Elizabeth's Lace

Checking in-and a tatting class coming up

2012-01-17T20:31:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I've passed two parts of the CPA exam so far and have taken a third (won't get my score until 2/3/12). I take the forth and final part February 29th so I'm still in the middle of studying and, of course, it's tax season! I wish I had more time to blog.

I did too much tatting around Christmas time this year and my thumbs and wrists have been punishing me ever since. I'm taking a hiatus from the tatting to try and give them a rest - but I do have a tatting class coming up, and for those of you who meet me at shows and want to know where and when I'm teaching - this is for you. I will be at something's looming in Reading, PA on February 5th to do a two hour "Intro to Tatting" class. Click on the link to be taken to their website where you can sign up.

Back to studying!

Fall

2011-09-25T20:16:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things about living in Pennsylvania is fall. Cooler temperatures, beautiful leaves, Steeler's football, apples, cider, pumpkins, mums - I just love the season. So when September comes around, I pull out all my orange and other fall-friendly threads and my tatting takes on a distinctly fall flavor.

This is Rosemarie Peel's small Celtic motif from "Tatting for Pleasure." I love this design - especially with beads. I've been wearing this one myself to celebrate fall's arrival.

Next - my pumpkin earrings, slightly updated this year based on the fact I've discovered some different findings and decided I liked the tatted pearl better turned upside-down. (There really isn't a right way up I just had decided in my own head which side was the top and now I've changed my mind - at least for the pumpkins.) :-)

I've also been playing with Yarnplayer's new "Small Maple Leaf" pattern. Love, love, LOVE this clever little pattern! The pattern is written so well, it works up relatively quickly, and it looks just like a maple leaf. Yarnplayer is a very talented designer.

That's all the tatting for this past week - I've been studying for the first section of the CPA exam which I will be taking this coming Saturday. Say a prayer for me!

Blessings,

Bead Embroidery

2011-09-18T16:57:00.000-04:00

For the last six months or so I've been playing around with what I'll call "bead embroidery." It involves sewing beads onto the tatting after the tatted piece has already been made. Sometimes the tatted pieces already have some beads incorporated in them (as I was tatting them the beads were added) and I'm just embellishing the piece with more beads, and sometimes I just take a plain tatted piece and sew all of beads directly onto it.

It's mostly pins I make this way since they already have some kind of a filigree on the back in order to hide and attach the pin. You'll see below one pair of earrings I made this way as well.

I enjoy the process - not as much as the tatting itself, of course - but it is a lot more fun than making the little roses I used for many years to decorate these miniature little doilies. I've pretty much discontinued that line of my jewelry (although I still use the cameos for a little more of a Victorian flair) and was trying to figure out how I could decorate and keep brooches as part of my inventory.

I've certainly got plenty of beads and had quite a few piece of plain, undecorated tatting I had originally planned on decorating with the roses, so I started experimenting and my bead embroidery was born. Right now I'm still in the developmental stages; I have a few techniques and designs I like to use often but I'm always working on coming up with something different.

New Display

2011-08-30T20:02:00.000-04:00

I will once again be teaching an "intro to tatting" class on September 10th at somethings looming in Reading, PA. Just go to their website where you will find all the information you need to sign up if you are interested (click on "Saturday Samplers" right on the front page).

I don't have any new tatting pictures to share - just haven't had time to take any. I did get a new display system this year for my art/craft shows, which I absolutely love. It's Pro Panels, which are quite pricey, but quite worth the price in my opinion. Amazingly lightweight, easy to set up and very professional looking. I've been wanting a display system like this for many years. At the end of the show season last year my husband accidentally left all my Velcro boards behind at my final show and they got thrown away (admittedly, they were in such poor shape I'm not surprised someone thought they were supposed to be trash). So this year I had to to something about getting a new display.

Actually I did away with the table in this picture and instead used more shelves on the other side for the second show of the season. I just love it!

I've been working on a few special orders so I may be posting some new tatting soon as I'll have to take the time to take some pictures. Hopefully :)

Drawing Patterns

2011-08-27T17:28:00.003-04:00

Hi all! Long time, no hear from me. I will hopefully be sitting for at least part of the CPA exam in November, so studying is in high gear. Still working full time, still doing art shows, and now teaching tatting as well - in other words, still biting off more than I can chew. This is the story of my life.

I have been taking Sharon's "Design Tat" class, although I generally don't post there either and just work on things on my own when I can. I recommend the class highly (although I'm not sure when the next one is starting); it's very informative and the tutorials on writing patterns with drawing software are extremely helpful. I've been playing around today with the software and in the attempt, completed a new written pattern for my "Tigereye Earrings" and then came up with a diagram for my mini-cross (the written pattern was originally posted as Motif 24 on my blog here: Mini-Cross).

Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

And that's all the time I have to share today - must get back to studying. I do have some "Intro to Tatting" classes coming up in the near future - watch for posts about that in the coming days and weeks ahead.

Class Available

2011-01-26T20:46:00.001-05:00

I will be teaching an "intro to tatting" class on February 5th at somethings looming in Reading, PA. Just go to their website where you will find all the information you need to sign up if you are interested (click on "Saturday Samplers" right on the front page). I'm busy getting the kits together so come join us!

Apologies to my faithful readers and followers - once again life, or more specifically school and work, have taken over and I literally have no time for blogging, e-mailing, reading other blogs, etc. I know I fall off the face of the earth for months at a time. I'm still here but not doing much tatting.

I promised some customers I would post when I would be teaching a class, however, so here I am popping in just for a second.

Darn Scanner

2010-10-03T22:10:00.002-04:00

My old scanner never had any problems with objects that weren't quite flat. I just laid a nice piece of paper over them and didn't close the lid. They turned out really nice. Not so with the new scanner. Flat things are OK but if I have too many large or thick beads, I seem to get a funny halo effect around the thick area. I have played with the resolution, the brightness, the backgrounds. Finally I turned off all the lights in the room and tried to scan. That met with interesting results. And a clear view of just how dusty my scanner bed was. So I turned on the dust removal tool which removed the dust but now I see a fingerprint! Oops. I'll have to take care of that before the next scan. This piece still needs to be washed and blocked and have a clasp added.

Integral to this necklace is the central polymer clay piece I mentioned in an earlier post. I saw the artist's work online and went to go see her in person back in August. What incredible detail exists in each of her pieces. I love tiny work myself but this just boggles my mind - I mean, look at the clay around the edge that looks like a little ribbon woven in and out of the piece.

This is a vintage pattern (circa 1924) from Priscilla Tatting Book No. 3 - one of my favorite old books.

Back to the scanner issue - I really do not know what I am going to do about this because I'm not really crazy about the black background. It's not terrible, and the detail is good, but I'd much rather have my pretty papers. I'm not even sure if there is a way of resolving the issue. I know my old scanner didn't give me the halo effect unless I closed the lid, so I'm not even sure where to start trying to correct the problem. I'm pretty bummed at the moment. Anyone have any ideas?

Snowflakes

2010-09-26T17:12:00.001-04:00

My scanner is here and I'm back in business. Another learning curve involved, however, and one I have not had a lot of time to explore as school, work, and high school football season are in full swing. I'm not quite getting the results I want yet.

I am currently enjoying my pdf copy of Jon Yusoff's "Tatted Snowflakes Collection." Tatted snowflakes have been around about as long as tatting itself - so you'd think we'd run out of really different and unique patterns. Not so with Jon's book, predominantly because of the use of more "modern" tatting techniques like the use of two shuttles and split and mock rings. Here is the first one I tatted, "Alladin."

I think the thread is "Treebeard" by Lady Shuttlemaker (I really should label my thread better). I plan on making this into a necklace eventually, probably by adding a tatted/beaded chain of some sort.

A Shuttle to Tat - Resurrecting an Old Pattern

2010-09-19T22:44:00.001-04:00

I saw this really cool idea of Chris Hinton's to suspend a tatted motif in epoxy in order to create a shuttle with it - the important links are here (forum) and here (shop).

That reminded me I had designed a shuttle pattern way back in 1998 (I hadn't tatted this pattern in a while and had kind of forgotten about it). As I remember, back when the Tat Chat group was in existence we were trying to come up with a pattern for a "tatted shuttle" and this was my contribution. I reworked the pattern slightly since then and have posted it here. If you are interested in getting one of those cool shuttles and would like to use this pattern for your tatting, feel free. There are also other shuttle-shaped patterns available on their site.

Two shuttles, wound in the continuous thread method. I use the method of front side/back side tatting. In size 80 thread, the motif measures 2" x 1".

Pattern Key:
R    ring
Ch        chain
p           picot
+           joining picot
vsp       very small picot

lp long picot
RW reverse work

Shuttle #1

Cloverleaf

R1 6 p 4 p 2.

R2 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 6 vsp 2 lp 2 vsp 6 p 2.

R3 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 4 vsp 6. RW.

Ch 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2. RW.

Cloverleaf
R4 6 + (to last vsp of R3) 4 p 2.

R5 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 6 + (to 2nd vsp of R2) 2 + (to lp of R2) 2 vsp 6 p 2.

R6 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 4 p 6. RW.

Ch 2 + (to p of previous chain) 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2. RW.

R7 3 vsp 3. RW.

Ch 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 3. RW.

Cloverleaf

R8 3 p 2 p 2.

R9 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 3 + (to vsp of R7) 3 + (to 2nd p of R6) 2 p 2 p 3 vsp 3 p 2.

R10 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 2 p 3. RW.

Shuttle #2

R11 3 + (to p of previous chain) 12 p 12 p 3. Do not RW.

Shuttle #1

Ch 3 + (to last p of previous R) 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2. RW.

R12 3 + (to 2nd vsp of R9). RW.

Ch 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2. RW.

Cloverleaf
R13 6 + (to 5th p of R9) 4 p 2.

R14 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 6 + (to 2nd vsp of R5) 2 + (to lp of R2) 2 vsp 6 p 2.

R15 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 4 vsp 6. RW.

Ch 2 + (to p of previous chain) 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2. RW.

Cloverleaf
R16 6 + (to last p of previous R) 4 p 2.

R17 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 6 + (to 2nd vsp of R14) 2 + (to lp of R2) 2 +(to 1st vsp of R2) 6 p 2.

R18 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 4 p 6. RW.

Ch 2 + (to p of previous chain) 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2. RW.

R19 3 vsp 3. RW.

Ch 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 3. RW.

Cloverleaf

R20 3 p 2 p 2.

R21 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 3 + (to vsp of R19) 3 + (to last p of R18) 2 p 2 + (to 1st p 0f R1) 3 vsp 3 p 2.

R22 2 + (to last p of previous ring) 2 p 3. RW.

Shuttle #2

R23 3 + (to p of previous chain) 12 p 12 p 3. Do not RW.

Shuttle #1

Ch 3 + (to last p of previous R) 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2. RW.

R24 3 + (to 2nd vsp of R21). RW.

Ch 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 p 2 + (to 1st p of the 1st Ch) 2. Tie off ends at base of first cloverleaf.

Nothing New to Report (Tatting-wise, anyway)

2010-09-06T11:14:00.001-04:00

I have no tatting to share because I have been very busy - my in-laws are up from Florida for a visit, I started school again, and I bought a new laptop. My Dell laptop turned 4 years old this month and it was time to lay it to rest. It has served me well but got quite cranky over the last six months or so and I was trying to decide whether I wanted to just wipe the whole thing by reinstalling Windows again (for the forth time), or go ahead and upgrade. Plus the battery gave out about a year ago and so it has to be plugged in all the time. Kind of a pain for a laptop.

I shopped around and decided to go with an Acer Aspire. I had some specific items I was looking for - namely, a keypad as part of the keyboard (for my bookkeeping and accounting), a power plug that doesn't stick out of the laptop by 3 inches (I will never understand why all laptops are not equipped with an elbow power cord. I killed my previous Dell because the thing stuck out so far it kept getting bumped. I mean, isn't the point of a laptop it gets moved around a lot and so you don't want things sticking out in all directions?? - but I digress.), and a nice large screen and good sound system because I watch a lot of movies and TV shows on my laptop while I am tatting. The Acer has Dolby Virtual Surround Sound (really, really nice) and a 17.3" screen. The Acer had all the things I wanted at a really good price.

