Motif #3, #4

 

Working with a plan for this years 25 Motif Challenge is working well.  This motif is #58 found on page 30 of A Tatter's Workbook, price is listed as $0.25 a piece in the 1920s.  I began it and then cut it off as I did not start properly.  If you look at the ring on the right, where it sits next to the center ring, you can see where I did not join the first picot of the center ring to last picot of right ring.  I did it properly on the left side.  Reading a written pattern is not as easy for me as looking at a drawing.  I think that I should draw them out first and then begin to tat.



 

Here is the motif done properly.  I don't usually knot my threads, but I broke my pull through thread when hiding the last thread.  So, I just knotted it and made it a loop.  I figure this is a sampling project for me.   Maybe these pieces will be the beginning of my tatting workbook.

 

This next motif does not have a number or a price.  I figure that it was put into the book at a  later date.  It is found on page 30 and just goes by the name Medallion.  She had done this as two rounds, the center ring and then the outside edge.  I tried it with leaving the center ring with a split ring and using a lock join to make a space to be a picot.  That is where the hanging loop is found.  That mock picot (or whatever it is called) keeps squishing in where you cannot see it, but it is there.  I enjoyed the outside edge which is a chain and these tiny little rings on the chain.  This piece is tiny which made it a bit fiddly.  I want to do it again with maybe more ds in the chain to make it 'less tight' and maybe the picots will behave.

Have a wonderful tatting weekend.

Motif #2

 

In tatting for the 25 Motif Challenge in 2016, I would have to think hard which motif to do and where to find them.  I have realized that I need to tat or work with a plan.  I woke up the other night and thought, how about doing the motifs from A Tatter's Workbook.  It is one of my favorite books to look at and such a piece of herstory. 

 

 

 

This is Sample #56 found on page 29.  I did it in one piece, I used the two ends of the ring to climb up with a split ring.  (Not in her directions.  Thank goodness for the tatters who came after her and made it easier to tat without breaks.) 

 

 

In her book she wrote that the price was $0.50 per yd., but I think that it was per motif.  I used an inflation calculator to find out what that equaled in todays dollar.  The 1925 price of $0.50 equals the 2017 price of $6.90.  It took me one hour and twelve minutes to make this motif.  (I did it twice as I did not pay attention to the time the first time.)

 

Now, to watch the Patriots.  Have a good evening tatting! 

Finish #1

 

I am a person who doesn't always finish projects in a timely manner.  My word for 2017 is completion. 

 

I have seen several different completion challenges for 2017 on different Blogs.  They almost all are focused on one skill, craft.  I am not a one skill person.  I love working with fibers in many different forms.  There was one challenge that had the goal of completing 17 of anything in 2017. 

 

Kathy, Betty and I have decided to look at ALL of our UFOs and WIPs and committed to completion of 17 of anything in 2017.  We have all taken inventory.  Me, I have three Embroidery, four Tatting, ten Quilting, and three Knitting projects that have not been completed.  (I am still looking for more. That cannot be all there is.)

 

Those found projects have been listed as to type and where they are in their completion stage.  Now I keep a written record of what I am working on, when I am working on it, how much time I spend working on it and where it is towards completion.  I have committed to not beginning any large project until two of not completed projects are off my list. 

 

Here is my first big finish.  This is the QOV Remembrance (Quilt of Valor) that I began the summer of 2015.  I made two of them at the same time.  They were kits from Connecting Threads and I was just getting back into quilting.  It was a joy to make them.  I had completed piecing the tops in 2015.  They were both in the flimsy stage and I was looking for a longarmer to machine quilt them.  That did not happen, so I machine quilted them myself.  I used the embroidery machine quilting program Edge-to-Edge by Amelie Scott Designs.  Here is the first finished quilt, completed January 19, 2017.

It took 77 repeats of the quilting star pattern to machine quilt this quilt.

 

The backing is flannel.  I love to back a quilt with flannel, so soft and warm.  The batting is 100% cotton.

 

This quilt is going to a local veteran as a Thank You for his service to our country.

 

May you all have a nice day.  Completion is the word.

I Will Do It!

 

I have begun two TIAS before but never completed them.  I never let anyone know how far I had tatted or that I had even begun.  This year is different.  I will complete this TIAS!  (Completion is a 2017 goal.)

 

TIAS: Tat It And See, Jane Eborall.

 

 

I am on day 4, waiting for day 5.  No idea what I am tatting.  Also, I had no idea what a ZigZag chain was.  It took me watching three videos before I understood it.  Thank you to the people on You Tube who demonstrate tatting.  I cannot remember who I watched and which one finally clicked in my mind.  I was able to tat the ZigZag chain on the third try.

