A pretty teacup

This was supposed to be posted yesterday for Tatting Tea Tuesday but I have lost my photo editor on my computer. I tried re-installing it but I can’t find the disk.  So instead of several pictures I have one.
I was in a local antique store/flea market a couple of weeks ago and saw this pretty teacup.  It has no markings on the bottom to indicate maker or anything else but I thought it was pretty and so elegant looking.  So I brought it home.  I think I should dress up and wear a hat to drink tea out of this, don’t you?
Lizbeth size 20 in #617 Magenta Med and #644 Boysenberry Dk
I was inspired to make a doily to go along with the teacup.  I think I chose the colors at night with bad lighting as they don’t match the cup like I thought they did.  Oops.
The first seven rounds of this doily went pretty smoothly but the last two took forever!  I just couldn’t get it to do what I wanted it to. I kept changing my mind on those last two rounds, which probably took as long to tat as all the others put together. And I think I should have reduced the stitch count on the last round.  The doily ended up being just over seven inches across when finally finished.  It had to be blocked a lot before it would stay flat, due, I’m sure, to those last two rounds of (mostly) chains.  I’m thinking of doing it again in different colors and changing the stitch count in a couple of places. And maybe the dark thread at the center.
The shuttle is made of horn.  I haven’t tatted much with it as it’s pretty slick, I keep dropping it.  It is marred on both sides though I’m not sure how that happened.  It is still a pretty shuttle.  
There hasn’t been much tatting in the last week and I’m not sure there will be much in the next week.  There are a lot of family things going on and it’s hard to tat with a lap full of children.  I’m not complaining.  I’ll just smile and sip my tea.
“When in doubt drink tea”

Computer trouble

I’m having trouble with my computer.  During some updating/repair my photo program was disabled or deleted or something.  The pictures are there but I can’t edit them. I’m working on the problem but it’s still a work in progress.  Hopefully I’ll be able to get something going soon.

Mother’s Day Tatting

Did everyone have a nice Mother’s Day?
I did. We visited with my mother, my husband’s mother and a couple of special aunts. They were very nice visits.  We gave my MIL and aunts flowers but my mother got a hat pin.
This is made with a large button, Lizbeth #670 Victorian Red thread size 20, and gold beads.  It measures almost three inches across. 
For all this is just simple chains I had quite the time with it, making mistakes in counts, cutting a picot, getting the shuttle threads tangled.  You can see at the bottom where things just didn’t go quite right.  But overall it didn’t turn out too bad.  In person, stepping back a bit, the boo boo isn’t all that noticeable.  I also had such trouble with it I didn’t want to chance trying to fix it :-p.  I thought about trying to put a ribbon or flower or something over it to hide it but decided it was just going to have to be good enough. 
Mom liked it, so all is good.
After all the visits we went home and I spent most the afternoon and evening tatting *smile*. 
I had recently come across the bookmark I had made when I was in Branson, Missouri a few years ago and was inspired to tat it again. 
This is made with Lizbeth Twirlz #404 Mermaid Lagoon size 20.
This is the first time I’ve tried the Twirlz thread.  It tatted up very nicely and held up well when I was retro tatting.  I hadn’t been sure I was going to like it, and I might not like it for every pattern, but I do like it for this. 
I’ve added this pattern to My Patterns tab as Branson Bookmark.
The weatherman predicted there would be severe weather Sunday night and there was, but it missed us by a few miles.  We spent a lot of the evening keeping an eye on the weather and worrying about family and people we know in areas that were getting it worse than we did. We did get over an inch of rain out the storms, so it wasn’t all bad.
It was a good day, imperfections and all.
“Yes, Mother.  I can see you are flawed.  You have not hidden it.  That is your greatest gift to me.”
Alice Walker
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Ramblings on Tatting Tea Tuesday

