Japanese Cameo With Tatted Frame

I love the little printed fabrics and this seems to help exaggerate the individual beauty.

Start with a frame that is tatted, then make the oval or square at least 1/4 inch larger than the very center.

With a quick running stitch around the oval ...

this makes a cup like shape, helps turn ends under.

Sewing down her face( leaving room to stuff slightly), and after sewing the frame, it seemed empty at top corners.
Now to add something pretty!

12 rings in a row, 4  rings six double stitches and 3Rs eight ds, and 5Rs ten ds leave long thread to sew down with beads. 

I sewed bead on then wrapped the rings around.

I still felt I needed filigree, and so I added it with a "wrapped back stitch".

this is actually another "Needle Book" " ATC "
Sorry, in case you were wondering, it is not my portrait :)

Finished, Under the African Sky, and ATC

I am happy :)
Was a fine Read from Jane McLellan

I did have a after thought of keeping her green trees green and the color green is important, but I do have a green table:)
What colors will you pick mmmmm?

I did connect the to red rings that go in between the animals because the last row seemed to have a slight ruffle, not sure why.

I also finish up another the Artist Trading Card, I love this little doll.

I enjoy the needle book that morphed from this trading card!

Under The African Sky

I think tatting a doily is like reading a good book! I loved the beginning and and the build up to the little animals.
This picture is the last one made and I felt comfortable with hiding the knot and the starting the leg. 

I enjoyed making these cute little guys, I tie them off with sewing needle and I know it is weird but it takes 12 mins to tie off three of them :)
 I am not a fan of this chain linking and black is hard to see, but they were kind of addictive somehow.

And now the hot red ground under the feet, I chose to do the Fox thing, and add a beads to head of the little critters. 

I am at last chapter of this little doily book and I learned quite a bit about the author too, at least I would like to think so, how talented she is and how she designed this beautiful doily with many elements and techniques that tatting has to offer.  

I hide my threads this way at beginning of split rings and this was a mistake and I can undo a ring but prefer to cut and tie on I feel it looks neater.
Thank you :)  Janemactats her wonderful pattern can be found here 

Humming Bird Update and More on Fair tatting

Our humming birds fight with each other, over our feeder, but this one got out of hand!
we were inside and herd a little thump on the window. 

We ran outside and under the rocking chair knocked out, with feet up in air twitching, was this little fellow.
My husband picked him up and blew cool air on little bird.
 Like picture below he did not look good, we felt horrible.

 He opened his mouth and eyes, I ran and got the camera, and after 10 minutes  he opened his wings and laid there for another five opening and closing his eyes and I put camera down. 

He finally stood up and chirped a tiny chirp.  I have to say these are clear pictures and he is a beautiful creature.

He then hoovered and flew away.  They have got to stop this fighting it is too stressful on me :)

Some phone pictures of fair and tatting

I have seen this pattern somewhere, and her name was covered very pretty though!

Some Items at the fair, one other tatting piece is midway down right side in red!

They told me that her baby bonnet would have taken first place but she entered it in wrong category!
Her first name is Mary and they said mine was not soft enough thread, but I was the only entry in bonnets, so I got the first place.

I thought of Margarets Designer Cards and Marianne's when I saw this which said " My husband said it was either him or scrap-booking.... so I took pictures of him packing and made the cutest pages!
The card were not like you-alls so I didn't post them :)

Fun To Trade and Got back From The Fair!

Had a wonderful time opening up this treasure from Ninetto's
Chiacchierion Facilissimo!

we talked months ago and we finally got around to a swap:)
her blog is here

Her tatting is also very fine and delicate, like many tatters out there, this is wonderful to see in person and these beads are special I have never seen some with two holes, my mind is racing with possibilities:)
I love boats, and this is hand painted scene is on papyrus paper! There is silk thread (never tired silk before!) antique and some on a yellow shuttle that will now become apart of my collection too!
I am enjoying and having fun! Thank you!

I know you have seen the doily and collar before:)
I removed the collar from my dress to enter in the fair
and with Renulek's patterns both items won me first place
Thank You :)

Does any one recognize this bonnet?  It is from "Tatting Patterns" by Julia Sanders.
Even though this pattern is 99 years old this Julia or a friend did a first place job on this pattern it looks well fitted too.
I did get pictures of the fair items and will show them shortly was done with different camera, and have to figure out how to place it here!

Dog Tired, and Proud!

She has been very patience waiting on me,
My little Blackbeary :) Oh yea and my husband in the background.

And that is a little smirk I see, we are getting closer to those little black animals that adorn the bottom, and almost last round of  "Under The African Sky" by Jane McLellan 

here I am becoming a pro at this interlocking rings thing.  I think I do this a little differently but it works.

Some one went to tat days and I couldn't wait till she got back so I started this one shuttle pattern with out her.
Her Blog click here!

It is done with one shuttle and it's just rings, It is like a spiders web in size 50.
this is step one. 

and how you start round two 

the next round gets confusing, so I added water and pinned out and let dry so it wont twist up!

Now on to next round. Hope this turns out!

African Doily and The Bird of Phoenix

After my first successful  interlocking rings, I was so excited to start the next three rounds.
I wanted an African "sunset" theme.
Jane McLellan's doily found here 

This round was fun, like Celtic weaving but way less stressful :)

Here is how it will be placed in, when I finish the red round.

Speaking of the Sun, below is a bird,  a town in Arizona named 
itself for call Phoenix, nonnatives came to this desert to farm and found past ancient peoples remnants of an irrigation systems, and  thought this name was very suitable. 

This is a shirt I sketched out and embroidered over 30 years ago for my husband , my youngest son is wearing it now. 
I made another of this for my eldest son, who loved it and borrowed this a lot in high school.

This is the Bird of  Phoenix, we met in Arizona this is where I was first introduced to the wonderful creature.  I love my husband and felt I had found Phoenix then, I love all the stories and meanings of this bird some are told here
All cultures that have stories on this bird are beautiful and refreshing to read.
I like the stories, some tell of capacity of vision, and virtues, and peace.

My Interlocking Rings, need work!

I decided to make Jane McLellan's  "Under The African Sky" doily and need to practice my connecting rings, I even broke a thread.

Even my little dog was surprised, All I needed to do was mark with a little safety pin the last one I made, but I was so excited that they were coming along fine, like a crazy person I just kept going.
Tomorrow is another day.

I was sent this splendid picture by Ninetta called "Unripened Strawberry" she mentioned this technique might also make a good cacti,  I think she is on to something :)
She has a wonderful blog and patterns too, found here!