Is it True.......

....what "they" say about better late then never?

I wasn't able to post on International Tatting Day, so I'll catch up with it now.

A few weeks ago, Paula asked what we were going to tat for International Tatting Day, which was April 1st. I told her I hoped to tat Kersti's Sweet Heart Tatted Bookmark.

I didn't get much tatting in that day, however, I did eat some dark chocolate. I think you can see that I didn't even have 3 complete rings here, and already I had the candy open.

I didn't get very far that day, however since then I have made many of these bookmarks, probably a dozen or so. Here are just a few of them.

They are made using size 20 Lizabeth threads, in solid colors.

I hope Kersti doesn't mind, but I revamped the pattern a bit. I made it so that the tail is a seperate piece of work. For the final chain of the heart, I joined to the very first picot of the first chain, then chained 5 more ds-s, tied and hid the thread tails. I sewed the tail thread into that final picot join before I wound the shuttle, then tatted 2 ds and proceeded to finish of the tail.

Great pattern. Thank you, Kersti! I feel very comfortable with this pattern. I think I could do it in my sleep now. I have heard that some tatters make pieces to gift away to people who comment when they are tatting in public. This could be that piece for me. I like all of the picots on the chains and rings and I think it shows off the art of tatting very nicely. It would be a great way to share tatting with the world.

I do have a question about gifting bookmarks though. I am looking for plastic sleeves to put the bookmark in, something like this. Is there a better supplier out there. I have only been able to find that one size of sleeve. Also once I get them, how would I get it to lay nicely inside the sleeve? The only thing I can think of is to tack it to a piece of cardstock, which would give me a place to write a note, so that's not a bad idea.

Lady Shannan

Like Martha and Steph I was given the opportunity to test tat one of Heather's Ladies from her new book "Tatted Ladies In My Life".

This was my first time being a test tatter and I really enjoyed it. I would gladly test tat again for anyone who thought I was capable. (I'm just throwing that out there, so you talented designers will keep me in mind for the future. LOL)

Now that Heather has her book ready for us, I can share Lady Shannan.


Lady Shannan is tatted in Lizabeth threads direct from Handy Hands. The varigated is SpringTime and the green is Spring Green. (Both are colors I got directly from Handy Hands, not the stuff I had problems with from JoAnn's.)

Christina

Background:

Since I don't live close to any craft stores, when I get their coupons, and can get my husband to take me to the store, I hoard up on supplies.

Story:

Chapter 1

I had a bunch of coupons for JoAnn Fabrics, so off we went to Buffalo, about a hour and 15 minutes away. I rushed in, coupons in hand and ran straight for the Clover tatting shuttles. I went there first because my husband can only drink so much coffee at the shop next door, so I was in a rush to get in and out. And I justify more shuttles by thinking ...... when the tips of the shuttles seperate I toss them and start off fresh. ..........oh who am I kidding, I always have various stages of different patterns going, so I rarely have empty shuttles, therefor I need MORE, right? (Auh come on say I'm not the only one with a couple of dozen shuttles going at all times.)

Imagine my delight when on my way to the shuttles, I was awe struck by a section of Lizabeth thread. Not many colors, some I already had, but I HAD to use up ALL of the coupons and I don't get to the craft store very often, both reason I could used to explain to my hubby why I had to have more ............. (not that he cares, it just makes the story more "setting on the edge of your seat" interesting)

I was delight to use up all of my coupons, got an "I need color" fix, and walked out with my pockets a bit lighter but my smile alot bigger.

I'd purchased some Lizabeth thread from Handy Hands before and enjoyed working with it so I was delighted to have some more to add to my stash.

Chapter 2

My last post was made using some of the Lizabeth thread I purchased that day. I was very disappointed in the black. It was not the quality of thread I'd used before.

It will be added to my pile of not worth my time threads. (I can't possibly throw it away, but I'll never use it again .....what do I do with it?) This may have been part of my frustration with that pattern as well.

Chapter 3

I wanted to see if all of the threads I got that day were like that. So I started another project. This thread was not as bad, but still not up to the quality of the other few threads I'd gotten directly from HH. If I remember right, they had a problem with some of them when they first rolled out the line. Maybe that is what's selling in the stores.

Regardless I did finish the project. The pattern is Christina from the book Tatted Bookmarks -cross-shaped by Lene Bjorn. I did enjoy the pattern and I look forward to tatting more from this little book.

(Sorry for the quality of the picture, it was taken from my phone's camera and I didn't realize I'd taken it at such an angle.)

I'm still not good with judging the size of things, so I didn't realize how big this would be in a size 20 thread. I wish I'd have thought to measure the size, which obviously I didn't. If I had to guess I'd say it was about 5 1/2" long by 4 1/2" across. I'd like to try it in a smaller thread, dare I say a size 80?

Chapter 4

Christina Cross Bookmark is currently winging it's way via US Postal Service to my Great Aunt Myrtle.

The End

Tatting Zen, Oh Tatting Zen Where Are You?

Fox at tat-ology gave me something to think about today, something that made me go hummm .... you know the old saying "things that make you go hummm", well that's me this morning.


She said something like she's enjoying the process of tatting, not being as focused on the end result.


Here's why this particular comment struck me ......... I get very frustrated with myself if my tatting isn't "perfect", if it doesn't look just like whatever the pattern picture is.


My tatting time is very limited, so I try to spend some of most days (even if it's just a half hour on my lunch break) tatting. Therefore when my piece isn't perfect, like I think it should be, it upsets me that I spent valuable time making something useless. Either I cut it off and start over or it just sets until I need more shuttles for a different project, then I trash it.


Last night when I was tatting, it took me 5 starts to get something going..........



And even though I finished the piece I'm not happy with it and won't show it to you. A complete waste of my precious tatting time. Tatting is a time consuming art form for me, I'm not a speed tatter, and to have spent so much time creating and have nothing to show for it leaves me sad and depressed.



Why can't tatting be about the process for me? Why can't I except it for what it is .... the process of creating; knowing that it's handmade by me, and since I'm not perfect my work won't be perfect either.


I'm jealous of Fox, Why can't I find my tatting Zen?

Heart's Desire

When we were on vacation in January, I tatted Susan K. Fuller's Heart's Desire pattern.

It was made using Tatskool (store link) size 20 ChocoRasberry. I did tat this once before, but I definitely need to practice tension if I'm going to tat this pattern again. I'm a pretty tight tatter, and I was concerned about how it would turn out if I tatted it in the tension I usually use, but maybe that would have made it more uniform.

I know alot of you have tatted this lovely pattern, in fact I believe it is Tatskool's (blog link) favorite pattern in order to check on color flow when she dyes new threads ......... anyway, I would appreciate any tips or tricks to this lovely pattern from anyone who has made it.

Happy Tatting, Happy Life,

Bonnie

As with my last post, this also was written on Sunday 2/21, but set to upload in the future. See I really do tat, I just don't make the time to blog about it. :-(