How do you use thread leftovers? Earrings of course!

I really hate wasting thread, and throw it away, mostly if it's good and not so cheap thread!
That's why I like the patterns where you have an overall indication of how much thread you will need to tat the pattern! But even when you have the indication, we don't have all the same hand and tension... and if there's something I hate even more is to get close to finish a tatting piece and be left with no thread... so I always wound a bit more to avoid attaching new thread during the work!
The consequence? A lot of small leftovers, wounded on the shuttles :-(

I'm sure at all tatters happens the same (if not please explain me how do you do!!!), so what we just need are very small tatting things to use them. What do you do with your leftovers?
I often tat small flowers, hoping I will find them a place one day!

This time, I decided for another pair of earrings, to finish all my Lizbeth thread leftovers, adding some coordinated seed beads.

Not a new pattern, you've already seen it here. I don't know where I first saw the pattern, or who is the designer, if you know please tell me so that I can give credits :)

My first own designed tatted bracelet... it's finally done!

It's done! I completed my first tatted bracelet - pattern all by myself!!!
I know... matching earrings are still missing, but I'm working on them!

I couldn't imagine how rewarding is to see something you realized from A to Z... So happy today!

Well, I don't want to be boring with all my excitement, maybe to me it's wonderful but nothing special for anybody else!

But, as you can see, I also enjoyed making picture to post!!!




Anyway, while working at the earrings, I need to find a name for it, any suggestion?

I still have to find my way to draw the diagram... I received some really worthing advices from more experienced tatters, but I still didn't find enough time to try!

I'm working on something else as well, I'm preparing something for my first giveaway!!! So stay up to date, it will be coming soon (if I find out the technical way to run it)!

Some steps forward on my first design

Still working on my first design... this weekend has been a beautiful one with all the family to the seaside, that means beach, sun, sea, ice creams and barbecue... but only little bit of time left for tatting and therefore testing my design! But I'll show you that little bit of progress I made on the bracelet:

Here there's the first two motifs in Lizbeth #20 Ecru with wood beads of 8mm... and this has been the issue: the pattern would work better with smaller beads, I guess 6mm should be fine.

But in my mind I had seen this pattern tatted in ecru thread and wood beads, and I only had home 8mm beads.. so to fit them I changed a little bit the stitch counting.

By the way, the pattern is customizable depending on the bead size you use, just need a change in number of ds in the chain over the bead. In the paper design the chain had 4 picots indeed... here in the picture you can see there are 6!


What do you think about it? I'd love to hear you sincere opinion!

Hope I'll be able to show it completed, and maybe even in some other colors and beads size!
Please be patient :)

Working on my first tatted jewelry design!

Today I tried to face my greatest tatting challenge: design my first tatting pattern!

It's been a long time I desired to design a pattern for some tatted jewelry, but each time I had the time to relax and think about it, I didn't have the inspiration, and each time I felt I had the inspiration I didn't have the time to work on that! How many times did it happen to you as well? It's the hard fate of craft designers, isn't it?

By the way, this afternoon I finally made some little steps on the designers' path! I was browsing once again in the DMC Library Tatting book, and my attention has been raped by #16 medallion. I don't know how, but in few minute I was frantically drawing rings and chains with a pen on my moleskine notebook. And somehow a small piece of that medallion, with new connections, a little bit of asymmetry and few beads turned out into a bracelet and earrings parure!

I haven't tried to tat it yet... so I'm pretty sure I will have to change more than once the stitch counting...



And what is worse, is that I have absolutely no clue on how to transfer my "handy" drawing in a smart tatting diagram... There must be some software... need to research a bit, hoping to find something enough user-friendly to me.

At least I've already decided thread color and beads I will be using for the first test... let's see how it works... wish me good luck!

What a productive Sunday... and what a struggle!

What a productive and happy Sunday!

Today I really put myself to the test, both in tatting and in blogging... I'm really tired now! But I succeeded! Do you think it's bad to say that I'm proud of myself? Hope not!

Concerning blogging stuff, it took me almost one hour but in the end I could add the Pinterest Widget to my blog page! Not easy for someone like me who doesn't understand anything about computer language, but not even an impossible challenge if following the Code it pretty instructions! I need to thank Rhondda Mol' post who shared this info!

And concerning tatting, I've been since yesterday evening trying to realize my first split chain, and I've finally done it! Never had problems with split rings, but the split chain has always been dreadful to me, I've always stepped away from pattern where you had to do it. Now I can say I master it (more or less), cannot show you because the piece is not yet ready... but it's been a great thing to me!

I only have a very small and quick tatting work to show today, a pair of earring, I remember I've seen the pattern on the internet but I didn't save it, I tatted it by memory, so forgive me if I can't give credits! If anybody knows who they're from, please let me know and I will add the link back to the pattern!

Have a nice Sunday afternoon!

A new gift for a friend: Yarnplayer Vision necklace

Happy thursday!

 Today we wake up with rain outside, but now the sun is shining again! so for the afternoon I'm planning to go to a yarn shop in a small city not far from here, hope I won't spend too much, I think you know how it goes every time!

What I'm showing you today is my version of the wonderful Vision necklace, designed by Yarnplayer, you can find her amazing free pattern here!

I tatted this one for a friend of mine, but I really hope I will find the time to tat more of this necklaces, for other friends and maybe for myself, because I find this pattern just amazing! 

The instructions are easy to follow, and I think it's a very versatile one, changing thread's color and beads' shape or size you can have very different results and different styles! 

I decided to use small stones instead of simple beads, 'cause I wanted to realize a special and a bit precious gift, so I used onyx (in two different sizes) and rough ruby, I feel they fit well with the design!

In the work-in-progress picture maybe the details are a little bit more clear, that's why I upload that one as well!I really recommend this pattern though, thanks Yarnplayer to sharing it!

Two big news today for a great thursday for a newbie blogger like me:

1. I found an e-mail from InTatters that says my membership request has been approved! very glad of it, can't wait to join the other tatters community (if only the day had 48 hours...)!
2. My husband is coming to the seaside this evening from Milan, and he is bringing with him a very special gift just arrived via mail from Poland, sent me by a new friend found blogging... It's a little bear from Mulinowe Misie... But I can't tell you more, I haven't met my little bear yet! I'm so happy that I want to dedicate one entire post to the first gift I received as a crafter! So be patient, I'll keep you posted!!!

I've been too long already, I will tell you my other news in the next days! 

A tatted pendant... just for me!

Hi all!
even today I'm taking advantage of my baby's nap! She so cute when she's sleeping... I could spend hours staring at her!
I did'n think that starting blogging was so demanding in terms of time to dedicate... I really don't have so much time, and blogging means less time for crafting!!! But I will hold tight, I definitively and strongly desire to have my little sharing space, and really hope you can enjoy it with me!

What I'll show you here today is a tatting piece again from Jon Yusoff book "Tatting with rings".

I decided to use it as a pendant, I love it so much that I decided to keep it for myself.

You know what?

All jewelry I tatted so far became a gift for friends and relatives, I've never kept anything for myself... but this one I will keep!

But I have to confess... I've already made another one, exactly alike, for my sister-in-law!

Here is the "packaged version"... any suggestion for a different string?

Hope you all have a nice sunday, mine will continue on the beach with my daughter... cannot say relaxing but fun for sure!