Tag: Tatting Tea Tuesday

Barefoot Sandals

For the last several weeks I’ve been working on a birthday present for my daughter.  I’ve seen barefoot sandals on several blogs, including Nancy’s over at “New to Me”, and knew both my daughter’s would like them so I thought I’d give them a try.  I did it! I even finished them before her birthday(even more surprising!).
These are made with DMC thread, size 10 in dark blue with lots of pink and clear glass beads.  I started with the center of one of my snowflakes (this one) and actually, made the center like I was trying to make the heart – with a few more additions.  Then I added the toe loop and the ties. 
There is a beaded ring at the end of the ties.
I don’t usually use all that many beads when I tat so this was quite a change for me. It took almost the entire tube of beads to make up these sandals. And now I see that, in small letters on the tube, “color not permanent”. Great – not! Well, she’s my guinea pig, on orders to let me know her likes and dis-likes with these, or any suggestions she has to make the sandals better.  I’ll know next time to choose my beads more carefully.  So far she likes them a lot – I gave then to her Sunday afternoon and she wore them the rest of the day *grin*. I’m calling this #1 of my next 25 Motif Challenge.
More Encapsulation
I’ve done the next pattern in Sherry’s book Branching Encapsulation, the “Wisteria Necklace”.  I didn’t have the kind of bead stringing wire that she used for the necklace, so I used some wire I had on hand –  not the same thing at all.
It came out pretty well, though maybe not to wear.  It’s made with #684 Leaf Green Med size 20 and Cebelia size 30 pink #3326, as I still had those colors on the shuttles. 
It came out pretty well, though maybe not to wear.  It’s made with #684 Leaf Green Med in size 20 and Cebelia size 30 pink #3326, as I still had those colors on the shuttles. 
I’m now ready to start the next pattern, “Grapevine Edging”. This pattern takes five shuttles.  As most (all?) of my shuttles seem to have thread on them I thought I’d just use what I have already wound, which will help empty them.  It  will, of course, make the grapes look a bit strange, though. Sorry, Sherry, I need to get to the end of the book, and need to empty a few shuttles to use for my next project (Trees!).  Still have to do the “Bleeding Heart” pattern after the grapes before I get there.  Each pattern has been fun, and I can see me using these techniques in the future.  I’m definitely going to use Sherry’s tip of using a small ziplock baggy to keep the shuttles from tangling while making the grapes!
My next project is for a wedding but after that is a birthday present for my other daughter.  She has indicated that barefoot sandals would be quite acceptable.  I wonder if one of the techniques I’m learning from Sherry’s book would work on those?  Hmm… I’ll think on this as I sip a little tea today for Tatting Tea Tuesday.
“Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of ‘you’ to the world”
p.s. – Blogger has been a real pain today.  Hopefully today’s post is readable!

Encapsulated!

“Thicket of Flowers” © Sherry Pence 2012
Check this out! I did it!  Woo hoo!
I was one of those people who pre-ordered Sherry’s new book “Branching Encapsulation” back in March and which arrived in the beginning of April.  Lets’ see, that’s April, May, June – wow, three months ago! And I just now had time (made time, took time) to try it out.  Sherry, you would be so proud of me – I read through the directions first, several times even, before starting AND started at the front of the book instead of jumping to the end and trying out what I really want to try.  Okay, I want to try everything in the book, I just have plans for the patterns/ideas at the end :-)Encapsulation does take some concentration to do – it’s definitely not something to do while watching TV.  I really had to pay attention to what I was doing, but I’m very happy with the results. This is my very first attempt!  If this was a little closer picture you would be able to make out the slight discoloration of the white thread because I didn’t make sure my hands were clean after eating lunch, but other than that I think it has gone very well.  I’m using Lizbeth threads in size 20 #601 White (because it was already on a shuttle), #684 Leaf Green Med and Cebelia size 30 pink #3326.  I’m going to continue a bit more to make sure I have a good grasp of this technique, then on to the next pattern!  I don’t have anything planned for this thicket of flowers except to learn how, but I have in mind to decorate a wedding gift with some of those last patterns in the book, so I have to get with it.  I only have three weeks to get it done!  Wish me progress.

