And The Winner Is

ELLEN!

Congratulations, Ellen!!!

Will the Ellen who left a comment on yesterday's Treat post please email me or contact me via private message on InTatters?  I would like to get your Halloween ornament in the mail to you ASAP!

I spent the day playing with beads.  It has been a while since I beaded on the loom, so I did a small strip to use on a future tatting needle book.  Pictured below is the 100% wool felt that I will use for the interior pages of my needle book, the beaded srtip and a dyed paua shell cabochon that I beaded around and added tatting to. 

As you can tell, I had a good time playing!  Here is a better image of the cabochon:

The cabochon was glued to a foundation of heavy innerfacing, enhanced with beading, then tatting.  I used the last bit of some Valdani 35 wt. quilting cotton I found in my remnants stash.  I'll have to look on the site to see what the exact color # is.  I may change out the tatting I did with a different color.  (I placed another Valdani order earlier this week!)

Tomorrow I am planning a trip to my favorite local quilt shop in search of some fabric for the exterior of my tatting needle book and also for some festive Autumn yoyos.  Let's hope my quilt lady is not gone to a show or other event and is open for plundering..er..shopping.  I'll share my new acquisitions with you tomorrow.

Don't forget: the October Event is still going on!  For your chance to win, follow my blog by clicking on the google "Follow this Site" button located to the right of the blog just below the poll.

Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

Treat

As promised, here is today's TREAT!

And it is the prize in my special one day giveaway!

To enter, leave a comment on the blog between now and tomorrow morning no later than 10 AM CST.  I will then pick a winner, notify said winner via email and subsequently snail mail the ornament tomorrow afternoon.

The Halloween ornament was made with a quilting fabric yoyo enhanced with Valdani size 8 COLORFAST pearl cotton in M7 "Falling Leaves".  To make one of your own, run the tatting needle through the edge of the yoyo and tat the first round of chains with the following counts:

CH7 followed by 5 graduated -s 7 CL + to yoyo a little ways over from the beginning point and continue around motif.  For last CH simply do a CH9 and + at base of first CH.  Then add another round of CHs with a count of 19 around motif, weaving CHs through in a Celtic manner.  You do not need to tat a CH through the last CH previously tatted (the one without picots).  Tie, cut & hide ends. 

To tat the hanging loop for the ornament, run the tatting needle through the center top ds cap of the small plain CH and ripple tat to your desired length.  I used the counts of 10 of the 1st half ds, 10 counts of the 2nd half ds until I had the appropriate length. CL and run needle through the top of the ds cap next to where you began working.

For the center of the motif:

Run the needle through one of the pleats at the center of the yoyo and tat CH1 followed by 9 large -s 1CL + to center of yoyo and continue around, creating a nice fluffy center.  You may want to + to every other pleat in the center.  It all depends on how fluffy you'd like your work to be.  Join last CH at beginning of work, tie, cut & hide ends. 

I have used these to make ornaments for just about every holiday and have even done some for wedding favors.  I hope you will have fun with this little trick to tat a treat for yourself or someone special!  And don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win the Halloween Ornament!

Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

Trick

Thought I would start out the week by showing you a neat little "trick" for quick & easy projects & gifts. 

Above is a brooch made using a fabric yoyo for a base with an antique shell button enhanced with tatting mounted to it.  Another way to use the fabric yoyos is to tat directly on them.  I just run my needle through and tat away, joining as I go.  Beads, buttons, and various other neat findings can be added for accents.  Brooches, pendants, millinery & clothing accents are a few of the ways I've used this idea.

Pictured above is a Halloween yoyo made using the Clover yoyo maker.  I love these things!   It is a great way to use up your fabric scraps and remnants.  What is the above yoyo going to be made into???  Well.... you will have to tune in to the blog tomorrow for that treat!  The Valdani thread pictured with it is going to be tatted into the embellishment.  It is color M7 "Falling Leaves" to be exact.  You never know what sort of ONE DAY SPECIAL EVENT I may have up my sleeve!!!

It took quite a while to dig the Halloween fabric out of my stash.  I have oodles of Christmas fabrics, but very little Halloween or Fall themed fabric.  This will soon be rectified.  I must visit my LQS and stock up.  Shall I do a blog post and share my favorite local quilt shop with you?

I will leave you with the reminder that the October Event Deadline is the 24th!  Be sure to follow the blog for your chance to win the goodies featured in yesterday's post and tune in for a special "treat" tomorrow!!!

Until then~

Happy Tatting!

October Give Away Event

The October Give Away Event Goodies Are:

Up for grabs this time are:

 6 balls of Majestic size 80 tatting cotton in color #s 830, 831, 833, 842, 843, & 844,

a fat quarter of quilting cotton fabric in wonderful Fall colors,

some vintage buttons from my stash,

a small tatted lapel pin made with Valdani pearl cotton and accented with a freshwater pearl, Swarovski crystals & seed beads,

 and an assortment of seed beads, Czech fire polish beads and dyed freshwater pearls.

Please note that the vintage butter pat and saucer are NOT included in this event.

Thought you'd appreciate a close-up of the beads & pearls-

and the lapel pin.

