Wire Mood

 

The wire has been brought out of the cupboard again, after several months of waiting while I attended to other projects. Always I feel as though I'm "breaking the rules" (rules? It's art!) and I guess that's why I enjoy it so much, LOL. 

Actually, I do follow a few basic rules (discovered through trial and error) to create a piece that will be beautiful for a long time. The most important: non tarnish wire! These pieces with fiber tatting wrapped in are not suitable for the usual wire jewelry finishing techniques of oxidation and/or polishing. I used to use Argentium silver sometimes, but no, no, it tarnishes to a horrible color, not the attractive dark gray of "antiqued" silver. It can be polished carefully with a cloth embedded with silver polish, but really that is no fun at all! I gave all my silver wire away. 

My basic process for my wire + tatting pendants is shown in this YouTube video I made https://youtu.be/eHRmMAvf1gU 

Each one always comes out different!

Lace necklace from "Victory" pattern

This lace necklace was inspired by a vintage collar pattern called "Victory". The thread I used was Lizbeth size 20 in Violet Pink Dark (for the center and the chains of the outer round) and for the rings on the edge I used my own hand dyed "Campfire".

Something I learned while tatting the clusters on the edge was that I needed to make my picots just slightly larger to allow the lace to lay flat. I didn't quite get that calculation of correct picot size to perfection, so there is still some slight "cupping" on the edges of this necklace but I'm very pleased overall.

The book I found the pattern in is called The Tatter's Treasure Chest which was published by Dover in 1990. On the copyright page there's a list of publications from the 1930s and 1940s that this collection was selected from. Another of the patterns in this book often seen tatted into necklaces is called "Pleasure Bent". It's a very similar design, but with rounded edges instead of points.

I used beading wire to string beads for the neck cord. Happily, enough coordinating colors of beads were found in my stash! However I did notice that I'm running low on jump rings, wire protectors, and other findings, so shopping will be necessary to replenish my supplies.

A new banner in my Etsy shop

 

To banner, or not to banner? Well, I'd gone without a banner in my Etsy shop for a long time, but after admiring the banners of some other Etsy sellers, I decided to put one together and upload it.

First, I had to learn what dimensions were required, and those numbers were discovered with some digging into the "Edit Shop" menu. 

1200 x 300 pixels minimum for a large banner, or 1200 x 160 pixels for a mini banner. As long as the same proportions are kept, the clarity is much better by uploading a larger image. My finished montage was 2400 x 600 pixels. Etsy automatically shrank the banner to fit into the allotted space.

So far, I like it! If I want to change it later, that's always possible, and now that it's been done before, it'll be easier next time.

Choose "Forgot Password"

When I've told interested tatters that the center of this necklace is the "Celtic Triangle" pattern from my "Next Steps In Shuttle Tatting" class, some of them have replied that they had a Craftsy account in the past but can't log in to the newer site that set up in 2020. Here's the fix:

Go to www.craftsy.com and select the log in icon in the upper corner (it looks like the outline of a head).

Fill in the email address that you used for the previous Craftsy or Bluprint website.

Then, select "Forgot Password". (Do not put in your old password, it won't work. You have to reset your password this first time.)

They'll send you an email with instructions to reset your password. After that's done you will have access to all the classes that you had purchased in the past!

If you still are having trouble logging in, email craftsy@program-director.net and they will help you solve any problems you may have.

Okay, so that's how to get the pattern for the center, which is finished as a pendant in my original design. The rest is just experimentation, each time it is slightly different. Just having fun!

Beading with Tatting, Color and Roses

 

Work in progress: tatting with beads, beading around 8mm beads, and a retake on a previous design in peppermint green.

This beading is peyote stitch, using a doubled thread as shown in the 2nd photo. I've been using 6 lb. "Fireline" thread but have observed that it's a bit thick to use doubled with the size 11/0 Delicas beads and tiny size 15/0 seed beads that I'm working with. So have placed an order for 4 lb. Fireline to use in the future. Oh, and if you are looking for a tutorial, I'm following the top bead design shown by Viktoriya Antipova in her YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/m7oqEBAxhEI?t=1679 And it would be nice to support her by giving her video a "like".

Last weekend was a classic car show and I fell in love with all the aqua and teal colors I saw! So, having realized that I've never done a dye batch completely of aqua shades, that's definitely on the to-do list. (^◡^ )

The Peace rose that I had been using in photographs up to now was one I had seen at the Boerner Botanical Gardens. But theirs died, so since I really need a Peace rose in my life I bought one and planted it in my own garden. So here's a photo of its 3rd rose produced this summer!

Now that I've learned a little bit about roses (I was clueless!) now I have a deeper appreciation for the "faithfully blooming every summer for 22 years" red rose given to me by my mother. 

I don't know the name of this rose, but with the help of a rose expert friend, we've decided that it's a beautiful red rose! (And the inspiration for my original "Roses" batch of hand dyed thread.)