The happy news is that I finished tatting Ineke's star mobile. Here is the final section of tatting, done in LadyShuttleMaker's "Undersea Garden" HDT, and joined to the previous section.
And here are all the sections set together.
I haven't actually attached them together yet. Since each section has nothing in the center to give support, they don't hang very well...
...so they need to be stiffened first. I should be able to show the really completed mobile by tomorrow.
Now for the sad news. My Grandma died last night. I'm not ready to write about it yet. Other than a photo of the finished mobile, I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again.
"But, really, why does anyone create? You feel a... a restlessness inside, a need to make something new, something no one has ever seen before. You want to add to the beauty and the richness of the world with a gift, an offering that is uniquely yours. It's an act of selfishness and generosity, all rolled into one."
-- Bruce Coville, The Last Hunt
-- Bruce Coville, The Last Hunt
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
I'm Alive!
Sorry it's been so long since I posted. I guess I just needed a break from tatting for a while. I'm back into it now, with the next section of Ineke's star.
This is done in Lizbeth color 632, Medium Purple. It is just like the second and third sections, except that each one gets progressively larger. Also, if you look closely, you will see that this one has a few picots on the outer edge where the next section will be joined. (I hesitate to call these sections rounds, because each of these concentric stars actually consists of two rounds; and the next thing will not be a round in any sense, but rather a fill-in at each of the inner corners of this star.)
The next section will complete the piece, and then I will show it all assembled.
This is done in Lizbeth color 632, Medium Purple. It is just like the second and third sections, except that each one gets progressively larger. Also, if you look closely, you will see that this one has a few picots on the outer edge where the next section will be joined. (I hesitate to call these sections rounds, because each of these concentric stars actually consists of two rounds; and the next thing will not be a round in any sense, but rather a fill-in at each of the inner corners of this star.)
The next section will complete the piece, and then I will show it all assembled.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
How the Sale Went
My mom just e-mailed me to let me know how the sale went. Not everything sold, of course; I didn't expect that it would, considering how much I made. But she estimates that the tatting brought in about $200-250, which I think is pretty good. It also brought attention to some of the other jewelry and increased jewelry sales overall. The small earrings-- hummingbirds, dragonflies, treble clefs-- did really well, as did bookmarks. My ornaments also did well, but I'm not sure if that really counts, since my mom bought most of them!
Here's the story of how one of the pendants sold, in my mom's words:
It is Marilee Rockley's "Belle" pattern, from the book Up and Tat 'Em. Although it looks a bit pinkish in the photo, it is really shades of lavender.
Several tatted items were purchased by people I have known all my life, including a couple of women whose fiber arts skills are really top-notch, so it's nice to think that they like my work.
As you've probably noticed, I've been taking a bit of a break from tatting the last couple of weeks. However, I am already making plans for next year's sale. I'll make some more of the small earrings since they did so well, some ornaments that I wanted to make for this year but didn't have time for, plus, since I have a whole year, some doilies.
Here's the story of how one of the pendants sold, in my mom's words:
My very favorite, the pale lavender with silver and purple beads, was purchased by a woman with a young daughter---probably around 4-ish---who is going to be receiving the necklace as a Christmas present. The mother did a lot of whispering over the kid's head while she distracted her with a cheap felt ornament, and I had to sneak the necklace out of the display, then in to the mother's purse!Correction: This pendant, not the one made from Jane's pattern, is the one she was talking about.
It is Marilee Rockley's "Belle" pattern, from the book Up and Tat 'Em. Although it looks a bit pinkish in the photo, it is really shades of lavender.
Several tatted items were purchased by people I have known all my life, including a couple of women whose fiber arts skills are really top-notch, so it's nice to think that they like my work.
As you've probably noticed, I've been taking a bit of a break from tatting the last couple of weeks. However, I am already making plans for next year's sale. I'll make some more of the small earrings since they did so well, some ornaments that I wanted to make for this year but didn't have time for, plus, since I have a whole year, some doilies.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Look What I Found on Etsy!
