Oh! so old!

I have been so busy lately, I haven't had time for much blogging.

BUT I promised myself that I would show you this before it was too late.

My grandson is being Christened on Saturday and I have been preparing...no not tatting.. I tatted the bootees before he was born, you can go and have a look at them here. he may wear them if they fit him or they may become part of my Christening heirloom.
Oh heck lets show them here too, you can see lots more photos and helpful hints on making them back in my blog posts on babies.



I also made her a Wedding hankie and the instructions as to how to make it into a bonnet but i don't think she was too keen to risk damaging her hankie.




Mt father was born in 1906 and I have the gown in which he was Christened. Pretty cool you say! yes VERY COOL.....It has been suggested that I make an underskirt and embroider on it the names and dates of all who have been Christened in it.
Isn't that a wonderful idea.....just need the time and some really nice fine cotton material...and the inclination to do it. My best mate said that she would do the embroidery on her machine.

Trying to work out actually who had been Christened in it...well my dad was the eldest of three boys so I guess that's 3 for that generation, could be more and I will never know now.

I was the last of my generation to be Christened in it preceeded by my three brothers, the first two of whom died as babies...I will never know how my parents got over that loss..things which would have been easy to cure today. Well I wouldn't have been here if they had lived.

My two children were both Christened in it, the last being some 33 years ago and now it goes into a 4th generation.

I asked the ones who know these things at my lace guild if they thought that it had been new in 1906....and they thought yes. Some of the lace is machine made but the embroidery is made by hand.

You want to see some photos???? of course you do.



This shows the detail of the bodice...all hand embroidered. the fine cotton is beginning to pull away from the braid...so I decided that I would line the top to reinforce it and help tp take some pressure off the material. I found a fine handerkerchief belonging appropriately to my dad and used that.

The stitching was so neat on the inside that I photographed it before I covered it up.



At some time in the past the bodice has been shortened (you can see on the photo above) but I will keep it that way.



The skirt is done with panels of lace set between panels of pintucking, ending with tow deep frills of lace.



I liked the patchwork quilt as a background but maybe this will give you more idea of size if I lay it out on the bed.



But even better still is to show you some photos of it in action.

First my daughter in 1972....



them my son in 1975 it's last outing.





Isn't that just stunning.

After the repairs I soaked it in Steradent....used for whitening false teeth, as the lace guild say that is the best way to whiten old lace with out harsh detergents. Ironed gently and wrapped in acid free tissue paper will it get an outing on Saturday or not.

Is it bad to risk damaging an anique or should it continue to do what it was designed to do. Will it fit him, and how/where would we dress him as it has never had to face the thought of being strapped into a baby car seat..an impossible feat I think.

Last snowflake!!

I am sooh, sooh behind in my blog posting I have been working so hard these last few weeks on revamping my guest bedrooms that I haven't had time to do anything else. I had intended to get back to dyeing thread...but no time so far and the weather has been far too foul to be going outside into the 'Dyeing Studio'.

I had been fascinated by all the photos of Ruth Perry's Celtic Snowflake that I saw before Christmas but it looked far too hard!!

But of course when I finally did try it it wasn't difficult at all, but you really do need to concentrate or there will be a lot of untatting to do. By the time I had made it three times it was a doddle.

First try in white in cheap thread, size 20 took 6.5m on Sh1 and 10.25m on Sh2...you may need more.





The next two were made in Altin Basak vareigateds size 50 equivalent to a 30, took 6m on Sh1 and 9.5 on Sh2.




Very pretty colours but mmm! looks like some orange scarf fibres snuck in there, either that or it was the orange I had been eating...memo to self...be more careful!



My favorite is this one my final attempt.





Thank you Ruth for such a lovely pattern.

This is my last snowflake for a while...I have set myself another challenge to tat every pattern from another book.

Post Christmas blues..and reds..and greens..

