New (ish) earrings!

I've got a whole new outfit.  A rare, very rare happening for me.  I HATE shopping for clothes - always have done.

I used to make all my own stuff but haven't for many years now so I find it extremely difficult to choose from rails of 'ready mades'!!!! 

BUT I love making accessories so I made these earwigs using this pattern (with adaptations, of course) to make these in the same colours as the outfit.  I'll add the findings later today but I couldn't wait to share.

I bought the trousers from the Isle of Wight, the tshirty top from Debenhams and the over jacket from the Friday street market and it looks fine as a whole 'set'.

I MAY make a matching pendant tomorrow - IF I have the time and the inclination!!!

Just a small thing.

Not a lot going on in my corner of tat land.  I apologise to all those New Zealanders to whom I promised a new pattern.  I WILL get there.

Summer isn't a good time for designing as I never get settled to anything early enough in the day!!!  

I gave away about a dozen bookmarks on Monday as a very special thank you to a group of people so am now going to start 'stocking up' again.  Still it keeps  me out of mischief - or it's supposed to!!!

To follow on

To follow on from yesterday!!!

If you follow my blog then you'll have read yesterday's post about the Palmetto quilt and will have seen the finished item.  

I've never ever done a square like this before and so agonised over it for ages and ages.  The first picture below is the 'naked' square and the second is my contribution.  

They are actually the same piece but the second one isn't 'true' colours.  Probably because of the 'bling' shining and the flash catching it.  Not sure as I don't understand photography - I'm a point, guess and press person!!!

Did you see Erin's square here?  Can you spot Georgia?  Having seen this square I'd love to have mine back and add more to it but it's tooooooo late!!!

You've just GOT to see this.

I mean it - seriously, seriously SERIOUSLY.  

This is the ..........  

Well, I'm not telling you what it is you've just got to CLICK AND GO there!!!!

A commission

My day at the Medieval Fayre was my first ever (as far as I can remember) attempt at selling tatting 'live' and was for me hugely successful.  Here's another link.

While I was demonstrating one elderly couple spotted this dangle which wasn't for sale but was on my display.  The lady insisted she wanted two similar ones made for her granddaughters and I took details of the colours she wanted (orange, red, yellow with a little blue and green).  She said they must be exactly the same or they'd argue!!!!  I'm sure we all understand that!!!

Now whoever designed this pattern is either totally and utterly certifiable or mildly bonkers - I go for the first option!!!  


It's not hard but it does need to be read carefully as it's worked.  I thought of re-writing it but in the end decided that IF I could follow it several years after designing it then it would stay as it is!!!  I'm the world's worst at following my own patterns!!!!

A diversion!!!

Not tatting at all but a slight diversion!!!!  

I took this movie while on  holiday - yes, real live wild badgers.  I LOVE badgers. 

Here are a couple of photos too.  They came up to within a foot of my feet each evening.  The wet marks are made by their noses as they were eating the peanuts we put out for them.


Badgers don't have very good eyesight or hearing.  They do rely on their sense of smell and as I was sitting just inside the cottage they couldn't smell me.  In the short movie clip you can see and hear that we have lights on both inside and outside in the courtyard and the television can be heard too.  


SUCH a privilege to be 'up close and personal' to these animals who hurt nobody.  

Hmmmm

There are some people living in tat land who think I've got a good sense of colour.  I'm now going to prove them wrong!!!!

I took these threads on holiday with me - roses (an HDT that I was given) and a plain thread which is probably a Coats.  Both  are size 80.  I made this hanky edging which I FORCED myself to sew onto the hanky yesterday.  

I love the threads (particularly roses) but I'm not sure they show up this pattern very well.  The plain pink is lovely with the HDT but it's tooooo close in colour.  The pattern?  Well it's not on my site yet but may eventually get there!!!

I reckon I'm going to keep this hanky for myself.  The first one in 53 years of tatting that I've ever made and have kept.  


Hang on - I've got probably two in my exhibition stuff but wouldn't dream of using those or giving them away.  This is going to be my treat to ME!!!  Happy UN-birthday, old git!

Still sorting out

Nothing to show but something to report!!!

I finished off the hanky edging I took on holiday with me.  Actually it didn't get touched until the last few days when my 'rest' from tatting became a 'need to tat' feeling!!!

