Canopy Bookmarks

Over the last few weeks I have been making some Canopy Bookmarks from Martha Ess's book 'Playing with Picots' .  Every so often I go back to this book to try out a different pattern, especially the bookmarks which are very special.  I hope to show you some more designs in the next blog.   But here are some that I made using HWT (hand wound thread) just love the rich colours.

I really only started to make one to send as a present, but addiction cut in! Now I have to decide which one to give away. 

We came back from Stratford-upon-Avon yesterday after spending a very pleasant weekend there.  One of Jane's friends lives next door to Anne Hathaway's cottage (where Shakespeare used to live) and she gave us some cherry wood from her garden, it is well seasoned so has been cut up into blocks today by 'Im in the garage. The wood is a lovely colour and has a very nice grain to it.

William Shakespeare Puppet

We also sat and watched a puppet show in Anne Hathaway's garden, don't you think the likeness of the bard is very good?

Of course we also delivered some more shuttles which Jane will tell you about very soon.

Today is a Bank Holiday so it is a rest from work and the normal pace of life.

Cross earrings and new supply of wood

I have been making quite a few of these earrings and even given some away, the surplus will go into stocks for the Christmas Church Fair at which I hope to sell some pairs.

Stocks of the exotic woods for the shuttles were getting low so we have been buying more wood.

The price of ebony has gone up considerably and so the shuttles made from that particular wood may have to increase in price.  Beside the ebony in the picture is purple heart.  In the front on the left hand side is Fox's silver maple cut into usable blocks. 

More pop-a-bobbin shuttles are on their way to Jane this weekend, they are just being tested and packaged at the moment.  

Boxes and Shuttle

I am going through another craze of decorating boxes, these two are now on their way to Tat Days in Georgia, hopefully they will arrive before September does! Inside each one of them is a pop-a-bobbin shuttle, they are for the silent auction.

Here is a shuttle made from some Silver Maple wood that Fox sent me from Canada, or rather "'Im in the garage"!  Beside it is a teak practise shuttle and taken before is was properly finished off!

The shuttle is on a flight to Canada.

Jane's Brooches

As you will have seen on Jane's blog she is making the most colourful brooches ever.  Kindly she e.mailed me the pattern and although I have made quite a few over the weeks, I have now given them a break for a while.  It may seem strange but I never put the dangle bit on the bottom but prefer them to be the same all the way around.  My reason for this is because a few years ago I made some decorations using buttons with a dangle on the bottom and people used to then pick them up by that bit, so they were actually holding them upside down, it used to so annoy me!

At the moment 'Im in the garage is cutting out 40 of those practice shuttles that you saw in my last blog post.  Sadly no more people have signed up to learn to tat next month so it looks like there will be a huge surplus of these shuttles.  I will just have to make sure that at least one of them is in my next giveaway!

Tatting Equipment

I've been a little distracted from doing much tatting over the last week what with one thing and another.  Although I have managed to setup another blog, nothing to do with any handicrafts, this time it is about Scouting with particular emphasis on the local groups in my area and what they are doing.  So when it has been approved by those who sit on a certain committee it will mean that I can post more on it. Then I will have two blogs to regularly submit to, hope I don't get them mixed up!

It is just a month away from when I shall be teaching people to tat at a Craft Day, and so far quite a few people have signed up. I haven't prepared anything yet, but must think seriously about making sure I know exactly what I am doing beforehand!  I have asked the one and only person I know in the village who can tat to come along and help, she is more than willing to do so, which is great.  I also have noticed that people use a simple shuttle to teach with made out of cardboard or plastic. It felt right therefore to have a practice shuttle to be made out of wood so I ventured in the garage to find out what my chances were, taking with me a sample.  This is the result.

It just needs a bit of sanding in the holes but otherwise is lovely to handle, the shuttle measures approximately 2 3/4" x 1/2 " (1/2" being the fattest bit in the middle) and this one is made out of zebrona  (zebra wood).

I was also very fortunate to receive in the post, as a surprise, one of Jane's Tatting Tidies, it was one of her original prototypes but it is now in full use.  The next batch which are in her shop are slightly taller.  I do love the material it is made from, very bright and cheeful, the shuttles are in the pockets at the back.  I have now got into the habit of putting small things which I have just made in it before loosing them!

Hopefully I will manage to get some tatting done this week.