Last Rachel

Nearly forgot this one!!! 

The last of the Rachel motifs by Rosemarie Peel that I was working on.  I did this one on my travels so therefore - no beads.  I don't travel with beads - too dangerous.  Once dropped forever gone!!!

I worked on this in Birmingham airport departure lounge, in Terry's house, Ruth's house and finally in Toronto airport's departure lounge.  An international motif you could say!!!  A little bit here and there!!!

Martha asked me a question

But I don't know the answer, really. 

I'm looking for the answer from 'you out there' so please if you know can you tell me? 

The question is about the patchwork I showed you yesterday. Martha asked what I did with the seams when I'd finished - did I press them open or all the same way.  Well in the dim and distant past I have pressed them open like they are in the attached photo (here they're just tacked into place, of course) but thinking about it I've no idea if that's the right thing to do. 

HELP!!!

Something different!

Here's what I was talking about yesterday.   Remember this?  Well further progress has been made!!!

What I like about doing patchwork by hand is the different stages.  First the decisions on what fabrics to use, then the cutting out of the pieces AND the cutting of the paper inserts (thank you to Howdens kitchens for their now 'redundant' catalogue) and then the sewing of the papers into the fabric.

Finally comes the sewing of the pieces together. 

Once the papers are tacked in I place them around the finished part on the carpet - you're getting lovely pictures of our carpet thrown in for FREE too!!!! Then I take a photo, gather up the pieces and retire to 'tat corner' (with BC3, of course) to stitch them together - referring to the photo when needed. No pesky beads to keep escaping - pure relaxation!!!!

So, the addiction continues!

I just love this thread. I think it's a Marilee Rockley one but not really sure. 

I managed to get the pattern up on my site yesterday for the Crystal Snowflake so here's the link - should you want it.

Meantime I will continue to bore you to death with more of these until I've got enough to fulfil my Christmas self imposed commitments!!!

Tomorrow, though, I promise you something different. Nope - not giving you a CLUE - you'll have to pop back to find out what it is!!!!

This snowflake is addictive!!!

Thank you SO much to all who took the trouble to help me out with this snowflake. I sort of thought I must have seen similar before and didn't think for a minute that BC3 had come up with an original flake. BUT having said that I'm still going to share it. 

There is a similar snowflake here which was kindly pointed out to me. The differences are there but I will be putting a link to Betsy's snowflake on the pattern when I've finished it.  I think that's fair, don't you?  Betsy starts with six rings in the centre of hers whereas mine starts with a mock ring/chain round a central bead.  Then I carry on with chains with rings on the chains too.  The clovers are also split up with chains too.

Anyway, I'd still value opinions on whether I should go ahead or not.  Please leave a comment so I can get the gist of what people think. 

By the way - this design started off using this pattern!!!!  No, don't ask - I've no idea how I landed up with the Crystal Snowflake!!!  Blame BC3 - like I do!!!!

Another one!

Here's another one of 'those' snowflakes!!!!

This is another of the HDT threads and I think it must be one of Karey's. Not sure, though. Any guesses where this snowflake is hiding yet?

Just a snowflake

Now, folks, this is where I want you to find the pattern for this.  I'll give you time to find it and when you do then please tell me in the comments.

This is one that can be worked in one 'hit'.  No sewing in of ends until it's finished. My sort of tatting!!!!

This made me smile

I had to smile when I got this picture and a note from one of my blog readers!!! 

She'd sent for a calendar from the Fringe Element which she was delighted with and when she sent me this picture I did a double take!!! 

Lo and behold there's a bookworm bookmark sitting on the side there!!! Soooooo funny. Thank you Jaycee for a really good giggle.

If anybody wants to make a bookworm then here's the link.

Pop A Bobbin Shuttles

I've got a few more Pop A Bobbin Shuttles to list in Etsy.  For those who haven't 'met' these before - please see the link above the post here.   Here's a direct link too.

I think most of the woods are on the page and hopefully the prices match too!!!! 

I'll let these go live on Friday or Saturday - when I remember!!!

2 PURPLE HEART £20.00 with hooks

3 EUCALYPTUS £18.00 two with hook and one without

3 0AK £18.00 two with hooks and one without

3 ELM £18.00 with hooks

1 ASH

Snowman

I've been thinking about upgrading this chap for a year or two. I HATE cutting and tying ends so have spent a while sorting him out so I've got rid of one lot of 'ends'.  Another improvement is a better hat and a new style of walking stick too.    Oh, he's also a bit longer too.  The original was a bit short and fat and I wasn't too happy about that.  Obviously either of them (old and 'improved') can be made longer anyway.

Here he is in all his 'new' glory with updated hat, walking stick, body length and scarf.

Patchwork

Now before I left planet England for planet Canada I'd decided to use up some of my stash of fabric by doing some patchwork. When my oldest daughter was small and we were very poor I made her a quilt cover and I've always returned from time to time to make smaller cloths etc out of patchwork. As the bags in my Etsy shop are plenty and slow to sell I thought I'd turn my energy to this craft once again.

The hunt for my templates started - and stopped before I left on the trip. Stopped because they were nowhere to be found!!!! I bought some papers from a quilt store (heaven on earth) while I was in Canada as I thought it was a good idea and I guessed at the size of the missing templates!!!! 

When I got home I decided to have one final look in the drawers in our bedroom (I'd looked there before several times) before going up into the loft to start a major search up there. Well, blow me down - there was the box of little stinkers right under my nose - exactly where I'd looked before!!!

