Stitched Cards, and my 500th post

Hi,

This is my 500th post,  I never thought when I started this blog I would ever write 500 posts,  I was going to do a giveaway but unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control and when I tell you about this week I hope you will understand this is the last thing on my mind at the moment.  Hopefully I can do a giveaway later in the year.

On Tuesday we travel to Sheffield, and on Wednesday morning at 7.30 I go into hospital for an eye operation.  Its not easy to go into details and I am sure some of you would feel a little queasy if I tell you the whole thing,  but to put in simple words I have a tumour behind my eye.   Only five to seven people in 1 million people get this.  Vernon is going to stay in the house for relatives until I can come home,   I will be in hospital for approximately five days.  He wont be able to touch me, as I will be radio active, so I told him he can throw things at me I wont mind,  of course it also means its a two way thing I can throw things back to him.

 Anyway back to the post,  these stitched cards are made using Star-form Stitching Peel off's,   I used metallic gold multi coloured thread and beads,
This is one it autumn leaves and acorns using gold thread, with a border down the side and bottom,  this is a close up of the card above.

 This is my take on an abstract vase of flowers,   I used three heart peel off's to make the vase,  the flowers are in red metallic thread with green metallic thread for the leaves and red beads

 This is a close up

 Another vase of flowers this time using a square peel off to look like a vase and again the flowers are in the same red metallic thread and beads,  and green metallic thread for the leaves

Close up of the card





These peel off's are great for quick stitching designs and can be played with to make various abstract designs, as well as interesting cards.  
I hope my next 500 posts will be as varied and as interesting as my last 500,   I one thing I enjoy with blogging its nice to show you different things and different crafting ideas.  I hope I can keep finding new things for the blog.
I hope you are having a lovely weekend,  I am not sure when I will post again but in the meantime take care,
                                  Hugs
                               Margaret 

1.4.14 International Tatting Day 21/25 motif challenge

Hi,

Yes today is International Tatting Day, I know its April fools day but to us tatters its our international tatting day,  a day when we tat in public and show off our work,   and I am hoping the sun will shine with this lovely pattern called "Cool" tatted sun from Nancy.
This is her free pattern for March which arrived in my inbox last week, link to her site.
I used Pineapple Parfait as it was on my shuttles and black both Lizbeth thread no 20.  The pattern said make random size picots on the outside chain,  I did two chains stopped went back to it and the rest ended up more of less the same size,  oh well it still looks good to me.
Have a lovely day and enjoy your tatting where ever you are, hope the sun is shining on you.
Until we meet again take care
                                   Hugs
                               Margaret

Happy Mother s Day, Marjorie's Angel 20/25 motif challenge

 Hi,
Happy Mother Day,
Here in the UK today is Mothers Day,  hopefully the weather will be as lovely as yesterday,  the sun was lovely although not very warm,  I took some photos of the flowers out in my garden but that's for a post another day.
I made this card for my mother, using some free papers from the Papercraft inspirations magazine added some roses and ribbon in a spray at the corner.
The main image is a tatted angel called Marjorie's Angel my Mothers name is Marjorie so I thought it was most fitting, which I used Pineapple Parfait Lizbeth thread no 20,   the pattern is one of Martha Ess, from Martha Tatting Blog blog link to her blog.   I rather like this pattern and have made two more as below.
I finished the card off with silver peel off's,  butterfly gems and a yellow bow in the same ribbon as in the spray.

This is another Marjorie's angel which I made in Christmas Green Mix no 20 Lizbeth thread

This Angel is made with Girly Girl thread again Lizbeth thread no 20 only when cutting off the thread after sewing it in I cut one of the picots by mistake.  Do I make another one or do I use it on a pin cushion? I have not yet blocked this angel so she looks a bit ruffled

All the angels halo's were done with Madeira silver thread.

