unlimited

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- Unlimited -

is my wish for all my readers as we usher in 2024! 

May we have unlimited ideas surging in our minds to use up our already unlimited stash of threads and embellishments; unlimited time to work our magic; unlimited peace, inspiring friends, and good health for a smoothly enjoyable journey ....

and

May we have the privilege of setting our own limits!

Thank you for being part of my journey and hope you continue to join me ...

muskaan

bowled over

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Can you imagine an edging taking on the shape of a bowl?! Paola Bevilacqua did just that! For the life of me I still cannot imagine how she visualized it in the first place!

free pattern (pdf link below)

This is the prototype she shared in the Endrucks 1920 Project FB group in January. She also uploaded stepwise pics with the pattern and I was immediately tempted to tat it. If you remember, I posted my version here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2022/01/who-knew.html along with my notes. And now you can see how horrible my bowl is compared to this, since I did not tension my long chains properly. 

 

Paola tatted another version in metallic thread, and has removed the 2 side 'branches'. So we now have a choice to work it either way. 

The bowl can hold anything you wish to make it unique. Fill it with colourful eggs - it will make a good motif for a handmade card?!

It was so gratifying when Paola loved my idea of placing flowers in the bowl and immediately adopted it by adding these freeform sprigs and flower!

And here's the good news - the pattern is now in pdf and available to enjoy. It is a one-page diagram-only presentation. 

Fruit Bowl pattern by Paola Bevilacqua - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OiSq1LijwjST84u_QnSSIpW2jBOLLegW/view  (click on the link to download)

Many many thanks to Paola for continuing to share her creativity with us! Grazie mille, amica.

Find all modernised and adapted pattern,s in the form of individual pdfs, from the Endrucks 1920 Project here - 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17LEVftXweztBIOWh4sL4BB7bX65ssoOsOn4oXIgCepY/view

hopping around

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Bunnies and Tulips for Easter 2021
pattern - Kathleen Minniti

Couple of months back I was in a tatting funk - had lost the will to pick up my shuttles. And then suddenly patterns sprang into my inbox from generous friends! One such was from the very talented Kathleen Minniti. She sent me these bunnies and tulips pattern as an International Tatting Day gift on April 1st!

My shuttles came to life! Tried these, adding a bead for nose. The one on the right has whiskers and a dense tail which was supposed to have been frayed, but haven't gotten around to it yet. These were straight off the shuttles, without blocking or shaping or trimming the whiskers (made from sewing thread)

I still have thread left in the shuttle for a 3rd one, this time with a bead for eye.

Although I made little tweaks - so many what-ifs floating around in my head - there are no notes to share. I went with the flow and pleasure of simply tatting away.....

I Love the sense of movement this pattern has. Almost as if the bunny is about to hop, or is already hopping! Above, the black-nosed bunny is enjoying the fragrance of the tulip while the red-nosed bunny wouldn't be left behind and hops closer ...

... and displaces the smaller black-nosey who switches to the other side, awaiting it's turn again.

Aha, our curious red-nosey has found a new flower to explore, so black-nosey gets right back to it's original perch!

Although tatted around 4th/5th April, it's taken me so long to take pics and post. There's a whole lot more I wish to try out which was one of the reasons for this delayed post. There are lots of little versions to choose from or to tweak for our pleasure! Kathleen's genius in designing is evident in the use of simple techniques and effects to create several versions of swaying tulips and hopping bunnies.

And the great news is that all these patterns are now public - shared with the Online Tatting Class recently - https://www.georgiaseitz.com/2021/lessons_loglinks_reg2021.html 

You can be sure I'll be getting back to this again some time to make a proper composition!

Many many thanks to Kathleen, a generous friend and constant inspiration !

season greetings

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Compliments of the season

The coloured snowflake is for my friends down under who cannot celebrate a white Christmas ;-D

And since this post is already a tad late, why not include b-Elated wishes for Hanukkah !

