Just something to share

How adorable is this?  Yes, I realize I'm a bad blogger.  :-P  I still feel like I'm tatting like crazy with nothing to show... Well, some things I *could* show, but I can't... Not until the recipients see them first. LOL.  Anywho, isn't this perfect?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50905904/emery-pincushion-felt-cup-of-hot-tea

La La La....

I feel like I have been tatting nonstop for days and have nothing to show for it.  Tonight, though, I WILL post some kind of something to show you all. :-)

I want to thank everyone who responded to my last post.  Your e-mails have really brightened my tatting spirit everyday since I posted.  :-)  THANK YOU!

Okay, back to tatting, just wanted to check in. 

-Stephanie Grace

What's Tatting?

So, I started tatting a pattern and messed up.  Big disappointment as I was using the thread that gave me mucho problemos last night.  GRRR...  The mess up was my fault, though, as I J-ed to the wrong P in petal six.  Argh!  Life, though, shall carry on.  I'm just not sure that I'll be tatting any more tonight.  I had a full day and feel a little blah, I guess.

So, I know have only 16 followers, not all tatters, but I was wondering if any of my "followers" (what is this, a cult? ROFL) would be open to a small exchange of some sort.  I realized that I've never actually touched, held, or seen in person, a piece of tatting other than when I tat.  I wonder if actually holding even a ring tatted by someone else could give me more insight into what I'm doing and what the final outcome should really feel like, etc...  This, of course, will require me to tat something small for an exchange, but... Anyone interested?  Even if it's just a simple little flower, I'll be happy as a pig in slop --and can easily tat a 4-8-8-4, [4+8-8-4]3x, 4+8-8+4 flower. LOL. (Pattern from memory, I believe it's the medium flower from "Flower and Spray" from the Beeton book? ...It's one of the intatters.com Need Photo patterns.  I don't have green thread to do the whole thing, so I've been practicing with flowers.).

Okay, enough rambling from me.  Maybe I should try my hand at tatting again tonight...

-Stephanie Grace

Yesterday's Tatting

So, I've decided not to post any of these to the Motif Challenge until I stiffen something.  I'm determined to actually be able to say that something is fully complete.  :-)  

Anywho, I saw this really pretty edging and thought that it would make a nice choker and/or bracelet.  In my brain, I thought just three repeats might make a nice pendant for a necklace... I was thinking black ribbon for the necklace part...  Well, I'm me and went and messed it up, but the basic idea is there... (The worst part is I couldn't figure out how I messed it up last night; I woke up this morning, looked at it and went, "Duh!  That's what I did!".  I'm thinking of trying it again... I know I don't have enough thread for a full choker, at least I don't think I do, not in 20 anyway, but maybe another three-repeat pendant attempt?  Or do we think that's a bad idea? Hmmm.... 

Here 'tis, done in LizBeth Black and Red Burst, both in size 20, I think.  

Oh!  I still need to respond to comments for yesterday and the day before, I think... It never occurred to me that I should click into my settings and look for e-mail notification options so that I could actually respond to everyone.  Good thinkin'... I'll do that now. LOL. 

-Stephanie Grace

Stiffy Situation....

So, I really want to finally finish something... By that, I mean actually cut the threads and stiffen it, but I'm afraid.  Is anyone on that has any tips?  I'm going to start with the cross with the pink button, but I'm afraid that I'm going to mess it up.


Okay, I get it:  Tip #1: Don't be afraid to mess it up.


Anyone want to say anything? LOL.  Or, can anyone explain why I'm so afraid to do it?  LOL...  I'm also wondering what to do with these crosses. The one that I made today (not posted yet) is small enough to be a pendant, but the others... I don't know --and I'm afraid to the extra threads because what if they'd be useful for the final outcome?  


Someone, please, help!  *blushes*


Thank you,
Stephanie Grace

Another Cross; Motif #2 of 25!

I finally gathered my courage and decided to join The 25 Motif Challenge Aren't you proud of me?  LOL.  

