Mask On A Stick

I'm definitely back into the swing of things now. The husband had stayed home one more day to recover from vacation, so there were bike rides and errands to run with the family, but tatting got done. I mentioned that I was making a mask on a stick. I wish this were a simple case of make a mask as per usual and glue a stick on the side, but it is not. Since my masks are meant to comfortably fit ones face, they are generally a floppy, unformed piece with wire only where needed. This one needs serious reinforcement to hold itself up when supported by a single point, the stick. First off that meant adding two additional wire pieces across the nose. One I tatted directly over and the other two were put in like normal, but spaced to provide almost solid support.

The second upgrade was a completely reshaped eye wire. This time the wire included a bit straight out to the side that I also tatted directly over to hold up the clover on the sides. You can see just the end of it poking out from the lace at the top of the clover. Tatting over wire structures is always a slower, more deliberate process, but for this mask, absolutely necessary.  Once I got all the tatting done I covered the wires. This too took more steps with the added center wires, but once it was done the mask stands up beautifully. This one is done in the pattern of my 'Such A Sad Love' mask which means there is also embroidery, crystals and dangles to add to it. Then the stick will be acquired, embellished and hopefully seamlessly attached to the side. No, I don't just plan on gluing it on. I have little faith in glue as a primary connective device. I've got a few different ideas to try out, so we'll just have to see what works best.

That was the whole of my tatting day yesterday and it should be much of today as well. I did snap this photo of the other mask I was working on just so you could see how far I got before I started this new one. This should give you a better idea of where I'm going with the design. Once the mask on a stick is complete, I will get those fill in areas taken care of on the sides and cover the wires. The pattern, while seemingly similar to the other fancy mask, differs quite a lot and that leaves me with a different sized hole to fill, but the same basic design should do it I think. It's odd to have two different projects to think about, but they are so wildly different that it is also quite creatively stimulating. So, off to see what I can get made today.