Another Joyful Creation

New Adventure in Tatting

2011-09-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Its been an extremely creative day. I'm always trying to come up with new and creative ways of using my tatting, first it was tatting in silver wire, which was a big hit. Then I combined tatting with chainmail and my finished pieces got me to the finals in an international Jewelry competition. Today, I finally figured out a way to combine my silver tatting with wire wrap jewelry designs. I tatted Tatman's shuttle pattern in silver wire, added a swarovski crystal to the center and then set it into a sterling silver bracelet (which I made from 20 gauge square wire). Next project is designing a pendant combining tatting and wire wrap.

Final results from Fire Mountain and some new creations

2011-08-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

After months and months of waiting, I finally heard back from Fire Mountain. I made it as a Finalist and made it on their website. But unfortunately that's as far as I got in the competition. They were amazed at the detail work but my work was lacking any color. Oh well, there is always next year.

Now that I am no longer on the 25 motif challenge, I decided to share some of my other projects. My tatting, especially in silver, is still my main addiction but I've started to expand into other areas of making jewelry. My side interests include chainmail jewelry and more recently, I've started to make wire wrapped jewelry. I hope y'all like the pictures.

I'm a Finalist!!!

2011-03-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

I finally heard back from Fire Mountain Gems about my contest entries. The wait was driving me up the wall (patience is not one of my strong suits), so I called the person in charge of the competition and was told that 2 of my 3 pieces made it into the finals. And wouldn't you know it that when my wife checked the mail later that day, the letter was waiting for me in the box.
The next step is sending my pieces (the two chainmail and tatting pieces shown in my previous post) in to be professionally photographed by Fire Mountain and then I should hear back within a month about where I end up in the final judging. All finalists' work will be shown on their website and the best will be featured in the different magazines they advertise in.

Keeping my fingers crossed and praying a lot. Also, floating about two feet off the ground with excitement, the next wait may be worst than the last.

Entering My First Jewelry Contest

2011-01-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, just busy, I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I know I had an interesting one. The week before Christmas the water heater in the apartment above ours burst flooding our apartment, shorting out our water heater and heat for a week, We still had a great if rather chilly holiday.
To catch everyone up on my health, my liver disease is still stable and we're approaching the six year mark since they told my wife and I to plan my funeral, I had two months to live. Fortunately, God knows better than doctors. My leg wound is finally almost healed after 13 months (PTL). And most importantly I am still married to the love of my life, something I am grateful for each and every day.
As far as my tatting goes I've bitten the bullet and entered Fire Mountain Gems contest in the wire and metal category. Two of my pieces combine a chain mail center with a silver wire tatted edging, the third piece is pure tatting. I should hear some feedback in about a month and the winners will be announced officially in about three months. The winners will be awarded a gift certificate from the Fire Mountain site and will be featured in several publications. Wish me luck and say a prayer, its going to be a long wait.
Here are some of the pictures:

Lapis and Silver Flower Necklace and Earrings motif#18

2010-09-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting in so long, but I was learning an important lesson the hard way. Basalmic Vinegar and Olive Oil go great together on salads but NOT on the keyboard of a laptop. It was an expensive lesson to learn. The bright side is that I really love my new laptop and Windows 7 :-)

I am still tatting in silver wire and one of my latest projects is this necklace and earrings. Lapis Lazuli goes great with silver and I have had several friends and relatives hint at what they want for their birthday or christmas.

Bridal Necklace and a brief venting #15

2010-07-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

I've had a request lately for some bridal pieces, this the first one. It is fine silver wire, freshwater pearls and a sterling silver chain. I've, also made some matching earrings. I haven't named it yet, so if anyone has a suggestion, let me know. I love making the pieces but I hate coming up with names for them.

