Projects Galore

Shabby Vintage

Good afternoon, dear readers!

 

Rosie Fey is doing much better today.  Many thanks for your kind words of support.  She is sleeping at my feet but will probably be up soon- ready for an afternoon walk.

 

There are so many projects going on in the Atelier!!!  I have something special for tomorrow's blog post.  These are the materials that will be used:

 

 

A vintage 4-hole shell button, a new pewter charm that reads "I am the PINK in his world of camo", rainbow hot pink Czech seed beads, hot pink dyed freshwater pearls, Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk in "Roses" and Purely Silk thread in "Strawberry Pink".  What do you think this project will be?

 

Another project I'm working on is a pendant using Sulky Blendables 12 wt. thread in "Lime Sherbet" with Ornela cream pearl seed beads and Czech silver lined green seed beads.  This is the bare bones foundation:

 

 

This will be greatly fleshed out to make a frothy, frilly pendant.

 

And another little goody I have that Jim & Jocie gave me years ago is this pin:

 

 

My "Queen Mother" pin.  I have put this on top of several different tatted backgrounds and worn it on jackets and dresses for Mother's Day each year.  I plan to do a new background for it this year.

 

Here is my challenge to you, dear readers:  go through your little boxes of treasures and find something fun to create with.  Leave a comment and tell me what goodies you've found to play with.  I love to hear what you are up to, you know!

 

Well, Rosie Fey is stirring and will be requiring my full attention shortly.  May you have a wonderful day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 

 

 

 



Playing with Sulky Thread

Pearls & Lace

Good afternoon, dear readers!

We had a fantastic weekend celebrating Jim's birthday!  And Jocelin thinks she did well on the ACT exam.  Saturday & Sunday were full of fun family activities.  The weather co-operated and was just gorgeous.

 

I did manage to get the thread cabinets cleaned out and the culled thread now has new homes.  I will be mailing the thread to the recipients later this week- when I head into town.

 

One of the main threads I'm keeping is Sulky 12 wt. quilting cotton.  The Blendables shades are lovely variegateds that tat up well.  The solids have a nice sheen and tat up equally as well.  Here is a small chocolate colored Sulky motif I tatted this morning:

 

 

This little motif will be expanded and a tiny button pearl center accent added.  So, what do you think?  Have any of you out there found any other neat threads you'd recommend?  I love to try new threads, but tend to go back to my favorites- Valdani Luxury Pearl Silks, Valdani Pearl Cottons & Sulky 12 wt.  Caron Wildflowers is nice, too, along with the Dinky Dyes pearl cottons.

 

Well, I am off to the Atelier to play with the Sulky 12 wt. thread until Jim comes home from work.  Have a great day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Not Much

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

The chicken thief tried it again last night, but could not find a way into the hens.  We are going to put out a few traps this evening and see if we can catch the guilty party.  I still think it is a raccoon.  We've had foxes come through before, but they are never as persistent as raccoons seem to be.

 

The pendant I was working on using the Trinity foundation did not work out as I'd planned, so it's back to the drawing board.  I've snipped off yesterday's efforts and will begin again in a few minutes.  I did tat for a bit on a necklace project using Sulky Blendables 12 wt. quilting cotton-

 

 

The thread colors are very close to this little antique butter pat I use for working with seed beads.

 

Rosie Fey is getting revved up for her romp in the woods.  As soon as we finish, I plan to spend the day tatting away.  Let's hope I have better luck with different counts for that Trinity pendant!  Have a wonderful day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 



Winter Blossom Motif No. 3 Part One

Winter Blossoms

Good morning, dear readers!

 

I had a great weekend full of tatting.  How did yours go?

Well, without further ado, here is the FREE pattern to the foundation for Winter Blossom Motif No. 3-

(the rest of the pattern will follow in subsequent posts)

 

 

This pendant is tatted with Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk (S204) with grey rainbow Ornella seed beads onto an antique MOP button.  The button is 5/8" across and has 4 holes.  I used a size 8 tatting needle.