This Tatting Tea Tuesday I’m enjoying a glass of cold, sweet tea while I steal a few minutes of another busy day to tat a bit. I haven’t had a lot of time to tat lately, and what I have been tatting has been for a purpose, either to learn a technique or to make something specific.  Unfortunately, none of those things needed to be red, white and blue, so I don’t have anything patriotic tatted up. The date kind of snuck up on me.

Date?

Tomorrow is July fourth, our Independence Day.  It will be celebrated throughout the country with picnics and bar-b-ques, get-togethers and fireworks.  And probably a bit too much to drink by a lot of people, hopefully not the ones lighting the fireworks!  Hopefully, too, at least a little thought will go into what exactly we’re celebrating, what it took to get it, and what it takes to maintain it.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July everyone!

“July Fourth means a lot to me as an American,…It is a patriotic day. It is not particularly about WWII or any war.  It just shows a patriotic way of life we really should celebrate not just on Independence Day but every day.”
Robert Davies

Kitties and dragonflies

Pretty Kitty pattern by Nancy Tracy © 2006
I’m still tatting for my granddaughter.  I thought this cute little kitty from Be-stitched by Nancy Tracy would look nice on a dress I bought for her. These are made in Lizbeth #641 Lilac Dark, size 20.
Here is one of them on the dress. The dress originally came with a crocheted purple flower on it but I took it off and put on the kitty.   I have nothing against crochet, I just wanted some tatting on it instead. 
The other kitty was supposed to go on a cup for my grandson, this little girl’s big brother, but somehow or other it disappeared.  Maybe it had other places it wanted to be.  That’s okay, the kitty is quick and easy to make so it won’t take long to make another one.  This kitty actually gave me a reason to try out my Handy Hands thread holder I got from Tabatha. I do so many patterns that take two shuttles I haven’t had need of the holder yet.  It is pretty cool to use, by the way.  I still need to add a wrist ribbon – or something – but it worked great in the car.
Dragonfly pattern by Jon 2010
I made these dragonsflies from a pattern by Jon.  Aren’t they cute? (Have you seen the butterflies at the top of her blog – those are next!) The  purple one is made with the Lizbeth #641 size 20 – hey, I still had thread on my shuttle from the kitties:-) – with bronze-colored beads of unknown origin and size.  The other is made from Lizbeth #144 Leaf Swirl, size 20 with green beads, again of unknown origin and size.  This green and white one is for my mother for her birthday.  I’m planning on adding it to a pin to add to one of her hats.  I bought some hat pins a while back just for this purpose and now I want to use them I can’t find them anywhere!  I still have a couple of days to look, but I do have a backup plan if I can’t find them. 
I had hoped that I could show the pin completed and the cup for my grandson today but I guess they’ll be for another day.  I still have another outfit to decorate for my granddaughter as well that isn’t quite done.   Thank goodness none of these projects are all that big.  There is hope that all of them will be done by next Tatting Tea Tuesday.
Today I actually drank some tea before I started on the coffee. It was just Country Peach from Celestial Seasonings, a nice start for a cool morning. 
May is Celiac Awareness Month.  I mention this because, though I have not been officially diagnosed with this by a doctor, I definitely have either this or a severe gluten intolerance. My daughter is the one who actually diagnosed this when I had a lot of issues a couple of years ago. My doctor had no clue what caused all my problems but when I followed my daughter’s advice it was like flipping a switch on how much better I felt. This is a disease described at www.celiac.org as:

“Celiac
Disease (CD) is a lifelong
inherited autoimmune condition that affects both children and
adults.  When people who have CD eat foods that contain gluten, it causes an immune
reaction that
results in damage
to the small intestine and does not allow
nutrients to be properly absorbed.
Damage can be present in the small intestine even when there are no symptoms. Currently, the only treatment is
strict adherence
to the gluten-free diet.
Gluten  is the
common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to persons
with celiac disease.  These proteins are
found in ALL forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn and faro)
and related grains rye, barley and triticale and MUST
be eliminated.”
(Yes, I’m on a strict gluten free diet.  I even have to watch the ingredients of some Teas!)
“Old age is not a disease – it is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments, trial and illnesses.” 
Maggie Kuhn