Christmas is officially over in my house, all the family left on sunday after a hectic fun filled two weeks. Yesterday was 12th night..celebrated here as 'Women's little Christmas' when all the exhausted women go out and have a hooley!!

So now today the decorations are taken down.

My Irish Bear Thomas Brown..pronounced Thom-aaaw-s was very unhappy about having to give up his finery.



He sat next to the silver tree watching it all the time, now that has gone too, packed up into the roof space.

The tatting tree count goes as follows

Icicles....................................................1
Fishes(Ichthus'ssss so looked Christmasy to me!)....4
Candy canes.........................................6
Angels..............................................8
Baubles ...........................................10
Snowflakes in bangles..............................12
2 colour snowflakes................................14
Rainbow Bright snowflakes..........................28
Traditional white snowflakes.......................59

Making a grand total of 142 tatted pieces. gosh and there is a pile of snowflakes that didn't make it to the tree.




Ok so you want to know how the baby is doing!

He wasn't overly impressed by all the Christmas stuff but he is such a good natured happy baby that he took it all in his stride.



I didn't get a good photo of him in his Reindeer suit or his Santa baby outfit...but he did look so cute when he put his denims and hoody on, trying to be as trendy as his uncle.



At 9 weeks old he can't do much more than flay his arms around, but his favorite pleasure is to lie on his playmat looking up into his mirror and chortling away at the strange laughing baby that he sees.



The weather stayed dry the whole time but was pretty cold with that nasty east wind, but we did manage to get out with him...and he slept through it all.

Two more from my tree.

These two were made several years ago, so maybe it's time for them to shine.

The pattern is by Wally Sosa 2003, called Fluffy Snowflake.

I tatted this in size 10 Flora in yellow and white with fluffy picots. This one measures 4 inches.

The fluffy picots are lovely.





Then in size 20 Flora in red and white with short uncut picots. This measures 3 1/4 inches.





Thread details for you...

Size 10
Round 1, Sh (yellow) 4metres, ball (white) 3/4 metre 1 in/25mm picot gauage (when open).
Round 2. Sh (yellow) 3 metres, ball (White) 5 metres

Size 20,
Round 1. Sh (red) 3 m, ball (white) 3/4m...picots 10mm..open.
Round 2. Sh (red) 2m, ball (white) 3.5m

This pattern is well worth revisiting.

Look what I got!! All things American!

HAPPY NEW YEAR


Last year I told you about my friend Kat who got 'katrinad' and sent us Bookmarkers made from Katrina survivor beads.

Well this year she is back into beading and sent the most beautiful Christmas gifts that I have to show you.

We all got decorations to hang on the treee...or maybe even on us..well me anyway not sure the lads would!!



The box is 3 1/4 inches square to give you an idea of size.

Made in silver and swarovski crystals I wish I could show you how they sparkle...maybe if i show them hanging with a light shining on them...









I was also lucky enough to get a necklace and earring set to die for! It's beautiful.



The butterfly is mother of pearl.

Also in the package were two other necklaces...I am not even going to try to explain who they were for!! you just wouldn't believe me!!



Hematite danglies on a lovely sparkly, stretchy 'chain'...... well the intended recipent lent me her heart necklace for New Years Eve and it was the best match ever for my new party dress...black with loads of beading in black silver and haematite.


Oh! I almost forgot! ..every year she send me some quarters, for more reasons than one!! The last time I was in the states I happened across a collectors album for the Commemorative Quarters of the United States 1999 to 2008. For anyone who doesn't know...five states issued commemorative quarters each year so 2008 saw the final ones being issued.The new quarters were issued in the order that the States ratified the Constitution or joined the Union. Very interesting to me.

Well being a Collector how could I resist and so I fitted in to the holes the ones that I found on that visit and Kat has been sending one ones she has found since.
This year she sent two from 2008...Arizona and Oklahoma. Montana from 2007 Nevada from 2006, West Virginia from 2005 and Alabama from 2003.



Thank you so much Kat my friend, you really are a star!