Finally

Look at this mess - & yeah, there's a ball of 80 DMC vintage & my metal Boye in there..Do you know what this means????? It means I have free time! It means Mom's Pink Doily is DONE. Finished. WOOHOOO!! :) Not that it was bad to make, just that for some reason it wouldn't come together for ME lol

I know you can't see it very well on my blocking board, but it's there. It's done, it's drying, & it's about to attach to the purse below here.

I wish I could figure out how to rotate my pictures! I couldn't get the whole bag in the picture without turning my camera. It's really a nice dark teal color, if it doesn't show up on your screen. I'm going to sew MPD to the front, if I can figure out a way to remove the liner & get it back in without totally destroying this bag. I bought it for $3 at Wal Mart on clearnance & decided I didn't like it plain. I may sell it, I may keep it. Who knows?

 This is what I did today. It's from a scan of an old WorkBasket Magazine. I don't have the magazine anymore.... Finished up it's about 2 1/2 inches long. A little long for the intended thought, which was to maybe add beads & maybe a dangly thing for an earring. Maybe a pendant? I only did green because it's called a leaf in the pattern... I usually like to do the first try at something in the intended color, by the directions. That way I know how the pattern works when I decide to change it.

Hmmmm.... Any ideas??

I'm going to fiddle with it a little more. That & I'm starting a new doily pattern from a book I have. I'll show you that later.

Enjoy your day :)

I'm Baaaacccckkkk....

So. After a week without tatting at all, I'm back. I started the last round of MPD 3 times in the last 3 days, & I *finally* figured out a better way to make my bobby pins. The one in the link is made by finishing the flower, then sewing it to the pin with 8lb strength "fishing line". Then sewing the center bead in the same way. It's time consuming, irritating, & the knots won't stay once it's finished. Not to mention it isn't very secure. The beads are too big as well.
After much thought & research on the subject, I came up with another idea. If you have any interest in using this method or doing the exact same thing I've done, go ahead. The pins I've been using are from Hobby Lobby. They're the ones with the pad on them specifically for decorating. I took a piece of sand paper (grit doesn't matter) & roughened up both the pad & a small place on the bead. You may not have to do this, depending on the type of glue you use - I used Industrial Strength E-6000 & that was what my directions said.  Notice the holes in the bead are to the sides. Doesn't matter which sides.

I glued the bead to the pin (I know, it's a tatting sin! but just keep reading)... That took 24 hours to dry. Not good for my impatient nature! While I waited, I made the flower. It's not my design - I got it from Easy Tatting by Lynn Morton I think. I haven't had to look it up, as I've memorized the pattern. I just added the beads. If you use this flower, when you close the center ring, don't pull it so tight it won't stretch a little.. Just enough to get it closed right.

Leave the tails pretty long, & sew one in. Run the other through the bead, & wiggle the flower down onto the glued on bead. It's going to be kind of tight, so you may have to sort of force it. Don't worry, the flower *will* go back into shape. When it's on there, wind the thread around the top part of the bobby pin several times, & back through one of the picots, then through the bead & back down through the picot on the other side. Then all that's left is to sew in the left over end. And there you have it, it's glued AND sewn on.

This is my favorite one. Sister claimed it. I like it because of the smaller beads....If you want to use fishing line or waxed cord or something else, I suppose you could. Wish I'd thought to take a pic of the back of the pin before my camera battery died for the day..... Threads are Lizbeth brown (medium or dark, can't remember), beads are randomly bought over the years :)

Pink & brown.... Can you tell I have a shuttle wound with brown thread?? This one will hit Etsy today most likely. My next experiment will be with "normal" bobby pins. I have one drying right now with a clear bead.

So - what do you think??

Excited! And Feeling Guilty....

First thing - I'm excited because Untatter went to the bathroom in the BIG GIRL POTTY!!! That's right, we just crossed our first potty training milestone!! Woohoo!! Okay... Enough about that... =-D
Now - what am I feeling guilty about?? All this stuff I got in the mail from Fox.... And I only sent her 5 bobbins of thread or so... Look what she sent me!!

 The tin is absolutely adoreable, but I don't know that she'd appreciate her address being posted on my blog so you only get the inside, as her card is on the outside :) Then there's 10 spools of Cebelia, & those cute little beads... So I feel guilty... Hope she'll forgive me! :)
The other thing is the fact that I've been sorely neglecting & under estimating the value of both Clover & SewMate shuttles. Now I'm not going back on how much I love my Boye metal shuttles - I'll always have a soft spot for them. But since I only have 3 made in USA & 1 old one that's huge, I recently decided to put my sew mates in my purse bag. That way if I lost them, it wouldn't just break my heart. Well, I've had some time to work on the edging that's in there a couple of times, & for some reason this particular time I've used them, I just love them. So much that when I got home yesterday, I wound up the clovers I had in my stash. In the past this would have made me miserable. But yesterday, it was like something just clicked. I love them both! Now I do like the sew mates better, because the size is more comfortable for me. But I actually took all the Boyes & bobbins out of my project bag & put my 2 clovers in the bag. I only have 2 clovers & 2 sew mates for now, but still. I don't think ya'll realize what a huge shift this is for me! I do plan on buying a few more sew mates, but probably will stick with just the 2 clovers... For now...

 This is the progress on MPD. I'm not sure why but my computer is showing up that the thread is a little pink. But it's not. It's white Cebelia. Hmm... At any rate, it's coming out alot better this time around. I tried it one time several years ago - actually it was my first real project & didn't get past these medallions. I'd only been tatting around a month & apparently it didn't dawn on me that because I tat left handed, things go counter clockwise. Which means I have to consider that when making joins to the other medallions & go the other way around from normal. But I've got it this time I think. It's amazing what time & education will do isn't it?