To begin, string 30 seed beads on to silk then tat as follows:

R 6 - 6 + to button 6 - 6 CL RW

CH 9 sm- 4 -(with 3 seed beads) 4 sm- 9 CL RW

R 6 + 6 + to button same as before 6 - 6 CL RW

CH 9 sm- 4 - (with 3 seed beads) 4 sm - 9 CL RW

R 6 + 6 + to next hole in button 6 - 6 CL RW

CH 9 sm- 4 - with 3 seed beads) 4 sm- 9 CL RW

R 6 + 6 + to same button hole as before 6 - 6 CL RW
CH 9 sm- 4 - (with 3 seed beads) 4 sm- 9 CL RW

R 6+ 12 - 6 CL RW

CH 9 sm- 4 - (with 3 seed beads) 4 sm- 9 CL RW
R 6 + 6 + to next hole in button 6 - 6 CL RW

CH 9 sm- 4 - (with 3 seed beads) 4 sm- 9 CL RW

R 6 + 6 + to same hole as before 6 - 6 CL RW
CH 9 sm- 4 - (with 3 seed beads) 4 sm- 9 CL RW

R 6 + 6 + to next hole 6 - 6 CL RW

CH 9 sm- 4 - (with 3 seed beads) 4 sm- 9 CL RW

R 6 + 6 + to same hole as before 6 - 6 CL RW

CH 9 sm- 4 - (with 3 seed beads) 4 sm- 9 CL RW

R 6 + 12 + (to - of first R) 6 CL RW

CH 9 sm- 4 - (with 3 seed beads) 4 sm- 9 CL RW

Join last CH to base of first R tatted.  Tie, add a small dot of jeweler's adhesive & cut.

 

I was not satisfied with the second round and am going to work out the counts better today.  I'll have the next round of the FREE Winter Blossom Motif No. 3 up tomorrow morning.

 

Let me show you what distracted me this weekend from finishing the second round-

 

 

Sometimes, the thread calls and I just cannot resist.  I played with different counts on the Winter Blossom Motif No.4 on Saturday & Sunday.  Couldn't help myself.  Oh, here is a image of the blue one for your viewing pleasure-

 

 

Well, I had better get busy.  It is cold down here this morning and I have to scrape frost off the Jeep windshield before taking the kid to school.  We even have a bit of ice about.  Times like this make me so glad I have my little Jeep to play in!  Have a great day & let's hope I get off my duff and work out those next counts.  Until tomorrow

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter Blossom Motif No. 4

Winter Blossoms

Good afternoon, dear readers!

I finished the Winter Blossom Motif No. 4 last night.

 

 

It makes a nice pendant, doesn't it?!?  I am considering doing a few of these in different threads with assorted accent beads for the Atelier Shoppe.  What do you think?  Several folks have asked me to do an Etsy store, but I am not so sure.  I know some people who have had their original work ripped off from their Etsy store listings.  Not sure I care to have that headache- I'm VERY protective of my work.  Especially OOAK couture pieces!  Do any of you, dear readers, have an Etsy store or insights you'd care to share?

 

The FREE pattern is still on my to do list.  I was not happy with the counts on the second round and have ripped them out & will re-do it this weekend.  Please check back early Monday morning for the next FREE pattern post.  I think you'll like the design.

 

I don't know about y'all, but I am so ready for the weekend!!!  Jim, Jocie & I plan to spend some quality time at home.  Things have been very hectic and stressful this new year and we need to have a quiet family weekend.  I plan to tat to my heart's content, cook a huge batch of venison chili, and finish a couple of hand embroidery designs I've been working on.  What are your plans?  Anything interesting???

 

Well, I'm off to the grocery store for the necessities.  Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to look for the FREE Winter Blossom pendant pattern on Monday's post.  Until then~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Another Variation

Winter Blossoms

Good afternoon, dear readers!

 

I had a productive time in the tatting chair last night whilst watching Amish Mafia on the Discovery Channel.  After tatting my mom's birthday pendant, I kept having visions of an adaptation.  So, I picked up a spool of Sulky Blendables 12 wt. quilting cotton in color 4025 "Hydrangea", added some silver lined lilac rocailles and cream pearl Ornella seed beads and tatted this variation:

 

 

I'm not finished with it yet, as there are a couple more rounds in my head that I need to tat.  So... what do you think?  I think this makes a nice Winter Blossom motif 3 (or is it 4).

 

Well, I have lots of errands to take care of this afternoon.  Have a great day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 



Parchment Motif-Pendant

Good morning, dear readers!  Hope y'all had a great Labor Day.

