Finishing small things

In the last month or so I’ve talked several times about using small threads and shown the beginnings of  my attempts with them.  I actually finished all three things I started with them.
I mentioned here about trying out a quilting thread. This is the completed piece.
Motif out of off-white quilting thread.
It is a pretty basic clover and chain pattern that I just doodled. 
In this post I talked about using Gütermann thread.
Motif in Gütermann silk quilting thread.
This motif was also made without referring to a pattern. 
In this same post I showed a shuttle that was given to me that was already loaded with a pink and white variegated thread, maybe size 70 or 80. I was wondering if I should make a small doily with it. 
Unknown thread size or brand.
This little three-round piece.was the hardest to make due to thread breakage.  I think it has to do with the age of the thread.  The first two rounds went well, with little trouble, but the thread started breaking on the last round.  In fact the thread broke as I connected the last chain to the base of the first ring so closely I glued it instead of hiding the ends.

Here are the three pieces together with a regular Clover shuttle to show the sizes of the finished pieces. 
It was quite the experience working with these small threads.  For whatever reason prior to this I was pretty leery of working with anything this small, but now I have some ideas for making several things in small thread – if I ever get to them. My to-do list keeps growing and growing.
“Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.”
Og Mandino
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Tatted Lion

Do you remember all those weddings I went to last year?  Surprise, surprise, now several babies are on the way.  Of course, I have to see if I can come up with something to tat for the new babies.
One of those new brides, our niece, was given a baby shower this last weekend.  I had two weeks to make something for her (the baby isn’t due for another month or so).  They have decorated the baby’s room with “The Lion King” so I started thinking, lion, meerkat, warthog, that type of thing.  I happen to come across Jennifer Williams’ lion pattern and thought “this is it!”
   
© 2008 Jennifer Williams 
Tatted by Wanda Salmans March 2014
This is how it looked before I put the glass on.  I wanted to take the picture without a reflection.  Then, while I was getting it ready to wrap I looked again and thought I would change it just a bit – then forgot to take another picture.
© 2008 Jennifer Williams 
Tatted by Wanda Salmans March 2014
This is how it ended up. Can you see the difference?   Look at the head, I added one more strand of mane.
The lion pattern is actually pretty easy.  Except for the mane and tail it is entirely rings and chains. The hardest part was just keeping track of where I was at any time. The tail is made with Split Ring Braid which I had never tried before.  It’s not really hard, either, but I kept pulling the wrong side through – again and again.  Jennifer has this technique on her page.  I did the mane a bit different than the pattern which are split ring stands; I added lots of picots then cut them open.  I also added a bit of fluff in front of the ear. 
I’m adding this as #12 of my current 25 Motif Challenge
The second picture is from the baby shower.  I’m hoping the parent’s-to-be like it.  There was a lot going on and they didn’t have a much time to look at it.  But I think it came out well.  
Now I have another couple of baby gifts to come up with.  And I just received a request for a decorated bag like I was making last fall.  And I have a couple of patterns that I’m trying to diagram for my pattern page.  And I’ve been having to work a lot of overtime.  And, and, and…!  I think I’m going to be busy for a while!
“I’m not busy… a woman with three children under the age of 10 wouldn’t think my schedule looks so busy.” 
Garrison Keillor
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A change in plans

Last week I came to work with everything I needed to start a button bracelet during my lunch time.  Or so I thought.  I got everything out to start and realized I had forgotten the buttons!  When I started bemoaning the fact I couldn’t start my project my husband started looking around my office and I asked him what he was 
looking for. “Washers” he replied.
Washers – why not?

Lizbeth black in size 20, silver beads, and 7/16″ washers

I decided to use washers so I could start the bracelet instead of waiting.  I think they look pretty good in this bracelet.
I was re-making this bracelet to write up and diagram the pattern.  Using washers instead of 2-hole buttons changes the look as the rings are more spread out on the washers than they are on the buttons.  The beads also change the look a bit.  I’m thinking that the long chains need to be shorted to be the same length as the other chains if washers (or something other that 2-hole buttons) are used.  I’m not well pleased with my closure method, where a washer fits through a ring, so I need to come up with something else.

I wonder how well washers take paint? They would be easy to come by and then could be painted to color coordinate with different threads and beads.

I had meant to have the pattern ready for today, but it isn’t quite.  Almost.  This bracelet was supposed to be the picture used in the pattern, but the pattern is diagrammed for a 2-hole button. I guess I’ll just have to make another bracelet.

Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I’m drinking TAZO Zen Green Tea out of a mug with snowflakes on it. No, we don’t have snow today (at least not yet – the temperature is 70º F) but I like the shape.  The chance of real snowflakes outside?  It’s supposed to get colder tonight, with a chance of snow in some places not too far away.  Whether we get any or not – we’ll see.  


“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.”
Denis Waitley
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Bulletin board

When my daughters were young they were in a local 4-H club.  When my oldest daughter was about 10 years old one of her projects was a bulletin board made with a ceiling tile.  She decorated it for a craft project and entered it in both the 4-H fair and the county fair.  In some counties they are held together but in this county they are separate, with the county fair having 4-H categories. She got blue ribbons on it at both fairs.
 
The material it is covered with was not purchased for the project but chosen from what material I had on hand that was large enough (this is NOT what she would have chosen otherwise!)  Even the flowers were from what I already had. 
Some of the decorations in one corner was old costume jewelry that I had been keeping for some reason.  She added glue to the posts and pins of these prior to poking them into the board.  The string of pearls were from a roll that I had in my stash, artfully arranged and attached with hot glue. 

To go along with the romantic feel I gave her some of my tatting for one of the corners.  It was gathered a bit to give it some dimension – and it didn’t look right when left flat.
The pattern for this is out of “Aunt Ellen’s Treasury Tatting Patterns”  I had been trying to find 
a pattern for a tablecloth and this was one of my trials (I didn’t go with this pattern).  It’s made with an ecru size 10, Anchor thread I think. 
This bulletin board has been hanging in what was my daughter’s room all these years.  Her room has been the guest room since she moved out when she went to college and now where I keep most of my craft-y stuff.  It fits right in 🙂
Today I’m drinking Mango Maui tea from Hawaiian Islands Tea Company.  It has a wonderfully different taste from the teas I usually drink.  I’m sipping it from a very unromantic-looking cup that has a cute crocheted owl cozy on it.  I picked up the cup at a local craft fair where the seller sat crocheting the cozies as she waiting for customers.  This blue owl is the first one she made out of “un-natural” owl colors; she wasn’t sure they’d sell.  The cups were all ones she’d picked up from second-hand stores or yard sales.  
What connection does Mango Maui tea and owls have? None that I know of except I’m drinking one out of the other 🙂
My daughters and others in their 4H club showing off their club banner for the 4H fair, about 1996. My oldest is holding up the banner and my other daughter is on the far right with the striped shirt.
4-H pledge
 “I pledge 
My Head to clearer thinking,
My Heart to greater loyalty
My Hands to larger service
and 
My Health to better living
For my club, my community, my country and my world.”