This is my progress so far - all hand stitched. Well, actually, as you'll see on the lower picture the pieces are not all stitched yet. What I do is lay them out on the floor (and play with the positioning) before taking a photo and gathering them all up again. That way I can sit back in my chair and follow the photo. I LOVE my iPhone!!!!

Bubblegum seahorse

Something else I'd forgotten to show you!!! This is another of the little seahorses I made before I went to Canada. The thread is bubblegum from the Lizbeth range. 

I've been quietly getting on with the TIAS design and think it's almost ready to 'chop up' and get onto the internet. This will take me some time as I keep getting distracted. I'll show you some of my distractions next week.

Oh dear!

I've just found this little doily - which I made a month or more ago. It's been lurking on my desk waiting for me to put it away - or give it away. 

This is Rachel from Rosemarie Peel's book 'Tatting Basic Patterns. The link to her book is here.

There's something so appealing about this little motif/doily that I simply can't resist. 

Meanwhile I'm working my little socks off on the Tat It And See and this is slowly getting sorted. I need to 'chop up' the original design next and put it together as separate pages. I need a good quiet day or two to do this but at the moment that seems to escape me!!!

Lori's mouse

This is a picture of Lori's bauble.  She wrote to me while I was away in Canada and I filed her message in the wrong folder in my emails!!!  Thankfully she had the sense to remind me (very sweetly) about her 'missing mouse' and I sent out the search party yesterday!!!

I'm not showing you her mouse here - you'll have to go to the Exclusive Tatting Club to read all about him.  I know I'm a tease but you'll find him well worth a visit.

Here's the link.

Bookworms and bookmarks

After considerable 'nagging' from Pigmini and a few others on Facebook this long forgotten pattern is now available. 

The reason I didn't give it away earlier is because I was making and selling them on Etsy - until I got bored!!!  Just lately there seems to have been a lot of interest in it on Facebook - I blogged them with monotonous regularity back in 2010  and even in 2011 and again in 2011.

It wasn't long after I stopped making them that BC3 came up with what he thinks (and I agree with him there) a much better idea - the Wrap It, Flip It and Mark It bookmark.  That one never gets lost!!!

Here's the link.

A little mermaid

Do you like my little mermaid?  I was quite pleased with the way she turned out. Do you want the pattern for her?  Well you'll have to pay for this one!!!!

OK, so it's not the only pattern you'll get. There are 14 more of them and they're all to be found on the Fringe Element Calendar.  The calendar runs from  this October (just after their tatting weekend) to the end of 2016. 

I hope I haven't put you off by showing you this as there are many other very pretty designs by lots of famous designers to be found on the calendar and as a BONUS it also tells you the dates and you can fill in your appointments on it too.

For more details and the price please email the Fringe on this email address - fringetatters@gmail.com.  You can pay via Paypal too.

An apology to the lasses at the Fringe for telling you all about the calendar here as I forgot to ask them first if it was OK to blog about it.  I do tend to get excited about tatting things.  Put it all down to old age and only BC3 to help me!!  Fortunately the Fringe still have some left or I'd have had egg on my face - which, thinking about it, may have improved my appearance!!!!

Presents from Georgia

Today I have a feast for your eyes. I was given the lovely box below by Georgia at the Fringe Element Tat Days and inside were a host of 'goodies'. I'm only going to show you a few - just to make you jealous!!!!

First of all I know that this shuttle is unique and made by Georgia and Rich. I've also added a picture of the special shuttles that 'you know who' made for the Fringe too.

The little birds are heist beads - they used to be made from shell and hand carved by the Navajo or Hopi. 

Also in the box were some cabochons too but the photos didn't come out that well. I'll take more another day when the sun shines again.

The spacer bars may be gold plated (Georgia says) as they were stored with real gold and silver in her mom's things. WHAT a lovely lady to bestow all this on a mere old git. Thanks SO much, Georgia.

Shuttles

When I was taken to an antiques and collectibles fair right out in the sticks in Canada I found these three shuttles which I simply HAD to buy. 

I think the most interesting one is the one in the middle which is French Ivory - here's a link. Now this isn't real ivory, thank goodness, but a type of plastic. I wonder how well that rather large hook would work, though?

Inspired

I think this is one of the most useful ideas I gleaned on my Canadian trip. I've no idea who realised how useful these little net tubes could be for tatters. I've searched and searched online for a source to buy more but I've failed dismally. All I can tell you is that they are WONDERFUL for putting balls of thread in. 

My threads get tangled in the storage I use and that drives me MAD. These are the answer to those frustrations. Thank you Fringe Tatters for these useful little tubes.

Beads and threads

Well if you remember (or not!!) I mentioned in a previous post that Karey Solomon had called me evil when she took one of my classes at the Fringe tat days!!! She was chuckling as she said it - several times - so I know she was teasing. Least that's what I keep telling myself!!!!

Now it's MY turn to call HER evil!!! Why? Well because I'd told myself (and Nick) that I wasn't going to buy ANY MORE THREADS. So, what did Karey do? She brought a load to the Fringe and had them there to SELL. I kept walking past them telling myself that I wasn't allowed to buy any but in the end I gave in. Well, who wouldn't? They're DELICIOUS. So, Karey - I'm calling you evil!!! This is a link to Karey's shop but not sure if she sells her threads online. 

Now to the beads. Not a very good picture but these were beads that Jane K gave me. They've got holes at the tops and Jane used them for her mouse family which you can see here. Don't those eyes look great? I can't wait to make more mice with those eyes.  Thank you, Jane - you're a star.