Left overs

When I was a kid and learned to tat I used to buy the old Coats and Penelope booklets with my pocket money. In those they always said 'two balls of size 20 thread' or whatever. It never occurred to anybody to actually work out how much thread was needed for each item and that was the 'status quo'.

Roll on another forty to fifty years and it's now become the 'right thing' to do to add the thread quantities required to a pattern. I try to do this - just to keep up with the fashion!!!! However, I find it hard to make myself do this for anything larger than a doodle as I am aware that people's tensions are different and so they may well cuss and swear at me when they run out of thread before the end of a pattern!!!

Just for your amusement is a picture below of the amount of thread left on EACH shuttle after making a bracelet the other evening!!! I always wind thread back onto balls after I've finished a piece (frees up shuttles and keeps the 'right' thread on the 'right' ball) so when I wound the shuttles for the bracelet it was with threads put back on the ball from the time before!!! 

What a lucky old git I was, eh?

Pink cupcakes

So, having made the yellow cupcake earrings like the ones here - I 'needed' a pair for myself. 

Then I decided that perhaps - with a bit more imagination - I could make a pendant to go with them!!!! So, here's my 'outfit'!!!!

Sprinkles on top too!!!!

A change of direction!!!

I know I'm addicted to the bracelets but I also need to make a few more Fandango bookmarks. 

These are being made for a very special reason which I WILL tell you about once the event has happened. No, it's not that far ahead - less than a month, as it happens!!!!

I've worked this one in size 40 again using two Olympus threads. One plain and one variegated.

Here we go again!!!

Here's another Starry button bracelet and earrings set. 

I think I'm slightly addicted to making these - already planning another!!!! 

It's a good job I've got people to give these to as if I hadn't I'd have to turn myself into a multi-eared octopus!!!!

Yellow cupcakes

Today I can now show you these cupcakes that I made for a friend. I couldn't show them before as they hadn't arrived at her place!!!

The larger one is a brooch (just needs a finding added) and the small ones are earrings. They are one of the patterns that I'm teaching at Tat Days in September and the pattern will be on the CD that is available after the weekend is over.

Now I really need to make myself a set. Problem is - what colour shall I use? All these important decisions are so wearing!!

It's ALL Sally's fault

Both of us have had the tatting doldrums recently but Sally recovered faster than me and showed me these diamonds she's been making. 

I was so impressed I thought I'd play again with the pattern which can be found here.

I decided not to go for the beads in the middles of rings like Sally but I put them on picots and on the outside of the motif. 

This was done with Lizbeth 153 (Rainbow Taffy - a real favourite of mine) and Lizbeth 104 (Summer Fun) with two plain Olympus threads. I used a size 40 for all of them.

I think the doldrums are over now - thank you, Sally - I have other projects in mind for the next few days!!!!

Bag making continues!!!

I'm still busy, in between other things, making the new style of bags - the Squared Away Tat Bags.

There are a few in my Etsy shop here.

Must tell you a story about this session of bag making. I'd got the idea from somewhere on the internet and adapted it for my own idea of what it should be look like for tatters!!! 

I'd made a few (7, in fact) and then was forced to take a break for a couple of weeks while life took over.   Last Sunday was my first opportunity to sit down and start making more.  I'd got 11 cut out, pressed and ready to sew. 

So I started with putting the zip in the first one.  Easy peasy. Then I started the next part. I sewed it up wrong. I realised straightaway what I'd done and unpicked it. Then I sat and sat and stared and stared at the 'zip between four bits of fabric'!! What on earth do I do next, I asked BC3.  I walked away from it, thought about it more, wandered back and suddenly the lightbulb came on!!!!  I got it right this time - BUT the handle wasn't in the right place!!! !!!!!

FINALLY an hour later I sorted it out both the bag and the handle.  Then with BC3 - I was back in business!!!! I made more yesterday and this time I had no problems at all!!!!  These two below are in the shop.

Another set!

Now I really like this colour way. So hard to let this set go as I like it so much.

