Trying to decide

I'm trying to decide which is my favourite but it's impossible!!! I don't often like using variegated threads but for these it seems to work well. After all butterflies aren't just one colour, are they?

Work is almost done on the drawings so now I just have to assemble the page and fit it onto the blank pages in a way that will save paper and ink for those who want to print it out.

This is always a major, MAJOR concern of mine - saving the planet by trying to fit everything onto as few sheets as possible but making the pattern easily readable. 

Personally I never print off a pattern whether mine or anybody else's. I work entirely in a digital form. I check that the patterns fit a page by doing a 'print preview' and then, when I'm happy, it's a 'done deal'!!! That's the beauty of using Pages (I use a mac) as it's so easy to move stuff around.

Right - time for a cuppa!!!!

It just HAD to happen

Addiction set in. 

These little cuties are such fun to make. Although you do have to do one cut and tie but that's all there is. I've made it so you can progress from the body to one set of side wings which helps a lot. 

Drawings have started for the finished pattern so lockdown is still working in my favour!!! 

Lockdown gives me time to start and finish within a short timescale - just cause I can't go far to find/make mischief!!!

Next project and an apology

First of all an apology from a silly old moooooo.  That's me!!!  I'd done a 4th drawing for the small bow and somehow deleted it before 'pdf'ing it and uploading it!!!  I've corrected myself and given my left hand a slap with my right  hand!  The 4th diagram is now on the pattern.

Now the next project that I'm doing is the butterfly in one of the Dutch books.

The first puzzle to me was the fact that there appeared to be two of them with slightly different bodies. You can see them in the picture below.

Once I'd translated the pattern and read and re-read it a few times I realised that the one on the left with the ends dangling was the same but 'not quite finished'. So I've abandoned the nun's destructions for the body as it involved sewing the it into a tube and went in search of another idea.

Well, there it was right under my stupid little nose. It's part of the fairy that I did here. As the legs/arms of the design have been stolen by two other people for their 'original’ patterns - and without asking me first, I thought it would be OK to use the idea for the new body.

So, I've modified it a little and it's now the new body of the butterfly.

I need to draw this up and do all the usual 'stuff' to it and then I'll share it. I may have to bore you with a few more pictures in the meantime as I'm going to enjoy making these!!! 

Bow pattern finished.

Finally finished the links yesterday so here's the completed pattern.

I hope somebody will make it and use the spiral tatting from the link I shared yesterday.

Now, what shall I do next?!?!?

A finished bow!!

Well the fiddling around with it and sorting it out is finished but now I have to finish the text and drawings to go with the actual tatting!!! 

This is the Dutch bow that I found in the little books and fell in love with. It's got the spiral tatting in it and this was where I learned the trick of making the spiral chain!!!  Here's a 'how to' page.

Hope to have the pattern finished by tomorrow - there are certain advantages to lockdown!!! Keeping me in captivity forces me to actually complete things!!!

First attempt small bow

I found another bow in the Dutch books which I fell in love with. Again this needed a lot of thinking about and that really hurts my brain!!!

You can see from this first and failed attempt (well, actually it's probably the third attempt as the others got thrown away) that there are spiral chains in this pattern.

This is a technique that I've happily avoided for years and years!!! I'm NOT a 'dropper of shuttles' as it slows me down. In all the destructions (sorry, instructions) I've seen it says to work 5 or so first half doubles then drop your shuttle over the work. WHAT? NO tatter wants to let go of their shuttles!!

But here's the thing. This was one clever nun/sister as she didn't do that. She said to - well, here's a technique page to show you. I’ve NEVER seen a spiral chain done this way but now it’s the only way I’ll ever do them in future!!!

I hope to get this done over the weekend and hopefully on my pattern site by the middle of the week.

Another earring design

Well that's what it started out as but it ended up being far too big so it's now become a pendant!!!

The necklace part is one of a whole LOT that my dear friend Joanie gave me when I was staying with her in America last September. I've used quite a few as I do tend to wear pendants.

Can you see that with this doodad I've actually joined to the centre by taking the thread up and down underneath the outer holes. Took a bit of fiddling but after the first one it was easy!!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it too!!!!

I've only got notes for this design as I'm not sure if anybody would want it. I'm definitely going to make more for myself though!!!!

I DID it!!!

I sat my sorry butt down on my chair in the 'office' (another of our clutter rooms) and made myself do the links for the Medina angel yesterday.

I'll admit that I was going to do it on Sunday but I suddenly saw a glaring mistake (or, rather three) in the drawings!!! I gave myself a thorough ticking off and sorted them out.

Meantime I'm now starting on another Dutch adventure - by the time I've finished with these little books I'll have earned myself a pair of Dutch clogs and probably even a windmill!!!!

Oh, nearly forgot - here's the link.

This is the original picture that I worked from for the bow.

I've finished Medina

Well, almost!!! With thanks to the test tatters.

The 'only' thing I've got to do now is to put the page on my pattern site. I think I stand a chance of getting it done today!

This was a relatively easy project as I'd beaten the original bow into submission already!! The only problem I've had with this is I got a bit 'lost' with which shuttle should have which beads on but I've left it as it is as I figured (least BC3 did) that most tatters who would tackle this project would know to do a switching of shuttles etc to get them in the right place!!!

There's NO WAY I was going to go back and work out the yardage on this project either as I must admit I'm now glad to see the back of it.

BUT (and you must treat this as a public warning) I am working on another of the 'lost' patterns from these wonderful little Dutch books.