Now for the venting:
One of the Jewelry stores that carry my work had a visit from 2 people that are part of a local tatters group. They were very interested in my silver work and had the nerve to state in front of the store clerk, how expensive my work is and they could do the same for a lot less. Fortunately, the clerks attitude was "yeah sure", she was polite but frustrated with them too. Needless to say, they didn't buy anything. The aggravating part is that I know these people and their work, which is mostly just mediocre. I've won awards from both national and state organizations. I have 2 of my framed thread pieces on display at the Mississippi State Arts Commission Gallery and have my silver work at 3 different local Jewelry stores as well as the gift shop of the Mississippi Museum of Art.
I'm not bragging, there are tons of tatters out there in cyberspace with many years of experience and are much better and more talented than I am. But I do work hard at my craft, especially when working in silver wire. I just really irks me to have someone with very limited skills make these kind of comments in front of one of my vendors. Even if they could do it better and cheaper, its still very tacky.

P.S. My staph infection is finally under control leaving a 4 1/2 inch wound behind. If all goes well they will start using Apligraf on the wound to speed the healing. Thanks for your prayers we're finally seeing results

New Pendant Courtesy Of Totusmel, #14

2010-07-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

I've admired the design of Pamela's (aka TotusMel) Victoriana pendant for quite a while. And with Pamela's permission, I've tatted it in silver wire. It may not seem very exciting, but it represents a my first time using encapsulation in my wire tatting. I tried tatting it in heavier wire but it lost that delicate lace look, so I re-tatted it with a heavier wire as the core thread and my usual fine wire on the outside. I ended up with a much stronger piece without compromising design.

Please keep me in your prayers, I'm still fighting the staph infection, but I'm no longer on IV meds, we're trying oral antibiotics and hopefully I'll be able to work this weekend. The Mississippi Craftsman Guild is hosting a Heritage Day this weekend, with blacksmiths, sheep shearing, spinning, weaving and Native American basket making as well as stick ball lessons. Fortunately, my booth will be indoors where its air conditioned, we've been having 96 - 97 degree temperatures. Wish me luck.

Addicted to Gemstones

2010-05-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, my Doctor at the wound care clinic discovered that my leg wound had doubled in size over the past month. We have already killed off the Staph infection with IV antibiotics, and still it's getting larger. He decided to take a biopsy, because there was a possibility it might be malignant. Six days and five sleepless nights later, the biopsy came back negative! Praise The Lord! While waiting for the test results, I had a lot of people praying and did my best to not feed the stress (no binge eating, no potato chips, no buffets, etc.). But I did spend an unusual amount of time on ebay. I discovered that if you have enough time to waste, you can get some amazing deals on gemstone beads. I won 2 strand of Lapis Lazuli beads, a strand of faceted amethyst beads, a strand of red jade beads, a stand of red garnet, and a strand of emerald beads (all 6-8mm). The total cost is under $20.00 dollars. I've even bought a large black onyx cabochon to try to set into my tatting. I figure if people who crochet with wire can create settings why not tat one? So stay tuned for some silver wire and gemstone work.

Here are some Silver wire earrings with 6mm onyx beads and some with 2mm amethyst beads. Both designs are courtesy of the antique pattern library.

P.S. Still no sales on Etsy. Anybody have some advice?

I Found a Loophole

2010-05-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

I found a loophole in my promise. My wife made promise her several years ago to stop buying her jewelry, not because she didn't like my choices, but because with all my medical bills we couldn't afford for me to buy her anymore jewelry.
The promise I made doesn't include not making her jewelry. So since she loves pearls I played around with some simple designs and ended up with a pearl bracelet and earrings tatted in silver wire, I even made the clasp and findings. She can't wait to wear them to Church on Sunday.
On the down side the staph infection in my leg has grown significantly this week and is weeping like crazy. I would appreciate everyone's prayers. Staph is a dangerous thing to play with.

Life is Hard - Tatting is Good

2010-04-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Staph is one of the most aggravating and scariest problems I've ever had. I've been fighting this infection since before Christmas. I am currently doing IV antibiotics, this is week three 0f this round. They had to change the antibiotics I was on because it was breaking done my muscle tissue. The new one makes me extremely ill but it seems to be working. Oh well, enough whining...

