Adding to the English obsession with the weather

The weather here has been totally unpredictable here recently, cold and rainy one day, cold windy and sunny another and hot humid and overcast yet another. However ... my clematis have defied it all and bloomed gloriously :)

WIP

I've added more stitching to this now, but it took me ages to decide what to do ... and then multiple unpickings to get it to this point. I've still got to decide the best way to do the leaves, ah well upwards and onwards :)

WIP

Well I've spent the last few weeks going back and practicing my shuttle tatting using fine thread until I've got it into a reasonable state (I think). I'm making Christmas presents at the moment and I wanted a tatted edging for the applique picture I'm making.
The picture has actually been a complete learning curve because I've never done applique before and whilst I've always cross stitched I've never done free hand embroidery.

I've totally fallen in love with embellished crazy quilting and the picture owes a lot to the blocks I've seen.

There's a picture of it as a work in progress, I guess I'll just have to see where it takes me.

Pattern for 3D tatted flowers

This pattern is the first I've ever attempted to write ... so feel free to tell me of any errors!

Abbreviations
R = ring   ds = double stitch  p = picot  lp = long picot
Cl = close  rw = reverse work

Clover 1

1)  R1  5ds lp 5ds Cl rw
2) Ch   8ds p 8ds rw
3) R2   5ds join to picot of R1 5ds Cl rw

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until 5 petals have been formed, join the last chain to the top of the first ring, finish.

Clover 2

1) R1 4ds lp 4ds Cl rw
2) Ch  5ds p 5ds rw
3) R2  4ds join to picot of R1 4ds Cl rw

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until 5 petals have been formed, join the last chain to the top of the first ring, finish

Clover 3

R1  (6ds Cl) repeat twice

Step 1
 
Tie off ends leaving them long and bring through centre to the front. Thread one end onto a needle and take it down through the centre of Clover 3 into the centre of Clover 2 catching a side of the centre as you go. Repeat with Clover 3. Leave end loose.

Step 2

Thread remaining thread with 3 beads then repeat step 1 but on the opposite side to original thread

Tie off the threads but leave long so the can be attached to your project.


I REALLY hope this makes sense :)

Tatted bits and bobs

These are a few motifs I tatted to practice and to use up my stash. I originally posted the pictures here http://www.intatters.com/album.php?albumid=2006 
 They have been done with a shuttle but I see no reason why they shouldn't be needle tatted.

I used finca no.5 variegated thread for these, the pattern for the heart can be found here
http://birgitstatting.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/sweetheart.html

and the butterflies here
http://countrysidecrafts.net/free/butterflies.pdf

 the flowers I sort of made up myself and I have been asked for a pattern which I'll post separately.

Profile Picture

A couple of years ago knowing I loved learning new crafts, I was given a pattern designed by Lynne Butler of http://www.lynnesdolls.com/about/ 
for a needle sculpted doll. I'd never actually heard of these prior to that but the pattern was lovely and the instructions very easy to follow so I dived in!

I practiced a bit with some old materials then I made this doll. Not perfect but I loved her. Being me of course I couldn't actually follow the pattern exactly and she's dressed completely differently lol.

I love these dolls and now have Patti Medaris Culea's book Creative Cloth Doll Collection which can be found on Amazon. This has brilliant instructions on how to create the dolls, make embellishments, patterns for the dolls .. and most importantly ...
plenty of eye candy! She also has her own site http://www.pmcdesigns.com/index.php



 I call this doll Andromeda because she reminds me of a particularly vivacious student we once had living with us :)
.

A few things about me

I live in the UK with two men (don't panic .. one is my grown up son :)) and two and a half cats. The half is a stray we seem to have adopted and who lives in our hall during bad weather.

I've been knitting, sewing and embroidering since I was little (back in the dark ages lol) and have lately taught myself to tat. I love learning new crafty things and have mainly created this blog to keep a record of the stuff I've been doing.
The rest, in the words of the late great Anne McCaffrey "is subject to change" :)