Another view of the motif!!

This one caused me a lot of heartache with the final ring.

One suggestion is to read the pattern CAREFULLY!!!!!

Wouldn't you think that after more than 50 years with a shuttle in my hand I'd learn to READ the pattern carefully? Even my own?

The last part of this one isn't hard but the first part of the last ring is fiddly.

I DO like this pattern though and the picture shows both sides of version two. This is version one that I posted some days ago.

Last of this season's bags

I think I've now got enough bags to take with me to tat days!!!

This is the final (and I think the prettiest) fabric. It's a gorgeous print and I've used a lovely deep lilac plain lining for them. I've made four so that I can keep one for myself!!!

I performed a ceremonial 'putting away' of the sewing machine and all the bits and pieces that go with it. I doubt it'll stay put away for long, though.

Bagging again!!

This is what I made over the space of a couple of days for a friend.

On the left (plain blue) is a regular 2009 style tatting bag with a poke proof pouch lying in front. My friend brought the shuttle print fabric and her own bag and asked me if I could make one like it. This is the one on the right and it is a lot bigger. I DO hope it's OK!!! The design difference is that it has pockets on the outside.

I actually have a similar bag which I used as a 'model' but decided (personally) that as I'm such a ditz I'd be safer having pockets on the inside of a bag!! Less chance of losing things!!

I'm on the 'home run' for bag making. I've another five or six cut out and 'ready to go'. Some are half done so won't take long to finish.

Once these are done I'll put the machine away and start preparing for Palmetto.

I like to - well, I'll tell you another day. Tell or bore you!!!

News about my new shuttle

Carol Lawecki left this comment on my blog yesterday which I'm copying over here as it contains interesting information about my raffle win on Saturday:-

"I love that shuttle. I saw that shuttle in a catalog in 1998 and sent away for the catalog hoping to someday order that shuttle. Well I still have the catalog, but didn't order the Toucan Shuttle.

The catalog was called Sebalace and they are in the UK. Here is the address, but I don't know if they are still in business. Waterloo Mill, Howden Rd., Silsden, Keighley, W. Yorkshire BD20 OHA Tele: (01535) 655885. No web site listed.

There was also a fish shuttle and a seahorse shuttle like the toucan in this catalog along with other unique lace related items."

Following on from her comment I also had an email from Rosemarie Peel who also said the following:-

"Dear Jane I tried to write this comment on your blog but of course I was not logged in.

If the shuttle came from Sabalace it probably came to Caroline via the late Audrey Jackson who used to live up in Yorkshire.

She worked for Sebalace when they were still in business before she moved down to Warwick.

Prior to forming the Heart of England Tatters in 1999, I had a tatting meeting at my house and both Caroline and Audrey came."

Sadly as Audrey is no longer with us so I can't check with her. Thank you, Carol and Rosemarie. This makes the shuttle even more precious. Hmmm, I'd now love the other two in the set!

Where did yesterday go?

If anybody has the answer could they let me know?

After a messing around sorting stuff out morning, a lunchtime sorting out utility bills - grrrrr - I finally got round to some sewing. I'm desperately trying to build up a stock of bags to take to Palmetto Tat Days. I seem to be fighting a losing battle lately as life keeps getting in the way!!!

In the evening I settled down to tat another dangle but was really too tired to fiinish off the last ring of the round which is a little hard. Still there's always today, isn't there?!?!?!

I've been asked to do a design for an upcoming and top secret publication but so far the muse is eluding me. Maybe I'll get fed up with dangles soon and get cracking on that!!!

Below is one of the pictures that I took at Rosemarie's tatting afternoon on Saturday.

Butterflies

Remember my friend that I did the small snowflakes for the other week? Well she asked me to make her 10 small (5 ring) butterflies.

I'd done them for her before many, many years ago but had 'lost' the pattern and hadn't got any of her blue thread. I had to ask for both!!!

The thread arrived on Saturday morning with the pattern. I'd forgotten that she doesn't do anything other than rings and chains so her pattern started with a back wing and followed on round with a long picot on the head ring which was later cut for the feelers.

Anybody who knows me and the way I design must realise that I HATE ends and will 'work round' them at every opportunity and find ways of avoiding finishing ends.

So the first thing I did was re-write her wee pattern to make the final ring the head using a SR and thus cutting the ends to form the feelers. The butterflies are done and will be flying off in the post tomorrow!!

Tatting afternoon

What a fabulous day yesterday. The sun shone. Yup, all day - until it got dark!! Not only that but Jennifer Williams drove all the way from Welsh Wales for a tatting chatting day.

She arrived mid morning and that meant time for coffee and - well, you've guessed - tat chat in the garden.

We then went to Nuneaton (about thirty miles away) to join the Heart of England Tatters. This is the group run by Rosemarie Peel. We got there slightly late but it didn't matter. Rosemarie had a fabulous pattern for us to try. A development from a Randy Houtz one.