Believe it or not, I’ve actually finished the cross bookmark pattern.  For once everything went smoothly while I diagrammed it, and it was even finished a few days ago.  I’ve added the pattern to My Patterns page. Look for “April’s Cross Bookmark”.  
I’ve started a couple of new projects this week but neither are to a point I want to share them yet.  This is becoming a very busy month with several birthdays, Mother’s Day, and graduations to find gifts for.  I actually found the cross bookmarks I had lost – I’d put them in a safer place, where I could find them. Sure.  But they are found so I don’t have to rush so much for the graduations.  The birthdays are something else.  Not sure how those are going to go. 
This morning while I drank my tea (Twinnings of London’s Pure Peppermint Herbal Tea) I was sitting in the front yard enjoying the day before it gets really hot and watching the barn swallows try to get me to leave.  They have a nest on the side of the house and were trying to distract me from it. I wish I could have gotten a picture of them but they fly and dart around pretty fast.  Also sharing my front yard today was a rather large turtle.  He was going through the tall grass (we need to mow) and I almost didn’t see him.  He was at least 12 inches long – around here, that’s a pretty big turtle.  What he was doing so close to the house I don’t know. I went back a little later and he had moseyed on to where ever he was going. Hopefully out of the yard, as my husband is supposed to mow tonight.
As I don’t have much tatting done this week I thought I’d share with you an edging I did a long time ago from thread my got from my grandmother.  She had some crocheting left on the ball, which will remain forever unfinished.  But I made a tatted edging for a napkin with it, which will always make me think of her.  She gave me the teapot when I was a little girl.  It presided over many tea parties over the years.  One day I hope to use it at a tea party with my granddaughter.
Tea parties with grandmother – happy memories in a teapot.

A good idea

It has been a very busy week and I’ve not gotten much tatting done.  Between being busy and all the things going on in the weeks before I’ve lost some of my motivation and my plans for future projects.
And somewhere in the last couple of weeks I’ve also lost the bookmarks I usually have on hand to give away as gifts.  So I thought it would be a good idea to start my stash again and an excellent way to start getting back into the swing of things. 

Cross bookmark made with Lizbeth #184 Rainbow splash size 20.
The shuttle is a Moonlit, about 2.75″ without the hook.
Cross bookmark made with Lizbeth color #658 Ocean Turquoise Lt. size 20.
The shuttle is a Boye, about 2.75″ long.
The top arm is different than the first cross because I was distracted and made the turn a little early.  I didn’t want to unpick anything so I kept going. I think it was a good idea.
Another good idea would be to put up my feet, sip a little tea, and tat a bit, perhaps another cross…
An itty bitty tatted doily is size 70 thread and an itty bitty tea set.

Oh, look! It’s a puppy!

The other day we happened by a yarn shop in Wichita called “twist”.  Some yarn shops have a few things that are of interest to tatters like me that don’t knit or crochet so I stopped in.  They didn’t have any shuttles though they did carry several shades of Nazli Gelin Garden 10 thread, the brand I am making my vest out of. But sometimes you can find some interesting things with the accessories – the stitch markers, tip guards, that type of thing.
And look what I found – a puppy!
A tiny pair of snip scissors shaped like a puppy.  They had these in kitty shape also, but they were down to green puppies and orange kitties and orange is way down on my list of favorite colors.  It was suggested that I make sure it works okay before I bought it as sometimes they don’t cut well.  A few snips on a scrap piece of yarn proved I had a good one and it was mine.

This is a regular-sized Clover shuttle beside it so you can see that it’s a pretty small pair of snips.  Just the right size to carry in a tatting kit. I’m pretty sure most airlines wouldn’t have a problem with these.
We had a wonderful Easter this year.  The weather was wonderful and most of the family was able to get together.  On one side of the family we had dinner and an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, then Sunday after church we had lunch with the other side of the family.  
A few weeks ago I mentioned I had an idea for all the Rainbow Splash Easter eggs I was making.  Believe it or not I was able to put it together just in time for the weekend. My version of an egg tree, except mine had bunny faces and baskets on it, too. 

