Peach Tatted Orchid on Headband

This week someone view my hibiscus on my exhibition and asked for an orchid.  I got Toni Storer's book of orchids and made this dendrobium.  Was so pretty that I had to make another one.  You can find it at:

ArtFire
Etsy

I have been feature!

There's an e-zine by HandMadeNews.Org about crafts and on this month there's an article about tatting. One of my projects has been used as an example of tatting. I'm so excited!!! This could give me a little boost on the shop. :-) I really recommend this site if you love crafts in general. There's always a very interested article.

The tatting artcicle is here: http://www.handmadenews.org/article/index.php?id=3554

By the way. The e-zine is free as the shipping on my shop! Free shipping in orders over $15. http://bit.ly/qhx9D Code:ARTFIRE KIOSK Ends 9/5

Doing some "cleaning"

Prepare yourself! Here is one of the many boxes and bags I have filled with tatting.

This is just one I have filled with the things I made last year. Because I tat almost everyday I keep placing the projects in a box or bag. Then mom sits and choose whatever she wants to embellish her t-shirts or xmas tree. But still I'm left with tons of motifs. Some are my designs, others are from patterns (online and books).

I really don't know what to do with all this! There are some pieces that I will sell on ArtFire (suncatchers, bookmarks, doilies, appliques...). But still I'm left with tons of bits and pieces.

This is a photo of the doilies. There are a few crocheted ones too. But most of them are small tatted doilies.

I think I'll make a few surprise bags and make a giveaway or sell them as surprise bags or something like that. I'll keep rumming all the boxes and bags to see what else I got. All because I'm looking for a collar that I made and I know that mom didn't keep it so I want to sell it. In result, I found all this tatting but not collar. :-( But this is just one box. lol

A surprise in a church

While on vacation this week, we enter inside of a catholic church. I'm not catholic and neither my family, but it's an historical building and Letty wanted to take photos inside. I sat in a corner when suddenly this statue caught my eyes. Do you notice what she has on her hands?


Yes! It's a handkerchief with a traditional "calado" (drawn thread) and tatting edging! I'm not sure how old is the piece because the church was empty for an exception of a few people entering to pray . But it looks old. Specially in a corner where the thread looks brownish and frail.



I tried to take a closeup but the reflection of the window was caught on the photo. Anyway I think you can appreciate the pattern. It's very simple, trefoils joined to the edge and chains. Isn't it cool when you find this kind of things? :-)

If you hit any of the photos you can see it bigger.

Uses of SSSR

Lately there have been a lot of discussions about the SSSR (Single Shuttle Split Ring). I learned the technique through Bina, Dora Young and Karey. Three very different ways in achieving almost same results. But what is this technique good for? Apart of making split rings with a single shuttle I have been using it to climb up from a round to another in a work with 2 colors, obtaining the one color split ring, like Tatting Chic explained and Jane Eborall diagrammed.

Another use for this is to make split rings alternating colors. This works better if you have a Pelc or double bobbin shuttle. It can be worked with 2 shuttles but prepare to be patient because you have to use the shuttles together and then separate them often.

Other use for the SSSR is to hide ends without having to cut the threads and then use a needle to sew them or to use the Magic Thread. This way you are encapsulating both ends into the last ring, if the work finish in a ring. I'm working in a similar way to end the chains; but not good results until now.

I have lost a lot of photos where I used this technique, so during the week I'll be working on the samples again. *sigh* At least it gives me a push to tat.

A note apart... Thanks to everyone who have wished me well and sent prayers. The last MRI shows no problem on the bone. That is a good news on that side, because it means that I won't need a hip replacement soon. But there's still the mystery of what is causing the pain, some days so bad that I can't get out of bed for long time. Now I will have to go to a neurologist to see if it's a problem with the nerves. OF one thing the rheumatologist is sure; the Lupus is causing all the bad aches and symptoms. Mean while I'll keep taking Percocet to diminish the pain and "Happy Pills" to combat the depression.

More hearts for your delight - Motifs 18, 19 and 20

Last night at the Online Tatting class we discussed the Interlaced Picots among other things. It was so curious this technique that my brain started to work really fast. But I couldn't stay up all night as planed because hubby arrived home. You see, when I'm alone I can stay up all night but when hubby is at home I have to play the "good girl" and go to sleep early. *bummer*

Anyway, after setting the blog in Blogger for the tatting stuff alone, I decided to play with the technique.


First I made this little guy here. Only made half of it with the laced picots. It looks like it's going to fly! lol

















So, okay, I got it. Now how I can use it? Well, make a flower. Those are the easiest to design. I used "Daisy Picots" and the "Daisy Ring" has the laced picots. The 1st petal I measured the picots by eye and made them too small and it looks like a fat Josephine Knot. Then I measure the picot 1/4" and look better. The 3rd ring has picots measuring 3/8" and they look nice. I decided to return to 1/4" and "eye" size to finish a 5 petals flower. But taking the chance that I could use this as part of my 25 Motifs Challenge I made it into a heart. So I made it simple following the idea or concept of the hearts I made yesterday. At the bottom of the heart I made another ring with laced picots.






And talking about yesterday's hearts. Here are them. They are sweet and easy to make. The pattern is called Trio of Hearts by Vicki Clarke. The pattern can be downloaded from E-Tatting at Yahoo groups. It took me only like 20 minutes to make them. They're a little over an inch so I'll use them as earrings.

Motif 17

Here is the 2nd heart of the "Two Hearts as One". It's individual as the other. Why? Because silly me forgot to save the instructions of how to weave both motifs. But it's okay because I was thinking in making it this way.