So I spent this past week moving things over from my Dell. I did manage to disable the Acer's DVD player twice, once because I installed a software program that was not compatible with Windows 7, and again when I tried to install my 7-year-old scanner - also not Windows 7 compatible. Why it chooses to disable the DVD player I have no idea. With the software glitch I was able to use a system restore point to go back, but the scanner killed the system restore too and I spent three hours surfing the web trying to find a solution that didn't involve resetting the entire computer back to factory standards - after I'd already moved over all of my data - and I finally found it on Microsoft's own website. I had to go in a edit the registry but it's all working again now and I'm in the market for a new scanner.

I love the laptop so far; Windows 7 of course has given me some trouble but changing operating systems after four years always involves a learning curve. Once I get a new scanner then I will be back up and running and able to scan some more of my tatting to share.

Not Quite the Way I Planned It.

2010-08-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

Some ideas just do not turn out like you envisioned them. This is one of those projects. Over the weekend I visited the Eagle's Mere, PA Art and Craft Show to contact a particular artist who's work I was interested in combining with my own. I'll share more about that in a later blog post when I actually get something put together. Anyway, I bought a pair of her earrings and since I was planning on using only her handmade beads in my work, thought I might experiment a little with the really cool ear wires the beads were originally attached to.

I got out Jon Yusoff's "Tatting with Rings" to remind myself how to tat onto the wire and away I went. I had a great time designing these and I love the way they look but unfortunately they are not practical. In order to get them in your ears you have to be really, really careful that you don't squash the tatting as you manipulate the wire into your earlobe and as you are trying to fasten the ear wire as well (you end up having to hold your fingers right on the tatting itself as you put them on). So, while I don't mind and know how to take the kind of care necessary to wear these and enjoy them, the design won't work for most customers. For now, I'll just keep going and do some more designing with rings and wire. These go in my own jewelry box to enjoy (yay)!

Another One Down

2010-08-16T00:39:00.002-04:00

I didn't do much blogging these past few weeks as I was finishing up another course in pursuit of my CPA license - Intermediate Accounting I. Well, today I finally took my final exam. I'm glad this class is over. I had a much more difficult time with this course than the three that came before it - did fine on the homework, thought I knew what I was doing and then I'd get to the tests and it would all go downhill. I still got a A in the class and managed to maintain my 4.0 average - but it was much more of a struggle this time. Here's hoping Intermediate Accounting II is not quite so hard (along with Business Law II, it starts in a week).

I've had this thread, called "Magnolia", in my stash for a while without using it. [Yes, I have entirely too much hand-dyed thread.] This one is from LadyShuttleMaker. It is a beautiful combination of a light lilac, creamy pale yellow, and ecru. Very subtle and just lovely. She uses a high quality cotton thread which tats up nicely as well. The pattern is from Occhi: Schiffchenspitze, a German book which has very clear diagrams and some unusual patterns.

I've wanted to try this pattern for several months and finally found some time. I mark pages in books with paperclips to remind me to revisit certain patterns when I get a chance. This is one round of a larger doily in the book. The most fun was deciding how I wanted to add beads. You see where the long bugle beads are - that's the kind of thing I find picot gauges to be very handy for.

You can get the picots to be exactly the right length for these bugle beads so that the beads fit perfectly over the picots with no extra thread sticking out. So far, I am very pleased with the way this project is going.

I ♥ My Mailman, #4

2010-08-10T00:05:00.005-04:00

I thank God for Handy Hands Tatting. They are one of my favorite suppliers for all things tatting, both shuttle and needle...books, threads, and tools. Usually when a tatter who meets me at a show asks me where I get my supplies, I send them to Handy Hands. They cater specifically to tatters, which makes them very valuable and fairly rare - especially with the extensive line of supplies they offer.

DMC has been discontinuing thread colors right and left, especially in tatting thread and Cebelia, which are two of the most common threads I use in my work - they have discontinued most of the colors that are my staple colors. That's why I am so thankful Handy Hands is around - they have developed their own line of thread, Lizbeth, which comes in lots of sizes and colors, including lovely variegated shades. My favorites (so far) are a nice deep orange, a lovely silver - seen here:

...and my newest aquisition, Spring Garden. I played with it for quite a few days this week. I also did some bead weaving to match my heart pattern - little hearts made of beads!

I have read on other blogs and in forums that some people do not like Lizbeth thread, but I have not had any problems so far. I like it much better than soft threads like Caron Wildflowers and embroidery floss. I also like it better than Manuala (too stiff) probably a little better than DMC Cebelia. I still prefer DMC Cordonnet but of course you are limited to black, white, and ecru unless you find someone hand-dying it.

I also ordered a Japanese book, one of my weaknesses, I confess. I love foreign books, but I especially love the Japanese books with all their glorious photographs and wonderful diagrammed patterns. I just drool over the photographs especially - such wonderful staging! ;-) This book is called."Tatting Lace" (actually, that's the name of several of my Japanese books, I think) and it contains mainly beaded necklaces. They are a bit too beaded for my taste, I really prefer that my tatting looks more like tatting than like bead work - that's a personal preference. There are two lovely scarves which I cannot imagine myself making because they would take forever and be too monotonous - I have difficulty with repeating patterns and pieces that take more than 10 hours. But the pictures give me different ideas about displaying my work at shows so I did get something out of the purchase.

Thank you, Mr. Mailman (and Handy Hands Tatting)!

♥

Happy Birthday!

2010-08-03T19:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday wishes to my twin sons, Ed & Eric - today is their 18th birthday!

Aren't they handsome? That's because they look just like their dad.

:-)

I ♥ My Mailman, #3

2010-08-03T01:58:00.001-04:00

There was a time when I was very envious of tatters who use post shuttles. I do my share of lurking around on ebay, in antique stores, tatting supply vendors, and any other place that I might possibly run across nice shuttles. Some of them are really pretty; they come in lots of colors, lovely materials like bone, wood, celluloid, sterling silver. But let's face it - 99% of them are post shuttles. I have collected quite a few nice decorative shuttles on ebay and elsewhere - but they are all post shuttles.

Here's the dilemma - I don't use post shuttles. They are nice for collecting but for me they aren't practical. They take a long time to wind and you can't change colors easily. I change colors all the time. I'd need a million post shuttles with my million different color and size threads in order to work efficiently. So I only use removable bobbin shuttles. I have used Boye metal bobbin shuttles in the past and I like the antique ones. The new metal ones are complete crap. But mostly I stick to Aeros. I like them. They have a built in crochet hook which I prefer, I can change colors often, they are easy to acquire and are relative inexpensive. But let's face it - they are BORING. Dull gray, plastic, blah. As a result, I had post-shuttle envy.

But no more.

Thanks to LaCossette on etsy.com, no more plain gray shuttles - I can have pretty shuttles too! I have been using mine for almost three weeks now and I LOVE them. Not only because they are so pretty, but because the little bobbin-winding tail you usually find on an Aero-type shuttle (I never used it anyway and just thought it got in the way) has been removed. This makes the shuttle smaller and it fits in my hand better. Another thing I discovered after using these pretty little shuttles for a while is that I prefer the feel of these to the plain gray shuttle. The decoration causes them to have a bit of a texture to them, and when I pick up a plain Aero shuttle after using one of these, it feels almost slimy it's so slick and smooth.

And - they are decorated differently on each side!

The only problem I have now is I'm having a hard time limiting myself to a reasonable number because they are all so wonderful! So far I have (from the top going clockwise) "Oriental Jewel", "America", "Paisley", "Daisy", "Summer Meadow", "Black and White", "Regal Blue", and "Dapper". But let's face it, I mean, how many bobbin shuttles do you really need? You need a lot of bobbins, yes, but you don't really need that many shuttles. I just can't seem to help myself, however. I've had post-shuttle envy for so long I went a little crazy and bought eight right off the bat. I have been trying to avoid her shop for now but have already hinted to my husband that Christmas is not that far off.

Thanks again, Mr. Mailman (and LaCossette)!

♥

I ♥ My Mailman, #2

2010-07-28T23:39:00.002-04:00

There are some tatters I am in absolute awe of, and Yarnplayer is one of them. Not only does she create the most beautiful hand-dyed threads (of which I have many), but she creates lovely tatted jewelry AND she is a fantastic, and prolific, designer. So far she has written numerous small patterns and TWO BOOKS! Where does she find the time? I often wonder. I have a hard time getting my original patterns written down anywhere, and I can't even imagine the descriptions, and the diagrams, and the tips & techniques, and the pictures (you know the problem I have with pictures) that would be necessary for a book.

Oh, I imagine myself writing a book. I have lots of ideas for a book. Just not a lot of time. Or motivation. Or a good camera for all those pictures.

Anyway, the second present my wonderful mailman brought me was Yarnplayer's new book "Up and Tat 'Em". While my favorite pattern is her "Beguile Set," that particular pattern is going to require a little more concentration and time to make. In fact, I need to obtain some nice rings to use in that pattern first anyway. So instead, I started out with her "Five Petal Pendant."

The piece on the right is tatted in a black DMC Cebelia, size 20, with round copper beads. Can I say I LOVE her technique of adding a bead in the middle of a ring? The book was worth it for that technique alone! The piece on the left was tatted with Yarnplayer's own Watermelon Tourmaline thread (still probably my all-time favorite hand-dyed thread color), size 20, with her coordinating plum thread on the outer round. Olive green Swarovski crystals compliment this thread beautifully. This pattern was a pleasure to tat and I love the results. I was having so much fun I decided to try "Belle" as well.

This one is tatted in size 20 olive green DMC Cebelia with navy blue/olive delicas, a Swarovski pearl in the center and crystal at the bottom. Another lovely pattern with easy to follow instructions, great pictures, and a fabulous result.

I highly recommend the book "Up and Tat 'Em", as I do all of Yarnplayer's patterns and threads. Add this book to your tatting library - you will not be disappointed.

Thank you, Mr. Mailman (and Yarnplayer)!

♥

I ♥ My Mailman

2010-07-25T23:20:00.002-04:00

Today I start a series on why I love my mailman so much. He brings me presents! Over the last two weeks or so I have received some lovely things in the mail, which I will share with you over the next few blog posts. I'll also share some of my favorite tatting vendors with you - some you are probably already familiar with, but perhaps some new? And hopefully there are beginner tatters reading this blog who will be introduced to some great resources for all things tatting.

First up is a new vendor to me, Krystledawne. She and her alter ego, Dr. Vonthreadmore (you can read all about the two of them on her blog), create some lovely hand-dyed threads. As you may know, I am a hand-dyed thread addict. I have more hand-dyed thread than one person should really be allowed, but when I saw her "Vineyard at Dusk" - well, I just had to have some. It is a wonderful combination of earthy tones and a lovely vibrant purple.

I went looking for a pattern that would look like clusters of grapes to use with the thread and came across this pattern online, designed by Sparrow Kelley, called "Midnight Violets". I thought it was a perfect fit for this thread, and the bracelet below is the result of the two in combination.

I made earrings to match, based on my long elegant earring pattern but adapted slightly to better match "Midnight Violets."

So, if you have a chance, visit Krystledawne in her etsy shop. She is a little short on thread at the moment as she is also busy creating her tatted jewelry, but I know I will be keeping my watchful eye peeled for more of her beautiful thread creations.

Thanks, Mr. Mailman (and Krystledawne)!

♥

New Pattern Available

2010-07-23T00:36:00.016-04:00

I've managed to get another of my patterns written up and it's available for sale in my etsy shop. This one teaches you how to do what I call "sewing" on a bead cluster with a focal bead (the sewing is done as you are making the lace with the tatting thread itself, so the bead work is still incorporated right into the lace). It's one of my favorite ways to add beads, and while it is easier to do on small pieces, I will do it even when I've got a lot of thread to pull through the beads, because I really like the results.

