Motifs 10, 11 and 12

I am back again... This time for my 25 motif challenge I took on The Tarnished Tatter's Chap stick/lip balm holder. My 6 yr old daughter got a High School Musical lip balm from a friend for Valentine's Day and when I showed her the pattern on here - she wanted me to make her one right away... Before I got one made the right size it took me three tries. :-) So I am posting all three I made. The first one was tatted in Flora size 10 thread. I tried to make a tatted cord for the drawstring but with no luck as the top rings were too small to feed the cord thru so I decided to use a ribbon with a bead to cinch the top of the bag closed. Then I didn't like the knot in the ribbon next to the clip - so I put a ouch less see thru ponytail holder around it to keep it from coming loose. I am not really happy with that yet but it was better than having the ribbon fray out more I thought. Next time I think I might just try some glue and another bead to slide up and over the ends... So my next try I thought I would make the chains longer by a stitch on each side of the picots to make the holder longer. I also tried making the top rings larger by 5 ds so I could use the tatted cord for the drawsting (again with no luck... ). Then Markeia came up with the idea to add beads.. So she went a searching thru my bead and thread stash and came up with the next two color combinations. The 2nd holder than came out a bit big... I made too many changes at once, although my daughter loved it. The 3rd one than I just kept to the original pattern and just made the longer picots for the beads and it was perfect! So Markeia already found a home for the first orange holder.. a birthday gift for her birthday twin and cousin... Then she hooked hers onto her backpack and off to school she went today.. I just don't know why I have this feeling in the back of my mind that there will be more to make by tonight... ;-) I want to send out a BIG THANK YOU to the Tarnished Tatter... Her pattern just made my daughter's day... Thanks for your generosity of sharing your designs... My next post will include the awareness ribbon from her blog also... I am an advocate of the Relay for Life, with my sister being a 5 1/2 breast cancer survivor, I have started to make some ribbons for our Relay team members..
Until next time... Happy Tatting to everyone... and THINK SPRING!!! ;-)

Motif #9

Hello Everyone!
Well it's been a while since a posted a new motif. I have been working on a doily I am going to donate as a silent auction item for our Relay for Life in Clayton County. Our relay isn't until June but I want to get it done in plenty of time so I can have it framed and matted. I am working on "the Miracle" doily pattern out of the Tatting Patterns and Designs by Gun Blomqvist and Elwy Persson. I am using perfect quilter thread in the Americana variegated thread. It is coming along nicely, I will post a picture when finished.
As for the 25 motif challenge, my next motif is for Valentine's Day. I used size 8 DMC in pink and brown. The pattern can be found in "Tatting Collage", it is the "Tattered" Heart. This is the first time I worked this pattern. It went fairly quick and smooth for me.
Well now that I am off work for a couple of weeks, I am hoping to post more, more often...

Until next time...

Motifs 7 & 8

Hello Everyone! I don't know about everyone else but I am ready for spring! Here in Iowa we have had a beautiful day yesterday and today is starting out just as nice. I am so tired of the sub-zero temps and wind chills. I know we are not out of the woods yet with those days but what a nice break this weekend!
As for my 25 motif challenge, I have finished a couple more. # 7 was a fun pattern to do, something I have always overlooked in the book. This is the "Backchat" pattern from Mary Konior's "Tatting Patterns" book. The thread I used for this pattern in HH Lizbeth size 20, color 123. I really love the color. I am going to try this pattern again and hook two of them together to make it in a circle. Then the motif I used for my #8 is the cross pattern out of the same book. The same I had in an earlier post. A co-worker of mine, mother passed away. I will be putting this in her sympathy card. This cross was tatted in Opera size 30, color is an off white, I couldn't see a number on the tag.
I need to start planning and lining up projects to make for a Christmas Open House event in November.. I know it seems like a long time from now but once the weather straightens out I don't have as much time to tat. Any suggestions would be great.. hint hint ;-)
Until next time... Happy Tatting!