Happy Valentine's Day!!!

What would a tatting blog be without tatted hearts on Valentine's Day? I think someone had commented a while back that they wanted to see some tatted hearts on my blog in February, particularly Valentine's Day. So, here it is!

~*~

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

It looks like there's more to it than just that

one tatted heart, doesn't it?

You're right, there is!

See?

Three tatted hearts!!!

They go on my Valentine's T-shirt.

Is anyone else having a flash back to the early-mid 1990's

gaudy T-shirt era? LOL!

I know I am, but I can't seem to figure out why!!!

(tongue in cheek)

The hearts are from one of my many vintage

Workbasket magazine tatting patterns that

I inherited from my Grandmother.

I made this T-shirt as a demo for a tatting class

that I taught at a craft store over 15 years ago.

I was going to be teaching how to add beads.

It's almost old enough to be called "vintage", isn't it? LOL!!!

It's so old the glue from the glue gun that's holding the hearts to

the T-shirt has turned yellow! Ewwwwww!!!

~*~

Well, thank you for visiting me. I'd like to

offer you a Valentine's cookie.

Enjoy! Thank you, local bakery!!! Yummm!

~*~

Thank you for putting up with my gaudy Valentine's T-shirt from the mid 90's! LOL! I hope you are having a LOVEly Valentine's Day! Be sure and leave a comment and say hello before you go!

Happy Valentine's Day, Sweets!

LOVE,

~TattingChic

xoxoxoxo

Angels We Have Heard On High...

Oh, that is one of my favorite Christmas Carols! How about you? Do you have a Christmas Carol that you love to sing every Christmas? Oh, do tell! It is Christmas as you know and I am so excited to show you today my little tatted masterpiece! I have been waiting excitedly ALL YEAR LONG to show you this! This is my little Christmas present to all my lovely blogging friends. I am so grateful to you for loving kindness and support. It is my tatted angel that I tatted and stiffened over 15 years ago. She was made with three doilies of different sizes revised from the same pattern and stiffened to make a tree top tatted angel. I love tatting and angels. I am rather particular about my angels, especially my tatted ones. You see, my angels have to have a face. It's very important. An angel without a face is like...well...it's like Christmas without the Christmas Spirit! It's just not at all the same. So my tatted angels have to have a face. When I made this one I put a lot of thought into her design and construction and I consider her one of my masterpieces. My other masterpieces are Christmas ornaments with tatted lace on glass globes, but I cannot find them as of yet. Perhaps it was not meant to be this Christmas that you would see them as well. Perhaps next year! Are you ready to see my little masterpiece!?!

Here she is!

My tatted angel

~*~

Angels we have heard on high!

Sweetly singing o'er the plain


And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strain

Gloria!

In excelcius Deo!

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David

a Saviour, which is Christ the lord"

St Luke 2:11

"...the King of kings,

and Lord of lords;"

1 Timothy 6:15

~*~

In the spirit of Christmas

I would like to thank

Couture de Papier

for awarding me with this very sweet

Christmas Spirit Award!

Thank you, Couture de Papier!

I suppose in the spirit of Christmas

I am supposed to pass it on!

So if you have visited my blog and commented

on Christmas Day 2008

consider yourself awarded the

Christmas Spirit Award!

Merry Christmas!!!

~*~

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my fabulous friends in real life and in blogger land! You are a joy and an inspiration to me. Thank you for visiting and Christmas Hugs to you all! If you have time, I'd love to hear what you have to share with me in the comments section! Christmas Joy and Love to all of you and your families and friends and May God continue to bless us all!

Merry Christmas!

~TattingChic

xoxo

A Cool T-Shirt for a Hot Summer Day

How hot is it where you live? This time of year there's nothing like a cool cotton T-shirt and an ice cold drink to ward off the heat. Don't you agree?
I suppose if you are like Verito who lives wayyyyyy down south of the equator in Argentina you would NOT agree. It's winter in Argentina.
What does winter in Argentina have to do with this post? ABSOLUTELY nothing...except I do like to write a lot about friendship on this blog and today is friendship day in Argentina and today Verito wished me a Happy Friendship Day and thanked me for being her online friend in an email....so, Verito, RIGHT BACK ATCHA! Verito is new to tatting and has progressed quite rapidly in this art. She learned from online sources how to tat. I think she deserves our applause. If you are interested in tatting blogs, you might want to take a gander over at her place. Just click on the link on her name above.

But wait, (before you go visit Verito) there's more.

Back to the T-shirt. Remember the 90's? Especially the early 90's, everyone had those T-shirts with ALL the embellishments on them. I couldn't afford the ones in boutiques so I made my own. I even made my own tatted lace to go on one. This was 15 years ago so the shirt I'm showing you has had it's heyday already. It's been washed in the washing machine countless times and I STILL wear it, occasionally.

This is it.

See?

It's just an old men's Hane's brand T-shirt.

Here's a close up of the lace.

It's beaded.

Keep in mind this had been washed a million times.

In case you were wondering how I attached the lace to my T-shirt.