I call this pattern "Flora" because it reminds me of a little flower.

<-----------Look at this picture! Another failed attempt at staging! Why is it so yellow? you may ask. Well, I told you I just can't seem to get the lighting right.

Here's another example (below) of "sewing" on beads, but in the middle of a necklace. As I mentioned, this method of beading on tatting can give you problems if your thread is really long, but the effect is well worth it, in my opinion. A little bit of patience and steady hands will go a long way.

Anyway, if you're interested, pop on over to etsy and have a look.

Why Must It Be So Difficult?

2010-07-21T00:13:00.001-04:00

I am crazy for tatting, I love designing jewelry, and I the more I learn, the more I adore bead weaving - but I can't take good pictures of my work to save my life. It's not just the taking of the pictures which I am bad at....I mean, they are really bad - blurry, too dark or too bright, not centered correctly, coloring is way off - you get the idea. But I have serious problems with the staging of the item I'm trying to take a picture of. By staging I mean creating a mood for a piece with props and lighting. I have no eye or creative imagination whatsoever when it comes to that sort of thing. Some people just seem to do that naturally - take a gander over at etsy.com and you'll see what I mean - the front page is a plethora of staging at its finest.

I've always had a problem with my display for art/craft shows as well...the other artists around me have displays that look like they belong in a museum and me...well, my display just looks like it belongs in a flea market. Sigh.

I had a friend come over recently and take some pictures with his camera to see if maybe it was just my camera that was the problem - yeah, right - but these were the only two pictures (and we took A LOT of pictures) that came out even halfway decent, and in the first one I just noticed that one of the earrings is flipped backwards on the ear wire, and of course it bugs me that the ear wires are not straight either.

As in most of my previous posts, I guess I will just continue to scan things on nice paper backgrounds. At least that way they are clear and show the work well, even if I haven't managed to set any kind of a mood in which my work can really shine.

Thanks, by the way, to all those who welcomed me back to blog-land - I'm glad to see there are some people who hung around!

Well, hello!

2010-07-17T00:00:00.003-04:00

It's been a long, long time since I posted - look at that last post - January! Dear me. I'm fortunate to still have followers, I think. Thanks for sticking with me, inconsistent as I am. School, family, work, and life in general all conspire against poor ole Blogger.

Although I am a busy person I still always find time for tatting. Also, learning new bead-weaving techniques is one of my favorite things to do nowadays. Here's a recent piece that combines both techniques.

Beaded leaves compliment this vintage pattern from "Lily Doilies & Edgings to Tat & Crochet" in Yarnplayer's gorgeous "Roses" thread. A picture of the entire necklace will reveal a problem however.

I've been wearing it myself (rather than offering it for sale) once I realized the mistake. I will get around to fixing that wayward upside-down bead one of these days. I do plan on remaking the necklace for sale and keeping this one, however, because while wearing it I fell in love with it.

In other news, the "Garden Afternoon" piece finally sold at my latest show - it looked so good on the lady who bought it that while I was a bit sad to see it go, I was comforted by the fact that it found a great home. In my mind a piece is never really "finished" until you get to see someone wearing it. All the work and time and creative energy and love you put into it is then - somehow - complete.

That's all for now, but hopefully I'll be a little more active in the days and weeks to come. Thanks again for hanging around!

Picot Gauges

2010-01-27T23:04:00.005-05:00

Does anyone else out there use picot gauges? I've always wondered how important even picots are to people. Now, let me say that I think that the best way to get even picots is practice, practice, practice! I don't use picot gauges when doing regular tatting - I think they are way too time consuming and I've been tatting long enough that my picots are pretty even anyway.

But when beading, or doing a pattern where different sized, graduated, or larger picots are part of the overall design, I find picot gauges very helpful. I created this little set out of heavy card stock and since I do a lot of bead work in my tatting and often use decorative picots in my work, I use mine all the time.

They sit with my shuttles, teeny-tiny crochet hooks and collapsible eye needles as one of my "essential" tools. I have made a few of them to offer in my etsy shop, if anyone else is interested.

Missing Mary Konior

2010-01-23T19:43:00.001-05:00

Is it possible to miss someone you've never actually met? Somehow I think of people out there in tatting land as my friends even if we've never spoken. After all, we do have something pretty substantial in common - we love tatting! Designers are especially near and dear to my heart - so many talented people out there, and I feel like I know them through their methods, particular style and ways of designing tatting.

One of my favorites has always been Mary Konior, and so when I heard of her passing, I just had to pull out her books and peruse the loveliness within (they are quite well worn as I have perused them often in the past - but it had been a while). Her designs are so neat, so symmetrical, and very unique as well. She had a very specific style, and I think it's easy to pick her designs out of a crowd.

Even though I never met her, I feel very strongly the tatting world lost a very special lady. I am so thankful she left behind a legacy of her lovely designs for us to remember her by.

And the Winner is....!

2009-11-08T23:51:00.001-05:00

Well, the winner has been drawn with a random number generator, and the winner is....IsDihara!! Congratulations to you! I will be in touch so I can ship these out to you - there's still lots of fall left to enjoy these little pumpkin earrings.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to comment and to spread the word.

And now, a little eye candy for your perusal - and to remind you of the next season that will soon be upon us. These poinsettia earrings are an original pattern in a deep red DMC pearl cotton and have some very simple bead-weaving in the center to add some interest.

Celebrate!

2009-11-02T22:02:00.002-05:00

I'm still swamped by life. Trying to find time to do everything - and not managing very well. But today I had a little "yay!" moment when I made my 100th sale on etsy, and I thought I'd celebrate and share my excitement by doing ... a giveaway! So, for anyone interested, I am going to give away a pair of my Tatted Pumpkin Earrings. They may look slightly different than this picture, as I use slightly different colors of threads and various ear-wires here and there, but this is a pretty close representation.

So, having never done a giveaway on my blog before, I'm just winging it here. Ummmm - you'll have to comment to enter, and make sure, if you don't have a blog, that I have a way to contact you.(leave me your e-mail address in your comment). If you mention my giveaway on your blog to help get the word out, leave a comment here saying you did so, and that will get you entered a second time for another chance to win. I will ship anywhere and everywhere, so please, all feel free to enter. I'll be announcing the winner this coming weekend, probably on Sunday evening, so check back then.

Good luck to everyone!

A New Family Member

2009-10-07T23:34:00.002-04:00

My husband was the first to see two little kittens in the front yard next door. It turns out there were three all together - two gray ones and a black one. Mom is a beautiful long-haired gray cat, but is a stray, very anti-social, and teaching the kitties to be the same. She moved two of the kittens after we saw them, but after a night of pitiful meowing off and on, I finally went out and rescued the little black one who was very cold and hungry after a long night alone. I'm not sure whether mom planned to come back for him, but I couldn't wait any longer to find out. Here he is:

Oh yeah, he's a cutie. He was very scared at first, hissing and meowing, but once he got some food in his tummy and a warm place to sleep and found out just how good petting can be, he is now purring and loving all the attention, playing like crazy and getting into everything.

My husband, who said I was only allowed to have two cats (we already have two we rescued from a shelter), seems to have gone all soft and mushy with this little guy and has said nothing about taking him to the shelter - he seems to be willing to take kitty in.

We are thinking of naming him Troy, after the Pittsburgh Steeler's safety, Troy Polamalu, who also has lovely long black hair. :-) My family are pretty big Steelers fans and we think he looks like a Troy. He certainly flies around jumping and getting into everything like Polamalu does.

Look What I Found

2009-10-01T21:21:00.005-04:00

I had my first accounting exam this past Sunday - I got 100% on it! Yay! It helps to have worked in the industry for the past few years, but I did also study like crazy. I was so nervous as it was the first exam I had taken in about 20 years.

That isn't the most exciting part of the story, though. After my exam I took a little trip over to JoAnn Fabrics in search of cabone rings. Although I did find some of those, the real find was stitch markers (for knitting) which come in even smaller sizes and are much thinner! See the picture below - the top two ring sets are what I'm talking about, and the bottom rings are regular cabone rings (click on the picture to get a real close up view of the sizes).

OK, I know they are weird colors, but I'm hoping the tatting will cover that up. I mean, in my taupe and brown pieces the rings are white, but the ring is well hidden by the thread so you don't notice the color difference. I haven't had a chance to try any of them yet, but will try to post some pics once I get to it.

New Pattern Available

2009-09-24T19:26:00.009-04:00

Thanks everyone for the information about where to get cabone rings (see my last post and comments). It is so wonderful to have a community of tatters who jump in with help and advice. I will be near a JoAnn Fabrics this weekend and will check there to see what I can find. Also, have you seen Dawn Marie's tatting around a metal heart (click here!)...cool, huh? I know I've seen other shapes like that in some of my jewelry supply catalogs - squares, circles, ovals - I just have to find them again. Of course, I have lots of craft wire and could probably make my own if I was so inclined. Maybe I'll try that to start.

For those of you interested, I have a new pattern available on etsy - Tatted Heart Earrings. That makes four patterns I've managed to write down and make into .pdf files. If anyone is really interested in any of them (Cross, Hip to Be Square Earrings, Long Elegant Earrings, Heart Earrings) but don't want to become a member of etsy in order to purchase, shoot me an e-mail and we can work out something through PayPal or snail mail.

I want to add them to the ArtFire site as well, but haven't managed to get around to that yet. I still have other patterns I want to do as well. Someday!

A Book Review and Something New!

2009-09-22T23:48:00.008-04:00

I've been wanting to try tatting with cabone rings for a while now. So when Jon Yusoff's book, "Tatting With Rings" came out last month, well, I just had to have it (click here to get yourself a copy!)! Fortunately it came just as I was leaving for a show, so I packed it up, hoping to have some time to play in the hotel room at night.

At the show it rained all day Saturday, so I had a lot more time that I thought I would (customers were scarce, as only ducks belong out in that kind of weather). I was SO glad I had Jon's book with me, I'll tell you. Here's what I did:

Jon explains everything very well and has wonderful diagrams so I caught on to the technique pretty quickly, and found it to be quite enjoyable. I love the little flower in the center of the ring, and the instructions were very clear and easy to follow for this technique as well.

For my second piece I did not add beads, but I did also tat a chain for a complete necklace:

I plan on doing some earrings next and maybe doing a little designing myself. I need to find a supplier for the rings (Jon did include some with the book, but not nearly enough for all the fun I plan on having with them), and I'd like to see if I can find some smaller ones too.

A hearty "thank you" to Jon for this lovely book!

Ooooh - Pretty!

2009-09-02T22:42:00.007-04:00

Is this thread gorgeous, or what? This is Yarnplayer's "Garden Afternoon" and just looks fabulous in this vintage pattern. I find this pattern to be extremely time consuming, and I worked this necklace over several weeks, one motif at a time.

PATTERN SOURCE: I should have mentioned this originally. For all of you who are interested in this pattern - I found it in "The Tatters Treasure Chest," page 77, edging #9074.

In other news, I FINALLY got new glasses, and I love them! Actually, I ended up getting two pair, one traditional bifocal pair, and one pair of progressives. I really prefer the progressives for now, although I do sometimes wear the bifocals at night while I'm tatting, especially with the finer threads. Anyway, as usual I find myself wondering why I waited so long. No more cricks in the neck from holding my head at a weird angle to peek out under my glasses so I can see what I'm doing!

A Busy, Busy Life

2009-08-29T13:53:00.004-04:00

It is true, I am terrible at keeping up with this blog! I really was trying to do better for a while, but inevitably, life gets in the way and the blog gets pushed to the back burner. Between teenager issues, work, the summer craft show schedule, and deciding to go back to school this fall, I've been swamped.

