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Flea market finds

My husband and I stopped at a local flea market/antique shop the other day.  We didn’t find what we stopped in looking for, but I found a few things that I ended up bringing home.
Check out these buttons!  Someone took the time to cut them off of the clothes they were on and saved them.  There are some interesting buttons in here.  I’m already thinking of where and how to use them.
I can see either a family picture or tatting in this pretty little heart-shaped frame. It looks to have never been used – the picture is the one that came with it when it was new.
I found two packages of hat/lapel pins.  I snatched them up as I have been looking for this item for quite a while.  I have several relatives that like hats and wearing these in lapels as well.  And if they turn out well maybe I’ll try selling a few of these at a craft show.
I do have to keep a tight reign on my purse at flea markets so I don’t take home everything that strikes my fancy!
“Is it strange that I enjoy going to flea markets more than going to the mall?”

Emma pattern is posted

I finally finished the pattern for Emma!
It has taken me longer than expected, mostly because I kept trying different stitch counts in a few places.  I think I’m happy with it now.
The one place I did change the stitch count was the chains going up to and down from the top clover. Originally – and how I tatted the edging in the picture – the stitch count was 4 ds on each chain.  But, though it looked good when done, it had to be straightened by blocking or it twisted, so I changed them to 6 ds.  I also changed the two rings before and after those chains, making them 3-3 instead of 4-4.  Now when done it lays nice before any blocking.
It looks like I need to change the pictures I used on the patterns.  On screen it looks okay, but when I printed it the colors are so similar it’s a little hard to distinguish.  Maybe it’s just my printer?
So, for those who have expressed interest in tatting Emma, the pattern has been added to the patterns tab.
I have another edging done.  I haven’t even started writing out the pattern yet, but it is an easier one so shouldn’t take long.  Key word: shouldn’t.  We’ll see – if I think I need to make any changes on this one.
“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.”
Bruce Lee
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On the edge with Emma

 Emma Edging © Wanda Salmans 2015
Here’s another edging I’ve been working on, Emma.  Last week I talked about using more colors, and I did, just very neutral colors, Lizbeth #691 Mocha Brown Medium and #693 Linen Medium, both in size 10.  They are similar enough to each other that sometimes in the evenings when I was refilling the shuttles I had to compare the two threads to make sure which one I needed.  But the subtle color change really works with the material I have picked out for this edging.
Emma Edging in size 10
Part of this edging I made for a runner for the Christmas craft show last year.  Surprise! I changed it a bit this time around.  Actually, just the second row, the first row is the same.  The second row is different because I wanted the edging to be wider.  
Emma Edging in size 20
This is a sample in size 20, Lizbeth  #602 Natural and #658 Ocean Turquoise Light.  I used these colors because I had shuttles already wound with them.  Hey, one of the shuttles is now empty – yay! This sample has a bit of a different stitch count than the finished edging in a couple of places as I decide what works the best.
Emma Edging in two sizes
I use size 10 thread for runners because it covers more edge faster.  It doesn’t look as delicate as it would with smaller thread, but for table runners where the lace hangs over the edge of the table the heavier thread works better, I think.  At least it doesn’t take as long 🙂
I hope to have the pattern for Emma posted later this week.  Part of it’s done already but I also have to decide if I want to change the stitch count in a couple of places.  Oh, yeah, and try and catch mistakes 😛
I’ve got another edging almost finished then I need to figure out what I want to do on another.  I think I know the colors of thread I want to use but I’m not sure of the pattern.  Will it be a new one?  Will it be one I’ve done before? Will it be a combination of new and old?
I’m on edge to find out!
“They dined on mince, and slices of quince, 
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, 
They danced by the light of the moon.”
Edward Lear
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Pretty day

March 7, 2015 it’s sunny, about 70° F with just a slight breeze – an absolutely beautiful day in Kansas!
So pretty I sat outside to tat some, until I got too warm!
Okay, almost spring day 🙂
And for those that live in such places, don’t forget to Spring forward and set your clocks an hour ahead tonight.

Thoughts on edgings

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’m working on table runners and edgings for them.  I have trouble doing the same edging over and over so keep looking for or coming up with different ones.  Mostly I find I just have to do something different, even if it’s only small differences.  I looked through some old ones I’ve done over the years and decided to attempt to use a few of those.  Could I use them without making changes?

‘Mandy’ Edging © Wanda Salmans 2015

 Lizbeth #694 Harvest Orange Medium and #692 Mocha Brown Dark size 10
This one was actually made the same as last time – shocking!   I’m not sure how long ago I did it originally, 2005 maybe?  Back then I made it in completely in ecru, which gives it a different look than when done in two colors.  This is not hard though it does use the second shuttle a lot.  It will definitely have to be blocked when complete.

I used to work a lot with DMC Cebelia thread because I could get it in quite a few colors and sizes, though I still had a tendency to work in only one color at a time or only in ecru.  Recently I’ve been working almost exclusively in Lizbeth as there are so many colors and sizes available.  I’m trying to use more colors in my projects, like the edgings I’m working on.  I admire those of you that work in so many colors at the same time.  The tat-a-long doilies like Renulek’s Wionsa 2015 that I’ve seen lately are good examples (Fox’s and Diane’s are great examples) of using lots of color.

I don’t have any of the material for the edgings cut yet.  I’ve decided it would be better to make the edgings then cut the material to fit.  I usually try to make an edging about 12 inches and most of the time they are close, but not always.   And I try to make edgings that I feel go with the material, not just by color but by pattern.  That has a lot to do with what mood I’m in at the time…

I have added this pattern to my Patterns tab.  I’m not exactly happy with how I diagrammed it but the way I usually do the count just wasn’t working with this pattern.


