Pendant

First I would like to thank those who gave some really helpful and affirming comments with regard to my last post when I declared that I would be trying to teach people to tat in September. Before then I have a wedding banquet to attend in Singapore, the dress is purchased, along with accessories so there just has to be some tatting to go with the outfit.
I am not a great fan of pendants but the dress that I am going to wear really leads itself to one.

As you can see I have also used a 'doodad' !  Some months ago I purchased a pair of rather large earrings with the express purpose of tatting around them one day and I am pleased with the outcome.  The biggest problem was finding a thread that would match the dress, I just did not have any that would, so in the end combined two threads to try and get the colour to match and it seems to work.  What you can't see from the photograph is the way the threads shine. The jewel in the middle is from a bracelet that I took apart and it is glued on replacing the one that was originally there. 

There was however a causality in tatting this pendant, as the holes were so small in the 'doodad' I did pull the hook off one of my shuttles in the attempt to yank the thread through! 

The next task is to make some earrings to match.

Cat teaches mice tatting!

Just read the poem below and you can see that a cat can teach mice to tat!

Martha Ess's mouse (with a lopsided neck!)

Jane's cat (teasing the mouse!)

The Old Gumbie Cat

From Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot

I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
Her coat is of the tabby kind, with tiger stripes and leopard spots.
All day she sits upon the stair or on the steps or on the mat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits - and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!

But when the day's hustle and bustle is done,
Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun.
And when all the family's in bed and asleep,
She slips down the stairs to the basement to creep.
She is deeply concerned with the ways of the mice -
Their behaviour's not good and their manners not nice;
So when she has got them lined up on the matting,
She teaches them music, crocheting and tatting.

I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
Her equal would be hard to find, she likes the warm and sunny spots.
All day she sits beside the hearth or in the sun or on my hat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits - and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!

But when the day's hustle and bustle is done,
Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun.

As she finds that the mice will not ever keep quiet,
She is sure ist is due to irregular diet
And believing that nothing is done without trying,
She sets straight to work with her baking and frying.
She makes them a mouse-cake of bread and dried peas,
And a beautiful fry of lean bacon and cheese.

I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
The curtain-cord she likes to wind, and tie it into sailor-knots.
She sits upon the window-sill, or anything that's smooth and flat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits - and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!

But when the day's hustle and bustle is done,
Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun.
She thinks that the cockroaches just need employment,
So she's formed, from that lot of disorderly louts,
A troop of well-disciplined helpful boy-scouts,
With a purpose in life and a good deed to do -
And she's even created a Beetles' Tattoo.

So for Old Gumbie Cats let us now give three cheers -
On whom well-ordered households depend, it appears.

+ + + + + + + + 

Which leads me to say that in September I have offered to help at a Craft Day when, along with other crafts, people will be invited to learn  tatting.  Not sure I will be any good at teaching but will have a go.  After all if a cat can teach mice there is hope for me!

Deadlines

My life seems to be full of deadlines at the moment, a list of things requiring immediate attention, mainly to do with administration. As fast as I achieve and tick off one thing, another report, article or preparation for a church service seems to take its place.
Hence little time for tatting.  Whenever I do get a spare moment I try and make a brooch as they don't require a pattern to look at and so are easy to pick up and put down without getting into a mess!

Last week I went into a local charity shop to buy some more buttons for the brooches only to find that someone had purchased the entire stock!!  My surprise and disappointment mingled into one and I  really kicked myself for not buying more of them last time I was in the shop.   Not only that some of the buttons were still on their original cards.

These were originally purchased from a Woolworth's store which disappeared from our High Streets in 2009 and still sadly missed.  Frank Winfield Woolworth was an American and started the business in 1878 and his stores soon spread to other countries.  It was in the 1960's that the 'Winfield' brand first appeared in the shops.  It seems a shame to take the buttons off their original cards but they are just the right size and colours, and so needs must!   But I look at these buttons and recall walking around Woolworths, perhaps the sight of them brings back memories to you? 

Twirly and Containers

When I get time I like to test Jane's new patterns, but the reality is that although she may send the pattern to me, it doesn't always get tatted or completely finished!  But I did actually manage to complete the one that is on her blog today, however I added beads, so it took even longer.  Although I am not sure whether it spoils the design adding them.

More pop-a-bobbin shuttles are in the process of being made.  I have just been in the garage and taken this picture of the blocks of wood that are prepared ready for the shuttles to take shape and then placed in these containers.  In reality there are a lot more varieties of wood than you can see displayed.   Also as you can see some are empty!

There are some shuttles ready to be varnished or oiled, not sure which yet, and will be taken to Jane's next weekend.

Jess's Thread

As Jane mentioned in her post today we were very fortunate to buy some of Jess's thread taking advantage of free shipping.   Although after they had arrived I could not decide  which lovely one to use first, or what to use it for.  In the end I made myself a necklace and matching earrings.

The colours seem to match the ones in this design which I saw on the outside of a building in Singapore. I can't remember which area it was in, or what the building was, no doubt someone from that part of the world will let us know!

Whilst in the USA we saw these blanks in a craft shop, which are meant to be turned into jewellery stands, of course the completed ones were also there to purchase.  I had to take a picture so that 'Im in the garage could make one. It seemed quite mad to purchase one there and transport it home, especially as my suitcase was, by then, getting full with other craft related items. In the end he made a few of them for me and of course for Jane.  The wood is padded and then covered in material as you can see in the picture above displaying the necklace.

I am now waiting until I have purchased a dress for my son's wedding banquet and then will definitely be making some tatted jewellery to wear with it, just hope I have the right colours in my stash!

Music to my ears!

We are going to our son and daughter-in-laws wedding banquet in Singapore and I so wanted to contribute something to the arrangements, particularly with regard to tatting.  But living so far away makes it very difficult. My daughter-in-law is a professional singer so I thought tatted music notes would be a good idea.   The next stage was to ask my personal designer (aka Jane) if she could come up with some simple tatted doodles.  She very cleverly designed these notes which you can find here.  Now I have to make a few more, and take them with us when we go. Apparently the banquet is themed on cinema and films, which I was surprised about as I thought it would be something to do with Lego, Dr. Who or Downton Abbey!  The music notes will go on a table displaying photos of them growing up.

The notes are tatted in Coats black wound with silver thread, which just gives them that extra thickness and makes them a bit more special.

Like Jane I also received a surprise package this week from Terry, and I am overwhelmed with the contents.  I am sharing the chocolates with 'Im in the garage, well that's what he thinks!

Thank you so much Terry, I am going to have so much fun with these goodies!

April Fools Day - International Tatting Day

What better day to celebrate International Tatting day on 1st April and also its a Bank Holiday!  Hopefully I will be able to get some tatting done later on today, at the moment re-potting house plants as it is far to cold to go outside and garden, the wind chill is making it feel like zero degrees C.  
The ring was an experiment using Jane's brooch pattern. I am sort of pleased with the result,  it will be worn.  

Now this is a sight I like to see, balls of thread almost finished, particularly as these are old threads which I have had for years.  All have replacements either exactly the same or  a Lizbeth alternative waiting to jump to the rescue! 

Hope you all get a chance to do some tatting today.