I used a pretty brown color. But the photo doesn't show it right. It looks a little lighter than in the photo, a chocolate milk brown. I noticed when I was in PR that there were a lot of fashion themes with a combination of browns and jewel colors (pinks, blues, teals, burgundy) kinda like Hindi themes. So I wanted to make this heart using colors like that. I'll check now where are the instructions to make the 2 hearts together and then post the photo.

Motif 16

Last night I was checking the online patterns that I have saved and haven't done yet and found this darling, part of a celtic heart. The designer is Martha Ess and the pattern was discussed in the Online Tatting Class a while ago. You can find the pattern here. This is the 1st motif. I'm winding already the shuttles with a second color to make the 2nd motif. The center in this one is a tad different. I didn't read the pattern correctly and the central rings are smaller because i left 3 knots and a picot out. That happens when I star tatting first thing in the morning, even before breakfasting! lol I noticed when I was in the 5th ring, so I leaved as it.

The thread is El Beida cotton perle #8 in pink. The photo is a little dark but it's the baby pink I have been using.

Motif 14 and 15

These hearts are all designed by Jon Yussuf. Her patterns are always so pretty!


This one is called Jon's Heart and it's made using one shuttle. Instead of leaving the bare thread between the rings I added beads to the shuttle and then slide 3 beads in place after each ring. I love how the beads made a nice contour inside the heart.




This other heart it her latest design: Hearts Entwined. Love it! I want to see if using 2 colors I can make it more entwined-look. But as it it looks great. Hmm... What they would look like if I un-entwine them?

May be I should just go and finish the movie I'm watching and think in other things. I'm in the middle of Ringu 2 (the original Japanese The Ring 2).

Ah... the threads are El Beida in pink (uff! I finished the ball!!!) and DMC Petra, both perle #8.

Motif 13

This is a small cute heart by Rosemarie Peel and is called Heart of England. I think I made a little mistake and the heart is not well formed, so I'll make it again. The pattern can be found here. the threads are again the same as the one before: El Beida in ecru and DMC floss in brick red.

Motif 12

I made this heart while I was offline. The pattern is by Ann-Christine Sundqvist and is called Abby's Heart. The pattern can be found here. It's a lovely pattern that I have made several times. The colors are not very well matched for my taste. lol The thread is El Beida cotton perle in ecru and the reddish thread is DMC floss.

Motif 11

This is one of my favorite motifs to make. It's so simple and so pretty, specially when made in 2 colors. I don't remember if I already made it for the challenge and I'm with headaches today so I can't think. So I'm posting it just in case. The pattern is from Nancy Tracy from Be-Stitched. Again I used the pink and blue El Beida perle #8 I had left on the shuttles after making Jane's bookmark. Not sure what I'll do with it. Probably will end in the "Tatting Box" that I need to start for this year.

More hearts photos will come soon. I have 1st to make a list of the hearts I already made.

The Phelp's Hearts - Motifs 7, 8, 9 and 10

This week I made 4 hearts from Birgit Phelps site. They are very cute to make and pretty easy too.

This one is Lil' Heart and its so cute! It's a little over 1 1/2 inch.





This other is my favorite. It's Lattice Heart. It looks like if it was made with several motifs. But was made with shuttle and ball and doing some shoelace tricks and direct tatting you can play with the colors.





This one is Peacock Heart. I think the name is because of the colors she used on the original heart. Again playing with colors using the SLT.




And the last of the Phelps' Hearts is Sweetheart. A really cute one too. It's a little tricky but not difficult. And I think in 2 colors looks great!

The threads I used are Opera #20 (dusty rose), DMC Cebelia (burgundy) and El Beida (purple).

Motifs 4, 5 and 6

On the 25 Motifs Challenge- Hearts Edition I have made 3 more.

This one is a design from Sue Hanson and can be found here. It's a challenging pattern but I like how it looks at the end. Made only 1 mistake.



This other is from Karey Solomon's book "Heart belongs to Tatting". A gorgeous book that I love! This one is "Light Heart" is made in one pass using split chains. I think I'm getting better at them!





This small cutie is also from Karey's book and it's call "Butterfly Heart". It's so simple that you can make like a dozen in an hour. lol

All the hearts I made them using Opera #20 in a light dusty rose. It's a very soft thread and tends to tat a little smaller than others #20. I'll use this thread to make a few more and give them to mom to sew on a shirt.

Motif 3

This is my 3rd heart of the 25 Motifs Challenge- Hearts Edition.

The heart is a design from Sharon Briggs and it's on her last newsletter. Boy! How I'll miss this newsletter!

The thread is Lizbeth size #20 color 111. Lizbeth is a new thread that you can find in Handy Hands. It's a 6-cord and tats really crisp. But you need to drop the shuttles from time to time because it tends to kink. That's my only complain about this thread. The colors are gorgeous! You can check them here.

Another 25 Motif Challenge?

Yep! I will do a 3rd challenge. I need to keep myself busy with my tatting or any other craft. Because I barely do anything in the house and I don't sleep a lot, what else can I do? Just tat or crochet; and crochet is something I don't do it a lot because of the carpal tunnel and the loom knitting bores me after 10 minutes.

So last night I was looking for patterns. I wanted to make some angels but nothing fancied me. So I found some hearts patterns and . Yes! That will be my next challenge. To do 25 hearts. Here are the first two.


This heart is by Sue Hanson and it's called Heart of Sharon. She made it for one of the Heart Round Robins some years ago. I used the Egyptian thread perle #8 and the heart measures around 3 inches. It's made in one round using a split chain.




These 2 bookmarks are made using jumbo paper clips. I got a tub of 100 of them to do precisely this. The tiny hearts are like 1 inch and it's a pattern by Sherry Pence (aka LadyShuttles). A really cute pattern made in a snap! The threads are DMC Petra perle #8.

Tonight I'll check my books with hearts, which are plenty and will make this a lovely challenge.