It's got to go, though. My box (second one) is full of finished tatting and I can't cram anymore in at the moment.

So time to put the ear findings on and think about who to give it to or to put it in my Etsy shop.  Decisions, decisions!!!!

I've already got more jewellery than an old git could possibly wear!!!

A larger horse

I'm not 'into' horses - never understood the attraction of them. I did once sit on the back of a pony when I was in my thirties. Frightening experience - no clutch, or gear stick and definitely no brake either!!!! Poor animal - I think it was as pleased as it was when I made my ungainly way off it's back!!! 

After re-writing the small horse pattern I decided to do a larger one to submit to Tat Days.  They didn't choose this guy so now I can share it!!!!  

Well, you'd think that would be easy enlarging the horse, wouldn't you?!?!? No WAY. I had to do a lot of alterations to make it work!!!

Well, best get dressed and have breakfast. 

Nearly forgot (what's new, eh?) - here's the link to this critter.

Ready, Steady, GO!

Palmetto Tat Days registration is now open!!!

Here's the link to the schedule and here's the link to the classes on offer.

What ISN'T on the site is the fun that will be had by all.  Great food, lots of fun and a humungous welcome from the Palmetto 'gals'.  

Do hope to meet some of you there - it's a busy weekend for me but there are many odd moments to just 'tat and chat'.

Well, you all knew it

You knew that I wasn't quite 'all there' in the brain cell capacity and now I'm going to have to admit that I know it too!!!

I was preparing the next pattern to put on the pattern pages when I went to look at the small horse again. Dozy old mooooo that I am - I'd omitted the drawing from the page!!! So, here it is with the drawing too!!! I hang the aged head in shame!!!

When making a pattern page I try like crazy to get everything onto as few pages as possible.  That may have been the reason the drawing got omitted on the small horse pattern!!!!

It REALLY ANNOYS ME when people spread a simple pattern over about five sheets of paper. I mean - WHAT a waste of ink, paper and natural resources!!!   I also moan about the size of font used and the type of font. 

One thing I learned early in my online days is that Times Roman (the usual default font used on most computers) is about the hardest one to read either in a book or online.  I always change mine to Helvetica or (my favourite) Verdana.

A green set

This time I've got a green bracelet and earring set to show you. I just love making these - buttons and beads go so well together.

I've got a few more sets to show you and I really, really hope to get two more patterns up soon. 

Every time I try to find time to sort them something else becomes a priority. I'm seriously thinking of getting a job so that I've got more time to do the things I like. 

More bookmarks!

Before I show you the bookmarks - I'm going to add the link to the radio interview I did the other day - in case anybody wants to hear it!! Just scroll along to 01.15 about a third of the way through to find it!!!

Now to what I really want to show you - more of the Wrap It, Flip It and Mark It bookmarks which are ready either for my friend to choose from or for the vending room at Tat Days!!! 

If you want one for yourself before then please take a wander over to my Etsy shop here.  I'm going to make more of the new bags too - when leaky roofs and a plethora of other 'rest of life' problems have been sorted!!!!

Fifteen minutes of fame!

I've had my fifteen minutes of 'fame'.  

Well that's not quite true. It was more like infamy!!!!  You know me or should do by now!!  I don't like 'fame' and would rather be known as infamous!!  What's that silly saying?  'Infamy, infamy - they've all got it infamy'!!!!!!

Now for the story!!  Some weeks ago the local radio station rang me up to ask about some family history.  Bearing in mind that my family have been terrorising the local area for generations I was surprised they'd bother!!!!   Well that led eventually to us talking about - guess what?  Yes, tatting.

They rang again last week to ask me to go to Coventry to do an interview but as I'm terrified of driving there and wouldn't dream of doing it they decided to do it over the phone which suited me a lot better!!!

So, we talked tatting with a little bit of family history at the end!!!  Great fun but I don't think I'll make a career of it!!!  Well, it would be hard to really as you can't talk about tatting all day and every day - can you?!?!?!?  Hmmm, tat's food for thought - now where's my brain cell three when I want him? 