I simply baste stitched it on.

Here's a close up of the basting for you.

See?

Easy, easy, easy!!!

If you are interested in more clothing items with tatting on them, check out these three shirts that Melissa has done over at Honey Bee's Bliss. Click on the following numbers to see her shirts with tatting on them...1...2...3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also wanted to thank Marie Antoinette for including

me on her blog for an award and a tag.

Marie Antoinette awarded me the Arte Y Pico Award.

Marie Antoinette is fairly new to blogging. She makes

beautiful dolls. Her blog whispers of the old southern hospitality and charm.

You just might enjoy her blog if you take a peak sometime.

I'll add your name next to the award I already have on my blog, Marie.

Thank you! :)

Thank you once again for visiting my corner of blogger land. I always appreciate your visits and lovely comments. I enjoy the online comeraderie with all of you.

Last, but not least...

Happy Friendship Day!

:)

xoxo,

TattingChic

p.s. ummm....actually Friendship Day was yesterday in Argentina,

so I hope you'll forgive the faux pas.

Happy Belated Friendship Day!

oopsy! ;)

A Tatted Pillow to Cushion the Blow

Have you ever had a time when life seemed to keep dealing you one blow after another? Where it seemed that maybe if you could cover your body and mind in pillows maybe the blows wouldn't be quite so HARD. What sort of pillows would you use? Well, my friends, mine would be covered in tatting. Much like this one.

Side view of Tatted Pillow Designed by TattingChic.


Some people THRIVE in the face of adversity....I tat.


Yes, you heard me right, I tat. I do that soul saving activity second only to prayer and other such spiritual rituals...tatting. Few things are more calming, more peace-giving, or mind-salvaging than the friend I've found in tatting. I thought I'd share the latest thing I've managed to dig out of my tatting closet. It's this pillow I designed and tatted about 15 years ago. I borrowed a motif from a vintage pattern book and designed an edging to complement the frilly motif to go around the pillow. I've taken a close-up of the edging for you to see below.


Close-up of Tatted Edging Designed by TattingChic

The latest blow to come about in my life that caused all these philosophical ramblings about pillows and needing cushions and protections was this....

this piece of paper says it all:


This is what the Insurance Inspector stamped on an important piece of paper after coming out to look at my car yesterday. The "collision" happend last week. In the rain...which rendered one of my favorite sayings in times of trial and tribulation completely null and void. That saying is, "Well, it could be worse...it could be raining!" This is usually followed by a cheesy grin flashed in hopes of lightening the mood of whatever disaster is going on...but seeing as both I and the guy involved in the collision were both standing in the rain exchanging insurance info it seemed to be a mute point. At least he was kind, the insurance people were kind. We won't say anymore about my sad car or other happenings because you know what they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words" I'll spare you the "woah is me" story going on in my life right now...just know I could use a few more pillows right now. How about you?

Okay, so enough about that....Let's take one more look at some pretty tatting HEAD-ON (not like my collision which was rear-end...lol)

Well, that's all the tatting I have to share for you here today. I hope you enjoyed crashing over here for a while. And here's hoping you travel safely wherever you may roam today be it by foot, bicycle, automobile, or surfing the internet, or here in Cali...surfing the waves... May no one wipeout today.

Comments and newcomers are always welcome and appreciated. Happy tatting and safe traveling wherever you may go!

Hats Off to Tatting!

Have you ever started out on a journey with a destination in mind only to end up someplace completely different, yet gloriously so? Well, that's not far from what happened in the journey of making this little hat. It was intended as a baby bonnet from an old Workbasket pattern. I'd made this particular bonnet before so I thought nothing of making it again.
The interesting thing is that I was going through a particularly rough patch in life at the time so my tension for the first several rounds was tighter than the rest...lol...I hadn't realized it until someone walked by and said, "What's that ya tattin' now? A hat?" After I got over feeling insulted that it wasn't obviously a baby bonnet, I realized it really was a cute little hat...with the lip being straight as a plane where it should have bowled with the rest of the "bonnet".
So, I went with the pleasant little "mistake". I stopped tatting any more rounds on the bonnet and stiffened it with fabric stiffener, glued up part of the lip, embellished it with ribbons and dried flowers and Voila'! I had "designed" a tatted hat...lol

I sometimes wonder if other designers have a serendipitous moment such as this.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I enjoy reading each and everyone of your comments.

TattingChic Around the House, Part III

Hello, Here's a little more tatting around the house. This is a little something just for spring, though. On the photo to your right is a tatted ornament I made many years ago. Below it to the left of the ceramic bunny is a tatted egg I designed. The small wreath ornament has a permanent place on my lamp, but the egg gets to come out every spring. I have a few holiday tatted items that come out once a year to add some of their tatted loveliness. It's so fun to dress them up and make them into an ornament or something.

