Angel revisited

 Remember my angel from a couple of weeks ago?  I liked how it came out and thought I'd try making another, but hopefully learning from my experience.   It did come out slightly different than the original.

Second angel

Can you see the differences?

First angel

I hadn't really measured the material when I made the first angel.  When I made the second angel I thought I had made it the same size, but it obviously wasn't quite.  It made the body/gown a bit narrower.  I didn't find that a bad thing, so I continued. 

The wings are the same, the halo the same, I used the same size beads.  I did make a few changes, though, other than the gown.  For the hem I used graduating picots to give it a more - frilly? - effect.  The neck rings have different stitch counts and the front is longer with a larger ring at the bottom. This time when I made the neck/front I attached it to the wings before attaching to the body (the front wasn't an afterthought this time!). It worked much better and I didn't have a twisted picot, either. 

I look at each one and like them both, sometimes one more than the other, then change my mind.  I plan on making several more but I'm not sure just which way to go on them.  Which one do you like better?  And why?  

I am working on the pattern for the angel, starting with the wings - which have stayed the same - but haven't got it done yet.  If you're interested. 

Speaking of angels...

My granddaughter is going to be an angel for Halloween this year.  She had to show off her costume to Grandma and Grandpa while we visited this weekend. I can't make one that is as cute and sweet as she is! :-)

"These things I warmly wish for you:

Someone to love, some work to do,

A bit o' sun, a bit o' cheer,

And a guardian angel always near."

- Irish blessing

What to do with a bucket

A mini bucket, that is.

There is a restaurant in Wichita called "Logan's Roadhouse" (it's a chain restaurant) that has some of it's desserts served in mini buckets.  I've collected a few but never done anything with them.  Then the other day my boss brought in a couple.  His wife didn't think they should keep them but he thought something could be done with them.  He ended up giving them to me. 

That's when I remembered that Boss's Day was October 16 and I'd missed it.  So guess what I did?

Yep, I gave one of the buckets back to him.  It looked a little different than when I got it, though. 

These little buckets have the restaurant logo on them, which I had to take off.  It used to be a sticker but they paint it on now.  I took some sandpaper to it but didn't get the whole logo off so I ended up painting over it.  I used what paint I had on hand and it needed to co-ordinate with the thread I was going to use.  Originally I had planned to use a red button in the center so I chose green paint instead of red.  After I had painted it I changed my mind.  Oh, well, it still came out looking okay. 

I used Lizbeth #638, Christmas Green in size 20.  There are two layers of tatting, the bottom/outside having silver beads.  I glued a flat-backed diamond gem in the center to brighten it up a bit.  The top looked kind of bare so I put a stand of silver ribbon around it.  I couldn't get a bow to look good so I tatted a ring with lots of beads on it then glued it down with another, smaller, flat-backed gem in the center. 

I also added some candy to it.  It looked pretty cute and the boss liked it, so I would say it was a success. 

I have a couple other of these buckets I think I'll do similarly.  I'm going to try to get the logo off better and use a more contrasting paint for whatever thread I use.  This didn't take me very long to do so will make excellent small gifts with a little candy in the center.  

I met some alpacas at the store the other day....

Yes, alpacas in the store.  Odd Balls, a yarn shop in Newton, Kansas, had an event weekend and brought some alpaca into the store.  

 

Alpaca fiber is used to make yarn and is similar to wool.   They had a display set up showing some of the uses of the fiber. 

It was interesting to see the different natural colors the fiber comes in. 

I didn't have time to stay long as I heard about it just before leaving for work.  The store does this every year, so I guess I'll have a chance to go again next year.  I've done a bit of web surfing since then to learn move about them.  Here's a link to ten fun facts about alpacas if you'd like to know more, too. 

The trouble with Angels

I've been thinking for a while now about making a material angel with tatted wings.  I finally sat myself down and did it. 

I started with the wings, which would determine the size of the rest of the angel. I had two shuttles already wound with Lizbeth white size 20 thread so I could just get started with my idea for wings.  They were turning out pretty much as imagined when I noticed something a little odd.  They already looked a little dirty.