Yes, I have started online classes with a local community college. I already have a B.A. in Business Administration, but after working in the tax/accounting industry for the past five years, have decided I'd really like to be a CPA. I can see a demand in the industry as a whole and specifically in the firm I work for. So, at 40 years old, I'm back in college. I got my black belt in Tae Kwon Do at 34, so I guess I tend to do some big things a little later in life? Of course, I had my kids earlier than a lot of people nowadays (I was 23) so as they get older I find myself with some more time on my hands than I had when they were little.

I am currently tatting fall jewelry - in oranges, deep reds, leaf patterns, that sort of thing. I love Yarnplayer's Sugar Maple thread and also have some silks in variegated fall colors as well. What I will share with you today is my pumpkin earrings.

I found this technique of wrapping a pearl in tatting in a Japanese book called "Tatting Lace," and the pumpkins developed from there. I love this technique and have used it in many ways. Some day I'd like to create an entire string of tatted pearls, but I haven't managed to do so yet.

Vacation in Vegas, Baby!

2009-06-18T19:43:00.014-04:00

I just got back from a much needed vacation. Would you believe I haven't done any tatting now for almost three weeks?? Well, I can hardly believe it. I have no idea exactly how long it's been since I have taken that long of a break, but it's probably been almost as long as I've been tatting - which would be about 18 years. I did get to do some crocheting, and finished up one shrug and started another. I have to finish the second one by this weekend because it is to match a dress I am wearing to a wedding on Saturday.

We went to Las Vegas to visit my husband's sister and her family for two weeks. One of our nephews graduated from high school, so we got to see that, and we did other things there as well. We went to Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Laguna & Huntington Beaches in California, the Las Vegas Strip, all of the typical places to see while in that area. We had a great time but wow! did the time go fast. Here are some pictures I'll share -

This is my twin sons at the Hoover Dam. I'd share some pictures of the actual dam, but I'm deathly afraid of heights and tried to stay as far away from the edge as possible. I had the same problem at the Grand Canyon, obviously.

This is me, my niece, and my mother-in-law, with the Grand Canyon in the background. Notice how I am clinging onto them and leaning as far forward as possible. And we were nowhere near the edge in this picture.

Here is a picture of my sons and their cousins at Red Rock State Park. The boys had a wonderful time together, as they are all around the same age but have not gotten to see much of each other lately. My brother-in-law is a college football coach and their family has moved a number of times over the years. It was great while they were at West Point Military Academy and only about three hours from us, but that was when the kids were quite a bit younger.

Finally, here is a picture of my husband and I - we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on June 15th. Can you tell I am not amused? That's because the edge of the Grand Canyon (1 mile high, I might add!) is just about 10 feet behind us and he was making me stand there.

All in all, it was a wonderful, relaxing, fun-filled vacation!

Perfectionism?

2009-05-29T20:48:00.011-04:00

I am completely obsessed with my tatting looking "perfect" - I hope that shows through in my work! Actually, it's not only tatting, I'm pretty much a perfectionist in every area of my life. This is good and bad, as with any personality trait. I tend to be a fairly slow, methodical tatter. This can be a bit of a drawback when selling your tatting because time is a big factor in cost, but can be balanced by extremely high quality, neat, perfect tatting which looks great in jewelry. You get the picture - it's a give and take.

Here's the thing - for years and years I made rings without ever thinking about the fact that the last ds in a ring sort of gets turned under when you close the ring. It makes the ring look a little uneven (like you are missing 1/2 a ds on one side) and the ring doesn't quite lay flat. I know what some of you are thinking - like, who's paying attention to that?! Well, I didn't for years either, until I started the "Tatting Proficiency Program" a couple of years ago. I read through the binder and saw them mentioning "posting the shuttle" - putting the shuttle through the ring before you close it with the idea that it would not cause that last little ds to turn under and semi-dissapear, and your rings would lie flatter. Not only that - but your rings will be easier to open!

Now I've never had a problem opening my rings, but I looked at a piece I had just made and - hey, how did I never notice that the last little ds curled under like that?! I could get perfectly round, flat little rings?! Well, who knew?? So I tried it. Sigh. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it didn't work well for me. Instead of curling down, now my ds curled up. The rings were a little rounder, but I really didn't think the jewelry laid as well with the ds curling up as when the ds were curling down.

But I could never look at my ugly, lopsided, uneven rings the same way again. Suddenly I hated that darn last ds! So I set about figuring out how to fix the "problem."

So here is the method I came up with: What I started doing about a year ago is making and extra half ds at the end of each ring. I do front side/back side tatting as well. So, if I am making a ring on the "front side," I do an extra 2nd half of the ds and then close the ring. If I am making rings on the "back side," I do an extra 1st half of the ds, pass the shuttle through the ring, (I do post the shuttle from the back side so that all rings are closed with the thread ending up on the same side) and then close the ring. With this method, I find that the last half ds just dissapears when you close the ring nice and snug and the ring looks perfectly even on both sides. The last full ds in the ring is completely visible and doesn't roll either way. The ring lies completely flat and has a nice even shape. Yay!

Now so far I've only shared this with one other person. I guess I thought for a long time that 1. This wouldn't work for anyone else but me or 2. Who else would care? But she found it very useful and solved her "rolling ds" problem as well, and persuaded me to share this technique with the tatting world. Thank you for the encouragement, Suzanne!

So, maybe you'd like to try this? Or maybe I lost you back at the second paragraph and you can't believe I actually care about this as much as I do. :-) Anyway, I wanted to share with those who are as obsessed as I am about "perfect" tatting - and I'd love some feedback for those of you who do try it.

Oh, My Eyes

2009-05-20T20:56:00.010-04:00

As a tatter, this is when you know your eyesight is failing.

1. You find yourself strangely drawn to thicker and thicker threads. Currently I am fascinated by size 10 - when I started I would never have touched anything thicker than a size 30. Of course, I still like size 80-100 but when I tat with it I have to...

2. Depend on a magnifying glass, bifocals, or develop ways to see up close like pushing your glasses so far up on your nose that you can actually look out from under your glasses and see the thread. Yes, I need bifocals. But it's been tax season, you know, and I haven't had any time to get a new prescription. So instead, I either use my magnifying glass or do the peeking under the bottom of my glasses thing (it really does work!).

I am still really annoyed that I am having this problem at my age - I'm only 40! Isn't that too young??

Here's a little spring earring pattern for you. It's nice for using up leftover thread on a shuttle (these are in Yarnplayer's gorgeous "Roses" thread and some DMC Cebelia in olive green.) You will need two shuttles and some seed beads. Thread 1 bead on Sh #1 and 8 beads on Sh #2.

R = ring
Ch = chain
- or p = picot
vsp = very small picot
bp = beaded picot

Sh #1. R 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 1 vsp 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 1. RW. Ch 14. Do not RW.
Sh #2. Bring 3 beads off the shuttle and keep them on the thread you wrap around your fingers to make the ring. R 8 bp (place the three beads in the picot and pull a 4th bead from the shuttle, place it next to the last ds made, and finish the picot) 8. Again, bring 3 beads off the shuttle and keep them on the thread you wrap around your fingers to make the next ring. Duplicate the ring you just did, but make this one 6 bp 6. Do not RW.
Sh #1. Pull the bead off the shuttle and place it next to the last ds of the first half of this chain. Ch 14.
Cut and tie ends to vsp. Finish off by hiding ends. Add earwires!

My next post will be about how I achieve flat, even rings in my tatting - if you are interested, check back in next week.

Thread Obsession

2009-05-17T12:43:00.004-04:00

Naturally, as soon as my body and brain got some kind of a break, I got sick. Looks like another sinus infection, and I'm trying to decide whether to just keep my annual checkup appointment which I already had scheduled for Wednesday morning, or trying to get in sooner so I can get started on the antibiotics. Meanwhile I'm taking Ibuprofin to keep the fever at bay and trying to get some things done. Naps are good.

My variegated thread drawer is getting out of control. I tried to open it the other day to put in the beautiful hand-dyed Magnolia thread I received from Lady Shuttlemaker. Well...I could hardly get the drawer open, it's so crammed full of variegated thread!

I can't imagine my obsession with these gorgeous threads waning anytime soon, so I obviously need a bigger drawer. :-)

In other news, I had a very nice customer interested in doing an article on tatting, so she did some of her own research on the net and asked me some questions, and here is the result. Click here to read the article. Very nice!

I am still working on more patterns for sale, in fact I listed another today - a fairly simple beaded earring pattern. For those of you interested in a book of my patterns rather than one at a time, are you interested in .pdf format or a hard copy that you can actually hold in your hands? Feel free to leave a comment on your preference.

Tatting Patterns

2009-05-10T20:37:00.002-04:00

Well, long time no blog. Another tax season behind me, and I can finally get back into all things tatting. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for my right thumb to remember it doesn't like long sessions of tatting any more. A couple of all weekend tatting marathons and I'm right back where I was at the end of the busy Christmas season - with general achiness in the pad at the base of my right thumb and major pain when I try to use that hand to grip anything. Tatting itself is not nearly as painful as the gripping is, for whatever reason, but it is still obviously the cause. I really must manage my tatting sessions better and take more breaks.

In order to take some more breaks but still be involved in tatting, I decided to start documenting and publishing some of my original tatting patterns. The first one I put up for sale in my Etsy shop is my tatted cross, which you can see in my blog post Motif Twelve. I plan on doing some of my regular motif patterns as well as some of my jewelry patterns, so keep an eye out if you are interested.

This is harder than it looks

2009-03-06T23:28:00.022-05:00

I had a request for the Coral Reef earring pattern. I thought about just sending you all to the webpage where I found the antique book - but then it occurred to me that I'd like to write my own book of patterns someday...and just the other day I was reading on e-tatters about programs to diagram your own tatting patterns...the freeware program Inkscape was mentioned. Having never heard of this one - I've tried others and given up in frustration - I thought I'd download it (it's free) and give it a whirl. Good grief. There are so many different buttons and things and windows opening up all over the place and I didn't even know where to start.

At some point I figured out enough to open up a scan of the Coral Reef earrings and then open another layer over it. I started to draw objects on top of the picture itself, tracing the picture as I went - using freehand lines, ovals, dots for beads. The stitch count numbers came next. Finally I deleted the underlayer (the initial scan of the earrings), grouped all my drawings together and exported it as a bitmap file so it could be uploaded here. Voila! You see it there - and it only took me like 8 hours! No, I'm just kidding. It took me about 2 hours of trial and error, and I'm sure the next time will be easier (as long as I don't wait 6 months before opening the program again).

I hate typing up instructions longhand - and actually I much prefer diagrams when reading and tatting a pattern as well. But, for those of you who DON'T like diagrams, or if you don't use beads often and are unsure how those get added - here's the pattern for you (I hope you can read it as I'm also not so good at writing them longhand!):

Two Shuttles.
R = ring
Ch = chain
- or p = picot
vsp = very small picot
+ = joining picot

Load 6 beads on shuttle #1 and 4 beads on shuttle #2.

With shuttle #1: Pull up 6 beads into the ring you are going to make. In other words, the beads should be on the part of the thread that is wrapped around your fingers.
R 4 - (place two beads in the picot) 4 - (pull a bead up from shuttle #1, put it next to the last ds, made and make a picot around it) 4 - (place two beads in the picot) - 9 - (place two beads in the picot) 9. Close ring. RW.
Ch 7 - 3 - 3 - 3. Lock join to 5th p of last R. Do not RW.
With shuttle #2. Pull up 3 beads into the ring you are going to make.
R 3 + (to last p of previous Ch) 4 - (place three beads in the picot and pull the 4th bead from the shuttle, place it next to the last ds made, finish the picot) 4 - 3. Close R. Do not RW.
With shuttle #1: Ch 3 + (to last p of previous R) 3 - 3 - 7. Cut threads and tie off to vsp of the 1st R. Make another and you're done with your earrings!

And for those of you who could not read either the diagram or my version of the longhand pattern - here's the link to the book it came from. The .pdf file is down near the bottom of the page, under "mongraphs". The stitch count is slightly different than mine, and of course, it doesn't have the beads added. Have fun with whichever pattern you use.

