Tatting tittle tattle

I going to be teaching a small class the basics of Tatting ... (tomorrow, Sat 24 Nov at Morris & Sons in Sydney).

So have just spent a few hours doing some prep ...

spare thread, examples of tatting, examples of different shuttles, and shuttles all set up to begin the learning process.

 Having been really frustrated by the insufficient diagrams in most "How to Tat" manuals, I've put together my own teaching notes with lots of photos of each stage ...

 Rather embarrassing seeing how old and wrinkled my hands are!   

But - those are working hands, they make things!

Things like this - a brooch made from bits of tatting.

I frequently start something in tatting - but get bored with the design or make a mistake or decide that I don't like the way it is turning out ...

Rather than waste all that work I put several of those bits of lace together, sometimes I put a "gem" on top, a brooch back gets stitched behind and ...
I have a pretty brooch  :-)

Hats & Tats

Some photos from the Autumn Hat Exhibition last Sunday at Yuga Cafe - was lots of fun & there were lots and lots of Hats!

And that's the piano I played:  do hope everyone heard all the good notes and that no-one heard the mistakes!

And Now to the Tat tat tatty tat - Tatting

I'm going to be teaching how to tat this week so a good time to get out the threads and dust off those shuttles ...




They say that tatting developed from net-making - fishing nets that is and I guess that does make sense. 






It is an easy form of lace-making that was very popular in the 1930s & 40s ... I really can't understand why it is not more popular now.

I like to make lace edgings ... not sure what I'll put these on though the pink would look nice on a pretty frock for my granddaughter.
In 2008 I tatted about 5m of mauve lace for this 'Munchkin' costume ... can you see it on the Jabot and at the cuff?

My Munchkin was Quite a Dandy

I don't usually use tatting to make motifs and this butterfly was the first time I'd used beads on the thread.  The beads weren't difficult though I had problems with the slippery metallic thread and my picots are quite un-even! 

Tut tut Tat tat








As I'm going to be teaching How to Tat I was looking at the diagrams in all my books - they seem to leave out half the 'moves' - so I looked at some YouTube clips but there the hands move so fast ... I'm not sure I could learn from them. 

So, being an inveterate DIY person I've decided to Do It Myself and make a set of How to Tat notes with LOTS of photos to show every step.  Last night we set the camera on a tri-pod and my hubby darling took oodles of photos ...  now to put them together with some words...

Oh but my poor old hands look so wrinkly and old.  Sigh! I used to be proud of having pretty hands!  Guess they've done a lot of work though.   I'll just have to be proud of having hands that can Do & Make things ... and have the wrinkles and age-spots to prove it!

Some of my bits are on Display!

What an exhibitionist!

And what a busy week it has been ... I've a bit of costume-sewing work at the moment AND I've been helping out back-stage at this year's Theatre Costume Showcase at Ultimo TAFE so I've been doing 12+ hour days and all at full-pace with not a moment to sneeze!

Part of the Showcase is an exhibition in 'The Muse' and the Munchkin costume I made last year is on display with all the other Munchkins.

Our Munchkins were full-grown adults walking on their knees, hence the over-sized foam 'shoes'. My Munchkin was an over-weight dandy c.1810 so he had a 'fat-suit', mad baggy trousers (lots of ribbon etc sewn into stripes), vest, tail coat, towering high collar with shirt frill and cravat (tied in the 'Romantic' manner) also mauve knitted gloves, a walking stick and a purple top hat.

The mauve lace on the shirt frills is tatting - I did most of it while on the bus to work and got lots of stares!

The Showcase exhibition is free and well worth a visit - with lots of fabulous work on display. Munchkins, Crinolines, Tutus ... and some spectacular Major Works.





AND today was the opening of The Sydney Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at the Powerhouse (just up the road from The Muse!).

An amazing gathering of creativity and it really does look like coral reef. Had great fun trying to find my small contributions ...








Unfortunately I can't claim the gorgeous pink 'nautilus' but one of my corals is underneath it.

Tatting, Scanties. Spinning and drying the Sky

Pumpkin Hour on Sunday night means that it must be time to Blog about all the things I've been making. Also, I'm on a wireless connection - which means that late on a Sunday night is about the only time I can get good download time. So here goes.

The big news is that I have my very own spinning wheel - bought myself a Majacraft Pioneer from Virginia Wool Farm on Saturday, I'm calling the wheel Kevin because his purchase is thanks to Uncle Kev's stimulus package. The Pioneer is a lovely wheel to use - very smooth and easy with the double tredle and everything is central so no kinks in the spine :-) I've been spinning lots more of the red yarn as used for that wire-frame hat ... will be making a jumper or dress to match. Have also decided to spin some yarn as a gift for my mother - she knits too - so - my 1st attempt at dyeing roving. And it worked without turning into felt ! Here it is laid out to dry ... I think it looks like the sky - so here is some sky getting dry "Nothing but Blue Skies from now on ..."



In other news - I've been making little corsages in tatting and have listed 2 in my Etsy shop, this is the larger one, pinned on my favourite vintage jacket (which is NOT for sale). I've also listed a pair of silk scanties - ooo naughty? well, not really - they are so not scanty at all. I hate to think just how many pairs of modern things I could have sewn from the fabric it took to make this one pair of (not)scanties. Used a vintage (1940s) pattern, petal pink silk and a vintage motif that I've had in stash for at least 20yrs waiting for the perfect project - and it is perfect for the yoke of these "scanties".