No, I had clean hands, just two colors of thread.  What I had thought were two shuttles with color #601 white, in reality were one of #601 and the other of #602 Natural.  Things were going so well and I was so far along that I decided I wouldn't stop but keep going, so finished the wings.  

Then it was on to the body, which I made of denim from a pair of jeans.  I spent a lot of time cutting down the material to the right size and getting it shaped into the body.  For as small as this is, the denim was hard to work with.  Instead of sewing the back together I used fabric glue.  Then I had to get the neck just right so it looked good with the head bead.  Again, if I had used a lighter weight material it would have been easier.

The front tatted piece is a circle, attached to the wings in the back, which are glued to the body.  I left a twisted picot back there - I'll have to work on that. The simple rings and chains at the bottom of the skirt are glued on, which also helps to keep the denim from fraying without a hem. The halo is a tatted ring with an outside round of chains with beads, which makes it pointed. This halo is not the first one I tried, but about the third or fourth.

The finished size of this angel is about four inches tall.  The body is stiff enough that it can stand by itself, but then the head falls off because it's on the thread but not held tight to the body.  I think I need to find another way to keep it there, whether a knot or a touch of glue.  The wings aren't stiffened but they might need to be.  I'll be watching to see if they start drooping. 

Yes, I'm lazy and used glue instead of sewing the tatting on.  This is a prototype and I just wanted to get it done. I learned a lot doing this one, things to do differently next time and things to do the same.  If it was for someone besides myself I might - maybe - sew on the tatting.  Time will tell. Overall I'm happy with my angel. I'm just hoping the next one - when, if - doesn't take so long!

I'm call this #8 of this round of the 25 Motif Challenge.  It was quite the challenge to finish.

edited 10/16/12 to mention wings were not stiffened.

"But men must know, that in this theatre of man's life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on." Francis Bacon

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/angels.html#8JvbCD7fTaB8Uc3r.99 

Doodads in the middle

Just a couple of motifs with a doodad in the middle

I was inspired to buy more doodads ('links' in the catalog) and see what I could come up with using them.  It took quite a while to look through all that is available at Fire Mountain Gems - wow, there are a lot of things you can get to make jewelry!

I'm actually thinking of making snowflakes with doodads in the center, and maybe beads, for Christmas this year.  Not sure I'd call either of these a snowflake but I think they came out okay.

This motif has a gold link in the center and gold beads I already had.  I put a ring at the top but I'm not sure if it should be for a necklace or another zipper pull. The thread is Lizbeth #652  Royal Blue in size 20. 

#6 in my 25 Motif Challenge

#7 of the 25 Motif Challenge

This one is also in Royal Blue - it was on the shuttles already - but the center link was part of a chain bought at Walmart.  I used gun-metal seed beads instead of silver.  I'm sure I like them that much but that's what I used so I'll have to live with it. I changed my mind mid-stream while working on this so one side is a little wonky.  I have no idea what I will do with this. 

Choosing to use beads and other jewelry findings is a bit of a challenge for me, taking me out of my comfort zone.  It's good for me :-)

"As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it."

Buddy Hackett

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_funny.html#mfJtuKrdqW5cshyC.99 

Getting the kinks out

 of my zipper pulls. Miranda suggested leaving a space, or small false picot, between the rings.  I gave that a try and they seem to be hanging without kinks in them now, though they still twist a bit.  

I really like how this one came out.  It's made with gold plated 6 or  8 mm beads and a dragonfly charm;

 the thread is Lizbeth # 652 Royal Blue in size 20. Without the lanyard hook at the top it measures about 2.25 inches.  The only lanyard hooks I have are silver so that's what I used.

This one is also made with the Royal Blue thread as that's what I had on my shuttles.  I used gun metal seed beads and a silver butterfly bead at the end. I like this one except for the ring I put around that butterfly bead: I think I should have just threaded it like a bead and tied the ends off.   This zipper pull is about 4 inches long. 

Thanks, Miranda, for the suggestion!

I have several projects going on right now - I can't seem to concentrate on one or another.   My mantra going forward needs to be "Focus, focus, focus!"

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."

Abraham Lincoln

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_success.html#LEWF8v8LMkFTmilZ.99