Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Motif # 6

My Motif # 6 is from Judi Banashek's book "Advanced Tatting Patterns". I used white Lizbeth Size 20 thread. Judi is the founder of our Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs tatting group. She is a wonderful teacher and I learned so much from her. A few years ago she moved to Waxahachie, TX to be close to her daughters. Good news! Terry McGuffin gave me permission to post her pattern for the Windmill Snowflake. As soon as I locate it I'll try to figure out a way to post it here.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Motif # 5

Ta, da, here is Motif # 5. It is the windmill snowflake by Terry McGuffin from the tatted round robin website www.tattings.com which was hosted by Maus aka Etha Schuette. You can still access most of the website through the wayback machine. I think I used DMC Cebelia Size 20 thread. It was one of those UFO's that finally got finished which means I have two of my shuttle back. Yeah!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Annja's Earrings

Today is my colleague and walking buddy Annja's birthday. Last weekend I beaded these netted earrings. Then I brick stitched around the hoop and picked up the tip of the netted pieces in one round. I was going for a Native American flair because Annja is proud of her Cherokee heritage. She loved them.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Still tatting and beading

Hi everyone! I have been working two people's jobs for 2 1/2 months until last week. I have been so exhausted but still try to tat and bead at least on the weekends. I did very well in both the county and state fairs. It was so much fun to participate. As soon as I get a chance to scan I will show you some pictures of what I have been up to.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Motif # 4

I have been very busy finishing up my fair entries. I entered 11 items in the Canadian County Fair, nine of which received 1st place and two received 2nd place. I was very pleased.
In just four days I will drop off my fair entries at the Oklahoma State Fair. I am still in the process of finishing two items.

The edging is # 8902 from the Tatter's Treasure Chest. It will go onto the cuff of the denim shirt I am decorating with tatting. I used white Lizbeth Size 20 thread. This is a really fun pattern and I already started the edging for the other cuff.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Motif # 3

I rediscovered the few balls of Opera thread I have in my Size 20 stash. It is a softer thread and just as much fun to tat with as the Altin Basak. I made this rose cross designed by Lily Qualls Morales with a few alterations to make it in one round.

I didn't have a pattern per se for Motif # 2. I used 5 ds between joins or picots for the chains and 2 ds between joins or picots for the rings. I think 6 ds would also work for the chains.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I won!

A while ago I was the winner of Krystledawne's blogaversary give away. I can count the number of times I won anything in my entire life, in other words it is very seldom. Imagine my big surprise when I opened my mail and found these lovely tatted earrings, necklace and ring. Thank you so much Krystle for your overwhelming generosity! I truly love the jewelry and the shaded color. I have had lots of compliments already. The reason the picture is not that good is because I put the items on the scanner. I couldn't figure out a way to get the ring in the right position and still get the lid to close most of the way.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Motif # 2

Have you noticed that some patterns are nice and easy to work and some seem like such a struggle, where you have to retro tat over and over? Well this little bookmark is in the first category, nice and easy. It was such a joy to tat! I persume it is a variation of an antique edging pattern called "Basket Edge". I used Altin Basak 50 variegated on the shuttle and shaded green for the chains. This thread seems to be a size all of its own, somewhere between a Size 20 and 30. I would call it a Size 25. I love tatting with this Turkish thread and am so glad to have a nice stash of it.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Motif # 1

I have decided to do another 25 motif challenge since I had so much fun both times. This bookmark is my motif # 1 the third time around. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread called Carousel and I did front side/back side tatting. I figured out that when I am working the directional ring if I put the shuttle through the loop before I close the ring it looks just like the opposite ring. This pattern was provided by Jane from South Africa who rewrote a pattern from an Anna Burda magazine. You can find it on Jane Eborall's blog. It's the March 11, 2009 entry.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Motif # 25

I finished the 25 motif challenge for the second time! I have truly enjoyed participating and would like to go for another 25.
This lovely Celtic cross is one of Jane Eborall's patterns. I used Size 20 Flora thread.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Rosette

This rosette is a design by Jon Yusoff. You can find the free pattern on her blog: http://tatsaway-patterns.blogspot.com/
Thanks again Jon for sharing yet another beautiful design. I used Altin Basak Size 50 thread that works up between a Size 20 and 30. It is a very nice thread to tat with and comes in many lovely colors. This is my motif # 24 the second time around.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Mothers Day