It was gorgeous at Corney Lake and Jim did a fantastic job grilling.  I finished the Parchment motif while sitting on a fishing pier.  Here it is:

 

 

What do you think?  One idea up for consideration is adding a couple smaller motifs of similar design along with some unifying

tendrils and beaded accents.  The resulting piece would then be sewn onto my brown cloche along with some complimentary feathers, of course.  Or, it could simply be a pendant or brooch.  Ideas anyone?

 

While the long weekend was nice, I need to get busy and plunge back into my daily routine.  The Atelier is waiting with plenty of threads, beads and buttons.  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 



Labor Day at Corney Lake

Good morning & happy Labor Day!

 

We are heading out to spend the day at Corney Lake- again.  We went up there for a while yesterday and it was so pleasant.  Today we are taking hot links and chicken breasts to cook out on the portable grill.  Jim will be in charge of cooking while I will be sitting in the shade- tatting away.  After a nice lunch we plan to play off-road in the woods.  What are your plans for the holiday?

 

This is the motif I began work on yesterday:

 

 

I'm using 12 wt. Sulky Blendables in the "Parchment" colorway with satin silk Delica seed beads.  Perhaps I should expand this motif a bit- fluffing it up, then add a couple smaller similar motifs to form a tatting ornament for my brown wool cloche.  What do you think?

 

Well, I've got to pack the Jeep for our day out.  Hope you have a fabulous day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Atelier Renovations & More ICR FR

The Atelier is in need of a few renovations.  Our recent plumbing problem required a larger access hole which was, you guessed it, located on the main wall in the Atelier.  Jim is going to make a huge "inspiration board" to cover the hole.  It will be hinged so we can acccess the plumbing if  need be.  I am pleased with this, but since we are working on changing some things in there, I thought I'd paint the walls a new color and try to find the closet craft organizer I saw online a while back.  Do any of you, dear readers, know where to look for them?  I have searched at the home improvement websites and done general searches for craft organizers, but have not found the one I'm thinking of.  It had a couple of adjustable shelves, drawers and even a ribbon organizer to hang on the door.  There were several options you could get to change out to fit your needs.  I'm kicking myself for not pinning it or bookmarking it!

I have played some more with the ICRs with FRs (interlocking chain rings with floating rings). 

This work-in-progress will be a pendant and is tatted using Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk in "Earth" and light cream pearl Ornela seed beads.

Sorry, the light was such I couldn't get a good shot of this one.  It was tatted using Sulky Blendable size 12 quilting cotton in "Summer Grass" and has fancy lime rocaille accents.  This may end up being an earring design.

I am working on another pattern to post tomorrow or Friday- it all depends on how the tatting goes today.  May you have a wonderful day full of tatting fun.  I'm off to the paint section at Lowe's!  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!



Working on More Jewelry Foundations

I have spent the morning tatting up various foundations and components for some larger pieces.

The first image is the foundation for a larger pendant:

This Valdani pearl cotton in P6 "Rusted Orange" works up nicely.  I used Swarovski bicone accents in "Copper Rose" and "Crystal AB".

The other motif I tatted using 12 wt. Sulky Blendables.  I can't find the color number on the spool, but hope to find it later.

This is the first of  7 motifs I have to make for Jocelin's bracelet.  It is accented with a 5.5 mm freshwater pearl and size 15 rocailles in "Rust".

There are a few other foundations I've been playing with- and one that I may post later this week as a FREE pattern, so keep your eyes open for another goody.

Well, I am off to tat more of the mini-motifs for Jocie's bracelet.  Have a great day and until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!



Piney Woods Dragonfly

As I strolled through my Piney Woods this morning, I caught a whiff of the mock oranges.  They are blooming like crazy and smell wonderful!  I cut a couple of branches and made my way back to the atelier.  By chance, I happened to have the perfect thread to tat a little something inspired by the mock oranges- Sulky Blendables 12 wt. quilting cotton #4017 "Lime Sherbet".  I then filled a butter pat with various beads that compliment the thread- 15/0 rocaille seed beads in ceylon pastel butter yellow, a few 3mm jonquil Swarovskis, and some 11/0 seed beads in silver lined shamrock green.  For some reason, I thought about a pattern I had designed many years ago- a Celtic dragonfly.  This is what I tatted:

It is a very simple pattern.  To begin with, string the beads on the thread in the following order: 1 yellow rocaille, 1 green seed bead, 2 yellow rocailles, 1 green seed bead, 1 yellow rocaille, 11 green seed beads, 1 3mm jonquil Swarovski bicone.  Run the needle back up through the 11 green seed beads and tat the following counts:

R 15 - (with 1 yellow rocaille, 1 green seed bead, 1 yellow rocaille) 5 - (with 1 yellow rocaille, 1 green seed bead, 1 yellow rocaille) 15 CL.  At this point, I cut a length of thread from the spool to allow for weaving the thread for the Celtic effect.  Continue tatting R 45 CL, R 45 CL, R 30 CL (NOTE: before closing R completely, weave through one of the longer Rs previously tatted), R 30 CL, weaving through the other previously tattes longer R.  Tie & cut, hide ends.

Here is a view of the little bugger by himself.

Another count version of this is on my Atelier website and can be found here:

http://www.pineywoodsatelier.com/bugs.htm

This page also includes counts for a Celtic butterfly. 

I have used these patterns for many pairs of earrings, bobbypins, brooch accents, scrapbook & crazy quilt accents plus many other instances where a small tatted accent was useful.  I hope you will enjoy this pattern as much as I have.

Jocelin is out of school today and we are going to have a movie afternoon.  Have a wonderful day and don't forget to comment either on Saturday's post or on the Facebook posts for your chance to win the Button Brooch Giveaway!  The winner will be announced tomorrow.  Until then~

Happy Tatting!

Abstract Tatting

As yesterday was hectic beyond belief, I decided to take today at a slower pace.  I took Jocelin to school, came home, made myself a cup of hot cocoa and sat in the atelier a while.  After a bit, I started running my fingers over various fibers, buttons, beads, and ribbons.  The bead box kept drawing my eye.  For some time, a few little mint green fresh water pearls have teased me from their place in the bead box.  I selected one, grabbed a few other miscellaneous beads, a tatting needle and a spool of 12 wt. Sulky Blendables in "Cool Waters" and proceeded to "abstract tat".  This is the result:

"Abstract tatting" is tatting you do with no preconceived pattern or design.  You just tat as you go.  While this little piece may not be a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, it certainly accomplished my goal- relaxing me and making my soul sing!  I do believe that I may place the piece on the zipper of one of my Kindle covers or perhaps on my make-up case.  Hmmm...

For those of you who tat, take some time every now and then and just tat with no pattern or specific design in mind.  It doesn't matter how it turns out.  Just let your hands go and enjoy the moment. You never know what you may create!

For this afternoon & evening, I plan to work on tweeking a few new patterns that I hope to share with you soon.  Have a wonderful day and remember to take some time to do whatever it is that truly makes your soul sing!  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting! 



Almost Done

Jocelin and I had a VERY busy day!  We took care of shopping for Big Daddy this morning then paid a visit to her best friend (who recently underwent surgery).  This was followed by more shopping for groceries and miscellaneous stocking stuffers.  We then spent the afternoon wrapping gifts and getting ready for our Christmas baking/cooking day.  I am so pooped!

While we were wrapping gifts I found a couple of the mini ornaments that were missing from the stash I had tatted.  Thought I'd share them with you, so here's a little eye candy:

This was tatted with Sulky 12 wt. Blendables quilting cotton and is accented in the center with "fancy lime" 15/0 rocaille seed beads.  I believe the color is "Truly Teal".

Same design, same type of thread, different colorway.  This one is done in "Forest Floor" and has "olive green" 15/0 rocaille seed beads.  I am partial to the Sulky 12 wt. quilting cotton when I want to tat something small.  It forms neat, crisp stitches and is a great size for the small tatting needles I use.

I hope to get the counts for the Christmas doily up tomorrow or Friday- I really haven't forgotten!

On tomorrow's schedule is:  cooking, baking, cleaning and final decorating.  If I get the chance, I'll finish the "Romance" pendant and take some new images for posting.  If I'm really lucky, I'll have time to get those final doily counts up.

Jim is waiting for me to get off the computer and cook supper, so I'd better get busy as I have a "honey-do" list I'd like for him to take care of.  Can't expect him to do that on an empty stomach, now can I???

Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!