Now, on to the next edging.  What color will it be?

“Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.”
Allen Klein
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Where’s that pattern?

Colonial Lady Applique from ‘Aunt Ellen’s Tatting Handbook’
tatted by Wanda Salmans 
I have a lot of old Workbasket magazines.  You remember those, don’t you?  Quite a few of them have a least one tatting pattern in them, along with all kinds of other crafts.  The problem, of course, it knowing what patterns are in which edition.  I usually end up spending a lot of time getting lost in looking through a stack of them, forgetting what I was looking for in the first place.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I loose a lot of tatting time that way.
Over at Craftree/Intatters there is a library that is being compiled, which has a lot of patterns in it.  I’m not sure how many from Workbasket magazines.  If not many yet there probably will be eventually. 
I came across another place that has a large (make that huge!) bibliography of tatting.  There are a lot of books both old and new listed, some with reviews.  And a list of Workbaskets and what patterns are in which edition. That place is Something Under the Bed.  I am in awe of how much work Leigh has done here and not just for tatting but for several other crafts as well.  I highly recommend this sight if you’re looking for information on a book or pattern.   
The pattern for the Colonial Lady above in the picture I found in ‘Aunt Ellen’s Tatting Handbook’ copyright 1982, but was originally in a Work basket from 1954 (I know this because I made a note of it on the pattern in the book.) I talk about making this lady in a post several years ago.  She still looks good.
The Workbasket magazine in the picture is the June/July 1994 No Vol. 59 edition.  It has a tatted “Independence Day Pin” in it – which I’ve made but can’t think of where I put it right now. I actually made several of them to give to family one year.  But if you wanted to make it and didn’t know which edition to look in, you could find it on Leigh’s site.
What are you waiting for?  I know you have a pattern you need to find.
I have no affiliation with Leigh or her website, I just found it a fabulous place.
“Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.”
Richard P. Feynman
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Martha Doily

Martha Doily © Wanda Salmans 2010

I made this doily almost five years ago (five years?!) while on vacation to Washington, D.C.  I got to thinking about it the other day while working on Queen’s Crown Edging, wondering how it would look in two colors.  Why would this doily come to mind while working on an edging?  Because both have a lot of switching shuttles and changing directions. 

So I took a break from edgings and tried Martha in two colors. 

Martha Doily © Wanda Salmans 2010

This one is made with Lizbeth #658 Ocean Turquoise Light and #657 Ocean Turquoise Dark, both in size 20.  It is seven inches across from point to point.  The original was made in DMC size 30 ecru and ended up being six inches across from point to point.

 Martha Doily © Wanda Salmans 2010

Here’s a comparison of the two doilies side-by-side.

Does anyone see the mistake in the ecru doily?  Obviously the judges at the county fair in 2010 didn’t see it, either, because it won a blue ribbon that year.  I only found it now because I was going through it trying to jot down the stitch counts to write out the pattern.  I had to laugh about it – I’d never seen it myself.  An obvious but very well hidden oopsie.

Isn’t it amazing how different a pattern looks when done in different colors?  It can change the look and feel of a piece a lot.  I noticed this last week when I tested the pattern for QCE and again with this doily.   To see another version of the QCE done in two colors but differently, check out Jane McLellan’s version of it on her blog.

When I made the original doily it was in July and very hot.  This second one was done in February with cold temperatures though very little snow here.  If we lived just a few miles west we would have had a lot more snow.  Today is mild with temperatures in the 30s and low 40s F but the forecast is for much colder weather and snow.   Quite the contrast, just like the doilies.

“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.”
Anton Chekhov
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Queen’s Crown Edging

Queen’s Crown Edging © Wanda Salmans 2015
I’m going to be adding edgings to several table runners soon.  As usual, I seem to need to make up new patterns instead of using already existing ones.  I started this one day on the way to work (as the passenger!) with something else entirely in mind, but it just came off the shuttles like it was meant to be.  I had very few places I even had to change stitch counts to make it work.  I had one edging done in a couple of days. Made in size 10 Lizbeth #693 Linen Medium five repeats are about 11 1/2 inches long.  I asked my daughters for suggestions on the name; Queen’s Crown was quickly agreed upon by both of them and my husband, so there you have it.

I thought drawing out the pattern would be harder than it turned out.  It was a little more difficult writing out the directions than drawing it. At least I think so. Most of it isn’t that hard but there is a lot of switching shuttles involved.  The one tricky part is a picot that is on a turn where you change directions and shuttles at the same time.  It seems to work best with a lock stitch, and it comes out looking like the other side where there is a join to an existing picot.

Test tatting my pattern I used two shades of blue, Lizbeth #658 Ocean Turquoise Light and #657 Ocean Turquoise Dark (I think, I lost the label) in size 20.

Queen’s Crown Edging © Wanda Salmans 2015
I really like how this turned out!  For any that are interested, I’ve added it to my patterns page.
Here the two edgings are together for a comparison of the two sizes of threads.

Queen’s Crown Edging © Wanda Salmans 2015
Now I just need to buckle down and get a few more edgings done.  And then the hard part – attaching them to the material!
Today is Fat Tuesday (mardi gras), or Shrove Tuesday, which is the last day before the Lenten season begins.  Traditionally some people celebrate it by eating pancakes before restraining from eating rich foods for Lent.  I even remembered to make pancakes today!  I had to improvise a little bit – the recipe called for milk and I don’t have any.  I used more butter, an extra egg and water instead and they came out mighty tasty.
I just realized that today is a fitting day to introduce the Queen’s Crown Edging as there are many places that choose Mardi Gras royalty.  And they wear some fancy crowns!  
“A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.”
Frederick the Great