Today I had an e-mail from my mom that she received her Mothers Day card including her surprise. She was really happy with it. I believe the pattern is from a Bead and Button Magazine. The designer is Lisa Kan. It was incredibly easy and fun to follow the instructions for this netted piece. The fire polished rounds are very shiny and added just the right amount of bling.
I have to confess that with all those time consuming hobbies I have let the house slide more and more. But I found this awesome website that helps me break down cleaning and decluttering jobs into 15 minute increments. How wonderful is that? www.flylady.net I still have time to work on my hobbies and take care of the house in the evenings.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Cross Bookmark

My friend and Weight Watchers compadre invited me for Easter dinner. I wanted to give her this cross bookmark as a hostess gift but was only halfway done with it. I showed it to her anyway to see what she thought of it. She was thrilled. The thread is Lizbeth Size 20 and the color is called Springtime. The pattern is from Tatted Bookmarks Needle & Shuttle edited by Barbara Foster. It is one of my favorite tatting books. I have tatted at least half of the projects if not more. This is my motif # 23 the second time around.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Bracelet

Yesterday I wore black and white and for the first time my new beaded bracelet. It took me a while to find all the "ingredients"at different bead stores. I used beads in Size 11 black, silver lined crystal and gunmetal, Size 15 silver lined crystal, and clear and black 3 mm fire polished beads. The pattern is designed by Hatsumi Oshitani and is available at http://www.beadandbutton.com
as a free project. Her bracelet is a cuff, and this is my variation of her design. It is done in St. Petersburg chain, which is a really fun beading stitch.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Celtic Snowflake

Here is my homework for the online class of the Celtic snowflake called Celeste. Sparrow Kelly designed this little beauty. I think she did a great job. The only thing I did differently from the pattern is that every other spoke I alternated weaving the second chain from the end under instead of over. I love the color combination. The thread is DMC Cebelia Size 20 white and light blue. It is my motif # 22 the second time around. You can find the pattern here:

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Beaded Bag

This beaded amulet bag was a birthday present for my supervisor. She loves to play the piano in her spare time and is teaching her granddaughter. It was definitely a learning experience for me. I learned to bead a bag in the round with two different sides in tubular peyote stitch and I learned to make a spiral chain. I am rather pleased with the end result and so is she. I used # 11 Delica beads for the bag and white # 11 seed beads and black # 13 Charlottes for the strap. I thought the red dagger beads finished the fringe off nicely.
PS: I revised my last post regarding the butterfly pattern.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Bib

First of all, thank you all so much for leaving me such great comments! I believe the pattern for the unusual butterfly was in the first book published by the Ring of Tatters. It said the pattern was published in autumn 1996, I wonder if that was in the Ring of Tatters newsletters?
I just got this baby bib finished last night and today is the baby shower! I grew up on Mickey Mouse and gang, that's why they are my favorite Disney characters. The tatted edging is very simple. I used two shuttles and just switched them whenever I needed to. The thread is a variegated Altin Basak 50 which works up between a Size 20 and 30. This is my motif # 21 the second time around.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Butterfly with Cluny Petals

Thank you all for leaving me such nice comments on my tatting! As a matter of fact, I saw a robin in the yard this weekend that looked exactly as my tatted one. Spring has definitely come to Oklahoma City, even with the latest cold front moving through.
This little beauty is called Jean's Butterfly and is a design by Jean Tallet. I used one of my favorite colorways of Lizbeth Size 20 thread. I think it is called spring garden. You can definitely tell that it's been a while since I made Cluny petals. Some look pretty pathetic. This is my motif # 20 the second time around.

Friday, March 25, 2011

It's a bird

I finished tatting the Robin, a new pattern by Jane Eborall. Her patterns are very well thought out and easy to follow and they are free. Jane is so very generous with her designs. The patterns on her webpage could fill quite a few books. Thank you Jane for sharing them with us! I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread. This is my motif # 19 the second time around.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Stork

Saturday was our monthly meeting of the Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs Tatting Group. We had one new tatter and the lady who had taught us twilling the weekend before joined us to continue on her shuttle tatting quest. They both did very well. We had such a great time tatting and chatting. I finished the stork with his bundle, yet another great design by Jane Eborall. All thread used is Lizbeth Size 20 thread. It must have become my favorite thread for tatting. One of my tatting buddies gave me the idea to use this motif for a framed birth announcement picture. This is my motif # 18 the second time around.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Twilling & Tatting on Paperclips

Here is a picture of the twilling I did last Saturday. We let each person who
tries out tatting pick out a paperclip with tatting on it. It's a good reward don't you think?