Just pink

The top two earrings are the new ones - just finished and 'thrown' onto the scanner!!! When I get to the stiffening stage I'll squidge them into shape with the glue too!!!

The one at the bottom was the ones I was trying to replace as I made them YEARS ago and they've gone all 'skanky' - if that's a word!!!!

Will you get bored?

Yes, I think you might!!!! I'm going to be blogging some of my recent 'makes' so you may well start yawning and groaning!!!

Please don't leave me, though as I will be putting up more interesting 'stuff' during the boring phase - tat's a promise!!!

Today I'm showing you the first of my latest 'got to just tat' things. I go through phases of just wanting to 'make something'. I can't live a day without making something (sometimes just mischief) and designing new 'stuff' means I go days and days without actually 'making' anything I can share.  I enjoy that too but sometimes one just 'has to tat'!!!!

So, below is a Starry Button Bracelet and a pair of these earrings.  Now I know I've got earrings that 'go' with the bracelet but they are rather larger than most people would wear. These are going to be gifts so I'm more 'careful' about sizing. 

Very sad but true

Yesterday I found a link (in a Facebook tatting group) to a whole tatting book that is hosted on a Russian site.  Although NOT on Facebook itself, the fact that the person posted the link on Facebook means more people will 'assume' that it's OK to do the same thing and thus the problem of copyright theft will continue and escalate.  There are often whole pattern pages from books published on Facebook too.  

The book concerned was written by one of the well known designers in Tat Land and is self published.  I wrote to her to tell her.  Earlier this week another designer had her work stolen (yes, STOLEN is the right word) too and that was published on Pinterest. 

They've both had this happen before and the first one (linked on Facebook) has now given up on designing which is a great loss to our community.  If this sort of behaviour continues then it'll be the end of new and interesting designs for all of us. 

I've deactivated my Pinterest account and have already opted out of a lot of Facebook participation although I still belong to a lot of groups I don't and won't actively take part on a regular basis - in silent protest.  Yes, I can 'do' silent.

Then there are the copytats.  These are people who again steal.  They see something they like and rather than pay for the pattern (either in a book or on Etsy) they spend time copying other people's work.

I'm so ANGRY that there is obviously no respect left for people's hard work and their need (in some cases) to earn a living.  I am also glad that my work doesn't attract this sort of attention - probably simply because it's free or maybe not good enough.  Who knows.

Now, back to tatting.

Valencia

That's the name of the doily I've been teasing you about!!!

I can't tell you anything more than that as it's on just a sheet of paper that I think came from gran's when she died. There's writing on the back which leads me to assume it's from a magazine like The Lady or something similar. I can't share it as I don't know who it belongs to and I doubt anybody could 'copytat' it as it's quite complicated in places. 

Anyway, personally I think it would be immoral to copy it unless somebody knows who it's by. I feel that copying from a picture unless it's SOLELY for personal use is immoral and to then brag about it is like rubbing salt into the wound. It's happened to me in the past when I USED to put work in progress on this blog. It hurt like heck when that happened as I couldn't believe that somebody would do it when they knew they were getting the pattern for FREE sometime soon.

I've had my say so will now disgracefully dismount from my soapbox!!!

WOW.

I'm gobsmacked - or something like that!!! Two of the new tatting bags have already sold from my Etsy shop here. That's waaaaay cool. I've listed a few more today as I've had time to finish them off. 

I've got another few more to list and also another eleven cut out and ready to sew but those won't get started on until next week and I may well keep them to take for the vending room at Tat Days!! 

I figure that way I get to keep the 'Etsy fees' and also get more of an idea from people as to whether they are a good idea - or not!!! First hand feedback is the best.

Small horse

This is a pattern that has been floating around on my site for ages. I decided to submit it for Tat Days with quite a few amendments but it wasn't required!!!

So, yesterday I managed to finally pull the pattern together and re-upload it to my pattern pages!!!

While I was playing with it I decided to make a larger horse too. That will be available either later this week or next. Just need to get it all together and do the links for that one too!!!!