I found it a bit difficult to take a picture of it, though.  Far enough away to get the whole thing in was almost too far away to see what was on it.  It actually looked pretty good as decoration.  
Then I decided to share with family. I took the tatted pieces off the tree and glued them to wood shapes then put magnets on the back.  At each of the dinners I let the women of the family have a choice of one.  (The kids were busy with Easter egg treats and the guys were – guys)
The magnets were well received. At least no-one turned then down 🙂

Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I’m enjoying a cup of Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Green Tea in a cup decorated with cherry blossoms.  It has a very “spring” feel to it, with all the blossoms.  The cup and saucer are edged in a light green that just matches the green in one of my tatted doilies. 

I can’t remember where I got this set, from my mother or at an antique shop (most antique shops around here carry a lot of things that aren’t strictly speaking antiques). It’s Rosina bone china from England, though it doesn’t specify the design.   It is adding a bright, spring accent to my tea today. 
“Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things.”
Chaim Potok
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Teacups on the side

Happy Tatting Tea Tuesday! What kind of tea are you drinking today?  Maybe in a pretty cup?

Today I sipped coffee instead of tea and checked out a few blogs instead of actually tatting (but the day isn’t quite over) but I did some planning on my projects – that counts, doesn’t it?

A couple of weeks ago my mother asked if I would decorate two bags for her, like the ones I did at Christmas (here and here).  One was to be for an aunt of mine and one for herself (I did give Mom one for Christmas but she liked it enough she wants another one ☺),  I had several projects going already but how could I say no?
The bag body is about six inches square (without the handles).  The request was to do something with tea cups.
This is the first one I decorated.  I looked on-line for a teacup shape that I liked then made it a size I thought would work for the bag. Then what to do with it?
I thought something to show it was a tea cup instead of a coffee cup and maybe some flowers.
The second one I did mostly the same, just different colors and arranged things a little differently.
I tried something different for the material of the cup shape than I did before.  For the ones I did at Christmas I coated the back of the material with fabric glue and let it dry so I was able to work with it without it fraying while I cut it out.  This time I went looking in the sewing aisle, thinking I was going to get some kind of fusible webbing.  Then I saw this Peel n Stick fabric fuse.  As I don’t expect the bags to be put into the washing machine I thought this would work well.  And it did.  I still have several sheets left so I can make more 🙂
I had already been looking at these books for some ideas on other projects, which came in handy for coming up with flower ideas for the bags.


Now the requested mice are done and the bags are finished I can get back to my other projects – something about Easter eggs….

Did anyone stay up to see the Blood Moon last night? It was a pretty awesome sight! I went out just after 1:00 AM (local time) when it had just started and a few times from then until 3:00 AM, about the middle of the eclipse. I didn’t get any pictures of it 🙁 but it was great to be able to see it.

The moon, the stars, and a cup of tea
Let’s sit and sip and watch the night go by
Side by side, just you and me.

Not over the rainbow

Rainbow Splash thread that is.  I keep making things with it!
A couple of weeks ago, one of my grandsons asked for a ‘rainbow mouse’.  I didn’t think I had any thread  that quite fit the term ‘rainbow’ so I sent my daughter the email address of Handy Hands and asked them to choose a thread.  They thought #184, Rainbow Splash was just perfect. 
A small order to Handy Hands and I had a ball of the requested color.
“Morgan Mouse” © Wanda Salmans
#184 Lisbeth Rainbow Splash size 20
I’m somewhat picky about variegated threads. I think a lot look really great on the ball but then am unhappy with how they work up.  I also am not usually happy with threads that have a lot of different colors on them, preferring shades of similar colors instead – like all blues, or pinks, or whatever.  But I am very happy with Rainbow Splash!
I needed four mice, two going to each of my daughter’s houses, so I had to make a couple a little different.  One of the mice (second from the right) has blue eyes, and the one on the right has Flora #207 size 20 for the rings. It wasn’t an exact match but I don’t think my granddaughter will object.  You’ll also note that I used washers in the center instead of jewelry findings.
After finishing the mice I had still had thread on the shuttles.  Being spring with Easter on the way, what better way to use such bright, spring-y thread than Easter eggs?