This is what I came up with for my friend's press I was supposed to fill. Well I didn't come up with it - I remade if from one I already have. She says she likes it in pink & brown. What do you think? I just realized the date on my camera is off by about 3 years & a few days & I don't know how to fix it.... Have to call my sister on that one......
And now I'm about to take Untatter for our walk. Haven't gotten to the last few days because of rain. Now if my stroller will just dry out.... wish I hadn't left it on the porch......
Enjoy your day

After Mother's Day

Mother's day is over...finally. I've never been a huge fan of card company holidays. Especially the ones that remind me of the deficiancies in my life. I am a mother, but for various reasons, I don't have one. Well I do have one - & a person that used to be my step mother & who raised me actually - I just don't for very different reasons associate with those people. It's the best thing for both my & Untatter.
On to happier subjects. My mother's day was wonderful - spend it with my amazing daughter & husband. Brother & Daddy were both given much deserved off days. They both work for power companies here in North Alabama so after the storms here you can imagine how they've been working! I got to ride with Sister, & I got a new tatting project to start.
I didn't get to tat any, but I did make a plan with Brit (Brother's girlfriend) to start a pair of barefoot sandals. Of course I looked to TotusMel's Queen's Feet Barefoot Sandals. I've never done a pair & had to print it out for Brit to see, & she wants a slight modification - she doesn't want the long chains to wrap around her leg. She wants them to fasten behind her heel.... Hmmm... Good thing I have plenty of time to work on this with her! Started them last night & should have one of  them done tonight sometime. They're suprisingly easy to make once I read the pattern. Not that I'd have been able to design it, just that it's easy to make up when you read it. TotusMel is awesome.
I also have my MPD in the works. Still on the third round.... I just have to get to it. And the cabone rings are in my bag with some sample thread that there isn't enough of to make anything of size with it. I just have to get to that too. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some pictures of at least the sandal & MPD to show you tomorrow.  Maybe a cabone ring too. I promise to try to start posting more pictures.
Enjoy your day

I have pictures today!

As promised, I have pictures today.... It's rainy & gross outside so I don't feel like doing much that doesn't involve spending time with Untatter on the couch :)

First things first, this is the corner of the first round of the hankie edging. It's Flora #20, but I can't remember the name of the color. It's variagated blues & whites, & it's my favorite thread EVER!

This is a folded picture. Can you see where I sewed in my ends?? ;) That's the plan. One down one round to go!

This is the redone part of the 2nd round of Mom's Pink Doily. There's a link to it on one of my other posts. And yep, that's still the metal Boye shuttle! It's done in Cebelia #20 white that CarolIvy from Intatters sent me because I'd never used any. She's a sweetheart & has her own blog store. You should run over to Intatters & find her photo albums - she's done some lovely jewelry & other things.

And this, just because it makes me smile to see him, is a picture of my sweet Chico while he was eating his breakfast the other day. It's not a good picture, & he's not doing anything special, I just love him & I thought if he makes me smile, he might make you smile, too. So there you go! :) He's still a little scraggley with winter hair here & there. He's like a dog when it comes to shedding off the winter coat - it takes him twice as long as the others. Next time I remember to take a camera to the barn I'll take a better one. He's really a nice looking horse when he doesn't have his face stuffed into a feedpan & I'm not taking crappy pictures. Believe it or not!



Enjoy your day!

Seems all it takes is a little complaining...

Woke up this morning to a terrible storm - so bad that my little area of the world was on the Weather Channel! That never happens! Tornadoes & the like everywhere.... So here I sit with my little laptop at my Daddy's house across the road. I live in a single wide mobile home so it's supposedly safer here for both myself & the Untatter.
Now, the title I wrote has to do with the allergies or cold or sinus infection or whatever it is I have. I complained yesterday & feel much better today. Not 100% yet, but I'm headed that way! Woohoo!
Haven't gotten much tatting done, as it hurt my eyes too. I did work a little while last night on finding the perfect edging for the hankie I'm going ot make. Think I found it. I worked just long enough on my Mom's Pink Doily to snag my thread on the bobbin & have a black mark. Just one black stitch. And because of where the ring was, I had to cut the whole round off & start over, with 2 rings left in the round. So I promptly took a toothbrush & dish soap to the old Boye shuttle & started the round again. Fortunately, I was only on the second round so it wasn't that big of a catastrophe. Irritating, but not terrible.
Why use a metal shuttle if I know that at some point this will happen? Because I have as of yet not found one I like as well. Both for tatting & in my hands it just feels right. I have wood, plastic, bone, metal, horn.... combinations of all of these materials. And for some reason the old metal Boye shuttle with a bobbin & hook is my favorite. I have 4 of them & wouldn't trade them for the world. I won't buy any new ones because they're no longer made in the USA, & I have my own opinions of the moving of factories to places outside this country that we won't go into today. I don't have problems with those countries, i have problems with the US government taking away from its own people. Anyway.... Where was I ??
 I keep plastic sew mates in my purse, & use clovers for smaller thread. I have one made by Rachel Moehler (sorry for the spelling) from teak wood, & one made of bone with leaves carved in it. I have one pop-a-bobbin by Jane Eborall that I like pretty well. But none of them measure up for making anything of any size & I'm not a continual small project kind of girl. So to me, it's worth the extra effort of having to clean them occasionally or risk black marks on my white thread. I don't tat with white thread that often anyway.
(stepping down off my soap box) Enjoy your Day!!