I've managed to get the nurses to avoid putting the IV in my hands so that it doesn't interfere with my tatting. I now have my work in the Mississippi Museum of Art Gift Shop, and two jewelry stores here in Jackson. I've tatted up a storm but have hardly anything here at home to show for it. My wife keeps reminding me that its a good thing, all my tatting is out there luring in customers. My work gets tons of oohs and ahhhs but few sales so far, its hard to be patient.

My newest design in silver wire is based on Yarnplayer's "Joyful Bell" pattern incorporating 2 different size pearls into the pattern, giving it a lot of movement (the center pearl hangs in the center opening) and bling. Big thanks to all the designers who graciously share their patterns. Thanks Marilee (yarnplayer).

Finally A Winner!!!

2010-04-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry for taking so long to announce the winner of my give a way. My internet went done Friday before Easter and after many, many hours on hold and arguing with customer service and tech support, I'm up and running again. Its amazing how out of touch it feels to not have internet.

Well, back to the give a way... according to the magical random number generator the winner is DaleMarie. Your earrings will be heading your way. I hope you enjoy them.

Time For My First Giveaway

2010-03-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

I have been going through my tatting and found one of the first pair of earrings I'd made in metal, I realized they needed to be adopted by a tatter with a good home. They are tatted in silver wire with a copper core and have a swarovski crystal teardrop tatted into the design.
If you have a good home to offer them and can name the designer of the pattern, leave your name and the designer's name as a comment on my blog before 12 midnight est, April 4th, 2010.
Good luck!!! (Hint: The original design did not use the teardrop)

News, News and More News

2010-03-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

Its been an exciting week so far, I've been nominated by the Mississippi Arts Commission to participate in Southern Artistry.org, a national resource which promotes southern artists. It's a big honor because to be listed you have to be juried and nominated by the state Arts Commission. They will have photos as well as a mini bio and artist resume' on the site.

I've also been e-mailed a copy of the ad for the up coming trunk show and all I can think to say is WOW! I can't believe it's really happening.

Stay tuned for a give away of one of my pieces. I hope to post it later this week.

Preparing For Easter motif #9

2010-03-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

With my trunk show coming up, I'm trying to tat a few things that are appropriate for the season. I realized very quickly that there is no way to make a shamrock out of silver and make it look green, so I began preparing for the Easter season. I already had several Cross pendants made so I figured what I was missing was Cross earrings. So, with the help of "Mini-Tats" by Patti Duff, I have tatted some cool Cross earrings in silver. I know they look good because my wife felt compelled to test out a pair on Sunday for Church. They received a lot of great comments and I managed with some difficulty to get them back from my wife so I could take pictures. I don't know if Patti Duff is on the web but I'd like to tell her how great her book has been as a resource for small motifs for Silver earrings.

Exciting News and New Earrings - motif #8

2010-02-24T19:49:00.000-08:00

Its been an exciting week which is hard to have when you are on IV antibiotics for a staph infection and a second antibiotic for an upper respiratory infection. Now that I am tatting in silver, I found out I have to be judged in a new category in the Craftmen's Guild even though I am still tatting, my new work is in a new medium. Well, Saturday I met with the head of the committee that judges the member's work. We met at her studio/store and she was so impressed with my work that she offered to mentor me and spent over two hours teaching me how to make earring findings, jump rings and clasps. She then went on to offer to host a trunk show,with advertising just like a gallery show and wanted to carry my tatted jewelry year round in her store. She also asked if it was OK with me if she could raise my prices about 75 to a 100 dollars, she was confident that her clients would pay it. Needless to say I left her studio walking on air. The fun didn't end there, Sunday night I decided to try out a technique she taught me on how to turn pearls into dangles and added a 7mm cultured pearl to a motif from Patti Duff's "Mini Tats". I finished them Monday morning about 12 noon, at 2:00 I had a Doctor appointment, within minutes of showing them to the nurses they sold! I took a quick picture with my cell phone and pocketed her check. I may not be selling anything in my ETSY store but it is selling locally. I'm also, tatting up a bunch of horsehead earrings to be taken on consignment to an equestrian show in south Florida, wish me luck.
Here is the picture of the earrings I mentioned.

