Yah! I passed!

After I left the clinic yesterday Hafeez (our clinic director) checked the mail and called to tell me I got a package from Montana. I didn't know what it was so I asked him to open it. Once he told me there was tatting in there I knew it was my marked TAT phase 1.
Since I couldn't wait until today I asked him to look through the package and see what was there. He found the certificate that says I passed the TAT Phase 1. Yay!
This morning I read it over and the comments were very consistent and helpful. A big THANK-YOU to the ladies who take time out of their busy days to organize and mark my package. Also thanks for the tips, I will be reading them over a few times now and in the future.


Now onto phase 2...

Different on the outside

I seem to be stuck in a rut because I did the SAME center as last time but with a different outside round. Somehow it feels done but not yet done. Does that make sense? Like it can become something more or bigger or maybe I just don't know what I'm going to do with it. The thread is Sherry's Autumn medley and Middle earth.

This heart was done in Granny Delicious. If you look at the arches of the heart you'll see that they're ruffled.

I got this effect by doing an altered Victorian set (spiral chain). The left side is done by doing 3 1st half, 1ds and the right side is made by doing 1 ds 3 2nd half. This makes it so the ruffles all face inwards. The benefit of the ruffle is that the chain curves, Victorian sets don't naturally curve. I haven't written the pattern out properly yet but the rosette is standard with the chains being 6 ds on the inner round and 8 on the outer. The rings are all 4-4-4-4 and there are 17 sets on each side of the heart. The chain on the bottom is 6ds. That's practically the pattern!

Needful things

Did you ever read the book by Steven King? I did when I was a teenager (I think I've since doubled my age). Anything that's not a necessity but that burns you with want I call a needful thing. Something you really don't have a use for and really can't afford but you buy it anyways.

Lately for me that's been thread. In the last few weeks I've been buying Lady Shuttlemaker's (Sherry) hand dyed thread. This means that I have to find something to do with it. Never fear I have willing hands (for the most part) and time to sit in my porch and tat away. Unlike my garden tatting projects actually can be finished.

Using butter toffee I started tatting the pentagram motif I used a few posts back. I added an extra round and then had to stop. The last round caused the doily to cup a bit. No worries, it lies flat when coaxed. After considering the situation I think that the cupping is
caused by this section. If the rings or the picot were larger then I don't think it would have cupped.

I found a use for my cupping doily/motif by sticking it in a backless frame. I cut out a black felt mat to provide contrast because I didn't think it would show up against my wall.

Soo Frustrated...

I'm not a good or perhaps even competent seamstress. I took home economics all the way through high school so I've got good basics. I even own a sewing machine that has all the basic uses. It has been a few years since I've used it but my mom just used it last month! So my sewing machine should be in good shape.
I decided that I needed pillows in my porch and thought I'd better make them outdoor quality. I couldn't find any nice ones at the store so off I went to Rockland Textiles (what a wonderful place!) to find my fabric. After much touching and consideration I made my purchase and headed home to start my pillows. Cutting went well (always a sore point for me) and I quickly sewed up one pillow, stuffed it and then started on the second. I even had enough fabric to sew a cloth for the table! Everything must have been going too well because half way through pillow number 2...my machine seized! There's something wrong with the timing and I don't know what is going on. So there sits my empty pillowless chair and my fabric stuffed in a drawer until I find someone to fix it. (I fiddled a bit but couldn't fudge it to work)