 Simple ring and chain button Easter eggs in #184 Lizbeth Rainbow Splash size 20
I have a package of bright-colored buttons in colors that were right in line with the Rainbow Splash thread.  These button Easter eggs are so quick and easy I just couldn’t stop making them. They are very nice little doodles to make while in the car. I added a pin back to several of them and gave one of them to my mother.  She really liked it. I actually have an idea to use these, we’ll just see if I have time to put it together. Before Easter 🙂

Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I had just a drop of tea
☺
The teacup is part of a doll-size tea set I found on Ebay. Isn’t it cute? So dainty with such pretty flowers.
The shuttle is a decorated Boye shuttle.
Rainbows, Easter eggs and flowers – it must be spring!
“I’ve always taken ‘The Wizard of Oz’ very seriously, you know.  I believe in the idea of the rainbow.  And I’ve spent my entire life trying to get over it.”
Judy Garland
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TTT on International Tatting Day

Happy International Tatting Day!
Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday and International Tatting Day, I had Celestial Seasonings “Country Peach Passion” herbal tea steeped in the tea-for-one teapot my daughter gave me.  And a couple of pieces of chocolate.
The shuttles shown are four that I decorated yesterday.  They are cream colored Boye shuttles, the two on the left decorated with scrapbook paper, the two on the right with material.  They came out pretty well.
These are paperclip bookmarks I have made for International Tatting Day.  I’m hoping to pass out a few of these to people today.  I’ll be going out a little later to hopefully do some TIPping (tatting in public). 
Some of the patterns I used are:
‘Dove‘ by JoAnn Stearns
‘Little Fishies‘ by Sharon Albers
‘Bunny Face’ by Wanda Salmans (me) on my Patterns page
‘Basket Paperclip Doodle’ by Wanda Salmans (me) on my Patterns page
‘Butterfly’ – unknown
A decorated button – a doodle
Flowers – a doodle
Basket Paperclip Doodle 
© Wanda Salmans 2014
I hadn’t found Ellen Lai’s cute Spring Basket so I made my own.  I don’t think it’s as cute as hers, but it worked up pretty quick.  I’ve added it to my Pattern page if you’re interested.
So, what are you doing for International Tatting Day?  Are you going to try a little tatting in public? Maybe eat a little chocolate?
Whether in public or just at home, I hope you take a little time to tat just for yourself and enjoy the day!
Happy Tatting!
“Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.”
Dale Carnegie
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Finishing small things

In the last month or so I’ve talked several times about using small threads and shown the beginnings of  my attempts with them.  I actually finished all three things I started with them.
I mentioned here about trying out a quilting thread. This is the completed piece.
Motif out of off-white quilting thread.
It is a pretty basic clover and chain pattern that I just doodled. 
In this post I talked about using Gütermann thread.
Motif in Gütermann silk quilting thread.
This motif was also made without referring to a pattern. 
In this same post I showed a shuttle that was given to me that was already loaded with a pink and white variegated thread, maybe size 70 or 80. I was wondering if I should make a small doily with it. 
Unknown thread size or brand.
This little three-round piece.was the hardest to make due to thread breakage.  I think it has to do with the age of the thread.  The first two rounds went well, with little trouble, but the thread started breaking on the last round.  In fact the thread broke as I connected the last chain to the base of the first ring so closely I glued it instead of hiding the ends.

Here are the three pieces together with a regular Clover shuttle to show the sizes of the finished pieces. 
It was quite the experience working with these small threads.  For whatever reason prior to this I was pretty leery of working with anything this small, but now I have some ideas for making several things in small thread – if I ever get to them. My to-do list keeps growing and growing.
“Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.”
Og Mandino
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