Silver and Pearls motif #7

2010-02-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

I recently received a very generous gift from a fellow craftsman in the Mississippi Craftsman's Guild. They had ordered some small pearls that were too small for the type of wire wrapped jewelry they make so they sent them to me as a gift to encourage me in this new direction of tating in silver. They are seed bead size and fit perfectly with the wire I use. I spent days just looking at them before deciding how to use them. I finally came up with a heart pendant using 9 pearls (Tri Heart pattern by Susan Taliaferro) and Marilee's "Keyed Up" pattern for earrings, each have 6 pearls in them. I tatted the heart in size 20 thread first and then did the silver one, they were almost identical in size. I may have found my tatting niche (ha! ha!)

I haven't sold anything on ETSY yet but have sold several pendants and earrings while waiting in the Doctor's office and to friends. Still holding out hope for my ETSY store though!

Attack of the "Cuteness" motif#6

2010-02-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

It was bound to happen sooner or later, I succumbed to all the cuteness. I knew eventually it would overflow into my tatting someday. How could I expect live in a home filled with puppets , clown props and balloons and not have it happen. My wife and I even have a giant 4 foot long clown fish that looks like Nemo currently sitting in our living room (recently returned from a visit to the local library's teddy bear sleepover). Well I guess its OK since I make part of my living as a clown. I finally gave in to the "cuteness" and made a set of teddy bear earrings in silver wire from the book, "Mini-Tats" by Patti Duff.

Silver Horse Head Earrings motif#5

2010-01-28T18:52:00.000-08:00

Tatting in silver gives you a very different perspective. 1) you can't just try out a pattern in silver, mistakes are costly. 2) you have to have very strong and steady hands, 3) you can't watch TV and tat in silver ( a real bummer) - you have to focus 4) you have think about negative space in a new way - you can't stiffen it.
----- but I'm still having fun doing it!

These are Dawn's horse head earrings in silver, my latest work. Watch for them in my ETSY store.

Its Like Learning To Tatt All Over Again motif# 2, 3, 4

2010-01-19T21:40:00.000-08:00

Tatting in silver is a real challenge. If you make a mistake in thread you can either retro-tat or start again, no big deal. With silver you can't undo and silver costs an arm and a leg. But I have to admit it is a lot of fun, its like learning to tat all over again, with a whole new set of challenges, it has that feeling you get when you first learn to tat and you realize you've created something beautiful from just an ordinary piece of thread. I still have lot to learn about working in the different types of silver (who knew there was different types), in the mean time here are some pictures of my latest projects. The photos are not all that great, but I do have some professional photos on the way for my Etsy store.

Special credit goes to Briget Phelps for sharing her wonderful "Sweetheart" pattern. Its perfect with St. Valentine's Day coming up.

Stay tuned for more pictures (earrings are next) and watch for new items in my Etsy store.

I'm Back and Tatting in Silver

2010-01-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

It's been months since I had time to blog, between my duties as Pastor, my birthday party business and my first high end craft show, I've been swamped. I'm just now finishing my Christmas gifts.
Now for the tatting...
I've been tatting up a storm trying to get enough stuff ready for upcoming shows that I have actually developed a tatting callus. Who knew that was even possible?
The most exciting part has to do with the show I did. I met a lot of other crafts people, one was someone who makes jewelry with wire, using knitting and knotting techniques. She encouraged me to try tatting with silver, she even gave me a good size length of wire to start with. It's taken a bit to get a handle on how to work with wire but the results are awesome. Here are some pictures I took of a pendant and earrings in silver, the pattern is the center of the "arches" doily.

I won!!! I won!!! I won!!!

2009-07-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it... I've been awarded a Folk Art Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mississippi Arts Commission in the amount of $4400 for my tatting. I applied way back in March and only applied because my wonderful wife encouraged me to fill out the forms and send in the photos/samples of my work. It was a juried at both the State and Federal level. The Fellowship is to encourage and enable artists to continue and grow in their work. There will be write ups in the paper and possibly a award ceremony. I can't believe I've been acknowledged at this level, I never thought I would get a Fellowship, especially such a wonderful one, I guess it's time to shout, "Praise The Lord" and do a little happy dance.

