The Odin

So I got a request on Sunday I think and I was honest and said that I wouldn't be able to guarantee its creation in time for Halloween. Then I sat down and the idea wormed its way into my brain and settled there. By Monday morning there was no way I wasn't going to at least try to make the piece regardless of the customers opinion. This is the exact same scenario that spawned my first tatted mask. Oh right, what was I asked to make? Why, a one eyed mask.

I have a background in theater so when I saw the mask I was to base the design off of, I could tell it was glued to the gals face. I tried at first to get around that even though t is still the most attractive way to wear it, by making my eye wire into an eye and over the ear wire. It worked famously until I added the tatting and then the weight was too much as I knew it would be.

The first row is the same vintage vine pattern I've used many times modified here and there to lay the best I could get it to and tatted straight onto the wire. Then I just started making stuff up. The mask I was emulating was made of lacquered Venice lace and shoots up to a point at the corner. It looks like it was really made of several pieces of the lace cobbled together so to recreate that feel with just tatting is always a challenge. You might be able to tell here that I was just tatting with no rhyme nor reason and waiting to see if it would work. I think it did, but I'm still waiting to see if the customer decides to go with it or not. Either way the mask will make an appearance in the shop and this piece will remain in my possession as the prototype because I have no idea how to write this pattern out to a satisfactory level of comprehension.

The piece was finished by wrapping the wire though I almost ran out of thread at the ear piece. Then as I wasn't certain how the idea of gluing the piece to ones face would go over I sussed out the best way to tie the piece on like an eye patch. I don't really find it the best solution, but again with  the theater background, I'm okay with gluing things to my face. The final piece will likely be embellished with crystals as the original was with sequins. I should hear back from the customer by this evening and then I'll know whether I'm remaking this immediately for her or for the shop. I don't want to start too early in case she'd like hers for the other eye. Otherwise, I still have pieces that need remaking so I get back to that task.