SOUPin' the books

NOTE (Dec 11, 2016) : This is Not a new post. 

It was uploaded & shared on October 31st, 2016. I don't know how it has pushed itself to December, and don't know how to push it back! 

Fortunately, the url remains unchanged)

My Pinterest Challenge (click on tag) this month is simple, but practical, and helps to clear away our tatting orts (scraps, morsels). To refresh memory, SOUP is an acronym I created for "Sewing On / Using Pieces" of tatting. The pieces are ones I’ve left aside (discarded, but not binned), prototypes, practice pieces, or just some odds and ends. I've sewed them as appliqué on my apron and tea towels, and also glued them to cards and envelopes (all in first link).

This idea was carried on to a bookmark charm on pre-bound satin ribbon bookmark, and now added to more books. I've picked up the smaller Classic Library books from one of my shelves to do this challenge. These books are about 7.5”x 5” and the red ribbon is just the same length! Grasp is a problem, as is finding the marked page quickly. These charms add thickness and/or length, making it easy to grip and to find the page.

I’ve tried to create some sort of theme related to each book, and chosen a name conforming to it. Each book is opened at a page/chapter that has something relevant.

You may recognise some pieces from my posts. Pattern details and links to the pattern/post are listed alongside. 

In case of multiple motifs, pattern details start from the motif at the tip & move upwards.

Ladling out some hot SOUP - good for a cool wintry night, snuggled under an afghan with a good book for company - hope you are Charmed :-)

SOUP Charms for Ribbon Bookmarks

1. Butterfly Liberated

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

In some sense, this book is all about liberation – liberating ourselves from the past, the overbearing traditions, the ghosts in our closet, the cobwebs in our life...and life is short, live it to the fullest. What better symbol than a butterfly ?!

You might remember this very first one I shared here, made with my very first butterfly pattern.

2. Blue 

Far and Near by Pearl S Buck

Book opened to “Home Girl” because I found the word ‘Blue’ there, which is the thematic colour of this charm. But really, the story is about a charming Japanese girl Etsu. I liked most of the stories in this book (different cultural perspectives), although the last one did drag on for quite a bit with constant repetition of ‘Eleonore’ - errrrgh !

The blue motif is my experimental piece using different techniques for tatting large mock rings .

Pattern (with 3 rings) is : Motif with Mock Rings by Looping Chain on Itself by Eliz Davis

To hide the large central space, I glued Mlle Reigo’s Raised Star practice piece while trying out layered picots on a ring.   

Edging nearer to the 'flower' is Butterfly with Overlapping Picots by Ninetta Caruso

3. Idle Love

The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome

If there is talk of Love, then hearts can’t be far from our mind’s eye. 

If there are hearts, love cannot be far away – whether idle or passionate :-)

My first attempts at turning/folding the chain and I didn’t do justice to her cute hearts. I have wanted to get back and tat these again. Hopefully for next Valentine ...

Three Little Hearts by Grace Tan 

Double Daisy flowers

4 Mossy

Selected Short Stories by Joseph Conrad.

I know I’ve read at least a few of the stories, but can’t remember any. Time for another read. I opened the page to a story titled ‘The Lagoon’, in keeping with the mossy essence of this charm.

All 3 are my own patterns – a Layered Flower, my attempt at a freeform Holly Leaf, and the Double Daisy flower.

5. Billy the Hedgehog

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 

Need I say more ?!

Ruth Perry’s RainBeau Hedgehog pattern - yes, the one that turned !

6. Zany !

Literary Lapses and Nonsense Novels by Stephen Leacock

‘How to be a Doctor’ is one of my favourite stories from this book; one that I have shared with my pulmonologist ;-P

Fandango Motif by Jane Eborall with Double Daisy Flowers for a zany (nonsensical) mischievous spirit.

My first motif (partial here), trying to practice split rings during the 2014 TIAS. Left out joining an arm within. This is hidden by the bling-on flowers glued above.

A totally nonsensical charm – the colours don’t match, the shape is blah, the elements are all wrong. I really love the Fandango pattern, but this charm needs to be binned. May be I'll cut it off and change the charm later.

7. Crown

Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

From this angle, it kind of looks like a pretentious crown, so perfect for this book, opened to the chapter on Hereditary Principalities ! I thought this book made a lot of sense. It may not be politically correct in many respects, but in the real world, a lot of what Machiavelli lists down actually happens. It is human nature and history has innumerable examples. Read this many years back; would be interesting to read again.

An InTatters (now Craftree) member had trouble with this pattern. It is from a Russian site and I tatted it in response to that question. If I remember right, this is part of a lovely tatted necklace. Collar schema are shared on the page. I added the black central ring later, to give stability.

8. Nature’s Charm

Essays and English Traits by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Book opened to a short poem in Nature chapter. I have yet to read this book fully.

Martha Ess’ Shamrock is easily recognizable – my practice piece for folded rings.

The red rings-only motif is among my first needle-tatting pieces - by Totus Mel I think. My June 2014 notes say it's a "Roselle". Double Daisy flowers to spice it up.

SOUP gift tag for Diwali

Besides the bookmark charms, I rustled up a super-quick last-moment gift tag for Diwali using scrap medallions again. This is probably a 3 or 4 inch card made from scrap handmade paper with embedded rose petals. The tail ends of yellow motif are glued in the shape of a flame ;-) 

Phew, it's taken me much longer to photograph, arrange, link, and present, than it did to glue them !!! If you've stuck by me this far, then you deserve a treat - a candy perhaps, or a toffee ?

Please take a moment to be amazed at what the other Pin Chicks have rustled up …

Suzanne , Margaret , Carollyn , Alma & Margaret (II)

But before I go blog-hopping to check out what these super-talented ladies have made, here’s wishing you lots n lots of candy treats for Halloween ! And I just found out that there's a Candy Corn Day (Oct 30) !!!

Halloween Candy ?!

Georgia is going to use the Holi collage for today’s Halloween class. A confluence of cultures and ‘Holi’days, but how exactly she brings about this convergence should make for an interesting discussion. We can always rely on her to bring in a new perspective :-) I'm very curious, to say the least.

And here’s some more tatted candy ….

It is Usha Kota’s Toffee pattern from her “Tatting, Tea, Toffee” 2014 Palmetto’s Logo Competition. Martha Ess won 1^st place, and Usha got an honorable mention at 2^nd place.

Tatted in size 20 threads, the toffee measures 1½”x ¾” max.

happy tatting & happy pinning everyone :-)))