Coincidence

2009-03-04T20:11:00.005-05:00

I was cruising around the tatting blogs tonight and came across the exact same doily as the one I just fixed for my friend, except this one was tatted very recently, while the one I worked on was probably tatted about fifty years ago. It was tatted by Kelly Dunn and is posted as Motif #16 on her blog. I was so surprised to see it! She mentions it is from "The Tatter's Treasure Chest," which is of course a compilation of older tatting books from the 40's. I guess the doily I fixed was probably tatted from the original tatting book. :-)

Small piece of eye candy! This was a special order and is my own pattern, which I call "snowflake". I love these two colors together - sage & lavender.

Coral Reef Project

2009-03-03T21:15:00.004-05:00

Oooh...I love the colors in this thread. I purchased it from Pamela, it is a lovely high quality thread in gorgeous colors. Once in a while I like to pull out all my vintage books are just start cruising through them. So often I find so many things I never remember noticing before. I think this pattern looks pretty modern - but I found it in "Priscilla Tatting Book No. 2", by Julia Sanders. As I often do, I used just one motif for the matching earring.

In other news - I am mourning the loss of another vintage metal shuttle. I really like the early Boye shuttles - they are high quality and don't tarnish, not like the new metal ones...ick. The older Boye are a little dangerous with light color threads if you get the thread caught in between the bobbin and the shuttle. So, I use them only with the darker color threads, but I really like them because they have a removable bobbin (the only kind of shuttle I use) and they will hold more thread than Aeros (especially with beads on the thread). Between my grandmother and antique shops I managed to pick up about 6 of them but I am down to my last one. Eventually they all snap on me down at the base. I am constantly switching bobbins and I think after a while it's too much stress on that spot. Bah.

Black Lace Scallop Necklace

2009-02-22T13:58:00.008-05:00

I finished working on the doily. It is just so fragile - I'm going to recommend that she avoid handling it too much and frame it as soon as possible. It really is not usable as a doily because of the condition the lace is in. I wish I knew what had caused the problem - whether it is the type of thread, starching method, how it was stored, etc. so I could avoid doing that to any of my own pieces! This particular doily has a lot of sentimental value to the owner so I tried to get it in as good a condition as possible so it can be framed and become a family keepsake. Hopefully she will be pleased with the results.

I was hoping to have finished something in LadyShuttlemaker's Peach Pandorea thread, but unfortunately I did not have any beads to match. I will have to go beads shopping! Instead, I pulled out Pamela's Coral Reef and have ideas for a necklace. However, with trying to catch up after missing a week of work, I didn't actually even get it started.

So instead, I'll show a different necklace I finished recently. This one is tatted with black thread and shiny black delica beads (a whole lot of them). It is a simple scallop pattern which I *think* is in the book "The Tatter's Treasure Chest" - up until now I have not been good about keeping track of where I get my vintage patterns from - but I'm trying to do better. I have so many books - they take up crates and crates. Anyway, here is the finished result. The little flower in the front is a lightweight acrylic bead made by another artist.

The matching earrings are a very simple basic earring I've been making from the very beginning of my business - I call it my "Tat" earring because it contains all of the most basic tatting construction in just 32 little knots - it has one ring, one chain, and one picot. I vary the pattern a lot with colors and beads, and I make a lot of these earrings. Again, the bead hanging down from the base is from the same artist as the flower on the necklace.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T10:20:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm only a little late to the tatted heart posting party...finally recovered (for the most part) from the flu. This heart necklace was quite large - I made it so long ago (and never did make another) so I wish I knew where the heart pattern came from originally, but when I went back to look for it again I couldn't find it - if anyone knows, post in the comments and I'll add the information here.

The rest of the necklace is beadweaving with pearls, seed and other glass beads, made to look like hearts as well.

I have been tatting while having the flu - in short bursts between naps, sneezing and coughing, the chills and having the sweats so bad the thread gets all wet and you can't do anything with it. I also am currently working on fixing a doily for a friend. Her mother tatted the doily but it is very fragile - I'm not sure if it was treated with some kind of starch and then not stored well - but almost the entire outer row had "broken" off of the rest of the doily - in other words, the picots are broken so there's nothing to do but take a fine thread in the same color and sew it back together. Unfortunately, it is so fragile I've managed to break a few more picots while trying to work on it. I'm at the blocking point now - I've blocked it once but it needs to be done a second time.

Lots of wash to catch up on, and I have to go do some bookkeeping for a non-profit organization I volunteer for today as well - so I'm off!

Roses in Bloom

2009-02-12T17:54:00.004-05:00

I found this pattern (the part at the front of the necklace) in a vintage tatting book. I thought the edging looked like flowers so I had in my mind how I wanted to use Yarnplayer's "Roses" thread and make it really look like flowers - unfortunately, the pattern wouldn't cooperate and I ended up doing it in two layers instead of just one like the pattern was written. So then I stopped it short and created the rest of the necklace afterwards. I still like the way it turned out, but I have some more ideas.

I need to tweak the pattern a little more to get better results. Unfortunately I have the flu and can't think straight, so I'm going back to sleep now.

Back to Blogging

2009-02-03T00:28:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone :-) I wonder by now if everyone has stopped even bothering with my blog as I have been gone for sooooo long. Work and my fall show season got the better of me, and I found myself with no time and no desire to write anything at the end of a long day. Even though it is now tax season, without shows I have a little more time to do things, and so I thought I'd resurrect the blog. I can't promise a post every day (what in the world would I talk about!?), but I'll definitely try to be more consistent than I have been.

Anyway, I thought I'd try out this new pattern by Yarnplayer - found here. How I wish I were as prolific and talented a designer as she is. How I wish I had the time! Fortunately for me, and for many of you too, I'm sure, we have wonderfully talented designers out there. I just loooove this pattern, and wanted to make earrings out of it the moment I saw it. Enjoy!

Beadweaving and Felting Fun

2008-08-23T20:48:00.011-04:00

I have been wanting to learn more beadweaving techniques. I do use some simple ones, but I also felt a bit unknowledgeable about different types if threads, needles, etc. and though a good class might take care of that. WELL....The Bead Expo was here this weekend and I got to go! It was huge! I got to go bead shopping which I love - I just have to see beads in person before I buy - but best of all I got to take four classes!

My morning class was Beginning Peyote with Nancy Zellers. We learned tubular and flat peyote stitch and Nancy was a fantastic teacher. She spent the first hour talking all about threads, how to conditions them, what size to use, needles to use, how to finish projects off, and lots of other great beginner tips. It was a great start to my day.

In the afternoon I had a class in felting, "Felted Pod Brooch" with Gail Crosman Moore. I had absolutely no experience with felting (this class was in wet felting) and thought it was very interesting. I bought some wool to try to make some felted beads to use with my tatting.

I took another class with Nancy Zellers in the evening - this one was one of her kits and involved brick stitch - "Dragon's Treasure Bracelet" (you must go see the picture of her completed piece, it is gorgeous). I am totally addicted to brick stitch. When worked with delica beads it is so even and beautiful. I find it as relaxing as tatting! And it totally feeds those perfectionist, OCD tendencies I have. Here are the two beads I completed (only 19 to go LOL).

This was my Thursday. On Friday I just took and evening class with Rosita Pisarchick. I found this class, "The Best Beaded Cabachon" to be the most challenging and frustrating, but also to probably have the most practical application for my jewelry, as I have been wanting to do beaded bails on my tatting for a while now, and not use any metal at all (all fiber and beads). Rosita was a great teacher, I just had difficulty with getting the thing to look as "perfect" as I wanted it too. I know, I know it was only my first time! This is an imperial jasper cabachon in brown seed beads. It isn't finished, as you can see, because I ran out of thread as the class came to an end.

All in all, it was a great experience and great fun!

Well, It's Official

2008-08-20T22:39:00.006-04:00

At the end of tax season this year I was offered a permanent full time position at the firm (for the last five years I have worked full time only during tax season and then sparsely the remainder of the year while I was busy with my craft shows). My first thought was "no way" because I couldn't imagine giving up all my shows and all that tatting.

But after praying about it and talking to my husband and family, we decided it was a good thing - an unexpected blessing I didn't even realize I needed.

First of all, I have two kids going to college in 3 years - yeah, twins, so all college bills come at one time - ick. Having a nice, steady income will be very helpful.

This year's shows, for the most part, have been really off. Everyone's discretionary income is getting sucked into their gas tank (and I don't see that changing any time soon) and it's an election year. Don't ask me why election years are bad for me, but they always have been. I'm doing ok with shows, but I'm stressed about the varying income, how much some of my shows are down, and my travel costs going through the roof.

And finally, my wrists are seriously showing the strain of 4-6 hours of tatting a day for 17 years. My eyes are not doing so well either, as I mentioned in a previous post. I'd like to do some designing, maybe write a pattern book, and tat for nothing but my own pleasure if I want. I've picked up my crochet hooks recently and remembered how much I love to crochet as well! With the business, I never have any time for anything but tatting jewelry.

So, I start my full time job September 2nd. Part of me is really looking forward to it - I love what I do, and the people I work for and work with are great. Part of me is scared to death (I haven't actually ever had a normal, all year long, full time job, and I'm 39). Part of me is really sad to say good-bye to being an artist *almost* full time.

Now, all of that being said, Elizabeth's Lace is not disappearing off the face of the earth. :-) I plan to cut way down on shows - from about 16 to 6. I still plan to sell online, where I can keep costs down and reach a large audience. I could never imagine not doing tatted jewelry; I love it - it's been a huge part of my life. But it's officially time to take a little break.

And now for just a little eye candy, for those of you that made it to the end of the post - you didn't think I'd leave out the eye candy, did you??

This is a vintage pattern...I shall have to go looking for the source, but I suspect I found it somewhere in the Antique Pattern Library. Then I sketched it in my book, but I forgot to write down where I found it. Duh. I'll see if I can figure it out. Anyway, this is done in one of Yarnplayer's threads (Tigereye), size 20, and the focal bead is a vintage style button. The button for the clasp is also very old-fashioned. I just love the way this turned out. It got lots of compliments at the show I took part in this last weekend.

Motif Twenty-Five!

2008-08-10T13:58:00.005-04:00

I want to first of all say thank you to all the people who took the time to say such nice things to me about my grandmother. It really helped my get through a bit of a rough patch - obviously, it's still rough, but talking about it really helped, and receiving the responses I did helped even more. One person summed it all up by saying, "your grandmother will live on in every piece you create."

Well, I can't believe I made it all the way to the end...and it only took me 1 1/2 years! The final motif is based on the "Yorkie Dimple" - you'll find information on that here. Obviously, when you first look at a dimpled ring, it looks like a heart. So I just added a few picots, Swarovski crystals, and voila, it looks like a little heart with wings. I think it makes a sweet little earring.

Actually, I figure in the 1 1/2 years since I started this 25-motif challenge blog, I have made somewhere around 1000 pieces of tatting (this must be part of the reason I never seem to have any time to post). I was running the numbers the other day, and in the fifteen years I have had my tatted jewelry business, I figure I have made approximately 10,000 pieces of tatting, and sold about 9650 of them - I have approximately 350 pieces in my inventory at any one time.

It's no wonder my wrists are giving me problems. Chronic problems. This leads me to another subject I'll be talking about in my next post - I plan to keep the blog going, and I'd like to do another 25 motif challenge, although this time I really am going to do more designing of patterns - and I think I will have some more time to do that, as I'll explain in my next post.

HBT's Christmas in July

2008-07-31T18:34:00.012-04:00

I belong to the e-mail group "Here Be Tatters" and recently the list mom, Sue, organized a Christmas in July exchange (with secret partners) for any member that wanted to participate. We weren't allowed to open our packages until today and the wait was grueling for me!!

This was so much fun! I wanted to post some pictures of the things my secret sender (Betsy Evans) sent to me, and give an official thanks for all the wonderful items.