Rosette Cross - motiff #9

2009-07-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

Its a crazy week with my ordination service scheduled for Sunday, July 12th and Vacation Bible School to begin the following week, but I've still managed to find some time to tat. The idea for this cross came from a baby bonnet in Aunt Ellen's Tatting Handbook and a similar cross by Sharon Briggs. It is tatted in Flora #20.

What Happens When a Tatter Loses Their Mind... motif#8

2009-06-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when a tatters starts to crack. My wife and I unfortunately have no children (not from lack of wanting), we have no pets because our apartment complex charges a fortune for them, but we do have Serta Counting Sheep. They may not be as good as kids or pets, but they don't have to be taken for a walk and never want to borrow the car. Believe it or not , the sheep are not the crazy part!!! The crazy part started a while ago while I was crocheting some baby booties and bonnets for a ministry called "Threads of Love", they take them to the local hospitals for the preemies, I decided to make a set for "Trinity" (she's a #3 Serta Counting Sheep). That was strange, but cute, but strange... the losing my mind part came when I decided she needed a little BLING, so I tatted her a tiny pink tiara with a swarovski crystal on top. My wife laughed (it is her sheep, after all) and I'm starting to think about starting a Tatters Anonymous group. Well here's Trinity.......

Can You Name This Doily? Motif #7a,b,c,d

2009-06-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

April Snowflakes did bring May doilies, unfortunately it also brought a lack of organization and a SENIOR MOMENT.
I'm not sure I qualify for a senior moment in my forties, of course 20 years ago I would have said of course. Somehow the older I get the younger everyone else seems.
The senior moment has to do with remembering what the name is of each of these doilies are and where I put the patterns so I can give each designer the well earned credit they are due. So please forgive my memory lapse. I do know that one of them is the Arches doily, and another are the windmill doilies, one was done according to the pattern, the second one was made larger by increases the repeats in the pattern. All were done in Flora #20. By the way, April Snowflakes brought May Doilies, and May Doilies have brought June Earrings, so check back soon.

April Snowflakes Bring May Doilies - Motif # 6

2009-06-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

We didn't have much in the way of April showers here in Mississippi but I had a blizzard of snowflakes appear. They include ones by Jon (by the way her snowflake book is great), Tatbit, Ruth (Celtic patterns), and several others. They also include my only non-white snowflake. I think May was a doily month, stay tuned for my next catch-up post.

Long Time No Blog - Motifs 3,4,5

2009-05-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

Its been over 2 months since I blogged, its amazing how time flies when your not having fun. I love serving as a Pastor in a little country Church but it sure would be a lot easier if there weren't any people (ha!ha! groan). Even though I haven't been blogging I have been tatting quite a bit, its very soothing. There's something about taking string and turning it into a delicate piece of lace that does wonders for my attitude.

Here are the first of the tatting I've been doing since February.
Motif # 3 - Anne's dragon in Flora 20 (several of his relatives have made great gifts for dragon loving friends)

Motif # 4 - Sabina's Floral Bookmark in Flora #20

Motif #5 - Santa Fe Cross by Barbara Foster in Flora #20

New Bracelet with Matching Earrings, Motif #2

2009-02-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

I was at a loss what to make my angel of a wife (believe me, putting up with me for 17 years definitely qualifies her for wings), I've tatted her hearts and doilies, crocheted her afghans, scarfs, and angels, so this year I took a stab at "Denise's Bracelet" by Debbie Strickland. Thanks to her generously sharing her pattern, I was able to tat both a bracelet and matching earrings.
I used Manuela black #20 with lots and lots of swarovski crystals.
These count as motif #2 of my 2nd 25.

