If you remember, a little while ago I showed you the wonderful beaded shuttle bag Marie Smith had sent me as a gift. Of course, I HAD to know how to make them! Marie kindly shared the pattern with me. And the pictures just don't do them justice: these little bags are so wonderfully textured with the roundness of the beads that you have to hold one between your fingers to get how great they are.
I started tatting one straight away but wasn't happy with the first. So these are the second and third bags I've done. The grey-blue one still doesn't have its drawcord done.
Here's a close-up that better shows the beadwork.
I made a different ruffle on the blue-grey and will
probably make a different tassel for the drawcord too.
I love these bags and the bead technique would look nice for other projects too (brain cogs in motion...).
Yes, the same Marie of Marie Smith's Split Chain Method - now known to me as "The Wonderful Marie"... has sent me something in the post. And what a beautiful surprise it was! She had told me of her beaded shuttle bags and shown me some pictures and even explained to me how they are made. But it's nothing compared to how lovely this little bag is in real life! It looks and even feels amazing. This one is tatted in silk and has a gorgeous sheen and soft quality and it looks just incredible with the iridescent beads. She had previously asked me what colours I like and the little bag is a perfect shade of pale greeny-blue (perhaps it looks more blue in the photos than IRL), just the kind of colour that appeals to me.
I'm totally enamoured with it!
Slightly darker photo with shuttle peaking out of it.
And there are hundreds of beads in this little bag,
Along my cybertravels (I do a lot of travelling), I found a video entitled "Cadena Dividida - Método de Marie Smith". Upon watching said video, I realised that this method was MUCH better than what I had tried to do in the past. I didn't like split chains. No, I didn't like split chains. But after learning this new method, I do!
Unconnected, I ended up exchanging many messages with the wonderful Marie Smith until I eventually realised she was the same Marie Smith of the Split Chain method I'd seen and she was happy for me to make a video of her clever method. What's particularly great about this method is that it works whether you do traditional or front-side/back-side tatting. The movements are just reversed.
Although the available video is very good, I still felt that by making another, it would help to widen exposure to Marie's method. Also the title of the other video is in Spanish which means that people searching for "Split Chain" won't be able to find it. And one more thing: the video doesn't show both ways of making the chain. Great video nonetheless, thank you to the maker for enabling me to discover this method and to Marie for coming up with it! I love it.
Here is the first video for those who tat using the traditional method:
(ie. always starting elements with the first half of the double stitch)
If you click on the YouTube logo above, you will
be able to watch the video in larger format.
And here is the second video for those who prefer to tat FSBS:
If you click on the YouTube logo above, you will
be able to watch the video in larger format.
Perhaps tatters already know this method but it's certainly new to me. Let me know if you were using it already or what you think of it if it's new to you as well!
