My Process

Over the weekend, I started working on a choker that was actually inspired by that Irene Waller book I spoke about. It is almost complete and as I worked on it, I realized how different my process is from, well everybody else who has shared theirs. I read stories of people going into their studios, sketching, laying out materials. I hear tale of people who document their patterns as they create and listen to music and basically create for hours. Yeah, not me.

I have a spot on the couch my husband not so lovingly refers to as my nest and I stop and start my tatting all day long as I go about all my other household and motherly duties. Then comes the golden hours after lunch when, if I'm lucky, both of my children will take a nap. At this point I can work albeit with 3 of 4 of my cats on my lap. If I am creating something new, I start by looking through my vintage pattern books until something "inspires" me. Then I go over the pattern to see what changes are immediately needed. I begin working with my ecru thread. Once I have enough of the design worked out, I tend to take a picture with my laptop, cause I can't move and ask the twitterverse how it's looking.

Once I have obtained opinions, I start working with the final thread, usually black as you might have guessed. If nap time is enduring and I finish the tatting portion of the piece, I might take another picture to get final opinions. If I've happy then I dig myself out from under the cats and go to my desk. All my supplies live there and I put on the hardware and take real pictures. I might even run outside for better pictures if the weather is cooperating. All this is done at warp speed to complete it before the children wake. If time allows, I get the piece listed as well.

My weekend piece did not progress to the hardware/picture stage. I hope that I can get that done today, but I'm also crossing my fingers that my yarn order comes in so I can get to work on a custom scarf. I despise making people wait any longer than necessary for their tatting. I also made a few nice sales over the weekend so I've got a few pieces that need remaking as well. I'd complain about all the work, but it is so much better than the alternative. Guess I'll be in my nest for a while.