 I am going in to see my Mother this afternoon,  she wont remember who I am and wont remember after I have left its Mothers Day,  I have brought her some flowers and a new top,  what do you give a mother who is in a nursing home.  I just hope the top fits.
Hope you have a great day,  until we meet again Take Care.
                                    Hugs
                                Margaret

Clowning around

Hi,
Did they say the sun would shine today,   funny its raining and has been most of the morning,  you can see the rain drops on the picture.
I made this back in the late 90's its from Anna Magazine but I can't remember which one and when I was sorting out the magazines the other day I did not find it,  when everything is over I will have another look for the pattern,  I want to keep the pattern not that I may never make another one but you never know.
It took a lot more ribbon then the pattern said,  each piece was folded and then pined into place, on a  polystyrene ring as the base.    I brought a lilac piece of cotton and covered the top around down to the side and sewed that into place and then put the clown in to sit on the side.  The clown was brought at Cheddar Gorge in Somerset.   Then I added a thin piece of ribbon to hang it from and the ribbon then comes down the side in loops.   I know it took many hours of work.  Its been on my bedroom wall since and  is still is over my dressing table today.
I wont be blogging very often over the next few weeks,   I have a serious operation to go though on my eye, so if you don't see about much I will catch up with your blog when I can.  
Until we meet again take care,  
                             Hugs
                         Margaret

Happy St Patricks Day

Hi,                                                                                               Happy St Patricks Day,   this is one of the first pieces of tatting I have done since my accident,  its not perfect,  I am trying to do a little bit each day even if its only a clover leaf.   This is a pattern by Mariya Davydova  the link I have to her blog  is mariyas-tatting-blogspot.com,  it did not work when I tried it but it might work for you.  She called the pattern clover and was done with four leaves but as you can see by the picture on the left  it did not lay right so I did another one with three leaves as above.  Nice pattern and easy to do.

I used Lizbeth thread no 20 Christmas Green mix.  I know it looks the wrong green for a clover leaf but I had this on the shuttle.  Lovely to be tatting again but the pain after a while, so for the time being just small pieces until my fingers get back to normal.
We got back over the weekend,  but I will have to go back up to Sheffield again very soon,  we had bad news this time and it's just a question of getting our heads around it. More about it later in the week,  if you don't get a comment on your blog rest assured I am with you in spirt.

                           Hugs

                        Margaret

My favorite advert

Hi,

This is a scheduled post as I am going away for a few days,   so while I am away I am leaving you with my favorite advert.
 I had a talking budgie called Sandy,  we then got a Lhasa Apso dog called Happy, he called her his big pussy.  He used to walk around on her head and then get under her long fur and flap his wings as she walked around.  The things that bird did to Happy had to be seen to be believed, he would sit with her, she never hurt him and they were the best of friends,     anyway this is the advert link   please enjoy.
See you soon take care
                        Hugs
                    Margaret

Tatted Window Decoration

Hi,

Oh what a beautiful day today,  the sun is shining,  clear blue sky,   and its warm.   We have had a mild winter and the wettest on record,  for months it rained sometime every day,  these last few days have been fine.  The levels are going down but there is still a large area flooded,  some of residents have at least be able to get back and see their homes while others where the water has gone down are beginning the clean up,  it could be 9 to 12 months before they can live in their homes again.   Hopefully if we can get a dry week we might be able to cut the lawn,  its going to take a while for the garden to completely dry out.   In the meantime we can enjoy the spring weather.

A few weeks ago I found this tatted window decoration,  which I tatted years ago,  I gave it a wash,  its seen better days but its still all in one piece.

Its from Anna Magazine May 1992,  every May they did a tatting course and this was the course for the year they called Blossoms and Tendrils for a basket of flowers.   The basket and the handle are done with split rings,  with the flower motifs  they were all sewn on individually onto the net and I added some beads in the middle of the flowers.  I think I might have used coats white thread no 20,  but it was so long ago I can't remember.
I hope you are having a lovely weekend and enjoying this beautiful weather.   (Sorry Fox I know you are a bit cold, with snow in Canada, hopefully your spring will come soon)
                                Hugs
                            Margaret.