Michaelmas Daisies

As today is Michaelmas it is time to show you the Michaelmas daisies (Asters) that I have been working on.  

They are on their way to becoming a necklace which I was fully intending to wear today, but unfortunately due to so many other commitments, I never managed to get it finished.

Yesterday a Scarecrow Festival was held in the grave yard of one of the churches and so I'm just going to show you a couple of them.

There were over 20 other scarecrows all shapes and sizes scattered around and they made everyone smile.

Textile Archway and not a lot of tatting!

This has got nothing to do with tatting but when I attended a meeting last week in King John's House, Romsey I noticed this magnificent archway.  The picture was taken in the evening so you can see my reflection, like a ghostly figure in the window!

The Giant Textile Archway was made by local groups and marks 50 years since the Beeching Report was published. This report reshaped British Railways to such an extent that many closed, especially rural branch lines.  With the increase of road traffic in the last few decades the wisdom of such closures has certainly been questioned.   The archway is made out of knitted, crocheted, felted or stitched bricks, but no tatting.  

I made these winsome earrings for myself and I used the same thread colour that I gave Fox.  

Struggling to find time to pick up my tatting shuttles at the moment as I am trying to organise a Scarecrow Festival for this Saturday.  Its is though quite exciting as so many people from the village are making them.  I hope to take plenty of photographs. 

Sunflowers

I decided to tat a sunflower, and then thought it would look good as a necklace and this is the result.

I used a button as the centre and added some square beads. It lies really well around the neck as the button gives it some weight, in fact I wore it today at work.  The yellow is not as bright as I would really like, but I don't have such a vibrant shade, just pale or variegated yellows. 

My first attempt looked like this and I am attaching it to this little bag as it is far from perfect.

At the moment there are a lot of sunflowers about and you can buy them as cut flowers,  a bunch of them can look stunning.

This year I grew a few in my garden and this one is over 7 ft tall, I had to bend it over to  take the photograph!   Can you see the insect on it?

I am now thinking of making a Michaelmas daisy using the same idea. 

A successful 'Tat Day'

I am very pleased to announce that there are now more people who have mastered the art of tatting in the world.   Last Saturdays Craft Day at the local church proofed to be a popular event that is to be repeated again early next year.  All my 8 pupils were very enthusiastic and some of them mastered the flip straight away.   

The two ladies on the left are mother and daughter and only joined the group in the afternoon but were extremely enthusiastic and I can see them continuing.   Manuela is the name of the lady wearing the red top sitting at the back.  No she has not been naughty but was one of my morning pupils and was racing ahead!   Some of you might, like I did, connect her name with the thread also called 'Manuela' as I had never met the lady before decided not to tell her of the connection though!  By the end of the day she had started to join rings.  Didn't she do well?

I am hoping to continue with tatting lessons on a Wednesday afternoon, most likely after Christmas as we are having some building work done at the church at the moment. Of course holding the classes in the daytime will exclude those who work, but unfortunately my evenings are very busy with other meetings.

Now I have just looked at my sister's blog and wondered what I was getting blamed for, yet again!   Well this is obviously what she is talking about, the handkerchief edging.

Can't say I really enjoyed tatting this edging, started off enthusiastically and then found it quite tedious.  Still it did mean that Jane started another one!

Tat Day!

Well not exactly "Tat Days", but on Saturday I am due to teach 8 people to learn to Tat in our village, which will more or less be the same time as the Palmetto Tat Days in the USA. The church is holding a Craft Day and so obviously Tatting has to be one of the handicrafts to try.  I am almost prepared for the lessons, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Will hopefully be able to take some photographs of my students!

These are two more bookmarks taken from Martha's book playing with picots, I must get a copy of her new book, it looks exciting.

Right off to finish preparing for Saturday, can't believe that this time last year Jane and I were actually in the USA and ready to travel to "Tat Days"