 

 

My quilting cousin Kathy, her friend Betty and I have begun another "support each other" endeavor.  It is related to UFOs and WIPs.  I will let you know more in my next entry.  I need to take some photos but it is to grey today to get a nice photo. 

One of my goals in this endeavor is to look at my time.  It took me a bit more than an hour to figure TIAS day 4 out.  That is the time for viewing the videos and untatting my work three times.  The final tat only took about 10 minutes.

Have a great day.

A New Year Begins

I did not complete my 2016 motif challenge.  I did only 12 motifs and only 13 posts for 2016.   

Here is 2017 and I begin again.  My first motif is a set of heart earrings for Sweet Thing #3  They are made from the pattern Butterfly Heart by Irene Woo.

 

 



 Have a nice day.  It is cold but sunny here.



Motif #12

 

I have had the fortune to find the most wonderful star to tat.  Joelle Paulson at leblogdefrivole has this star pattern, Crystal Star.  You have to find out how she has made the join of the beads.  It is like, WOW, why aren't I that smart.

 

Here is my first star.  I didn't quite follow her directions (which are excellent, it was me).  I didn't have enough thread to join the last bead.  I needed just a smidge more to get that bead joined.  Now that the picture has been taken, I will take apart this star and reuse the beads.

 

 

Here is my second star.  Once again I didn't follow directions.  Look at 12 o'clock and 7 o'clock.  I missed some joins (what was I thinking of, surely not tatting the star).  As I said before, now that the picture is taken, I will take apart this star and reuse the beads.

 



 

 

Here is my third attempt at the star.  Now I am paying attention and I love the results.  The beads in the center are just amazing to me.

 

  

I have done three more and have several yet to do.  Every year the girls (sweet thing #1, #2, and #3) have received a Christmas tree decoration.  This is the one that they will receive this year.  Will also share with others in Christmas cards. 

 

May you all enjoy your evening.  I will be working on Crystal Stars.

Courthouse Steps

In 2015 I decided that I would make quilts for my nieces and nephews.  Ben received his during the family gathering for Thanksgiving 2015 (his was a surprise).  I do not have any pictures of it that can be put on the computer.  (They are paper pictures, I was not thinking of keeping a record of my quilts then.)  

Megan's quilt was next for 2016 completion.  I sent her two ideas that I thought she might like (in techniques that I wanted to try).  She chose the Courthouse Steps as her pattern (she is a lawyer).  She said she liked the colors pink and green.  Sweet Thing #3 and I went looking for material. I sent Megan pictures of the materials as I found them and she gave me free rein to use which ever ones I liked.  Here is a short story of the quilt.

It began on February 19, 2016, the first block.  For quilt as you go, I sew the material strips together as I sew them onto the batting, making each block.

  

 

 Here is the last block, last strip of material, just before it came off the machine.  The last block was done on April 20, 2016.  The blocks were sewn on my 1971 Elna Super, wonderful machine.





Now I have a pile of 66 squares.  The quilt is 8 rows of 8 squares alternating colors of pink and green (I only used 64 squares).  22 different materials were used, 3 blocks made from each fat quarter of material.

April 25 2016 the blocks were all sewn together.  I did not sew the backing to the quilt until June 9, 2016.  (First, time is moving, pause.)  I did a herringbone type stitch around each block (didn't take a picture).  I thought that that would be enough to keep each square from moving.  But, I wasn't happy, so I hand quilted each courthouse square (the little grey one in the middle of the block).  I liked how that held each courthouse square in place.  With the quilt as you go you just have to attach the backing to the already machine quilted quilt.  It is great for log cabin or courthouse patterns.  Here I am using my 2015 Elna Expressive 900.  I have it place up to the dinning room table so the I have table support for the quilt.

Due to the hot summer that we had, (Second pause, excuse?) it took me until October 31, 2016 to cut the backing to match the quilt.  The next day the binding was sewn on to the quilt.  I began hand sewing the back of the binding to the quilt that night.  I would work watching the news, football and other TV shows.  Three hours each night over four nights and the binding was done on November 5.  I was very warm while sewing on the binding, the quilt is on my lap as I work.  I guess that make me the first to be kept warm by this quilt

I needed to show it finished to my quilting cousin so it was not shipped until November 11, 2016.  It should arrive in Missouri tomorrow.

Another quilt done and finished.  I enjoyed the quilt as you go method and would work with again.  Now I have two QOVs (Quilts of Valor) to back, machine quilt and then they will be given away.  Am putting my FWQ (Farmer's Wife Quilt) blocks together and then it will be quilted, not yet sure how.  Jessica, as soon as the QOVs are done (by end of the year, if not sooner) your Wedding Ring Quilt begins.  After Jessica, I have three more niece and nephew quilts.

Have a great day.  Tatting update with next post.