First of all, it came in this COOL little case, with a sweet little tatted cat on it, which I'm sure will come in handy for toting my tatting around - in fact, I've been planning on making up a "tatting kit" to keep in my car - and I think this little case will be great for that!

Then I opened up the case to find all the treasures inside. There were postcards so I got to see where Betsy lives - what a gorgeous area of the country it must be. A Whitman sampler of chocolate (I've eaten 3/4 of it already LOL) in a lovely tin which I will also keep for storage. A pattern for a tatted fan bookmark along with the fan tatted by Betsy in a teeny tiny thread.

It was pinned to the pattern with a coil-less safety pin to use with patterns that start with chains - how wonderful - I didn't even know there was such a thing! Also, a lovely bookmark of her own design in a plastic sleeve which I already placed in the book I am currently reading (I had some boring old piece of cardboard in it before - this is so much nicer). Blue Mill Hall seed beads which I will put to good use, as well as a sample of Lady Shuttlemaker's "Pensacola Beach" thread - YAY! There is also a beautiful embroidered thimble holder with plastic rings inside. Finally, TWO pairs of earrings in blue (my favorite color), one on metal rings and the other with little seed beads.

Thank you SO MUCH, Betsy. What a wonderful time I had exploring all the items and I will think of you each time I use something from the gifts!

Motif Twenty-Four

2008-07-20T15:13:00.003-04:00

This is my own original pattern. I created it to be earrings to match my other cross pattern (motif twelve). I thought I would share the pattern here. I have spent the last who-knows-how-long remembering why I don't like to write down patterns. I cannot figure out how to explain things to make sure people can understand how to tat them!! *sigh*

I'm hoping most people will actually be able to tat it because of the picture. I'll put the written directions here, but please, please, please, if someone has some ideas of how to say something better or explain it more clearly, or if you find any errors while tatting it, mention it in the comments so the poor people trying to follow the pattern and make the cross can do so. I'm hopeless.

Mini-Cross by Elizabeth C. Zipay
(c) 2000

Two shuttles.
I use the method of "front-side/back side" tatting.
All joining picots on the chains are extremely small.
In size 20 thread, the cross is ~ 1 1/2" tall and 1 1/4" wide.

With shuttle #1
*R 3-2-2. RW
Ch 1. RW
R 2+(to last p of previous R)4-4-2. RW
Ch 1. RW
R 2+(to last p of previous R)2-3. RW*
Ch 2-2. Do no reverse work.

With shuttle #2, R1-1-1-1. Do not reverse work.
With shuttle #1, Continue ch 2-2. RW

Repeat from * to *.

Ch 2+(to opposite p of previous Ch)
2+(to next p of shuttle #2 R)2-2.RW

Repeat from * to *.

Ch 2+(to opposite p of previous Ch)
2+(to next p of shuttle #2 R)4-5-4.RW

Repeat from * to *.

Ch 4+(opposite p of previous Ch)
5+(opposite p of precious Ch)
4+(to next p of shuttle #2 R)
2+(to opposite p on third Ch tatted)2.

Attach to first ring. Finish off.

In Memory...

2008-07-17T21:09:00.007-04:00

The grandmother that taught me tatting passed away on July 7th. She was 95 years old. She had not tatted for a number of years, after breaking one of her wrists, but she still loved to talk about it, remember how much she loved to do it, watch me do it and look at the work I was doing. She always said to me, "people pay you HOW MUCH for TATTING?!"

Here is a link to her obituary: My Grandma

She was such a sweet, wonderful lady. My husband always said, "she is such the typical grandma!" - she had the gift of hospitality, always wanting to make sure you had what you wanted or needed and she loved to have guests to wait on and fawn over. Her whole house was geared for entertaining - from the basement to the garage (both were complete with bars and plenty of seating and used for parties numerous times). She taught me crocheting as well as tatting and loved to play all kinds of games with us kids as well. My grandparents took us on bus trips all over the east coast - Disney, World's Fairs and lots of other interesting places. She loved to go to Atlantic city (and she was darn lucky there too - no wonder she liked it). When we got older, we played pinochle or penny games with both my grandparents - almost every weekend. And after I was married and had kids and lived far away, hers was still always the house that we stayed at when we came home for a visit.

I will surely miss her, but find hope and take comfort in the promise that we will be together again some day. I will be sure to bring some shuttles.

Motif Twenty-Three

2008-05-28T22:19:00.003-04:00

I am almost done with the 25 motif challenge! It took me long enough. I've already decided to start again at one when done with these 25, in the effort to keep myself motivated to come up with new designs.

This one incorporates two of my original designs, a flower and a small butterfly. This is the second one I've done, although the first was in a different color scheme. I am already planning another one in yet another color. I like doing this pattern in the solid colored flower with variegated butterflies. The first one was a flower in sage with lavender beads and sage/lavender/gold butterflies. I'm not sure what color scheme I'll use for the next - I'll have to check my HDT stash! I've obtained one of Yarnplayer's coordinating mini-skein sets, so I may have to do a watermelon tourmaline color scheme; maybe a lovely plum flower with the pink/green/plum butterflies. I'm ready to whip out the shuttles!

Some designs are once and done for me. Either I don't like it once it turns out or the logistics of the design are difficult and cumbersome. This one I really enjoy doing, and to top it off - both this one and the previous one made in the other color scheme went home with happy customers, so this design is a definite keeper!

Just a little fun...

2008-05-09T21:37:00.003-04:00

This little quiz was fun. I love Jane Austin, novels and movies. This quiz totally had me pegged - I AM Elinor Dashwood! Here's what it said: You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

Take the Quiz here!

I promise I will return to the motifs in my next post, hopefully early next week. Have a great weekend everyone!

Wonderful Weekend

2008-05-05T14:39:00.003-04:00

Well. I am still flying on cloud nine after my wonderful weekend. I was in Chantilly, VA for a craft show. I wouldn't normally say this, but thank goodness it was a little slow (crowd wise) at this show, so I had time to visit with everyone who came to see me.

That's right, I had some special visitors. In Chantilly, people still know what tatting is - and some of them have even actually done it! I met quite a few fellow tatters, which I will get to in just a little bit...first I want to say that when a fellow lace-maker, especially a tatter, buys one of my pieces, I consider that an extremely high compliment. That they think highly enough of my tatting to want to own a piece of it - well, it just makes my day, I can't really even express it in words. It is just pure joy!

So I met some tatters this weekend. One of them was a lovely girl who drove all the way from Richmond, VA to see my work in person. She had been on my website and on the blog, but when she heard I would be "nearby" she decided to take a trip, and I'm so glad she did! She was wearing some of her own tatted jewelry, a lovely black pendant and earring set - just beautiful! It looked great on her. My mom and I invited her into the back of my booth and we visited and talked shop for a while - such fun! She went home with one of my necklaces in Yarnplayer's "Watermelon Tourmaline" thread (great choice!), and the pin pictured here - I call it "Flora Victoria." I sure hope she starts her own blog to share her work with us. I never get tired of browsing blogs - how about you?

I also met a fellow tatter who has just about convinced me to organize all of my ideas and jewelry in book form, even if I don't publish right away. She talked to me for quite a while about wanting to preserve what I have spent the last fifteen years of my life on while I am still really involved in it. Of course, first I have to figure out those darn drawing programs...

There were other tatters, too - all of whom shared stories and talked shop with me. I never get tired of talking about tatting, and apparently, neither do other tatters! :-)

But when Kathy Nicklewicz walked into my booth on Friday afternoon, I could not believe my eyes. She held up a bag with a "Mercer, PA Victorian Days" logo on it and I knew immediately who she was. For those of you who might not know about Kathy, please see Sharon's blog post called "The Tatting of Kathy Niklewicz" from February 21, 2008. I had met this lovely lady back in the late 90s at a show out in western PA, which I mentioned in my comment on Sharon's blog. Little did I know that Kathy has internet access and has been paying attention to all things tatting on the net, and also remembered me from that same show! She made up her mind she was going to come and see me at a show and she and her husband traveled all the way from western PA to come and see me in Chantilly. It was soooooo wonderful to see her again! I felt like I was visiting with a long lost friend.

She brought pictures and stories and we talked and talked about the internet and all the wonderful things that are happening in tatting these days, as well as sharing life and family stories. I am so hoping she decides to start her own blog so she can get out her own life and tatting stories to share with everyone - and Kathy, if you are reading this - you better e-mail me with any questions so we can get you up and running in blog-world!! :-) I am hoping she will also decide to write a book and preserve her tatting legacy for all of us. She is a talented designer and master tatter and we don't want to lose her work and her lovely, unusual patterns.

You can see why I am still flying high! Thanks to all you tatters who made this such a wonderful weekend for me!

Pardon me while I ramble...

2008-04-27T21:45:00.006-04:00

I have noticed something for the last year or two that I have been muddling around in my mind and thought I'd report on it here. When I first started selling my tatted jewelry, most people I met - probably about 90% - at least had heard of tatting, and most of those knew at least one person who tatted, the most common being an elderly relative or neighbor or nun (if they went to Catholic school). I mean, my grandmother was the only person I knew who did it when I was growing up. It was also surprising the number or people who recognized it from crossword puzzles - "to make lace" - three letter word - "tat." At any rate, many did not know that the craft was still being done because they had not seen or heard anything about it for years.

That has changed. I would say that now about 50%-60% of the people I meet at shows have heard of tatting - again with most of those knowing about it because they knew someone who tatted. Now - it can depend on the show, it's location and promoters (for example, most people coming to a Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen show know what tatting is). It took me a while to process the fact, acknowledge that things were changing, try to analyze the reasons why, and figure out how I was going to adapt to this growing trend.

I think the main reason is this - this is hard for me to believe, because in some ways it feels like I just started yesterday, but I have been doing art/craft shows for the last fifteen years. In that time, a shopping generation has gone on, and a new one has come up - in other words, people that were teenagers when I started are now the customers I see in my booth. For them, even if they had an elderly relative who tatted, it was probably a great-grandmother, and they never knew her or saw it done, so they are not at all familiar with the technique. Also, because there are few of us out in the public as often as I am - people still don't see it being done, and although the internet is a nice thriving area for tatters to mingle, learn, and grow their craft - most people of this new generation wouldn't even know to search for it because they've never heard of it.

I think in the beginning I sold a lot of pieces simply because they were tatted, and the people who knew what it was were fascinated with this craft being used in a new way. Now I find I really have to be concerned about the design of a piece, have to watch color and style trends, develop my own particular "style," and my work has to sell because people like what it looks like on them, how it feels, and that fact that it is very unusual, rather than just because it is tatted.

When I started I enjoyed so much hearing people's memories about a mom or grandma who tatted. For them memories surfaced when they walked in my booth and they couldn't wait to share with someone else who knew what tatting was, since the never came across anyone else. I still get some of that, but it's much rarer today. Instead, I do a lot more education on the technique itself, introducing this craft to a new generation. For the most part, they are fascinated and eager to learn, and that is great fun too! Of course, I still share my own memories of my grandmother and how she taught me, and then tell them how it got started, show them how it's done, and encourage them to check out resources on the web if they are interested in pursuing it further.

So, that's my ramble for today.

And now for just a little eye candy! :-)

This is a pattern my grandmother loved to do - I've never seen it anywhere, so I think she just sort of made it up - she liked to just pick up the shuttle and tat away.

Please feel free to comment below on any interesting trends you've noticed while out in public with your tatting, or maybe hits or comments on your website, or what it's like being a tatter in your family or hometown.

Motif Twenty-Two

2008-04-21T09:00:00.008-04:00

A number of years ago now (probably at least ten years), I purchased a book on ebay that had some very interesting patterns in it. Here is one of the links to it: DMC Library: Tatting (.pdf file) I'm fascinated by old books that have what I consider unusual techniques in them - often what you see in those older books in so similar, one book to another. This book stood out to me for a few reasons - one being that it used a lot of two-shuttle patterns - including things like josephine knots or rings thrown off chains, which wasn't all that common in other books I had (either from my grandmother or found at antique stores). It also combined tatting with some other things like crochet and netting.