I’m hoping Santa’s gift bag contains lots of joy, happiness, health, long life, 

and 

a whole host of tatting/craft supplies to spread around …

These card toppers were made in another lifetime, in another millennium. My sister & I made twin cards, often using different background and thread colour combos. Most of them got sent out over the years. But the joyous memory of making these still lingers.

These are patterns from a book lent to me by a friend while we were studying for our BEd – really wish I had the name of the book. Sis and I spent an entire holiday stitching these. These are so much easier and handier than the actual string art that uses nails and wires. And so much more practical to gift, share, send. 

Tatting Doodles

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Tatting for Holi 

It’s Holi time – a festival of colours, of advent of  Spring, of start of lunar New Year (for some Hindu communities), a washing away of the past & starting afresh, ….

A while back when I searched for tatting related to Holi, I couldn’t find anything; so decided to try something myself. 

This doodle composition, which makes a nice greeting card, too, gradually took shape as well as symbolic meaning. 

I visualized 2 pichkaris (pronounced as pitch-kaa-ree), the quintessential image of Holi with water curlicues in Spectrum colours. I have deliberately not used the term ‘water pistols’ or ‘water guns’…. Later I added a 3^rd pichkari doodle. 

Made with Bliss variegated threads, perhaps a size 3 or 7. Main body of each measures approx 1½” x ½”

Floating Chain, Block tatting

Floating Chain, Block tatting.
The longer piston has picots for attachment

Lock Chain piston, Twisted picot handle,
Lock Chain Block tatting 

Techniques used & Tutorials referred 

(click on each for link to page)

Block tatting -easy way 

Lock Chain BlockTatting  (although I did it a bit differently, using 2 shuttles & switching at each row)

Floating Chains / SSSCh video tutorial 

Twisted Picot for handle bar of 3^rd pichkari doodle

Each pichkari spouts a different colour of water, one each of the 3 basic colours, red, blue, yellow. 

I used fine Rayon &/or silk threads & worked almost blind (stitches based mainly on experience & tactile decisions). 

Floating chains (SSSCh) for water

The tiny ring in some chains
is a water droplet

Yellow thread kept breaking ;-(

In a later post, I will detail out the process & stitchcounts (wherever possible). It was a continuous process of learning & tweaking & adapting. Not happy with the Lock Chain Block Tatting in this instance, but persisted because I wanted to add to my ‘new technique learned’ list.

A little cheating here. Simply tied a secure knot & snipped.

A greeting card for Holi, 

using tatted doodles & symbolism 

So, what do you think this composition, and it’s elements, signifies ?

Happy Tatting :-)

Motif # 15 / II for 25 Motif Challenge

Handmade Cards I

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Happy Holidays !

Season's Greetings 

& 

A Very Happy & Peaceful New Year 2015

saying it with an assortment of my handmade cards

(string art on paper, abstract collage, watercolours)

 

String Art / Embroidery on Paper

  

Watercolours

 

Collage Symbolism / Abstract

New Year Card :

The collage candles, my original artwork, has a symbolic message/wish conveyed through the size of candles, their relative placement, & their colours, as well as the intensity of the flames. If the past was black & the present bleak, the future will be very bright. The past is forgotten, the present is waning away, the future is looking brightly ahead. Or the past & present are/will become shining or treasured memories that will remain alive in us (as reflected by the flames). Shadows have not been added, because the black & grey candles (past & present) themselves act as a shadow to our life ahead.
I've used some sort of glossy paper for the candles & thin glossy magazine paper for flames [recycled]. In order to give it depth/3-dimension, the molten wax has not been glued down completely, & the candles themselves are glued over a thicker layer of paper. The telltale shadowy lines indicate the raised candles.

The string art on paper patterns have been taken from a book, the title of which I do not have. If somebody knows, I would appreciate you sharing the info so that due credit can be given ... These were made back in the late 80's, so the book predates that. It was a hardbound coffee-table kind of book with loads of lovely patterns, kindly lent by a friend.