Browsing Etsy this morning, I came across this unique butter dish made by madhatterceramics:
The individual listing is here. The same potter also has a small tray and a soap dish made from the same piece of tatting. I didn't buy any of these pieces, as they don't go with any of my other stuff, but I thought I should let the tatting world know about them!
The individual listing is here. The same potter also has a small tray and a soap dish made from the same piece of tatting. I didn't buy any of these pieces, as they don't go with any of my other stuff, but I thought I should let the tatting world know about them!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
A Brief Diversion
I needed a retirement gift for my boss; due to a combination of politics within the organization and her health, this was a very sudden retirement, so I only had a couple of days' notice before the retirement party. I therefore took a break from Ineke's pattern to whip up a pair of earrings.
The pattern is Marilee Rockley's "Lacy Treasure", which works up very quickly; and the thread is Krystledawne's "Sea Glass". The seed beads are Miyuki delicas in "Bronze Luster" and "Green Iris." The larger brass beads are off an old choker I got for cheap at a yard sale, and the findings are also brass plated to match.
I'll be able to get back to Ineke's pattern soon. For the moment, however, I need to go to bed, as I am literally falling asleep as I write this.
The pattern is Marilee Rockley's "Lacy Treasure", which works up very quickly; and the thread is Krystledawne's "Sea Glass". The seed beads are Miyuki delicas in "Bronze Luster" and "Green Iris." The larger brass beads are off an old choker I got for cheap at a yard sale, and the findings are also brass plated to match.
I'll be able to get back to Ineke's pattern soon. For the moment, however, I need to go to bed, as I am literally falling asleep as I write this.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Just Briefly...
I know it's been a few days, so I just wanted to give a quick update. I'm about halfway through the next bit of Ineke's pattern. It's taking a while because I couldn't tat at all for a couple of days due to work. I don't understand why nobody will pay me to just sit at home and tat! I'll post again when it's done.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Next Bit
Here is the next piece of Ineke's star pattern, done in "Undersea Garden" and Lizbeth color 633. I forgot to mention I'm doing this in my favorite, size 80.
As you can see, this bit is just like the last bit except the points are longer.
Because these parts are not attached to anything in the center, they don't really achieve this shape on their own. Here's what it looked like after I tatted the first round.
The second round of chains gives it some stability, but still doesn't force it into shape. Here's what it looked like with the second round, after I tugged it into shape as much as I could.
Blocking, using Sherry's square template, was really the only way to make this piece and the one from the previous post do what they are supposed to. It only took a few pins, and look at the difference it made.
Incidentally, yes I did cut and tie between rounds here, only because I was using two colors on round 1. On round 2, I didn't want the lock joins to show, and I felt that slope and roll joins so close together would have made it look less smooth, so my only option was to change the shuttle thread.
And speaking of those joins in round 2, the space at the base of each ring was of course way too small to get the point of my shuttle in, so I had to use a 0.5 mm crochet hook. You see where I'm going with this, don't you? Yep, I pulled a Fox.
The hook sort of slid under the callus I have on that finger and was very difficult to extricate without doing further damage. Luckily, I did not bleed any more than this, so once I washed it off I was able to continue tatting.
As you can see, this bit is just like the last bit except the points are longer.
Because these parts are not attached to anything in the center, they don't really achieve this shape on their own. Here's what it looked like after I tatted the first round.
The second round of chains gives it some stability, but still doesn't force it into shape. Here's what it looked like with the second round, after I tugged it into shape as much as I could.
Blocking, using Sherry's square template, was really the only way to make this piece and the one from the previous post do what they are supposed to. It only took a few pins, and look at the difference it made.
Incidentally, yes I did cut and tie between rounds here, only because I was using two colors on round 1. On round 2, I didn't want the lock joins to show, and I felt that slope and roll joins so close together would have made it look less smooth, so my only option was to change the shuttle thread.
And speaking of those joins in round 2, the space at the base of each ring was of course way too small to get the point of my shuttle in, so I had to use a 0.5 mm crochet hook. You see where I'm going with this, don't you? Yep, I pulled a Fox.
The hook sort of slid under the callus I have on that finger and was very difficult to extricate without doing further damage. Luckily, I did not bleed any more than this, so once I washed it off I was able to continue tatting.
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