Independence Day!

Changing Crosses

I’ve been very busy the last two weeks, sometimes even with tatting! Every time I try to sit down to post, other, more pressing things came up. But I’m back today 🙂

I am still working on my shelf edging. It is about 3/4 of the way complete and it’s a convenient project to take in the car. If I didn’t have other projects to do, as well.

Still working on the edging for the 2nd shelf

A friend of mine got married last weekend. Of course, I had to tat something, which was a cross bookmark in her wedding colors. I thought it turned out well. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t taken a picture of the finished cross until the day after I gave it to her. If she puts it in her Bible I might be able to take a picture one Sunday when I see her at church. If I remember! I used Lizbeth #632 Purple Medium. For the tassel, I added several strands of #605 Silver, both in size 20.

April’s Cross in one of the bride’s colors

When deciding which cross to tat I first looked through ones that I had completed. I found several that I had done and either made changes or mistakes. I suppose that is determined by how they come out, right? If the change looks good, yay! If it doesn’t, then oops, don’t do that.

Several tatted crosses I found with changes

The white cross on the left is a doodle, so I can’t say it’s had changes made, but does it work?? The purple one is Milan with a mistake/change at the top, not sure I like it. The blue cross is April’s Cross with a few changes at the end of the arms, which I did purposely and I like the change. The multi-colored cross is January Cross without split rings.

January Cross 2019 ver 2

One cross that I purposely made changes to was ‘January Cross 2019’. A tatter contacted me about the pattern, wondering if it could be done without split rings. I thought about it and came up with version 2, changing the split rings to rings and chains. It changes up the look only slightly. I posted about the original version last year. Both versions can be found on My Patterns page.

This coming weekend is Independence Day here in the USA. I usually come up with some kind of patriotic tatting. I haven’t done that this year – yet. Another project to delay the edging. Well, the edging has been on the back burner for years, what’s another couple of days?

“Change, like sunshine, can be a friend or a foe, a blessing or a curse, a dawn or a dusk.” William Arthur Ward

“William Arthur Ward Quotes.” BrainyQuote.com. BrainyMedia Inc, 2020. 30 June 2020. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/william_arthur_ward_190444

One Edging Done

I’ve started tatting on the second of three edgings I need for my china hutch. The first one has been attached to the ribbon and put up in the hutch.

Tatting and lace for my china hutch

I found this lace ribbon at a local second-hand shop some time ago, buying it not because I had a specific use for it at the time, but because I might find something to use it for later. This ribbon will be mostly hidden when it’s on the shelf. The pattern on the edge of it made it easy to stitch the tatting to.

My china hutch before adding the edging

This is my china hutch with my collections of china and random other items. My grandpa used this up until he died 30 some years ago. I’ve been using it ever since. I think the shelves are original and are a bit bowed. I’m cautious about putting too much weight on them. An antique for sure, though it was never a high-end piece of furniture.

Tatted edging attached to the first shelf

This looks good. A little wavy, maybe, but I’m happy with it. Originally I had wanted a more scalloped edging, but I can live with this.

China hutch with first edging attached.

This gives me incentive to finish the other two edgings!

The china hutch with the doors closed

The edging shows up nicely even with the doors closed. The edging pattern is my design. I don’t know if there is a similar pattern out there somewhere but I was not following someone else’s idea when I tatted it.

The weather is hot here in the center of the USA, higher than average. This is keeping me inside looking out the window instead of being outside. A good excuse to tat more, right?

“Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends.”

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Quotes.” BrainyQuote.com. BrainyMedia Inc, 2020. 16 June 2020. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/h_jackson_brown_jr_124509

China Hutch Edging

Surprise! I’m back! I know, it’s been a long time since I posted last. I haven’t been tatting much and I got out of the habit of blogging about it when I do.

Something I’ve thought about doing for a long time is making edgings for the shelves in my china hutch, which belonged to my grandparents. I acquired it about 30 years ago after my grandfather died. After thinking about all these years I finally started.

Edging for shelves in my china hutch

This is made in Lizbeth #603 Ecru in size 10. It would be wonderful to make it in a smaller thread, size 20 at least, but I would like to finish it in my lifetime. Doing edging for three shelves in a smaller thread would take much longer, with a higher likelihood of my putting it down and not finishing it.

The first edging is done. This is a simple pattern in two rows that goes quickly, the total length 32″ and 1 3/4″ deep. The plan is to attach it to a wide ribbon with the ribbon laying on the shelf with the tatting hanging over the edge. I finished blocking it but still have to trim the thread ends. Sewing it to the ribbon hasn’t happened yet, but I have started tatting for the second shelf. Maybe I can get that done this weekend.

“Decorate your home. It gives the illusion that your life is more interesting than it really is.“

Charles M. Schulz

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Earrings

There are a lot of tatted earrings out there on Pinterest, which inspired me to make a few. Most of the ones I’ve been seeing have beads and/or other sparkly things on them. For all that I don’t use beads and baubles much, I do have quite a few stashed. The problem is they are stashed in a location that is hard to get to at the moment. So a quick trip to JoAnn’s was in order to pick up one or two.

It was supposed to be a quick trip to pick up a specific type of dangle bead. If you have shopped at JoAnn’s you know they have discounts on things and, if you are lucky, what you are shopping for is what’s on sale. I was lucky! A large part of the bead section was on sale. My quick trip was not quick.

I ended up buying many more beads than I intended. By a lot! In my defense, at 75% off I figured that now was the time to buy any I even thought I could use at some point in the future.

Surprise, surprise, I went home and actually used the beads I had gone to look for.

Clover Mirror Earrings in purple

I found this pattern on my computer from a previous online search. I do not know the designer and haven’t seen them anywhere lately on line. If anyone knows the designer, please let me know so that I can give them credit.

I’ve made two pairs of these, one in purple the other in pink. I started a third pair that just didn’t cooperate. I’ll come back to it later.

Then I made another pair of earrings that are much simpler. They also used the same drop beads. I didn’t follow a pattern here, just something uncomplicated and easy. With beads!

Simple drop earrings

These went much faster. I like using the smaller beads along with the drop.

I also played around with another type of bead. This took a lot more thought to use them.

Bright Hummingbird earrings

Hummingbird earring with 2 beads

The first two are very unbalanced due to the weight of the hummingbird bead. I did better with the third one by adding another bead with the flowers, but it is still not balanced correctly. I’m still working on them.

I keep looking through the beads I picked up that day, dreaming of how I can use them. Some are going to be very challenging to use with tatting so I may have to do something else with them. There are so many it will take years to use them all. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, is it?

Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent. Billy Graham
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