What Have I Been Busy Doing?

Although I've been tatting - what seems like continuously - I have nothing to show for it!!

Some other things have also filled my days...

Pinterest Original

My grandson's

 A)  I made a garage for my grandson's 6th birthday coming at the end of August.  I saw this great idea on Pinterest.  The original design was found on http://diycozyhome.com/toy-car-storage/

The original used toilet paper rolls.  I discovered that many of his little cars wouldn't fit in these.  I used PVC pipe cut into 3 inch segments.  I also put plaster of paris in the bottom of the box so that it would stand upright.

B) I have a little Bible that I carry in my purse.  For a long time, I had a heavy little plastic bag with a snap that something came packaged in that just fit the Bible...but it tore up early this year.  So I desperately needed a cover--things were getting shoved into my purse and messing up the pages of the Bible.  I planned and planned my pattern for a Bible cover out, using graph paper.  Then I cut my fabric!  It was too small!!!!  It turns out my graph paper was 5 square to the inch, and I figured my measurments at four squares to the inch!  Well, at that point it was either start all over, or work with what I had....so I made it fit!  The outside three snaps went on easey-peasey!  I went through over a dozen snaps (and at least an hour and a half of time) before I got the inside three to stay and have the power to snap and unsnap without popping off!  I hand-sewed the whole thing (I'm not sure if that is an excise for how bad it looks, or a brag--because I think it turned out pretty good!)

C) I saw a youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zguw7ik6NFw which showed how to make little containers out of pop bottle caps--using duck tape.  Well that got me to thinking...I changed it slightly, making an even smaller container that was glued, not taped.  I started to make enough of these to put in the Oklahoma Lacemakers Guild's goodie bags at their Lace Embrace Day on October 3rd in Bartlesville, Oklahoma (all tatters and the public invited!).  Well, the project snowballed and  I've now made over 300 of these and given them to several tatting guilds to use in their goodie bags to hold beads, safety pins, charms etc..

So many things to craft--so little time!   

Shirt Back--Gideon's Gate Button

My reader's will be glad to read that this is the last post about my shirt--unless I decorate it further!  I'd like to share the other pattern I developed--it is an extremely easy pattern!  To get a printable pdf of this pattern CLICK HERE

Gideon's Gate Button!

(left) Lizbeth, size 20, #155--Ocean Sunset

(right) Lizbeth size 20, #174--Girly Girl

 Gideon’s Gate Button

by Patricia Lyn Cobb

 You will need two tatting shuttles wound CTW and a 5/8 inch 4 hole button.

Picots:     -- Long Picot     - Short Joining + Join

Arrange to work your ends 

(when you are finished) into Ring A.

Ring A   6  --   3   -   3    Close Ring.

Ring B     3  +   3   --   3    Join b1  3  -- 3 -  3   Close   Ring.

Ring C     3  +   3  --  6    Close Ring.

Reverse Work.

Chain 25.

Switch Shuttles.

Ring D              6  --   3   -   3    Close Ring.

Ring E     3  +   3   --   3  --   3  -- 3 -  3   Close Ring.

Ring F     3  +   3  --  6    Close Ring.

Switch shuttles.

Chain 25.

Repeat (Ring A-Ring F 3 times—each time joining into the next button hole) as you continue around the button, finishing and working your ends into the original Ring A.

Finished shirt back:

Shirt Back--Jennifer's Button

I am preparing to post a tutorial on a "Reusable Ribbon Bow"--the pictures are not behaving.  Somehow this "draft" got published in part, and now some people are looking for it.  Sorry--hopefully it is coming soon!  BUT there is a pattern posted at the bottom of this page!!

I looked at many images on "Google Images" and on Pinterest that had no design author credited.  I did not want to copy anyone's designs--but wanted them to "inspire me."  These three designs are my own work, if they are too much like someone else's previous work--please inform me--and I will gladly give that person credit.

(Left) Lizbeth, size 20, # 122 Carribbean


(Both on right) Lizbeth, size 20, # 633- Purple Dark

Then I set about to try to create my own design.  I'd like to thank Sue W. and Sonya L. who first tested this pattern for me.  Jane Eborall gave it a final test, and proofread my pattern and made wonderful suggestions!  

Introducing--Jennifer's Button! done in Lizbeth, size 20, #102 Western Sunset (left) and #141 Purple Twist (Right).  For a printable pdf of this pattern CLICK HERE

Jennifer’s Button         

by Patricia Lyn Cobb

1- ¾ inch 2-hole button

2 shuttles wound CTM (6 yards each)

Round 1

*start

Ring: 10ds attach to button 10ds Cl

Ch:10ds                                                              

Continue joining first six rings to the first button hole and the second six rings to the second button hole until you have 12 chains and 12 rings.  Attach the 12^th chain to the base of the first ring.  Continue to Round 2 -- do not cut and tie.

Round 2

(If you use the magic thread trick, you will want to make arrangements to hide your final ends in this round.)

Chain: 12ds Lj to the base of the next ring of Round 1.  Continue all the way around, lj to the base of each ring.  Finish the round by joining to the base of ring 1.  Continue to Round 3--do not cut and tie.  RW

Round 3

SS

“Mock onion ring” Ring 10ds-10ds Cl, Chain 12ds+12ds. Cl

SS

Chain 15ds.

SS Josephine Knot 15(last half of ds only) SS

Chain 15ds. (skip one section and join to next section of motif.)