I may get round to attaching it today but it's doubtful as it's a full day ahead.  

Two commissions to do next but I'll show those as they are done.

After that?  Who knows - certainly not me!!!!

While I was away

Life is amazing sometimes.  There I was on this small island off our south coast, in a small seaside town with plenty of charity shops when I turned a corner and found a BEAD SHOP!!!!  What a wonderful surprise!  Not only that but it was a GREAT bead shop too!!!!  

Unfortunately we were parked on the street with only half an hour's free time.  I came away with this little 'stash' which (of course) I didn't really 'need', did I?  Anyway I asked the guy if he'd got an online shop and he gave me his card so I could find it easily - here's the url.

So, what have I got here?  There are two strands of 'beads' (well they have got holes through the middles!) which were 'cheap as chips' at £1.50 a strand.  There are some rings which are rubberised and which got my old brain cell # 3 woken up!!  Next are some clasps (top left) which could be very useful for hanging things onto my handbag - like keys etc and two more cell phone lanyards for putting dangles on!!!  

Finally there's a kilt pin with three loops (top) which will be used to make a brooch for my winter coat.  Not sure yet quite how this will work out but just 'watch this space'.  NO, not the space where my brain is - THIS one on my blog!!!!

Did you miss me?

I've been on holiday for the past two weeks so wonder if you missed me?

I've done very little tatting during this time so you'll probably find that there are a few 'blank' days over the next week or two until I get back into the swing of things!!!

I managed to read and moderate the comments while I was away as I had about two hours internet access each week - in the local library.  This is where I was - on the Isle of Wight.  Here's another link too.


I've re-opened my Etsy store and hope to be adding more to it over the next few weeks - watch that space!!!

Oh, I forgot!!!!

I forgot to tell you what I'd decided to call this motif.  Who was that who said 'typical'?

About halfway through I decided it was to be the 'Joseph Motif'.  I've nearly got the page done so should get it sorted by the end of next week.

Having got THAT far

Well having got the six done I did complete that round of the 'goodness knows what this is' piece.  

In a very, very rash moment and, after receiving the last package from Sue Anna, I decided that perhaps this little experiment to show off HDT could go on a bit longer.  The original plan was to make a wearable piece like a tunic or something.  Who am I KIDDING!!!!  My eyes have always been bigger than my stomach - as the saying goes!!!!!!

After this round I'm calling it quits - my mind has wandered off onto other things which really, really need doing.  Like?  Well, you wait and see!!!

The END

Here's the final piece!!!  Seven altogether!!  

Good news is that I still like this pattern and the idea.  Wonder how long that will last!!!!

SIX!!!!

Having got this far I was totally committed so here's day 6!!!

Now during this I'd been sliding off and doing other things - well, I'm easily distracted!!!

Then there were five!!

This was a hard day - I did have to decide which was going to be the central motif and I went for the blue!!!  

Now we have four!!!!

Next time I returned to this project I added a further motif.  

I'd still not decided how big this project was going to be OR which would be the central motif!!!  All those decisions are wearing on an old brain.

Three little pigs!!!

No, not pigs but three of the motifs together.

This was the day I really, really did wonder if it would work!!!  Two's OK but three could've been a problem.

The negative space looks good too.  I think I can carry on to make a small mat of some sort.  Originally and secretly I plan to make something bigger but .....................

They're driving me MAD!!

A small break in the saga of the motif!!!!  

The title for this post is referring to the dangles driving me mad - BUT one could ask whether I wasn't already mad anyway!!!!

I'm going to make more of these in the future.  

Progress

So, after seeing yesterday's attempt I had to find out if this motif would join to another!!!  

The easiest way to do that was to make another and then put them together.  Now anybody who lives in tat land will know that this isn't 'fool proof' as tatting does change when you get to work another round or start to put things together!!!

This is what it looked like - promising!!!

The starting point!

I think it was about two/three months ago I started on this design.

It's actually worked in one 'hit' but you do have to swop out the one shuttle and replace with another.  

Originally I designed it to act as a 'showplace' for all the lovely, lovely HDT and Lizbeth threads I've been given.  This doesn't really do it justice with these colours.