Sunday, January 13, 2008

Fans, Gecko, Flowers, Hearts and Bookmarks

Administration note:
Anyone can join the challenge but as a reminder for those who want to join, I need your name and your blog address to add you to the links list on the right. Email addresses are handy if I need to contact you, but aren't essential. It's frustrating when people say they want to join, but don't sign their email or sign the email and don't give me a blog address, or they give me an address that can only be accessed if you are a member. Remember that other folks want to read about your tatting trials and tribulations and see all of the other things that are important to you too, and they can't unless the location is publicly accessible. Many people who follow the 25 Motif Challenge regularly aren't able to participate themselves but they do enjoy following what everyone is doing. So help me out by giving me the necessary information to add you into the fun. If you have any questions you can email me at sharon at gagechek dot com or leave a comment on any of the challenge postings. (Don't forget to give an email address where I can respond to you.)

Wendy's daughters have long hair and Wendy is looking for information on making Kanzashi in English.

Connie has a guestbook on her blog and a video slide presentation of the things she has tatted.

Mrs John has the motif from the Priscilla book blocked and it's looking good, although she's not happy with it and plans to try it again. The variegated thread is Aunt Lydia's Oasis and she has plans to make a doily for herself using this thread.The fan pattern has been repeated in a very dramatic red and black and it looks wonderful. She thought the rings on the outer edges stuck out too far so she modified the design by removing them and she likes the results. Modifying an existing pattern is a great way to begin designing your own patterns. Mrs John has done the fan again in white and variegated jewel tones and now she has ideas for a different pattern that might make a nice fan. Do we have a budding designer here?

Shay has shares a quote of the day and a kitty picture along with a recipe for home made yogurt. I may have to try this one.

Jeff tatted Jane's gecko pattern and plans to attach this one to a shirt. He used Marilee's hand dyed thread in "Deep Ocean" size 30 and wishes he had bought more of this wonderful thread. Jeff is also working on Jane's TIAS. Notice the blue shuttle, Jeff is another Canuck with access to these Aero-like shuttles. Laura was asking Jeff about his orchids so he posted a picture of his gorgeous Phalaenopsis orchid, "Salu Princess", which has been flowering for more than a month.
C4G has just learned to tat and already she's addicted. We could have told her it's addicting, maybe tatting shuttles should come with a warning! Her first motif was supposed to be a 6 petal flower, but she didn't know how BIG a big joining picot would have to be. Now she knows, so her flower has only 5 petals.She's currently working on a snowflake from Easy Tatting. C4G has been making some beaded jewellery, wait until she finds out that tatting and beads go well together. I couldn't get the video about Folk Artists in Wyoming to work for me.
Joyce is working on her quilt block and using a lot more yellow that she's used to.

Pamela was looking for a topical and relatively quick design to use for her daughter's wedding in 2006 and used Jane's double heart design. 260 hearts is a lot of tatting.
Arlene has a podcast about tatting and knitting called Arlene Tats and Knits and if all goes well she has plans to do regular pod casting. Lots of fun and lots of useful information too.

Clyde's doily pattern isn't working out well and he's had to re-start this row several times. That's not something you want to do too often when using hand dyed thread because you can't just go buy more if you run out so I'm sure this has been frustrating. Clyde has also given a list of reasons why he loves hand dyed threads.

After trying out one of the old patterns to answer a question for Mrs John, Jon tatted another of the vintage patterns that had always intimidated her before. Once she go into working on it she realized that it was a design that could just go on and on. This one went on long enough to from a triangle into a square.
Marilee has been tatting bookmarks with her "Peace" and "Peach" hand dyed threads and playing around with the Catherine Wheel or Split Chain Join. Along the way she needed to add in new threads so she took time to photograph how she does it.
Laura is still working on her doily and she's not telling us what she's doing, but she has a lot of ends to hide. We'll have to wait and see. Laura has also finished the second installment of the TIAS challenge.
Charlene has been tagged for the "You Make My Day" award. She received a lovely little gift in the mail and is continuing to work of cross stitch pieces. Her father is recovering nicely from kidney surgery. We'll keep praying for him.

Melissa has finished making the royal blue velveteen purse. How sweet.

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