Tag: lace

Putting on cuffs

No, I didn’t get arrested.
I put tatted buttons on denim with a little lace and made cuffs for my daughters for Mother’s Day.
Tatted buttons on 2 denim cuffs in purples and blues @ wandasknottythoughts

My original idea for my daughters did not work out, so I scrapped it and looked for something else.  While on Pinterest, where I spend way too much time, I came across decorated material cuffs.  They sparked an idea that had a chance to get done in the time left before Mother’s Day.

I started with a known favorite color – purple – and tatted the buttons.  These could be done in the car going back and forth to work as the passenger.  The easy part.
At home I found an old pair of jeans to cut up for the base.  At first it was going to be one piece of denim for each cuff.  It didn’t take long to decide there needed to be a backing to cover up all my stitching and keep the back pretty.  I collected odds and ends of lace, ribbons, and buttons to play with, laying them out on the denim with the buttons in different ways.
Tatted buttons on a denim cuff in purples @ wandasknottythoughts
I had recently purchased some leftover pieces of lace material from a local second hand shop which made a nice base for the other decorations.  It didn’t take long to notice the buttons could be flowers.  And what are flowers without leaves?  A few leaves of green material – didn’t quite look right.  They were very plain and boring.  A few simple stitches with embroidery floss helped them look much more like leaves.
It took longer than expected to put the first one together.  Mostly because I couldn’t make up my mind how to place things or what, exactly, I wanted.  But, at last, the first one was done.
Tatted buttons on a denim cuff in blues @ wandasknottythoughts
The second one didn’t take as long.  Other than changing the thread colors to blues on the buttons it was pretty much the same.  Except – the green material used for the leaves didn’t look as good with the blues.  I had to find a different shade of green material and thread for them.  I also added silver beads as I stitched everything down.
My sewing machine is not accessible at the moment so I stitched the ends down by hand.  Which would have looked much better in something other than white, especially I as I can’t sew straight.  I purposely left the sides frayed-looking but it won’t fray far.  The two layers of denim are glued together.
Tatted buttons on denim cuff in purples, worn @ wandasknottythoughts
The cuffs are finished off with a button on each end and an elastic hair band in the same color as the flower buttons.  They are easy to put on.
I gave the cuffs to my daughters the week after Mother’s Day.  One was completed on time but not the other.  Gotta be fair, right?
I’m thinking about making one for myself.  Will I continue with flowers or try something else?
I would hate to be cuffed to only one idea.
Okay, I’m done now.
“Don’t let your habits become handcuffs.”
Elizabeth Berg

Paper and lace Easter egg

I was visiting Carolyn’s blog ‘Shopping My Stash’ and saw how she has been tatting on paper, recently dong Easter eggs.  I thought it looked like fun and decided to try it myself
Paper and lace Easter egg
The cross in the center is a sticker, the thread is Lizbeth Ecru #603 in size 20.
It’s a simple project that took me forever to get going.  First I decided to buy a 1/8″ punch for the holes.  The day after I bought one I found I already had one, in an unopened package no less.  Then I decided on the cross for the center and had to find paper and thread that worked with it.  This had me going through my scrap-booking paper to find that the ones that I liked the best were not on card stock.  I did eventually find paper I liked that would work.  When I finally made my choices and cut the paper I ruined one of them by not paying close enough attention to where I punched the holes.  As you can see on this one I could have paid closer attention to punching these holes, as well, but they are much better than the previous one.
I obviously wasn’t thinking things through when I started tatting on this.  On the first ring I made the first picot pretty short (which will be the final join) but the third picot long enough to reach the ring that will be in the next hole.  Why I didn’t fix that first picot I don’t know, but it became an issue in the end, of course.  I faked it at the end, and though it’s visible, I don’t think it came out too bad.  I added a loop of narrow ecru ribbon at the top so it can be hung up.  Originally I had thought to make an extra ring at the top to hang it from, but I didn’t like the look when I tried it. 
I am pleased with how it came out.  I also have a better idea of what I’m going to do if I make any more of these.  Or anything similar.  Thank you, Carolyn, for the inspiration and the tips on this paper and lace project.
I’m thinking about doing a few of these with old Christmas cards and giving them to family and close friends as my yearly ornament. If I start now I might have a few done in time.  It depends on how hard it is to pick out the thread…
I ended up giving this to a friend of mine whose aunt had died the week before Easter.  I also gave him a tatted cross bookmark, my usual sympathy gift.  It just seemed appropriate.
“A portion of your soul has been entwined with mine. A gentle kind of togetherness, while separate we stand. As two trees deeply rooted in separate plots of ground, while their topmost branches come together, forming a miracle of lace against the heavens.”
Janet Miles
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