Here's a closeup of the egg. It's one of my designs. Someday I will diagram my patterns, but for now, a pic is what ya get. If it enlarges, you see my horrid practice I had over 17 years ago of adding a tiny, tiny drop (on a pinpoint, mind you) of superglue to the ends. Oh, it has worked beautifully at keeping the ends from undoing themselves, but the discolored spots are there to stay. All I can say is THANK HEAVENS for Magic Thread. A friend from my lace guild taught me how a few years ago. I will never ruin my tatting with that (the glue) again. The egg was tatted with size 40 ecru thread that I bought in a dusty box from an antique store when I was 19. I was soooo excited about that find. This was back before the internet and where I lived it was impossible to find tatting thread.
Next is a closeup of the tatted ornament I made. It once had dried white german statice flowers and the dried roses were once much pinker. It is over 15 years old now so over time the white flowers have crumbled off and the dried roses have lost their color, but the tatting is just as vibrant and strong as it was when I tatted it. I made 12 of them to sell as Christmas ornaments at a Christmas boutique the year they were made. All of them sold except for three. So, two were given as gifts and I kept this one. I don't give a lot of tatting away nor have I sold before or since.

This one has graduated from Christmas ornament to permanent lamp ornament. I don't care how old and faded the flowers are, the tatting is what I love about it.

Thank you for letting me share some of my tatting around my house with you. This concludes my 3 part series of "TattingChic Around the House". Thanks for reading!

TattingChic Around the House, Part II

Here's another doily laying around the house in it's natural habitat. It spends it's days lazing underneath the weight of a flower arrangement on my dining room table. This one I made myself. Just for the record, I don't think that doilies are bad per se. I've even been known to make them now and then even as a teenager. Okay...but enough about that, cuz I want to show you guys the whole uncovered doily.

Domestic tatted doily (tattica domestica) in it's natural habitat

This one is from the book "The Tatter's Treasure Chest" Ed. by Mary Carolyn Waldrep. It's called Jasmine and it's found on pages 58-59. It's a pretty simple pattern done in size 10 so it worked up really fast.

Jasmine Tattica Domestica

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more on "TattingChic Around The House". Be sure to fill out the poll at the bottom of the page if you haven't already and, as always, I really enjoy all your comments. I have really enjoyed blogging...Thanks to you guys...and you know who you are...you tatters, you...(and non-tatters, too).

TattingChic Around the House, Part I

People have often asked me, "So, since you're really into crochet (yes they call tatting "crochet") you probably have lots of doilies all over your house, don't you?". I often respond with something like, "Doilies? Oh, NO, doilies are for grandma's." Not that there's ANYTHING wrong with being a grandma, mind you. "No, I don't have doilies all over my house, ewww." So, while I thought about what to post today as proof that I am a tatter and in going through my house I realized, "OH MY GOSH, I have doilies all over my house!" Just kidding, folks, I only have two laying out and about so that doesn't constitute ALL OVER the house, but it's enough to make me wonder, "Just how in touch with my "inner grandma" am I getting?" So, for now, let's put that depressing thought aside and get into the good stuff... the TATTING.

For instance, let's look at this beauty above to the left. That is a fabulous find I got at an antique store a few years ago. It was tagged "crochet doily $25.00". Can you believe it? I can't remember which I was more insulted over, the fact that it was labelled "crochet" or the fact that such a painstakingly, time consuming, rare, handmade beauty was being touted for sale so cheaply. I simply had to rescue it. On the other hand I jumped for joy at the rare find and after making the purchase let the shop owner know that not only was this not crochet, but she could have sold it for a lot more. Was that wrong, I ask? Don't answer that...

This is a very victorian pattern found in the book, "Tatting Designs from Victorian Lace Craft" Ed. by Jules & Kaethe Kliot. In the 2nd edition book it can be found on pg 9 entitled "Fig. 26 Centerpiece". (It's also in the first edition.) So let's take a look at it uncovered.

My Little Treasure

That book (1st edition) was the first tatting book I ever bought. I was 15 and I saved all my babysitting money for weeks to purchase it and I had to talk my mother into driving me to the next town ( the only town for miles with a needlework shop) to purchase it. I told myself "Someday, I'm gonna tat that doily." Heh heh heh, and now I don't have to, lucky me. It looks like it was done with size 30 ecru thread and measures 18 inches across from tip to tip. The interesting thing about this doily is that it is a doily that consists solely of rings. There is not a chain on the whole thing. Can you imagine all the work that went into this thing? Wow! It blows my mind. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

closeup of the doily's center

closeup of doily's edge

I often wonder about the person who made it and what she must have been like...and how did such a little treasure end up in an antique store? How could someone possibly let a gem like this slip out of their hands? Some unknowing relative who inherited it, perhaps? Maybe they thought it was just another one of "Aunt Emma's" silly doilies and took it to the antique store just to get rid of it. I'm sure glad they did, because I certainly get a lot of pleasure out of having this treasure in my home to enjoy. It certainly has been fun sharing it with all of you today. Stay tuned...as there is more to come on this multi-part series on "TattingChic around the house".

Thank you for stopping by my little blog today, your comments are always welcome and appreciated. Be sure to fill out the poll at the bottom of the page.

A pattern for this doily can also be found online here (Page 9, fig. 26)