A Blizzard of Tatting motif #1 of 2nd 25

2009-01-28T21:37:00.000-08:00

I finally got DSL its amazing what a difference it makes after using dial-up.
It's been a while since I've blogged, but I've still been busy tatting, one of my distractions from blogging was performing my first wedding. The lucky couple are members of the Church I pastor and were actually renewing their vows. They had been married 60 years and had their children, grandchildren and a multitude of great grandchildren in attendance. They even had the couple that been their witnesses there (they had just celebrated 60 years of marriage themselves).
Back to tatting... I've been tatting a blizzard ever since Christmas. Several of the snowflakes are patterns by Tina Frauberger, Jan Stawasz and Teri Dusenbury all done in Flora #20. After blocking them I stiffened them with a water/glue mixture and sprinkled them with some micro glitter. It doesn't show in the photos but it gives a nice finish.
I'm counting all of them as motif#1 of my second 25.

Pendant and Earrings - motif #25

2008-11-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

Haven't blogged in a while, I've been busy preparing for my first craft show. I'm a little nervous and praying hard that I sell a lot! These are just some of the items I've been making for it.
A set of matching pendant and earrings. The earrings are a simplified version of Kim Millar's "A Joyful Sparkle" and the pendant is my own creation. They were tatted in Manuela #20 and are my first attempt at using beads (the pendant has a swarovski crystal in the center).
I'm still undecided about hanging the pendant, should I use a cord, a ribbon or invest in a chain.
Any advice would be helpful.

The Last of the Blue Ribbon Entries - Motifs # 21, 22, 23, & 24

2008-11-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

These are the last of the my MS. State Fair entries. Again I apologize for my terrible photography. They should almost finish off my 25 motif challenge, so I guess its time to start again :-)

The wedding garter is an adaption of Lenore English's bookmark pattern done in Flora #20. The doily is the Blue doily pattern from the Needle Tatting Two site, also Fora #20

The Magnolia pin is from a pattern from the tatting calendar, the leaves were my own addition, also in Flora, #20. The butterfly is from a design by an Italian tatter, done in #10, yellow and is part of a pillow. I couldn't find the right size pillow for it, so I made one. Unfortunately, I waited to the night before the entries had to be at the fairgrounds to decide to make a pillow. We own a sewing machine but I haven't used it in years, so I decided to use Fabric-tac to seal the seams. Luckily, they judged it on the tatting not on how the pillow looked. I also entered the snowflake that I shared earlier in my blog.

The Scarf is crocheted in Gryffindor colors, my wife and I are big Harry Potter fans. I also entered a crocheted doily, angel, and snowflake.

More State Fair Entries - Motifs#17,18,19, and 20

2008-10-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of my State Fair entries. Please forgive the rotten pictures, I'm a terrible photographer and several of the items would not fit on the scanner.
The Collar is a design taken from Jan Stawasz' book, I shortened the width of the collar, the original was a little too much for my wife, its to be her Christmas present. It was done in size 10. I really like the way the negative space forms hearts.
The runner is an adaptation of several motifs I had found on the net, I just kept adding on till I had a runner. It's in size 10 also.

The Linen napkin was entered in the edging category. It was done in size 20 Flora. It is part of a set I am making for my niece for her hope chest, she gets one for her birthday and another for Christmas. I'm aiming for a set of 12.
The handkerchief was entered in the hemstitch category and was done in #20, Flora. I think my wife has her eye on this too :-)

This last item is not tatting but filet crochet, it needs to be re blocked there was too much handling at the fair. This is definitely my wife's, she loves fleur-de-lis.

16 Blue Ribbons at the Mississippi State Fair!!!

2008-10-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

16 Blue Ribbons!!! I couldn't believe it. I won a blue ribbon in every category I entered. 11 tatting categories and 5 crochet.
The tatting categories were: Baby bonnet, Booties, Doily, Runner, Christmas, Collar, Hemstitched, Edging, Pillow, Garter, Misc. (I entered a 3d magnolia).
The crochet categories were: Scarf, Filet, Christmas, Doily and a Misc. category
I plan to add them to my blog and count them toward my 25 motifs.

