Carnations & Wild Cherries

Hello everyone!  Two months have already passed since my last post... where does the time go?  I hope you are all keeping well.

I'm still working on the edging from the previous post but yesterday I saw Marilee's new carnation pattern so I decided to give it a try.  This was good exercise as I must admit I'd not made folded rings before or used a third shuttle to make petals as in this pattern (great idea!).  Thanks Marilee for a lovely pattern!

I made some mistakes in the first one (top left) so I made it a second time in different colours.  A very pretty flower that's quick to make to decorate a card for example.  You could also hang them from ear wires for a nice pair of earrings.

This weekend I also discovered something I didn't know:  wild cherries are edible!  Seems silly but although I've walked passed wild cherry trees on my walks in the local fields for many years, I always assumed (I don't know why?!) that they were inedible.  Armed with that new knowledge, I hurried over to the fields to collect some - I love gifts of nature like that.

It didn't take me long to fill my container.

What took much longer though... was stoning them!

The cherries are small so it's a bit of a fiddly job,

and there were so many!!

But it was well worth it

as I now have several pots of wild cherry jam.

Delicious.

Best wishes,

Frivole

A Bit of Tatting

While sorting some things out, I found this edging I'd started a while ago.  It's the one shuttle edging which I've used once before for a hanky I gave away as a gift.  I now have another (similar) hanky and thought I'd try to tat a bit more of it.  The last time was a more bluey-green and this time is a more zingy green!

I'll try to be reasonable and only do a little bit at a time... to try not to irritate my silly elbow again!!  I do like a one-shuttle edging, very relaxing to work.  And I designed a corner for this one too so if you want a simple edging for a project, maybe you'll fancy trying it.  I even have a video on YouTube that demonstrates how to make it.

This nice green reminds me of all the fresh shoots and new leaves growing all around at the moment. It's a lovely time of year, nature-wise.

Best wishes,

Frivole

Sewing & Spool Pin Doilies

Hello everyone!  I hope you are all keeping well in these difficult times  As I still have problems with my elbow, preventing me from tatting for any length of time.. I thought I'd get my sewing machine out for a change.  I have a modern machine but particularly love my 1913 treadle Singer.  What a joy it is to use!

My friend Megan had recently showed my her new spool pin doily she'd made which was sewn like a mini patchwork (a Dresden Spool Pin Doily).  It's really pretty and I thought I'd make myself one...  then while searching for the pattern, I found Diane's spool pin doily pattern!  What a surprise find.  Thank you Diane!

Yes, crocheting one would be so quick.  I set to work straight away.  Diane's is the one top right... and then I played around and made two more, slightly smaller.  As well as the treadle, I have a hand-crank machine too so I put a little doily on each.

I had not sewn for ages and really enjoyed making myself a new summer dress as well as making two pouches/bags using scraps of fabric and with Caroline's patterns from the blog "SewCanShe".  She has many free patterns for bags and totes.

What projects are keeping you busy at the moment?

Best wishes,
Frivole

Fleurette - Tatting Day!

I made a new video yesterday:  it shows how to make this vintage edging which I like a lot and have made several times.  This pattern can be found in lots of old publications; I have just re-written it (with my slightly amended stitch count) to make it more easily accessible to tatters.  I also designed a corner for it and gave it a name because in most books it didn't have one or else it just had a number or something.  Fleurette, meaning "little flower" seemed like a good name!

Anyway, tatting some samples for my video reminded me how much I like this simple edging which looks so pretty with a variegated thread for the flowers.

My elbow is still causing me problems so I cannot do a lot of tatting but I do enjoy the little bits wherever I can!

From left to right, the Lizbeth colours for the edged place mat are Spring Green & Tropical Punch; then it's Green Orchid Med with Easter Eggs and lastly Leaf Green Med with Juicy Watermelon.

I hope the little flowers cheer you up like they did me.  Oh, I'd not realised today was International Tatting Day!  It's an even better occasion to share this vintage pattern again then.  Happy tatting!

Best wishes,
Frivole

Still Working Large Scale

Yes, at the moment, my projects continue to involve working with large-scale tatting.  I have now 3D-printed myself a modified shuttle that has a bobbin!  I'm very happy with it and it has improved the speed at which I can work the large lace.

I've also continued working on lace tiles.  Here is a second hexagon set.

I'm also testing squares.

These tiles are too thin and have warped but I like 

how the lace design shows on them.

I'm going to test again with that particular glaze.

And finally, a couple of mugs.

I'm still enjoying learning to throw on the pottery wheel

and have a go whenever I have a bit of spare time.

I hope you are all keeping well and that you and yours are not affected by the current corona virus crisis.  Stay safe!

Best wishes,

Frivole

Only One Earring...

Sad.  Very sad.  My elbow was feeling better at last...  so I decided to tat a pair of earrings.  It's a slightly modified version of a pattern I purchased on Etsy.

I was so disappointed when I could feel the pain coming back even before I'd finished the first earring!  Tragic.  I won't be making the other earring for now.  Feeling rather despondent about that.

They are rather large for me and I was going to make a scaled down version of them next.  But no, it's not to be.  Tatting will have to wait yet longer.  

* Sad Face *

Best wishes,

Frivole

Blue Glazed Tiles

At last, they came back from the kiln!  Here is the first set of tiles, glazed in blue.

I think they look rather nice.  

The tatting pattern for those tiles was a motif that had been in my "box of bits" for a long time, I'd need to search my books to remember where it was from. 

I don't know why I'd not used one of my own patterns from the beginning so as soon as I made this first batch, I already wanted to use some of my snowflake patterns to make more moulds.  I used Ice Queen, Qanik, a version of Crystal Star I'd made at the testing stage, Astrila and Calixa for my new moulds.  They have now been bisque-fired and ready to use!  I'm hoping to go later this week and make new tiles with those moulds.

I might try a set of square tiles too.  The hexagons look great but you have the problem of not getting a straight line when you put them together so if you wanted to line a specific area, you might want to have little triangles and half tiles to fill the gaps?  

Best wishes,

Frivole