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All the photographs have been taken by myself including those of holiday.

Sunday 30 March 2014

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

Sunday 23 March 2014

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

Monday 17 March 2014

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


Wednesday 12 March 2014

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

Sunday 9 March 2014

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.  

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Pincushions Part Two


Hi,
Here is part two,   another two pincushions using up pieces of tatting,  they are made from felt.

This blue one I used up a snowflake that did not hang right,  the chains in parts crossed,  I used Lizbeth thread no 20,  so I sewed it on and added blue beads,  they don't show up very well but they are there,  I added a white bow.
It looks a bit out of position in the picture,  but its not that far out of position.  I can't remember which snowflake this is but I am sure someone will recognize it.
This yellow pincushion has a green tatted strip for grass using Flora no 20, some white flowers made from odd bits left on the shuttles Lizbeth thread no 20 seed bead in the middle.
The Sunbonnet Sue Motif designed by Darlene Polachic was tatted with white and Christmas thread Lizbeth no 20.  I added a small butterfly in the corner. I do like this little motif and adding a few flowers makes her look like shes in a garden.  Below a close up.

I have started another one and I will show you that one when I have finished, my box of bits is looking a little less now,   which is good gives me room to make more when I start tatting and using up the odd thread from the shuttles.   In the meantime until we meet again Take care.
                             Hugs
                         Margaret

Sunday 2 March 2014

Pincushions part one


Hi,
As I write this its raining and blowing a gale,   what's another drop of water when we have so much,  every day since the 12th December its rained, it rains at some point of every day.  How do I know its the 12th December thats the day Vernon got his new shed.   Its the wettest winter for 250 years,  it just keeps on coming across the Atlantic on the jet stream,   I watched a programme on TV last night about battered Britain the damage to the coastline in the South is massive.  This is one winter that won't be forgotten for many years to come.
Anyway to today I have something new to show you,   Carollyn started me off,  shes been making pincushions.  I can hold the material in my bad hand and sew with my right,  it was not easy at first but got easier, as I made them.  Link to Carollyns Blog
The blue one was my first,  picture above,    I know its not perfect stitching around the sides,  well not my usual standard.  I used up some of my tatting bits to make the decoration,   This one had a piece of snowflake I found,  usually odd bits that go wrong are thrown but some how this bit stayed and went in the box.   I had some blue 3d flowers, added some white ribbon and did some embroidery trails,  plus a few gold beads. Close up of the spray 
This yellow one was next,  a piece of tatting which was going to be a square motif, never got finished.  tatted in Lizbeth thread no 20, a small piece of green ribbon and a 3d flower in the middle,  and I put a bead in the middle.
The flowers were tatted with Turkish Oren Bryan Perle no 8 thread,  they were tatted with thread left on the shuttles sometime ago for something else I was going to do.  A close up below.

Its been nice to use up bits of tatting,  they were stuffed with toy stuffing,  after the the blue one I decided to stitch inside,  it worked out better,  it was good to try and make something ok they are not perfect but it was good exercise for the hand.    I hope you like them.   I have made two more which I will show you in a couple of days,   I did try a little tatting the other day,  painful but I managed a butterfly,  its a start back to full recovery.   Hopefully I can try knitting this week.  Anyway enough of my waffle hope you are having a nice weekend.
                         Hugs
                     Margaret