As usual Rosemarie was well prepared and the lesson got underway. Billy Muggins here didn't do very well. I had two (or was it three?) starts on it before the final and serious attempt got under way. Then at the crucial point my 'very important' thread broke. I gave up I'm appalled to admit. I really should've taken brain cell # 3 with me but I never gave it a thought. I'll have another attempt at the pattern in a few days time.

There was a raffle and as Rosemarie announced that she was drawing it she said 'the winner is' and I muttered number 451 quietly to Jennifer just in time to hear Rosemarie say 'number 451'. I was gobsmacked which you can imagine was a first time.

The prize was that I was asked to choose a shuttle and this is the one I chose. I've never seen one like this before. It was from the collection of the late and much missed Caroline Cramp. This was a lady who was forever tatting and laughing.

After the afternoon session finished we returned to my house for something to eat (courtesy of the Chinese place at the end of the road!) and then Jennifer drove back to Wales. Thanks, Jennifer for persuading me out of my pit and taking me to Nuneaton - I enjoyed the trip and your company very much.

Another dangle

Same pattern, same colours but used the opposite way round!!!

Great news. Remember Matthew Takeda's SSSR? Well, when Georgia first did the lesson on it I did some drawings for her. I tried the SSSR and didn't really see the potential of it.

Then along came Tattingchic with her variation on it (which, incidentally, Matthew had tried but not pursued).

Very kindly both Matthew and Tattingchic have given me permission to add their ideas to my web site which is in the 'usual place'!!!!

I find it amazing that new ideas keep cropping up and that they have all been there under all our noses as it were.

Matthew did remark that he could see little point in the SSSR at first but it's causing me sleepless nights as I can now see designs rocketing round the empty space in my head!!!

Just messing around!

I thought I'd make a few dingle dangles for gifts so this is the first of - well, several!!!

I've played with this pattern and made all the chains the same colour this time (well, actually I forgot to do a SLT) and I think I like it better. Less 'fussy'!!!

I must admit that this is one of my favourites so I often return to play with it. Really MUST sort out the pattern as in places it needs 'attention'. Maybe this evening whilst I'm working another I'll do that!!!

Sometimes

Sometimes I make something I'm REALLY pleased with. Doesn't happen often but when it does then I really feel great.

This is a hanky that I started some time ago. I do like something that I can pick up when I'm bored with designing or am too tired.

Worked in a number 80 (or thereabouts) variagated thread and using an edging that I did a year or so ago I made this edging again.

When it was finished (first picture) I wanted to add something to the corners to make it slightly less boring so in went some butterflies (second picture). It's SO pretty that I'll be able to give it to someone very special to me.

I may make another to work on while we're on holiday as it is so easy to pick up from time to time. We'll see!!!

Bags and other 'stuff'!!

Below are the bags which I've got in stock but which aren't going to be listed in Etsy until much later this year. If anybody wants one or wants to see larger pictures then please email me on lovetotat @ gmail.com and I'll sort out payment etc with you.

I can accept USD checks too as well as Paypal.

Another matter which I've been playing with is TattingChic's idea which she posted here. This second method of hers for climbing out of a round using a 'one coloured split ring' really, really works.

I will shortly post a technique page for the SSSR and this method once the pair of us have worked on the wording etc!!!

Thank you TattingChic for bringing this to tat land and Martha Ess for so carefully planting the idea in her head!!!! Now I know where brain cell # 3 has got to!!!!

Shopping bag

My new shopping bag (in American - tote!).

I finally finished this project. I'm very pleased with it.

For many years I've taken a shopping bag out with me when I go shopping so the new 'trend' to save the planet by using re-useable bags had no effect on me. Well, that's a lie - it's just encouraged me to make more bags!!

I do wish I could find the one I made many years ago which was a 'planned' pattern made in the same way. That time I used Laura Ashley prints and made a sun rising over some hills.

I'm not sure what sort of work you'd call this apart from 'hit and miss'!!!!

I bought some iron on vilene and worked out what size I wanted the bag to eventually be. Then I took the odds and ends which I'd kept from the tatting bags and placed them on the vilene (sticky side up). I lifted the pieces and pressed under some of the edges and overlapped others until I was happy with placement etc. Then the fun bit. Out came the iron and they were all 'stuck down'. Naturally there were edges that didn't stick but that didn't matter.

Next I used a narrow zig zag stitch on the machine and went round each piece. Finally the bag was made. The handles are made of three strips of fabric which have been plaited.

Bank Holiday

Well, here in the UK it's a Bank Holiday today. Over in the USA it's Memorial Day.

In my small corner of tat land I'm pleased to say that it's going to be no holiday at all!!! I'm no good at 'not doing anything' so being busy is best for me!!

The bags I've been making are steadily selling both out of my Etsy shop (see side bar) and 'off the cuff'!!!