Monday, March 14, 2011

Butterfly

This little butterfly I made from Jane Eborall's beaded butterfly bookmark pattern without the beads just to see how he would turn out. I have to admit he looks a little plain. I love the colorway of this Lizbeth Size 20 thread. It is my motif # 17.
Last Saturday two tatting friends of mine and I taught five ladies how to tat. Two of us drove two hours one way. It turned out to be a very rewarding day. Besides tatting, there was also a group for twilling, crochet and knitting. People were free to move from group to group so everybody had fun. After lunch we had a try at twilling, which is a double knot embroidery stitch used for outlines. I think this stitch would make a nice seam embellishment on a crazy quilt block.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Tiny Cross

Last fall two of my tatting buddies and I drove to Bartlesville, OK for the annual Lace Embrace which is put on by the Lacemakers Guild of Oklahoma. That was the third year in a row we went. We always have such a great time taking part in tatting courses, listening to the lace related talks and visiting with other tatters and lacemakers. We also took part in the class about decorating fabric covered buttons with Teneriffe lace, which is a needle lace. The best part are the tatting olympics with the disciplines of speed tatting and synchronized tatting. And then there is the shopping, because there are always lace vendors present. I bought two colors of Venus Size 40 thread. To try out the thread I made this tiny cross from Patty Duff's book "Mini Tats". I added some Size 15 beads. I have to admit that closing those tiny rings was quite a challenge because the thread has such a tight twist. I think it turned out quite well. It is my motif # 16 the second time around.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tatted Shuttle

Last weekend I visited with my friends in Dallas, TX. I gave Kathy the flowery bookmark and she loved it. She had never seen tatting before. I also let her pick out a pair of tatted earrings which she wore right away. It's great when tatting is so appreciated.
This is a little tatted shuttle, yet another pattern by Anne Bruvold. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread in medium and light seafoam green. This is my motif # 15 the second time around.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Alligator

This alligator is a bookmark designed by Diana Stevens. You can find the pattern in her book "Animal Bookmarks, A Tatted Zoo". It's a great book! I want to make every single one of them. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread in medium and light leave green. One of my tatting buddies told me if you lay him on the dashboard in your car he'll be your navigator. So you see, he can be very helpful. You can also have him help with finding the best way to your destination on the map. He is my motif # 14 the second time around.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Two Color Snowflake

I noticed that I have tatted a lot of Anne Bruvold's patterns. Here is her two color snowflake. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread in variegated and white. I like the way the chains curve around. Maybe instead of linking to the individual patterns I should just post the link to her English patterns page: http://nuperelle.net/EngPatterns.htm
Have fun tatting! This is my motif # 13 the second time around.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Flowery Bookmark

Last Saturday I met with the Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs Tatting Group. One of my tatting friends gave me a copy of Jane Eborall's flowery bookmark pattern. When I got home I picked out this lovely variegated Lizbeth Size 20 thread named sherbet delight. I thought the medium leave green goes well with it. I really like this pattern. There are split rings, self closing mock rings and special joins to keep things interesting. I still need to block it before I give it to my friend for a hostess gift. This is my motif # 12 the second time around. Jane Eborall has a very extensive free pattern page. Thank you Jane for sharing your lovely patterns with all of us! Here is the URL for the pattern: http://www.e.n.e.btinternet.co.uk/Flowerbookmark.pdf

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Heart

This is another pattern by Anne Bruvold. She calls it the Christmas Heart. I used red Lizbeth Size 20 thread. This little heart is perfect for making your own greeting card. This is my motif # 11 the second time around. You can find the pattern here: http://www.nuperelle.net/motiver/JulehjerterEng.pdf

Monday, February 21, 2011

TIAS

I really enjoyed taking part in the latest Tat it and See (TIAS) by Jane Eborall. For the longest time I guessed that it is a salamander. What a surprise when it turned out to be an airplane! I think it is really cute. I used pale pink and old turquoise Lizbeth Size 20 thread and turquoise Size 11 seed beads. Thank you Jane for 10 days of tatting fun! You can find the pattern here: http://tatitandsee.blogspot.com/
This is my motif # 10 the second time around.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Tardis Bookmark

