a 'gap' in my blog this week as an invasion of grandboys is happening!!!

Am I thick?

All answers on a postage stamp, please!! Actually I know the answer - YES!!!!

Dare I admit how long it's taken me to make a slideshow on this blog?

OK, yes, I'll confess. Weeks. Yes, weeks. First I tried to do it using Flickr, then I tried Photobucket (well, I'd got accounts with both of those!!!). No luck. In desperation I set up a Picassa account. Eureka - this worked first time (well, almost!!). I still don't know why the other two accounts wouldn't work but I think it might be because Picassa may be the default account to use with blogger. I'm no nerd by any means. Actually I'm more a dren (nerd spelt backwards!!!). Still, it's working so I can now add more pictures as and when I want or need to play!!!

Now, the lover!!!!  Here he is finally in all his 'glory'!!!!  What a dashing pair!!!

Sorry, no progress!!

Yesterday I did nothing, well no tatting as I had too much other stuff to do and by the evening (and after a glass of the red) I was feeling toooooo lazy. Life gets complicated at times and I've been hurt by somebody who I used to consider a friend and who I've helped a lot over the past year or more. I'm at a complete loss as to why but shit happens and life goes on!
On a separate issue. A tatter in the UK sent me a url where a lot of my images from my patterns had been uploaded. Now this is an odd situation to be landed in. Let me explain.

I put patterns on the internet so that others (if they like) can download and use them. I expect no reward for this and no payment. When I find that my images have been taken and put on a photo web site then I wonder why. What would be the reason for doing this?

I have, over the years, put my images onto a couple of these photo hosting sites but I don't allow others to 'see' them without inviting them to. With Picassa, Photobucket, Flickr etc you can 'choose' who sees them.

OK, so this is no great deal for me (images being taken) although I wonder what they've been linked to. BUT when I see on this same site that my friends and others have had entire books scanned and uploaded for anybody to see/use then my blood boils. I'm not going to give the link as that would be acknowledging that this form of copyright theft is OK.

Many thanks to the friend who pointed this out to me. Already one of those affected will be taking action against this person through their publisher.

The lover and his problems!!

Now working out a new design always has it's problems but in my case most of them suffer at one time or another from a lack of concentration or tiredness.  Oh, could that be old age too?!?!?  

Do take a peek at the Spanish dancer's lover.  I finished this one (apart from his hat) on Wednesday evening.  Poor chap.  I think he'll need a walking stick as his one leg is longer than the other.  Could he be the original 'Long haired lover from Liverpool' or perhaps just 'Daddy Longlegs'?!?!?!  All suggestions are very welcome!!!!  Please keep them clean, though!!

When you look at him carefully and count the rings there are the same number on each leg.  Something has 'gone wrong' in the crotch area.  I hope to explore this later today.  I worked up another 'lover' and got to the stage when I was down the first side of one leg.  That, I felt, was a good time to stop and wait for brain cell # 3 to arrive for his weekend break!!!

The old bag lady strikes again!

Now while I was sitting in the waiting room awaiting my turn to see the nurse on Monday afternoon I was tatting as usual. For years now I've found that waiting rooms never have a bin for rubbish!! So, here I was with my bits of thread yet again and nowhere to put them.

Not only that but I've been using a small (and getting grubbier!!) plastic bag to put finished butterflies in. I thought, yet again, that I really have to take myself in hand over the way I work in these situations. I thought (don't forget that I only have 2 regular brain cells and thinking makes them hurt) - this needs a bag!!

So, on Tuesday I set out to try and make one to cover my 'needs'. You'll see what I've made below but I'm not happy with this design yet!!! (Sorry about the poor quality pictures). It's sort of a mini roly poly but with a drawstring top. I've put a small 'pocket' on the outside for 'bits' of thread to be pushed in until I get home from the vets (sorry, I mean doctors/hospitals) but I'm not happy with this yet. It's fully lined but it is a bit too small!!! I'll have to have a re-think on this one!!  It's got to be small enough to fit into the roly poly but not tooooo small.  I think it may just need to be a bit taller but with the same sized base?  Any suggestions would be welcome - even (and especially) funny ones!!!

How do we close a self closing mock ring?

Now stand up all those who think this is a daft question!!!

How many years have we all been making these SCMR's popping the working shuttle through the loop and then closing it? I know the answer - toooooo many years!!! Imagine my surprise when Anitra wrote the other day with what she thought was a 'good idea' and another way to close this element in tatting. I tried it and it works. In fact there are two new ways to close the SCMR.

Now, one might ask, why do we 'need' or 'want' another way to close this element. Well, like me and probably many others Anitra was a bit dissapointed with the look of the regularly closed ones. She found that the bottom mock ring didn't always seem to 'sit' well on the previous element. Heck, I can't sit here trying to explain what she did. Best thing is for you to go and look here.

Oh, you can sit down now!!!!!

For Georgia!!

I'm sure she won't mind me sharing as I've no idea why dear Georgia challenged me to this but she did!!!  A few months ago when I was deeeeeply into sequins and Christmas trees Georgia had seen a couple of rainbow patterns and decided they reminded her of a Spanish dancing lady's skirt.  

She asked me if it was possible!!!  Here's the lady so far.  

Georgia really wanted the rose to be held between her teeth but it looked a bit daft to me but that can easily be changed with a couple of stitches using invisible thread.   Next project?  Hmmmm, the lover to dance with her, I guess.  

Strange when I start these new projects I always think it won't be hard cause I can steal from my other patterns.  Rarely, if ever, does this work out!!  I did take the basic arms and head from the button family but even those had to be changed to get the arms in the 'right' position!!!!  

I managed to finish her yesterday evening after 'one of those days' chasing my tail.  It started on the run in the morning and continued like that all day but I did manage a walk without getting wet!!!  Still it's what keeps me young and beautiful (cough, cough, splutter, splutter), I suppose!!!

What I really, really need!

I was out on my daily walk (between the inevitable showers) when I realised what I really, really want (or need) is a bag. Whoops, I know I've got bags galore but this would be a different sort of bag.

When I'm sitting in waiting rooms or such like and 'tat in public' I usually make small SCMR butterflies. I give away as I go but usually have a stock of them in a bag. Well, I say in a bag but this is usually a small self seal plastic bag. I would like a 'real' bag to put my little stock of butterflies in.

This bag needs to be small and easily opened and closed in a hurry. I'd also like it to open out flat so that people can choose which coloured critter they want. So, when I got home I had a quick 'play'. I've come up with a simple round shape with a draw cord right at the top.

I need to avoid a tie which needs knotting or tying in a bow. I think I've got the answer. I hope to show the first 'draft' tomorrow or Wednesday.

Tatting? Slow progress and little of it!!!

Another day another ?

Another day another lot of rain!!! I woke yesterday morning to an request for one of the two new blue bag sets (see yesterday's blog post) which I'd not even got into Etsy!!! Great, thought I and went and listed the purply/burgundy and the other blue set in the shop.

I cleared up after my sewing stint of the previous day and then went down the town to get bread etc.

By the time I got back the second blue one had sold!! This was my fastest sale so far!!  So, after lunch I went down town again and mailed that one. I have almost finished another red paisley set which will become part of my stock. I've got two pretty floral sets cut out and ready to sew.  Bag making will stop in the winter as it will be too cold to work in the conservatory!!!

Tatting?  The new project made reasonable progress last evening but I need a total re-tat of part two which means re-writing the text.  Not too much of a problem as I do it on the laptop 'as I go'.  I remember all those times when I used to jot everything down on paper and then not be able to understand what I meant the next day!!!  Those were the sad old days before brain cell number 2 arrived!!!