I've currently run out of the pink bags (my 'flavour of the month' at the moment) so am going to sew up three more today. Along with two more of the blue musical fabric and another very pretty green one. I very much doubt I'll get them all sewn but the worst part (cutting them out) is done!!!

I really, really MUST write the pattern down as it's scribbled on a scrap of paper and (currently) residing with brain cell # 3 whom we all know isn't that reliable!!

Spot YOURS!!!

I'm a bit on the mean side. I'm actually very mean. I hate wasting anything. Food, money, thread, fabric etc.

So because of my frugality I have kept all the scraps of fabric from my bag making. If you've bought a roly poly or one of the latest bags you may spot 'yours' in the pictures below!!!

Earlier this week (or was it last week, even) I decided to start a new line in shopping bags (also called totes in America). Thus I got out all my scraps.

This is the 'fabric' I've made for the first shopper.

This will be the 'only' shopper as it took me forever to do!!! That's unless people are prepared to pay a lot of money for one!!!! Also I got bored towards the end too. I haven't made one of these for years and years and years. I'm not even sure where the original bag went to - it's probably up in the loft somewhere.

As I still have to make up the bag this is definitely a 'lost leader' in my brain!!!

Tatting on autopilot!

Some time ago I spoke about a friend and the fact that I do tatting for her from time to time.

Last week she rang me up to ask for more help. Sadly she has suffered a stroke so can't tat at the moment. I've been working my little socks off doing more little motifs for her.

This is the link to my last post about this work.

I hate to repeat myself - Nick's always telling me that I do but I put it down to having been a teacher for so long!!! Oh, and raising two kids!!!

Good Luck

I have a dear friend who is moving into a new house on her own this coming week.

I'm not one for making cards but I made this little one for her. Her living room has a green carpet and she loves 'bling'. Thus the beaded horseshoe.

Guess what? I forgot to scan the card before posting it!!! Oh, heck, also forgot to write down how I made it!!!

What a megga dumby I am. All who agree please stand up and be counted.

YIKES - THAT many agree? Oh, dear - I'm off outa here!!!

Look what flew in yesterday

Now, in our town we have a butterfly farm which does a lot of work preserving some of the species of insects etc which live there.

So, yesterday when the butterfly below arrived I was astonished to see that it had come all the way from Scotland!!!!

Isn't this so pretty? It was a gift from Trayna (thank you SO much, Trayna) along with some motifs for the Ring of Tatters bookmarks.

Below is also a scan of the frame I found for the butterfly. Now, all I've got to do is find something to mount the critter on and then assemble it.

She'd also put in a skein of Madeira embroidery floss which I've never tried before. Whooopppeeee.

Still monkeying around!

First of all a bit of a confession!!!!

The Funky Monkey wasn't the first monkey that I did. I did the 'lot' that are on the web page today first.

I started sort of aiming for the standing up version and then somebody I was talking to said 'why not the 3 wise monkeys'?

This meant another google search for a good picture and the rest was relatively straightforward.

Oddly enough the 3 wise ones have longer bodies. The arms and heads vary slightly but tat's all.

The old bag lady strikes again!!!

While I've been teasing about the monkeys (don't forget to watch the index page for the next pattern) I've also been busy with the bags.

Below are some that are finished along with two further pink bags (Sherry, I've got yours put by, so don't worry!).

The pale blue one is covered with music notation. Also some musical references written on it too. As I've never been interested in the least in music I've no idea what it all means!!!

If anybody would like one of these bags please drop me a line on lovetotat @ gmail.com and I'll send you one!!!! Oh, you'll get an invoice from Paypal too!!!!

I doubt I'll list these in Etsy until I get back from America. I will be taking them to Palmetto tat days with me!!!

Ta de dah!!! Here they are!!!

First of all the rest of the guesses.

Sunela said:-
"I think it is a KANGAROO!! May be the MOM who is expecting."

Marty came up with this idea:-
"It can't be a soccer guy -- they don't wear hats. It's Archy the Cockroach, yes?"

Mark (Tatman) said:-
"With a black top hat(it appears) it could be Abraham Lincoln. Didn't he have tentacles????!!!!! I think all tatters should grow tentacles so that each pair of claws could hold a shuttle and tat. How else are we to get a lot of tatting done before we leave this earth??!!!! :-D "

So, those who were guessing 'naked' were right. Except for hair,/fur that is!!! May I introduce you to the Funky Monkey!!!!

I've also done a 'City Monkey' (notice the rolled up umbrella and bowler hat) and 'Lady Monkey' (hat and handbag).

I bet somebody can come up with other versions too!!!!

I hereby issue a challenge - 'dress a monkey'!!!! How's tat?

Now if you go to my web site you'll find something intriguing on the index page!! Down next to the link to the monkey pattern. Any further guesses?!?!?