Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I wonder which tatting design they chose?




Every time I get a notice that my tatting is going to be published in print - I get so excited and go sort of nuts!!! (Not that I'm not plenty nuts already, LOL.)

Okay, here's what I've been told so far: Belle Armoire (Art To Wear magazine not BA Jewelry) is publishing one of my tatted originals in their November/December 2009 issue. (Not the current issue for sale, the next one coming up.) And that is all I know; they didn't say which of my items they chose. It would have to be something that I've sent in.

So, is it the "Ruffled Orbit" tatted earrings? Or the simple "Lacy Treasure" pendant? Or, could it be the "Wondrous Window" pendant? We get to find out in November!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Historic costume jewelry display









These vintage jewelry pieces and fashions are on display at Mount Mary College. I am gathering ideas from these classics, that I may use in my tatted jewelry designs.

Of the vintage clothing that was on display, my personal favorites were the 1952 prom dress with the lacy, full skirt, and the coat inspired by an abstract painting.

I really enjoyed seeing this display, and I am so thrilled to have become an official, card carrying member of the Loose Bead Society of Greater Milwaukee! What a nice, friendly bunch of people interested in all sorts of ways to use beads!

Right away I got asked if I would teach a tatting class (they remembered me from my tatting demo in February).

Since we can bring our projects to work on at their Fall Retreat on October 10, I'll bring a beaded tatting project, and we'll see what happens. I am also looking forward to eventually learning other beading techniques from these talented folks, that I'll probably "morph" into tatting designs.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Cool threads

"Snowflake" in very pale pastels. seems to evoke a cool feeling.
"A Leaf Falls" was just a small experiment with some of the same colors I used in my "Sugar Maple" batch, without the red. I thought it would be nice to add variety to the leaf colors, like nature does. I may need to make more of this!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Keyed up earrings


It bothers me when a design doesn't look like it is going to work, while the tatting is still in progress. I've had this happen on patterns from books, as well as when I'm working out my own.

On the photo to the left, it can be seen that the larger ring at the bottom doesn't look like it will be centered, and that the work won't lie flat. Surprisingly, the finished earring is okay - I think it's because the bottom ring stretches itself out to fit.

But, I'm not satisfied with my design yet, and think some adjustments need to be made.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

LadyShuttleMaker's giveaway, and my "escape"


LadyShuttleMaker
is having a fabulous giveaway every week! Check it out on her blog!

I don't have anything else to share today, except that I'm making plans to escape my "isolation" a bit - LOL. I have made arrangements with a friend to attend the next meeting of the Loose Bead Society. I'm hoping this will be a good way to interact with other creative people in my local area. (As far as I know, the closest lace group is Lighthouse Lacers in Kenosha - quite a drive for me, so I don't get there much.) So, since I include beads in my tatting, I think the bead group will be a good fit for me. I did a tatting demo there once, and they seemed very interested in my work.

BTW, what do you think of the new 'Link Within" widget I installed at the bottom of posts? Does it make the pages load more slowly, is it distracting, or are there other problems? If it's causing trouble, I'll remove it. I'm not sure I like it, myself - it occasionally brings up posts that I didn't really want to be reminded of, LOL!

Thursday, September 3, 2009