Now, for how to enter.  Simply be a follower of my blog.  Click on the google "Join this Site" button located to the right of the blog just below the poll.  Followers are given a number and on the day of the drawing (which will be October 25th) a random number generator is used to pick the winner.  The winner is then notified via email and has 24 hours to respond.  Good luck and remember- I am notorious for ADDING GOODIES to my events! 

Remember, sign-up to be a follower of my blog by midnight October 24th, 2011, to be entered!

Until next week~

Happy Tatting!

Afternoon Play

After a long day of practicing my ribbonwork skills, I was compelled to pick up my tatting needle this afternoon whilst reading a wonderful post on Intatters about Autumn and this is the result:

This is a motif that I can tat on "auto-pilot".  It was done using Valdani 100% COLORFAST hand-dyed size 8 pearl cotton in color #O533 "Golden Autumn" and solid #200.  There are Swarovski 4mm bicone and seed beads accents.  The motif is very easy and is tatted as follows:

With #O533

R5-5 - with seed bead, Swarovski, seed bead 5-5 CL RW

CH7 with 5 graduated -s 7 CL RW

R5+5- with seed bead, Swarovski, seed bead 5-5 CL RW

Continue tatting for a motif of 8 Rs & CHs.  Tie, cut, hide ends.

For accent tatting:

With #200

Join to any joining - of previous round and over tat

CH12 CL + and continue around motif, tie, cut, hide ends.

Second round:

With #O533

Run needle through top cap of ds 2 stitches prior to graduated picot set of first round chain and

CH9 with 5 graduated -s 9 CL + on other side of previously tatted picot set in corresponding ds cap

CH2-2 CL + to next chain as you did at the beginning of this round.

Continue around motif, tiem cut hide ends & voila!

Many thanks to Frivole for the beautiful Autumn eye candy that inspired my tatting today!  Check out her fantastic blog.

I must admit, my ribbonwork skills have declined seriously from lack of use.  Wish I hadn't let myself get so rusty!  I found this little cloche at Target yesterday:

It is a lovely 100% wool felt hat but has some really ugly felt flowers on it.  I have a love for the 1920's & 1930's and could not pass this hat by.  It was begging to be redone with some hand sewn silk ribbon flowers, leaves and needle tatted accents.  I may even have to bling it out with some of the pearls and Swarovskis I purchased recently.  I am currently looking at my thread stash and considering my thread options as well as picking through my vintage millinery accents and ribbons for possible working materials.  I hope to at least start the hat refurbishment this weekend.  Any comments or suggestions for what would help this cloche look cute on my short red bobbed hair?

I am still awaiting suggestions, folks, for the next Piney Woods Give Away Event.  Let me know as I am going to decide tomorrow what to do.  I value my readers input.

Well, I am off to play with the Autumn colored thread some more.  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

Pearls

What a day!  My aunt (who is recently retired) and I went on a little shopping excursion.  Our mission was to find some bedding, curtains and such for her new apartment.  We were very successful and afterwards made a detour by the bead shop.  This is part of what I purchased:

Pictured in this image are:  stick pearls, colored baroque pearls, dyed pearls of various other shapes, howlite beads, & Czech fire polished beads.  I have a few other goodies, but haven't had the chance to take images yet.  Among my haul are:  Swarovski bicones, seed beads, pendant findings, earring findings and pin backs.

I also raided the yarn store and have a few skeins that will be crocheted into gauntlets and accented with tatting!  The other special find was at Target- a wool felt cloche that will have the tacky fabric flowers removed and replaced with tatting and silk ribbon flowers.  Oh- do I have the projects to do now or what?!?

I am still awating your input, dear readers, for what you'd like the next Piney Woods Give Away Event to be!  Let me know as I need to get things together before the end of the week. 

Well, I had better post this and get myself fixed up before my husband arrives home.  He is taking me out for dinner- I'm too exhausted from shopping to fix it myself!  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

Valdani Samplings

I have continued playing with the new threads purchased from Valdani.  I must say that I am really loving the way these variegated colors tat up! 

The above was tatted with color #M47 Robin's Nest, size 12 pearl cotton.  It is a foundation for a larger doily that will be featured at a later date.

 What makes Valdani so special is that it is COLORFAST- guaranteed!!!  Don't get me wrong- I do love hand dyed thread, but I have had some really bad experiences with the dyes not being set properly.  Then I have had some fabulous experiences- Yarnplayer's threads are just magnificent!  I am sure there are many others out there who create wonderful hand dyed thread, but I really am in love with the Valdani pearl cottons.

Here is another motif-in-progress using color #M78 "Copper Leaf" in size 8.  Isn't this a wonderful Autumn color combo?  I still have several other colors I'm playing with and will have more little samples posted soon for your viewing pleasure along with some simple patterns.

There is a small problem that needs tending to- I need more pearls and Swarovskis that go with these new threads, so I am off to the bead store tomorrow with my aunt.  Let's hope she can keep me out of trouble this time!  Who knows what goodies and such I will have to show you tomorrow!!!

If anyone has ideas for the October Piney Woods Give Away Event, please let me know.  I have received a few and am mulling it over.  I will announce the next event on Friday, so be sure to let your voice be heard.

I'm off to make my list of needed beads & baubles so until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!