BLOCKS & BUTTONS and VICTORIANS REVISITED - Two New Books Now Available!

Monday, December 25, 2006

Motif Eleven -- Another bookmark gift

This one is the Flowery SCMR Bookmark by Jane Eborall http://www.e.ne.e.btinternet.co.uk

Jane is one of my all time favorite designers.

I made this with size 8 perle cotton. (Actually I made a few in different colors, but only managed to scan this one.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE

Motifs Nine and Ten -- Two by Julie Patterson



I took Julie Patterson's Candy Cane ornament and added some decorative picots, and then I gave it a tassel since I was giving bookmarks as Christmas presents. The cross is her pattern Diamonds and Pearls. The SCMRs help this cross to work up pretty quickly. She has so many great bookmark patterns. She and Toni Storer share a website at http://www.twoaussietattingtwits.com
The website link doesn't work anymore.  Can anyone fine the candy cane pattern with the Wayback Machine?

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Motif Eight: Deb's Sea Horse



This is a another pattern from the folder. This one is Deb Arnold's Sea Horse made with Omega size 30. Just for practice, I used the directional tatting/wrapped stitches for the chains. I hadn't used that technique in quite a while and was pleasantly surprised how quick and easy that motion soon became.

You can get the pattern at http://www.ds9designs.com/patterns_free/seahorse.jpg

While you're there, check out the rest of the site. I'm still drooling over the varigated threads.

Motif Seven - Wally's Thankful Heart



I've got this big folder of internet patterns to make someday. (Doesn't everyone?) This seemed like a good opportunity to pull some of those out.

This one is Wally Sosa's Thankful Heart. You can get the pattern at http://needles-n-shuttles.com/thnxheart.html

I worked it in Cebelia size 30.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Motif Six -- Candy Corn


One of the many good things about Halloween is getting to eat the leftover candy, and candy corn is one of my favorites. ( I meant to post a little sooner after Halloween, but I ran out of weekend before I ran out of things to do!)

I made this with 3 ply of embroidery floss. I have a bag of old cross stitch supplies, so for small motifs I find floss to be an excellent quick source for colors I need.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Motif Five: Happy Halloween!


This is my skeleton featuring pearl tatting for the spine. The jaws need a little work, and next time, I think I will join the arms a little higher on the neck and add a set of ribs. But over all, I'm pleased with it and I don't think I'll have time to do it again before Halloween. Blocking will help -- I just time to iron it a little tonight.

This was the rough draft. Not bad, but I decided the chains outlining the ribs were too busy, so that the pearl tatting effect was getting lost.

Motif Four, Or...What Was I Thinking?



Here is a Maltese ring bookmark. The multicolored chain seemed like a neat idea when I thought it up around midnight one night. But by light of day, switching shuttles and having to readjust the thread lengths every four stitches is a major pain in the neck.

This is DMC perle cotton size 8, I think colors 744, 311, and 799.