The Booties are a pattern by Lenore English done in #30 Flora white, the bonnet is my own design, in #20 Flora, unfortunately I didn't write down the pattern as I worked, time to go back and figure it out (sigh). They are motifs 15 & 16.

New Barrette - Motif #14

2008-10-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

Another attempt at an original design, inspired by Jan Stawasz. I don't want to compare my work to his, his tatting is just amazing but the barrettes shown on his website gave me the idea to try to design my own.
The barrette blank is covered with black velvet and then the motifs applied, they are tatted in size 20 Flora . This motif # 14

Motifs # 12 & 13 - Earrings

2008-09-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy week getting ready for the Mississippi State Fair. All submissions had to be in by Friday at 5:oo p.m. I actually made it to the fairgrounds with a whole 15 minutes to go. I've been tatting like crazy to get ready, I entered 11 items in the tatting category and 5 in the crochet category. Now to wait for the judging....

It is also my sister's birthday and thanks to Dawn sharing her pattern, I was able to tat these horsehead earrings (she loves anything to do with horses).

These are some earrings ordered by one of the ladies at Church. They're a simple flower pattern in black with a pearl center.

These earrings are motifs 12 & 13.

Motif #11

2008-09-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

Just finished another snowflake from "Tatting, Doilies, and Edgings" edited by Rita Weiss; "Lace Elegance motif #1" in Flora #20. This is probably going to be my Christmas gift this year. It's hard to think about planning for it already, but time is rushing by...

Motifs # 5,6,7,8,9,10 A Tatting Binge

2008-09-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was crazy with my being glued to the Weather Channel and CNN watching their coverage of hurricane Gustav. Fortunately, we got off easy compared to Katrina. BUT it did lead to a tatting binge, as long as I'm tatting I can't eat chips or junk food, so I tatted and tatted and tatted (no calories and fun results). I finished several crosses, a collar and am almost done with a handkerchief edging. Here are the crosses, the collar still needs blocking.

Five Star Cross and Hearts & Flowers Cross By Sharon Briggs
DMC Cebelia #20 white (motifs #5 & 6)

"Christina" and "Monica" ( motifs # 7 &8)
Tatted Bookmarks-cross shaped by Lene Bjorn
DMC Cebelia #20 white

"Pernille" and "Maria" (motifs #9&10)
Tatted Bookmarks-cross shaped by Lene Bjorn
DMC Cebelia #20 white and Kreinik Metallic size #8, gold

Motif #4 - My Favorite Bookmark Pattern

2008-08-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite bookmarks is this one by Lenore English. Done in Flora #20 it looks to me like a simple yet beautiful piece of lace. I really love making them and giving them as gifts, they look great in almost any color.

A Tatted Barrette, Motif #3

2008-08-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

After seeing Jan Stawasz's incredible website, I was inspired to try to create my own barrettes. The hardest part was finding a supplier for the barrette parts.
I covered the blank with black velvet and then attached it to the clip. The tatting (valiere squares, Fora #20) was attached with fabric tac. I'm also working on an oval version, I hope to be able to share it soon.
I wanted to share a non-tatted project I recently completed. I have a sister who is a horse fanatic so I found an antique pattern for a filet crochet horse head antimacassar. Its a Christmas present. I made it with #30 thread

My first attempt at designing a cross Motif #2

2008-08-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to tat is crosses. I have a growing collection of patterns.

This is my first attempt at designing one of my own. It may not be elegant but I think it came out pretty good for a first attempt.

This is motif #2

My First Motif of the 25 Motif Challenge

2008-07-21T22:17:00.001-07:00

I have been tatting just over two years. I was taught as a child how to crochet and helped pay for college and seminary making and selling crocheted Christmas ornaments. Two years ago a friend challenged me to learn to tat, and I took to it with enthusiasm. After winning several blue ribbons at the Mississippi State Fair, I submitted my work for judging for membership in the Mississippi Craftsman's Guild and was accepted.

This is my first time blogging and participating on the web, its rather intimidating with all the fantastic tatters out there, but here goes my first motif for the 25 motif challenge. A doily by Iris Niebach.