This is the Tardis bookmark, a design by Anne Bruvold. I had a lot of fun tatting it with this lovely shaded blue Lizbeth Size 20 thread. This bookmark is a good practice piece for split rings. And there is even a split chain to hone your skill. Thank you Anne! This is my motif # 9 the second time around. Here is the URL for the free pattern: http://www.nuperelle.net/motiver/Tardis_eng.pdf

Cross bookmark

This is the Pearl Cross by Dianna Stevens. You can find it in her book "Tatterly's Delight". I didn't add any beads to it, I just love it the way it is. It is such a nice little pattern. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread, variegated on the shuttle and white for the ball thread. This is my motif # 8 the second time around.
Dianna's website has been down for a few years now but you can still access it through the web archive. Here is the link for the pattern: http://web.archive.org/web/20080615054318/www.domesticarts.com/Patterns/pearlcross.html

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Lace Insert

I have a blouse where the v-neck is so big that I decided I had to tat a lace insert for it. And this is the result. I used a Star Size 70 thread and the pattern is by Teri Dusenbury. Teri has an extensive pattern library that she very generously shares with all of us. Thank you Teri, I love your patterns! I still have to sew it to the blouse. This is my motif # 7 the second time around.
And here is the URL for Teri's patterns: http://teritatbitdusenbury.wordpress.com/tatbit-patterns

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Dragonwing Doily

I had so much fun tatting the seahorse dragon that I decided to give the dragonwing doily a try. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread. I can't remember the name of the color, I would call it coral. This will be my motif # 6 the second time around.
Here is the link to Anne Bruvold's pattern: http://nuperelle.net/brikker/DragonWingDoily.pdf
Thank you Anne for the lovely patterns!

Seahorse Dragon

I tatted this little seahorse dragon and enjoyed every minute of it. It is such a cute pattern. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread and I believe the color is called seafoam. The pattern is by Anne Bruvold and is available here: http://nuperelle.net/drager/monstre/seahorsedragon.pdf
What a little cutie!
This is my motif # 5 the second time around.

Another bookmark

Here is another bookmark I recently finished. The pattern is the free monthly pattern for December 2010 by Nancy Tracy. Here is the link for her free patterns:
There is also a link to sign up to receive the free monthly pattern. If you haven't already done that you might want to do it. It's a real treat to get a free pattern by e-mail once a month. Thank you Nancy!
There were oodles and gobbles of threads to be sewed in. If I should make another, I will definitely split ring from one motif to the next. I made some adjustments to the green border and really like the end result. The thread used is vintage Size 30 Coats. This is my motif # 4 the second time around.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Finally Some Tatting

The scanner is finally working again, happy days! Now I can show you all the things I have tatted that I haven't already given away for gifts.
This old rose bookmark is a design by Shirley Burger. She was so kind and mailed the pattern to me. It was so much fun to tat. I only made one mistake but my excuse is that I was really sick tatting away at the doctor's office waiting to see the doctor. I used Haekelgarn Size 20, which isn't offered in colors anymore. Too bad because it is an awesome thread. It's a six cord and makes all your knots look the same. I believe this is my motif # 3 the second time around.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Christmas Presents

Happy New Year! The last of the beaded Christmas presents I sent to Germany finally arrived! Now I can let you see them. The pink necklace went to my mom who already owns the matching bracelet. The pattern is called Dancing Dangles by Mary DiMatteo published in the April 2008 Bead and Button Magazine. The St. Petersburg Chain stitch is really fun and versatile.
Next up are my sister's earrings. They are the paisley earrings from one of the last few Beadwork magazines. These were really fun to make because I love to peyote stitch and use crystals.
This is the bracelet I sent to my aunt who is also my godmother. The pattern is from a Bead and Button magazine. As you can see I make good use of my two beading magazine subscriptions. Unfortunately I forgot to scan the green bracelet that I sent to my sister in St. Petersburg Chain stitch. I got in a hurry and mailed it before I thought of it.
I have also been tatting but I still need to scan them and some of them have already been given away as Christmas gifts.