Starting on the angel

As promised I've now started on the angel but with plentiful beads!! Well, a girls gotta have her beads, hasn't she? When I use the word 'girl' I really mean Old Git - meeeee!!!

Hopefully this version of the Medina bow won't take quite so long to do but who knows!!! It's already completed and awaiting my dear test tatters to find the hiccups. Jane has already found a few!!! 

More emotitats

Yvonne has some students (tatting ones) and two of them have made these emotitats. The pattern can be found here should you want to make any.

New pattern - finished bow

I did it!! Got it all sorted yesterday so here’s the link to the new Medina bow pattern. 

Next? Instead of picots I think it needs beads and a head to make it into an angel!!! Well, watch this space!!!

This is the link to the new Medina bow pattern. 

Nearly 'there'.

This pattern has been a long haul pattern!!!

Thankfully I've got mates around this planet who are willing to take on challenges. Bev in Australia and Diane in America are two of them.

Diane did the green version and Bev used Lizbeth size 40. The colour way she used is one of my favourites - Latte Foam. 

Thanks a million both of you. I hope to finish off the links today and get the pattern on my site tomorrow.

New bag finished

I finished the new bag in record time - well, for me!!! That's one thing about the meltdown - time is different and without all my other diversions things get finished faster. Hmmmm, bring back the diversions - I MISS MY FRIENDS.

I showed you the pictures of the upholstery samples a few days ago here and this is what they turned into. I will be spraying it with Scotchguard (fabric protection) before using it. My purple bag has seen 'better days' and will be consigned to the 'old bag place in the sky'!!! In other words - the tip!!!

Here's the new bag in all it's glory!!!

A bit of a rush!

We've had glorious weather lately - until Tuesday when it rained ALL day and went VERY cold. 

This was such a shame as some lovely neighbours were celebrating their silver wedding anniversary and invited us all to join them in celebrating the event. Naturally as we're all in meltdown (lockdown) we couldn't go into their house so (as is normal in our road lately) we met in the freezing cold in the road to raise our glasses to them.

I wanted to give them something special but couldn't get out to the shops (IF any were open) so decided to do a bit of tatting - but what? Well in the afternoon I was searching through the tatting cupboard for ideas for earrings when I spotted a brass heart that I've had for years. I bought three of them and had used one for another present so remembered that this pattern would fit it.

My poor old fingers absolutely flew to get it done in time but then I hit the problem of using invisible thread to anchor it to the brass frame!!! I just hope they like it!!!

 

 

Emotitats!

Now it's been some time since I did this pattern and it's lovely when somebody contacts me to say they've made them. 

Crikey - it's 13 years ago!!! Where does time go?

Anyway, a week or two ago Yvonne contacted me and she came back with these. This was her comment when I asked permission to blog them.

"Sure you can blog them. I used the bits of card in between teabags in the twinings tea boxes for my bookmarks.

I am now trying to master Maltese tatting. Thanks for your help. Regards, Yvonne"  

Good luck with Maltese, Yvonne - it's many years since I did that form of tatting although I think there maybe a butterfly on my site somewhere!!!!!

Here are Yvonne's emotitats.

Hanky - round one?

During the GREAT TIDY UP of the tatting cupboard I came across this hanky.

I've a feeling it came from Handy Hands as a wee gift in their newsletter. I know it's been waiting for my attention for a good long while!!!

The reason I've not done anything with it before (I do like doing hanky edgings) is because it has holes in the edges. I've never wanted to tat straight onto a hanky before but decided now was the time to 'give it a whirl'!!! 

This is simply a lock chain with a picot in the middle. It needs another round but it'll have to wait a while until an idea pops into my aged brain!!!

A new blanket

Well I said I would and so I did!!! 

I started another blanket.

Having made the first one I will tell you know that I learned a LOT. The one thing I did pick up from mistakes was that I kept losing my place - my starting point. This is why the yellow marked square (bottom right) has a thread running through it. It's to tell BC3 that that's where square 1 is. 

On the last blanket I had no idea where my starting point was after a while so I thought this idea or marking it with a strand of thread which I can later pull out may help. 

Again this is the site I used to help me and I still regularly check it out to see whether it's a square one, square 2, square 3 etc that I need to do next and WHERE!!!

Sewing a bag

Back in the winter a friend that I see at Zumba handed me some upholstery samples that her husband had finished with.

They're rather gorgeous and are from a really expensive supplier so these were quite a challenge. 

I put them on the table in the conservatory (my summer sewing place!) and would walk past them and look and look at them deciding what to do.

Well last week I decided they 'had to go' so I got the sewing machine out and started looking at them closely again. 

Here are a few of them - some were lurking under a pile of other fabric when I wanted to find them and couldn't!!!

Medina - progress

Sorted - I think!!!

Took me two more attempts to get it right but I think this is a much easier tat with the lock chains. 

The BIG problem with lock chains is how to put a picot on them. In the end I resorted to doing it a new way - sort of. It's pretty easy and you'll see when I get the pattern on my site that I've got a new way of notating this too.

If anybody wants to test tat it please do drop me a line but it'll need doing pretty quickly or I'll forget all about putting this on the pattern site!!   You know me and BC3 - I'm always finding half finished ideas on my system!!! 

It’s a challenging piece to tat but a lot easier with the lock chains so a little experience would be needed - if you want to test tat it.

Next project?  Turning Medina into an angel with lots of beads!!!