The third reason was that this was the first time I came across what is known now as the "self-closing mock ring" - coined that by the Shuttle Brothers in their book introducing the technique in 1999. It is on page 32, fig. 16 - not only does the center ring look like a ring with rings on it - but the outside row also has what looks like rings with three rings on the the outside of them. I looked at it and thought, "how in the world...?" I think the instructions must have been pretty clear because I was able to do it relatively easily, as I remember.

I used it in a pattern for a round robin I was involved in at the time. I remember trying to explain how to do it - at that time it didn't have an official "name" that I was aware of - nor had I or any of the people in the round robin ever seen it before. I think I just called it a chain that was made to look like a ring (self-closing mock ring is really a much better name!).

Anyway, the book has a lot of other very nice patterns in it as well, and for those of you that didn't know it was out there - enjoy! Here is a pin I made with fig. 21 on page 32.

Motif Twenty-One

2008-04-18T00:54:00.003-04:00

As promised, here is the butterfly from Rozella Linden's book, "Tatted Butterfly Garden." I had a very difficult time with the body. I did get it to work correctly - I think - but it came out a little too small for these wings. The head doesn't lay flat either and that bothers me.

I am very pleased with the wings themselves, though. I love the pattern - very realistic. The book suggested planning out the wings when using a variegated thread so that they would be mirror images of each other not only in the pattern but in color as well. I hadn't ever tried to do that before but it wasn't difficult and the effect is nice.

I think what I will do to "fix" this is sew it onto a filigree piece and sew beads over the body so it looks larger. Maybe I will post it again once I do that.

I will be sharing an antique pattern available on the web in my next post so watch for that.

Motif Twenty

2008-04-12T20:48:00.003-04:00

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

....that's the sigh of relief that comes when you've made it through another tax season. Obviously the deadline is not until Tuesday, but it always seems to slow down right at the end.

This is why I haven't posted in nearly a month! Just too busy to do any scanning or posting. I do quite a bit of tatting in the evenings when I get home from work in preparation for the busy show season, but never manage to get any of it onto my computer.

Here is motif number 20 - not my original design - but very different and unusual, I think. It was time consuming and tedious, because of there being so many chains, but I am very pleased with the results. I will probably turn this into one of my pin/pendant combinations - so it can be worn as either thing.

Thank you to Shay for posting the pattern, which can be found here. As soon as I saw this I just had to try it - I've got a lot of books, and I've seen a lot of different tatting patterns, but never anything like this.

Right now I am working on a butterfly from Rozella Linden's book "Tatted Butterfly Garden." The wings are made with Marilee's Watermelon Tourmaline thread - my FAVORITE color of all time! I am having difficulty with the magic butterfly body, though, and I am about ready to e-mail Ruth and get some help! It frustrates me to no end when I can't figure out something on my own, so I'll probably fiddle with it a little more. When I am finished with it, it will be motif number 21, so look for it in the next week or so.

Motif Nineteen

2008-03-14T00:06:00.003-04:00

Here is an adapted edging pattern done in a very thick silk (about a size 10, and a little thicker than I really enjoy working with.) But I love silk for tatting - and the colors - yum!

Motif Eighteen

2008-02-22T16:42:00.008-05:00

With 3" of snow on the ground I'm ready for spring already. That must be why I'm doing so many butterflies and flowers lately - I just can't seem to stay away from them! I haven't posted them all here, but I did one yesterday that's a little unusual so I thought I'd post it.

This one is an aqua flower - yes, my own pattern but a very simple one - with soft chartreuse butterflies on it.

Here is more of a close up so you can see the detail better. The chain is beads over thread with tatted rings in between - I like the look but it is a bit time consuming and requires planning ahead of time.

I had a lot of fun designing and executing this one - and this is one of my all time favorite color combinations as well, so I'm a happy camper. I really need to get some tatting done today, though, so ciao!

Book?

2008-02-17T11:55:00.001-05:00

I have had a few people ask me if I am going to be publishing a book, so I wanted to address that - at this time, unfortunately, I have no plans to do that. My knowledge of programs to draw patterns, writing them out long-hand, or actually putting a book together is limited at best. Not to mention the fact that I have no time. Someday...maybe. For right now, though, I just love the tatting process, and I love making jewelry, so that's where my focus is.

If someone would like to recommend a program for diagramming patterns, I'd love to hear it. I can almost guarantee any book I write would only have diagrams and not be written longhand, because that's how I design and document patterns, by sketching - I never write them out.

Motif Seventeen

2008-02-13T12:14:00.006-05:00

I keep telling myself - "I will blog at least once a week, I WILL blog at least once a week!" It doesn't usually happen though. Tax season is here, and it's a little bit busy. Besides that, I have a show in 3 1/2 weeks (inventory! I need inventory!), and trying to establish a presence on Etsy is time consuming as well. Add to that a couple of orders and voila! No spare time.

Today it is icy and snowy in the northeast, and I woke up with a bit of a sore throat, so I'm home. No taxes today. I'm washing and blocking some tatting, and tatting some new things, and I though I'd do a post on the blog as well.

Just in time for Valentine's Day - a heart! This is a pattern I started using a while ago - it is a combination of some different patterns from the web - none of them are exactly like this, but they are similar (I mean, all hearts are a similar shape, so, when tatting, a lot of people come up with a similar way to arrive at that shape). As I've mentioned before, when adding beads, or transforming a piece of tatting into jewelry, there are some adjustments in stitch count or the way things are joined to help things lay better, or look a certain way.

I hope you can tell by the scan - this is no normal tatting thread. For those of you who are adventurous and like a challenge, may I offer to you "Petite Very Velvet" thread. It is made of 100% nylon and is hand-washable. It comes in about a dozen beautiful colors. Normally used for cross stitch, this gorgeous thread tats up about a size 10. When finished, it is a little bulky, but also plush and soft and beautiful.

***DISCLAIMER***

This thread is not for the faint of heart. It is also not recommended for tatting beginners, those with little patience or anyone who tats very tightly. It will break fairly easily, rings will not close tightly sometimes, and don't even THINK about trying to make a ring larger than 3-3-3-3 with it. I cannot be held responsible for any screaming, tearing out your hair, throwing shuttles or any other act of severe frustration.

TAT WITH THIS THREAD AT YOUR OWN RISK.

In some ways this is like the metallic thread, you have to be really good at controlling your tension, have oodles of patience, and know how to add thread very well. Small pieces are best, or pieces where there are few rings and a lot of chains. I am working on a full necklace in black, but I dread working on it.

I have one of these hearts myself (I actually have very few pieces of my own jewelry, mainly the ones I wear to shows) and I LOVE it. It is so lightweight and soft, and I get lots of compliments on it. So try it out! Or, if you'd rather not test your frustration level with this thread, I am putting this one up for sale in my Etsy shop - feel free to stop by!

Motif Sixteen

2008-01-30T13:37:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when you start doing one thing and it goes wrong - you've already spent time on it, so you turn it into something else. I planned on doing the entire necklace in this pattern, but it didn't want to curve nicely and when I added that ring that's in the center there - that did it. It put way to much of a bend in the pattern. So I just stopped it short and added a twisted stitch/split ring chain instead.

This is some of Yarnplayer's wonderful hand dyed thread - this is from her first batch of "Rhubarb Pie" that I bought sometime last year. I just love it. You can get some some yourself at her Etsy shop - yarnplayer.etsy.com

Motifs Fourteen & Fifteen

2008-01-21T19:59:00.000-05:00

It finally happened.

I've been doing about 10 art/craft shows a year for fifteen years. Without fail, one of the most common questions I got was - "do you use a magnifying glass??" In the beginning I would just smile broadly and said, "no, never!" Again, almost without exception, the customer would pause, give me a look, and say, "Just wait. You will."

About two years ago now I noticed I was having some difficulty seeing well, especially with the finer threads. When customers asked me the question, I smiled and said, "No, not yet."

Well, "not yet" has arrived. After taking about a month off of tatting I had an order for black earrings. I wanted to give the customer some choices, so I made four different pair, two of them in thread that claims to be size 80 thread but is really more like 90-100 (it's Anchor brand and I like it better than DMC tatting thread but I do think it is finer).

I could not see it. I tried to count stitches and couldn't. "I am going to be 39 in a few weeks - aren't I too young for this problem?!" - I whined. But alas, I had to use my magnifying glass. Fortunately I have a large overhead light that has a swing arm magnifying glass attached. It worked great. I actually used it for the entire two pairs, just holding the tatting right under the glass so I could see it perfectly. It worked really well, much better than I expected.

I had to laugh, though, when I finished the first earring and put the magnifying glass up I couldn't believe how small the earring actually was! I had gotten so used to looking at it under the magnifying glass my brain was telling me it bigger than it was.

So anyway, here are the two pairs of earrings made with the fine black thread. Incidentally, so far I don't seem to have a problem with any other color in the fine thread except black.

I know, I know...you're thinking, "Just wait. You will." :-P

This is Rosemarie Peel's "Celtic Motif." It's the pair the customer ending up liking the best.

Based on a pattern called "beaded teardrop" by Betty Goetgeluck, I adapted this to better match a necklace pattern I like to use.

Motif Thirteen

2007-12-22T22:54:00.000-05:00

Just for a switch I decided to post something other than jewelry - I don't get to make other kinds of tatted items very often. Here is an ornament I made for an exchange. It is made with one strand of DMC metallic floss in copper (same as the earrings in a previous post), and one strand of Anchor, size 80, in a similar copper color. The metallic floss is soooooo much easier to work with when combined with another thread. The pattern is from a small Japanese book that is not translated at all - so I have no idea of the title - but it looks like the author is T. Fujito and it is (c) 2001, in case that helps anyone locate the book/pattern.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. Enjoy the time with friends and family!

Motif Twelve

2007-12-10T11:07:00.000-05:00

My life is way too busy. I need to take that "stop and smell the roses" saying more seriously. My life is passing me by and I have no time to enjoy it. Don't get me wrong - I love my life. My family is wonderful, I love both my jobs, most of the time I would be hard pressed to find something to whine about - but some days it seems like I am on the outside looking in and watching my life go by at the speed of light. How is it Christmas 2007 is only two weeks away? When did my kids get to be 15 and looking and acting more like men every day? When I tell customers I have been creating tatted jewelry for 14 years I think to myself - it seems like just yesterday I went to my first craft show and how could it possibly be 14 years ago?!

Well, enough rambling. Another original pattern here - but one I have been using for just about as long as I have been in business - a cross. Here are two versions, one with a rose and a beaded one.

The beaded version is relatively recent - I like placing the beads the way they are - dangling like that, but it is a pain in the neck and really doesn't work well because of the design of the cross to use that particular technique. I have to come up with something better. I would also like to do some beadweaving in the center of the cross but haven't had time to play with that yet - in January. (Of course, if you knew all the things I am going to get to "in January" you would realize I have way too large of an agenda for the alloted number of days in that month. Especially with tax season starting.)

It's been three weeks since I posted - I must do better at keeping up!

Sick but still tatting wildly...

2007-11-17T01:42:00.000-05:00

I have been sick - yuck! Started out with a sore throat and maintained a low grade fever while moving through chest cough, runny nose and now sinus infection. Finally today I went to the doctor to get some antibiotics, but only because we are leaving tomorrow for Kentucky for Thanksgiving. I didn't want to get a serious sinus infection (and man have I had some doosies) while far away from home.

I have been tatting a lot. Sinus infections don't really interfere with tatting, except that I have to quit and take a nap now and again. I have been tatting so much that the base of my thumb on my left hand has started to hurt - this is not a good sign. I do have gloves I wear sometimes but they make my hands hot. With a fever and two cats sitting on my lap I'm warm enough already, so no gloves! I'll take another nap instead and give my thumb a rest.