Continue all around to the final join above Ring 1.

Cut and hide ends.

Shirt Back from Jane Eborall's Designs

Well...I got pneumonia this week...I had it in May--I didn't like it then either!  I am determined to get over it and recover quickly, because---- I GET TO GO TO THE PALMETTO TAT DAYS!!!!

One of the first people I discovered in the internet tatting community was Jane Eborall.  I have admired her creativity for many years, and grown more and more to appreciate the generous way she freely shares her talent with the world.  I did the Oklahoma Lacemakers Guild's newsletter for several years.  This patient lady rescued my procrastinating self more than once by allowing me to publish one of her patterns in the newsletter as our "tatting pattern of the month" at the last moment.  If you haven't done one of her TIAS projects (Tat it and See) you are really missing out on some fun!  Jane's daily blog (I am always amazed at her prolific tatting) is here:  janeeborall.blogspot.com/

All of these motifs and a whole lot more can be found on Jane's Pattern Page http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com/



Remember the small "Button My Heart"
next to the Palmetto Tree on the front of the shirt?  Well, somehow some Lizbeth, size 10, #632--Purple Medium sneakily got on my shuttle, and out popped this larger heart!  It took me awhile to figure out WHY it was so much larger than the other one!  Once again, I hid my ends in ring 15, instead of ending this heart with beads.  Jane's pattern is here: http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com/buttonheart2010.pdf.

 
I saw a lady at the doctor's office who was wearing a shirt decorated with with leather laces.  She had them tied in fringes coming off of the shoulder seams....I really liked the way they "fluttered" as she moved.  When I saw the loose thread ends on Jane's "Heart on a Button" pattern--I knew that was exactly what I was going to do on my shirt.  --Not quite the pizzazz of leather laces, but I like them!  Here is the pattern:
http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com/heartbutton2009.pdf

Above from left to right. (All Lizbeth, size 20):

#643 Grape Medium & #122 Caribbean

#647 Purple Iris Dark & #137 Berry Burst

#643 Grape Medium & #122 Caribbean

Below from left to right (All Lizbeth, size 20)

#643 Grape Medium & #129 Purple Splendor

#644 Boysenberry Dark & #129 Purple Splendor

#643 Grape Medium & #122 Caribbean

Part 3 Finger Lakes 2015

     Pick one reason why you should go to the Finger Lakes Tatting Convention next year.....  Vendors, Fellowship with other tatters, learning new techniques, patterns taught by their designers....?  I couldn't choose a single reason, but the classes at Finger Lakes are definitely in my top five reasons!

    
 My first class this year was "Sail Away."   It turns out that this composed/compiled by Diane Daiker was used as the table decorations all over the conference.  It was a little intimidating to have so many beautiful samples surround you as you began to learn this design.  Diane showed us how she took bits and pieces of other patterns and modified them and put them together to create her sailboat.  I was impressed at how careful she was to give each of the other designers credit.  My sailboat is done in:  Lizbeth size 20:  boat #129 Purple Splendor, right sail # 634 Violet Pink Medium, left sail #632 Purple Medium.

 
My afternoon class was the Sand Dollar by Karey Solomon.  This is such an easy pattern, looks great, plus I learned a new technique.  This has rings that you "stack" onto the top of your work!  I had never done anything like this before.  I really like the added dimension this gives the tatting.   The reason I have two sand dollars to show is that I was working on the sand dollar on the left during one of the nights when I don't sleep at all--and I made a big mistake on the row where you join the rings.  This created the need to make a few additional rounds on the motif....plus the clearer beads don't show very well.  I decided I needed to do it again and the result is the sand dollar on the left.  I used Lizbeth, size 20, color #603 Ecru.

Message in a Bottle was a pattern by the talented, Ginny Weathers.  I have enjoyed every pattern of hers that I have ever worked!  I have both of her ornament books and love them.  This was an easy pattern to work--speaking of the tatting part.  I, however had an awful time working with the seashells!  Ginny was so patient, answering my "pestering" emails after the conference was over about how to work with the shells!  I felt like that that there should be some way of making them hang perfectly just using thread and knots...but -- getting the project done won over doing it perfctly.  On several of the shell types, I "cheated" and ended up tatting the row with the shells added, then putting hot glue into the shells so that they would hang correctly!    It doesn't show up very well--but there is actually a very small beach (sand and tiny shells) inside the ornament!  I used Lizbeth size 20 thread--color #112 Carousel.


 My last class at Finger Lakes was the SeashellCandy Dish by Sally Biggars.  Sally really tried to make it easier on her class by rewriting her lengthy pa ttern.  However her new, shortened pattrn did not get tested and the mistakes made working the pattern--"interesting."  While working on this project in class, one of the ladies suggested that pattern be modified by doubling the outside row, to match the double inside rows.  I thought this pattern modification would look nice and did so.  The little "pearl bauble" was one of several on the give-away table there at Finger Lakes.  I snatched one ane placed it on the tatted sample that Sally had on display in the center of the table--almost immediately all of the "little pearls" on the give-away table were claimed!  My seashell is done in Lizbeth, size 20, colors #111 Cotton Candy and #630 Peach Light.    I really like this this little dish! 



I had a blast this year at Finger Lakes 2015--looking forward to Finger Lakes 2016 "The Teddy Bear's Picnic"