Now, the tatting of today --so far.  I made another cross.  The extra picots bothered me, so I changed the pattern a bit and then I decided I wanted to use these pretty beads from a necklace that I took apart a while back.  Here's the final product:

 I also used a bigger button, the thread just kind of outlines it when it's sitting right --which I could NOT for the life of me get it to do for scanning... every time I flipped it over to scan it, it moved... GRRRRR...  It is now sitting on my ironing board and, hopefully, I'll gather the courage to do some stiffening this weekend.  Maybe tonight after I grow some "beer balls"? LOL. 

I may also have another person or two to teach...  Here I am still learning and I'm gathering "students" left and right. LOL.  This will bring the count to three, possibly four.  For #3, I must thank TotusMel  whose designs inspired my thirteen-year-old niece's friend to learn to tat.  :-)  A tatting pool party will be held on Wednesday while I'm doing laundry.  It seemed best that way so I can just handle one person at a time.  I don't want to be answering three people's questions all at once. :-)  I'm not like that. LOL.  No patience in me for stuff like that.

Wow... I wrote all of that two hours ago! LOL... Sending now and then hoping to tat something else tonight!

-Stephanie Grace

July 8, 2010

I spent, well, all day tatting but only have one "finished" piece to show for it.  I revisited Brigit's Button Cross --found at http://brigitstatting.blogspot.com

It's not blocked not have the final strings been cut --Can you tell I'm intimidated by all of that?

 Hubby agreed that I've definitely gotten better.  Not quite "there" yet, but this is definitely an improvement over my last attempts at this pattern.  I have a few ideas in my head I'd like to try, too.  I wrote one out the other night and realized that it wouldn't work as I wanted it to, so I'm going to try again.  If it works it *might* be really cute, but I think I'm going to re-do the design a bit... and I got inspired for something else too with tatting.  :-)  I have not found or seen the ideas in my head anywhere online, so I'm really hoping that they work so I can feel an added pride and confidence... 


Well, I hope that you're all having a wonderful week filled with plenty of air conditioning!  The heat has been BRUTAL here this week!  *makes sick face*  Disgusting, that's the only way I can think to describe it. 


-Stephanie Grace
 

Pendant

After fighting to thread needles and arguing with thread that apparently felt a deep hatred for me, I became determined to get at least the pendant part of this pattern done.  Naturally, I messed up and skipped a ring, but I just kept on going and skipped the same ring on the other side. ;-)  

I did it in purple since I'd failed with LizBeth Red Burst and my "Natural" color.  I figured I was just going to mess up again, so purple was the only choice (I don't mind messing up with purple, but God Forbid I waste an inch of any blue color! LOL.). 

Well, here is the end result.  It's not blocked nor have the strings been cut down yet (I need to look up how to use magic strings... Hmm...).  I'm definitely going to attempt this again with a better color. ;-)

-Stephanie Grace

Rock and Roller?

So, I tried the "walk away from it" theory with shuttle tatting.  Yesterday, I picked up a shuttle again and, again, ended up with knots (which led a great laugh today while browsing patterns online and kept finding instructions on how to make knots... I definitely got that part down pat --now, if I could master actual stitches, that'd be great! LOL).  

Today, I picked up the shuttle again and... to my great delight, I actually made a few stitches!  Watching a video yesterday, I noticed the woman was putting the shuttle "under" the thread between index and ring finger.  I tried that theory and, when it came to the relaxing of the middle finger, it worked much better for me.  :-)  After several stitches, I decided to close it into a ring and be proud. LOL.  Apparently, I didn't put it enough and thought I'd messed up, so I cut it off and came back to the computer.


THEN, I tried again... and learned something about myself:  I just might truly be a rock and roller through and through --moreso than I thought! LOL.  How do I mean?  Well, after the first few mess-ups, I finally got a few stitches done...and then realized that my left hand had completely changed position.  Instead of holding the stitches between thumb and forefinger, I was holding them with thumb and middle, my index finger and pinky straight up in the air --yes, the classic devil horns position!  LMAO.  I don't know if it's good or bad that happened, but I found it MUCH more comfortable and my stitches were actual stitches!  I think it lessened the strain on my wrist too, which is always welcomed as I don't really want to have to put my brace on and be out of commission with this for a few days.  


Well, that's quite enough rambling for one post... I'm going back to my shuttle and thread! LOL. ;-)


-Stephanie Grace