I don't have any pictures of tatting to share at the moment, however, because I have been working mainly on orders and many of them are similar to patterns or pictures I have already posted. Hopefully when I get back in a week I'll do a massive scanning session of things I get done while in KY.

Instead, I'll share pictures of my kitties.

This is Sammy. He was my baby for 15 years until we had to have him put to sleep this past March. We got him at a garage sale. He was born with only one eye, but it didn't slow him down any. He was the most vocal cat I've ever known - he'd follow you around the house yelling all the time until you sat down. He was the first pet I ever had to put down, and it was just AWFUL. It took me months before I could even think about him without breaking down. But now it's mostly happy memories with just a few "I still miss you" tears.

This is one of my new pals, Dorito. You may think he looks like Sammy, but in real life he doesn't. He has these crazy big tufts on his ears and huge eyes and big lion-like paws. He also has a really pointy face, and I suspect he may have some wild cat - maybe Bengal - in his lineage somewhere. We rescued him from a shelter. He is a cuddle-bug, but also very skittish, so I think he also may have some abuse in his background. For instance, he will not go through the cat door to the basement where the litter boxes are because he thinks the door is hitting him, so we have to tape it open. Once he gets to know you though, he loves to put his paws around your neck, get up in your face and give you kisses.

Here is my other lap-buddy, Staten. Isn't he gorgeous? He is on the small side and loves to climb into things (my purse, plastic shopping bags, boxes, you name it, he's in it). We rescued him from the shelter as well. He yells at me when I'm in the shower - I really have not been able to figure out why. In the early mornings he climbs onto my pillow and combs his claws through my hair while purring loudly and drooling.

Both of them can fit in my lap but it makes it hard to tat so usually one is along side of me in my chair while the other is on my lap. We spend many happy hours like that!

(If I didn't have a husband I'd be one of those crazy cat ladies with 20 cats running around the house. Well, maybe not that many, but I could have easily brought home 4 or 5 that day at the shelter.)

Motif Eleven

2007-10-24T14:39:00.000-04:00

Well, I found out it was fun to be tagged...and then I spent hours going around to all the other people who had been tagged to find out all the interesting stuff about them - I am feeling remorse at not getting any tatting done! Oh, the guilt - yeah, well - you can see I'm still in avoidance mode as I thought I would update my blog instead of tatting even now.

Does anyone else have that disease which manifests itself with the following major symptom: whenever there is a lot of something to do (in this case, tatting, because my inventory is so low and I have another show i a week and a half) you avoid it at all costs. Why do I do that? It it that I am overwhelmed at the thought of all that needs to be done that I don't know where to start? But isn't starting the only way it will get done? It's a disease all right, and I've got a full blown case of it. Procrastinationitis.

And here is motif number 10. Guess what? Yeah, it's still an old pattern of mine - nothing new yet. The two tatting pieces on each side of the bead were originally designed to look like a shuttle for the TatChat group back in the late 90's: the pattern is still on the web and available here. So I gave it a new twist in this necklace by putting a focal bead between the two "shuttles." Of course, most of my customers don't recognize the "shuttle" part of the design, but to me and hopefully other tatters, that makes the design a little extra special. Below is the same pattern in a pin.

Tagged?!

2007-10-22T10:59:00.001-04:00

I have been tagged by Yarnplayer

I never heard of this before - I'm pretty inexperienced when it comes to blogging - so I'll just cut and paste the rules and follow them to a T.

Here are the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged.
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 3 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

7 facts about myself:

1. My favorite movie is A&E's five hour version of "Pride & Prejudice."
2. I edit for an online publishing company - Double-Edged Publishing.
3. I have fifteen-year-old twin boys.
4. I am addicted to the TV show "The Office." I live about 1 1/2 hours from the place where it supposedly takes place (Scranton, PA), and am seriously considering going to "The Office" convention they are holding there next weekend.
5. I am 6' tall.
6. I am a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
7. When I have some free time (which isn't too often) I love to play the online game Runescape.

Whew - that required some thought about what things to reveal about myself!

I am going to tag:

Ruth
Mark
Teri

Motif Ten

2007-10-03T13:33:00.000-04:00

This is another pattern of mine I call "graduated circle." I use it mainly for earrings, but here I used it in a pendant for a tatting exchange run by Mary Donahue. I understand she is going to be retiring soon after organizing so many successful exchanges. It has been a wonderful experience to share tatting with other tatters and how great to have someone willing to organize all of that work. A big "thank you" to Mary - we will miss her terribly!

So far, much of this blog has been my own patterns, but ones I have been using a long time. Again I bemoan the fact that I just have no time to sit down and try to design something new - it's all I can do to keep up with the tatting itself. There are some things floating around in my brain I would really like to work on too! Especially some abstract/asymmetrical/let the shuttle go where it will types of designs. I have some drawings but have not picked the shuttle up yet to try and adapt my ideas and visions into thread. Some day...

Motif Nine

2007-09-23T18:10:00.000-04:00

Another simple earring pattern - with not so simple thread. This is my own pattern, one I have been using for a number of years, but the copper metallic thread is new. It is a pain in the tush though, as it likes to do things like shred and tear and break and make rings not close easily. I would only do something small with this thread or I'd be screaming and throwing shuttles out the window. It does, of course, have a very unique effect and look, so it is worth some patience. That's very easy for me to say, in theory - but at this moment those are the only item in my entire stock made with the metallic thread because it is such a pain - LOL. I end up avoiding it like the plague.

Motif Eight

2007-09-17T10:21:00.000-04:00

I burned my thumbs on a cookie tray the other day and they have both blistered up. I was in a hurry and using a towel for a potholder and I didn't realize right away the towel was wet in spots - the heat came right through the wet towel. Yeeeeouch! I didn't realize how much I use the bottom of my right thumb for tatting until it hurt to do so. I am adjusting - I have three shows coming up and the tatting must go on!

I often come up with patterns when I am trying to match an element in another piece. The bottom of this earring is in an old edging pattern my grandmother had in her collection, and then I added the top because I wanted the earring to be a little bigger and hang a certain way.

The thread is Caron Wildflowers - a little soft for tatting, (according to my preferences, anyway) and that makes it difficult to tat with even tension. But the variegated colors are gorgeous.

Motif Seven

2007-06-08T11:09:00.001-04:00

Well, this one is...different. Not a lot of tatting, but then, I guess I am a jewelry designer first, so sometimes I have to translate the tatting into what I think is a cool jewelry design. At least there are rings. The rest if it is what I call "twisted stitch," although I'm sure there are other names for it. It's achieved by just doing one half of the ds.

Motif Six

2007-05-28T17:22:00.000-04:00

This is part of a doily from the book, "Tatting: theory and patterns" by Jan Stawasz. As I mentioned in the last post, it is fun and interesting to take something and make it into something else.

Doily ----> Necklace. Fun!

I love olive green and plum together. Colors are another interesting way to enhance designs, and in jewelry, they are a large part of the overall effect of the piece.

The beaded chain is actually just beads, even though it looks kind of like tatting from a distance. In a close up view, you can see the beads are woven to form what look like rings and chains, so it matches the style of the tatting and looks uniform in the piece.

Etsy
Buy Handmade
ElizabethsLace

Motifs Four and Five

2007-05-25T23:46:00.000-04:00

Ooooh two motifs all at once - I might make it to 25 yet...

This is another flower I created (I'm fond of lace flowers, yes). Again, it's not a new design, it's one I've been using for a number of years. But the other day I was starting one of these flower in olive green and plum, and I completed the center of the flower, and then thought, "well maybe it look nice if I just strung three of just the middle of the flower pattern together and made a pendant out of it," and low and behold, there was motif number five. You could even string a bunch of them together and make a bookmark.
So, when designing, you don't always have to come up with brand new patterns each time; use parts of an existing pattern but arrange them together in a new way, or just use part of a large pattern like a doily for something else like a necklace - that's coming for motif number six, which I will try to post over the holiday weekend sometime.

Etsy

2007-05-24T14:46:00.000-04:00

I made it through tax season. Whew. Now art & craft shows are gearing up and I'm tatting like mad. I am going to post another design a little later today, but right now I'm playing around on the web...

I'm having fun with etsy.com. How did I not know this site was around?? I've been cruising around looking at all the fabulous arts and crafts all morning. What a wonderful resource. I've already bought some hand dyed thread from yarnplayer (check out her shop, all you tatters!) and had to mop up the drool off of my keyboard at all the other fantastic stuff on that site. Go ahead and check it out...you know you want to!

Etsy
Buy Handmade
ElizabethsLace

Third Motif

2007-03-09T12:49:00.000-05:00

Here is a pattern of Mary Konior's. This is from her book, "Tatting with Visual Patterns." She has a great eye for design, and I find her things very different from so many other tatting patterns. I did adapt it *slightly* to add the leaves. Of course she has fantastic diagrams of the patterns as well, which I find so much easier to read that traditional written patterns. It is how I document most of my own patterns - it's rare that I would actually write the pattern out "long hand."

I work for a tax accountant as my "other" job. Sadly, my boss passed away about three weeks ago. This time of year, that has put even more of a time crunch on my already busy life. It has also been hard because he was a good friend, and I miss him.

I have a show next week though, so the tatting must go on...and, truth be told, I have always maintained that tatting is good therapy. I have found that to be no less true during this this difficult time.

Second Motif (well, a few motifs strung together I'm counting as just one)

2007-02-22T22:04:00.000-05:00

I am having difficulty finding time to sit down and actually design a tatting pattern - the designing of the jewelry itself seems to take up so much time.

This is an adapted design from Jan Stawasz's book, "Tatting: theory and patterns." It is a lovely book, and Mr. Stawasz's tatting is impeccable. He is also a very talented designer. When I saw this flower, my mind immediately began to think of ways to use it in a necklace, and this was what I came up with. It is made with a variegated thread called "Silken Pearl" (the flower section) and DMC Cebelia (the stem and leaf section).

My first motif done!

2007-01-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

This is not my own original design, but I had to adapt it slightly to use it for this necklace. With all the beads in it, the stitch count needed to be adjusted (as happens often with patterns I add beads to).

The pattern came from the summer of 1993 "Treasures in Needlework" magazine (?). I assume it is from my grandmother's collection of stuff, I happened to find it while going through a bunch of my books, the two pages had been ripped from the magazine and tucked into another book. I don't know where else it would have come from. Although some of the other patterns in this issue of the magazine are credited to Mary McCarthy, this pattern does not name a designer. I recognize one of the other patterns there as one I have in an old book somewhere, so it's possible this pattern came from an older source, I'm not sure.

I was afraid it might look too much like a bib, but I tried it on yesterday and it looks just beautiful. Hopefully it will go home with a happy customer.

TROUBLE!

2006-12-30T16:12:00.000-05:00

Sheesh!

I knew I was going to have trouble keeping up with this blog. Home schooling, art/craft shows, holidays, accounting (my other job) - I need about 8 more hours in my day to get everything done.

What I didn't count on was having so much trouble with the blog itself. I hadn't posted in so long it wanted my to update my blog to my gmail account. Well, that didn't quite work as easily as it should have, and I had to start over from scratch. I have had nothing but problems since then.

What a waste of good tatting designing time!!

I am going to try and keep up better with this in January, when I have more time (I hope).

The 25 Motif Challenge

2006-12-30T16:08:00.000-05:00

ORIGINAL DATE OF THIS POST: AUGUST 2006

After some serious consideration, I have decided to join the 25 Motif challege. The consideration was mainly as to whether I would have the time to keep up with this, but I think it will be good for me because I would like to design 25 motifs that I can then use in my jewelry.

Some of these ideas have been in my head for a couple of years and never put down on paper or done in thread. Seems I'm too busy trying to keep up with just tatting the patterns I already know, rather than take the time to come up with something new.

Well, those days are over! I'm going to take some time to do some serious designing like I haven't done for a number of years. It may take me a while to do this, but at least I have some motivation.