A mouse and the moon

A few weeks ago when I posted about a new bookmark I had made the moderator at the 25 Motif Challenge made a comment about the abbreviated version of it, "Does anyone else see a mouse here?"

Another look at the picture I had taken and, sure enough, it looked like a mouse.  I hadn't even noticed that when I took it.  Then I thought "some eyes, some whiskers, maybe a little nose - it wouldn't take much to make a mouse."

After a little tweeking and a few beads, it did.

Introducing Morgan Mouse!

Morgan Mouse © Wanda Salmans 2013

Morgan is made in Lizbeth #131 Vineyard Harvest and #644 Boysenberry Dk, size 20, with three 11/0 black glass beads.  The center is an 8-point finding (doodad) that is about .5 inches (1.27 cm) across.  A flat-backed "diamond" is glued to the center of the doodad.  For anyone that might be interested in the pattern it has been posted to the Pattern tab.

Any of you check out the full moon this weekend?  Did you know it was a "supermoon"?  This weekend the moon passed as close to the earth as it will ever be this year, making the moon look bigger and brighter.  It was very beautiful!

http://www.space.com/21666-supermoon-full-moon-photos-june-2013.html

People have taken some great pictures of it (not me).  Check out a few of them at http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/24/world/ireport-supermoon-creative-photos

It was so bright that, along with dry conditions, a lot of people worked into the early morning hours harvesting wheat, at least they did around here.  We saw one crew still out at midnight in a field cutting.   We just enjoyed how beautiful the night was ☺

Hickory Dickory Dock

Two mice ran up the clock

The clock struck one

The other escaped with minor injuries.

Check out more verses and alternates here

Tatting class at Odd Balls Yarn Shop

Saturday, June 15, I taught a tatting class at Odd Balls Yarn Shop in Newton, KS. I had two students, Erica and Cheryl, who already knew each other.  I meant to ask if one had talked the other into taking the class but I forgot to. Too busy getting busy teaching them to tat ☺

Here's Erica checking to see if the stitch flipped or not.  The dark table cloth helped her see her light-colored thread.

This is Cheryl concentrating on her chain.  She had a dark thread on the shuttle so we put a white board in front of her to help her see the thread. 

Both had some trouble keeping tension with the left hand at first.  They tried to hold the thread the way I learned to hold it for a little bit then they both switched to holding it the way they do when they crochet and Bingo! things went much faster and easier.  Both ladies were able to flip their stitches for both chains and rings with a little work on my part to make sure they could work with the hand positions.  We ran out of time before we could finish their projects of decorated buttons but they were well on their way. 

I utilized my new teaching tools during this class.  One of the biggest problems with teaching someone to tat (IMHO), even with size 30 thread like we used in the class, is making sure that the student understands/sees what you are talking about.  My solution is to use a bit bigger 'thread'.

This is about a size 3 cord.

When I needed to explain what a stitch looked like, how to tell if it was correct, how to count stitches between picots, etc, it was very easy to show it with this size 'thread'.  It seems to have worked very well.  Cheryl had brought with her some of the thread that she had, including a whole box of size 80 DMC tatting thread of different colors.  Between the two extremes I explained that tatting could be done with any size thread, with or without an actual shuttle.  (No, I didn't try putting this cord on a shuttle!)

Cheryl, myself and Erica at the tatting class

We all had a lot of fun Saturday! I'm looking forward to seeing how they progress in with their tatting.

Erica has a website with some of the things she does.  Check out Buxom Bones, maybe she'll put some of her tatting there ☺

"We learn by practice.  Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same.  One becomes in some area an athlete of God."

Martha Graham

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Flag Day 2013

Happy Flag Day!

When Freedom from her mountain height

Unfurled her standard to the air,

She tore the azure robe of night,

And set the stars of glory there.

~Joseph Rodman Drake, The American Flag

Tatting Tea Tuesday

This morning while checking my Facebook I found this page that had some lovely teapots!  How appropriate for Tatting Tea Tuesday, don't you think?  

Teapot found on Facebook

I've had a very busy two weeks for various reasons, and my sister even more so.  She has been planning and crafting for a craft show that was Saturday, June 8.  Other things happened that put a crimp in her time for getting things ready, but with all the money and time she'd already invested she couldn't not go.  She said she would take some of my things if I wanted, even though I couldn't go.  It was an outside show held in Hutchinson, KS.   They were only allowing one hour (!) of setup time before the show so we had to make the setup easy.  My husband and I had lent her our pop-up and wind screen, which was definitely needed.  I didn't want her to have to work very hard on my stuff and I was having trouble coming up with a display that was easy for her to put out.  I finally came up with this. 

This is an upside-down cardboard box with the flaps taped open to make it taller.  I stitched two lines of thread on each of two sides from which I hung my items.  Then I carefully folded up the material and put it inside the box.  It didn't take much time to set it out!

Unfortunately the show did not go well.  It was poorly planned and the location was awful.  It was not in a place that encouraged or had much traffic that would be interested in crafty items.  Then there was the weather - it was sunny and windy.  I think the gusts were getting to about 45 mph.  My sister said she and the other crafters spent most of their time trying to keep their items from blowing away or chasing those that did.  Between the wind and lack of people all of the crafters packed up and left about noon instead of staying to 4:00 PM as planned.  She was very disappointed. She is now trying to find a show that isn't too far away and inside.  

Several bookmarks

I've been tatting bookmarks lately.  And trying to make them with shuttle and ball only. I was in places where I only had one shuttle available (the others had different thread on them) and thought it would be a good mental exercise. Do you know how hard that is when you do almost everything with two shuttles?  Not having that second shuttle available really messes me up!

I started with two cross bookmarks.  The one of the left is in Lizbeth #611 Gold and #604 Black.  The one on the right is in #663 Bright Turquoise Dark.  See, only shuttle and ball :-)

Trying to do something a little different I made this bookmark in #122 Caribbean and #604 Black. Other than being very ruffle-y I think it came out well. And only one shuttle and ball.

Then I made these, something I tried before but hadn't been able to work out. This time it did. But not with just shuttle and ball. Notice the end?  It just needed that thrown ring to look good. As I was only using one shuttle I used the shoelace trick to make it.  Okay, technically, they are made with just shuttle and ball only, but not exactly what I meant about using shuttle and ball only.  The top one is made with #670 Victorian Red, the bottom in #131 Vineyard Harvest and #644 Boysenberry Dark.  

I liked the way I made the end of the those last bookmarks so well I tried the end just by itself in #663 Bright Turquoise Dark. All of these bookmarks are in size 20.

Notice the center of the doodads?  There is an indent there, probably for a jewel.  Most of the time I make this the backside, using the other side where it's flat in the middle, as the front. Being bookmarks either side could be up so I added a little paint to the center.  It's white craft paint that can be used on metal.  I had seen some metal enamel by Martha Stuart at Micheal's a week or so ago and thought about trying it. The tube of enamel wasn't too bad, about $4, but you had to buy a tube of activator to make it work, and that was $14.  I decided to go with the FolkArt outdoor paint from Walmart instead, at $2 a bottle.  I'm just trying white right now, I might try other colors later. 

Anyone else having kind of odd weather this spring?  Other than a few storms here and there we've been having pleasant, cool weather here, but Oklahoma just can't seem to get a break from the weather, one storm front after the other going through.  My prayers go out to all the families that have been effected by the severe weather down there.

"It is only in sorrow bad weather masters us; in joy we face the storm and defy it."

Amelia Barr

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