Quick As A Bunny

With the pressure on, I got all the tatting on the new veil done early in the morning, sent a message with some finishing questions and then went about my required morning activities. Got the home schooling done and a few more tasks and just at the nap time I received the answers I needed to finish the piece. Sure there is really nothing too new and exciting here. I made the same motifs as my other hairpieces, but the assembly was different this time. Since I have more recently become best friends with clear quilting filament. Though I must say that stuff seems to snag on everything and its clear nature makes it harder to untangle from the veiling and whatnot. I also used a bit of craft foam as a base since I only had loose feathers on hand. Basically the bits of this were all leftovers from other pieces that fortunately went together well since I no time to order supplies. In fact this one is going out Express mail this morning along with a small token. While it is preferable to ones sanity to turn down a rushed project, I am very glad that I didn't this time. The bride is lovely and a pleasure to work with.

In other bits, while I was waiting instruction I realized that I had not yet photographed and listed the Ambrosius pendant in the two colors. I got that done just before the kids went down for their nap. I think I've said this already multiple times, but I really like the design in the two colors. You can clearly see the Templar Cross shape, which is really nice. I did make this one by tatting the center rings separately, but it can of course be done in one round using two color tatting. I however, do not love two color tatting with the needle. Heck if I were ever going to go back to the shuttle it would be for two color and single shuttle patterns. If something requires me to work with a long cut thread, I tend to avoid it as it becomes a tangled mess or attracts the unwanted attention of the cat population in my home.

Today's agenda includes worrying about the new veils trip abroad and working on a list of sold pieces that have been waiting patiently for me to get them made again. I might also get a sepia version of the Ambrosius pendant made up as well as I haven't done anything in that color scheme for a while and that is a nice quick piece. Well sounds like the day is planned then and I'm off to it.

My Next Project

I always feel like such a bum the day after I post a bunch of new stuff. Yesterday I had new pieces, features and well stuff to share. Today, well...I've got a bunch of nothing. Shortly after rising yesterday I realized that I had not escaped the cold that has been making it's way through the household. I was rocking the sore throat, snuffles and most annoying, the exhaustion. It was really a wonder I was able to get as much done yesterday as I did, but since it was mostly working on sold pieces I've got nothing to show you.

I do have a challenge to begin today however. A lovely lady I worked very hard with to make the perfect veil for had a bit of a setback with her dress, consequently the piece I made for her no longer matches so she needs another. The challenge lies in her wedding date fast approaching and she lives in Canada so I need to get the sucker whipped out today. I don't even want to imagine how stressful this situation is for her, but I must admit to a bit of it for my part as well. I mean that's a lot of pressure. I do enjoy working on a deadline on occasion, but the added pressure of the importance of the event really kicks it up a notch. Her new dress is a navy blue number so I've going with the same thread I used for the moths and some gray with some ostrich feathers. I've also got a little silver veiling left over. It's not enough for a true birdcage veil, but a hint of one. I think I'll use the same pattern I did before, add some crystals and we should be good to go. Yes, I am planning out the piece via blog post, but I didn't have much to say otherwise so...yeah. I'll be sure to get pictures so then I will have something new to share tomorrow.

Wondering Out Loud

If you were wondering Tuesday was infinitely better than Monday. Sure nothing great happened, but nothing horrid happened either. It was a nice even day, full of basically nothing. Of course that's where it leaves me this morning, with nothing of consequence to share really.

I was going to work on the veil, but quickly determined that the plain buckram base was not going to cut it as is under the veil. It is just simply too unfinished to work, so the bride is sending me a bit of fabric from leftover from the dress to cover the base with, then it should be perfect and all I need to do is construct the piece. The picture you see here is the perfectly awful photo of me staging the bits for comparison. I think the design will be lovely once that buckram is covered of course.

The rest of the day was spent furiously tatting a second bracelet for an order. I had one made and had gotten most of the second done on Monday when I realized that since I used the Royale thread on the first and the cebelia on the second they were ever so slightly different in size. Sure both size 10 black thread, but just different enough that I felt they were not a match pair. So I opted to make another with the cebelia for a perfect match and since the order is waiting for a echeck to clear anyway, I had the time to get that done.

I was going to start remaking the throat corset that was also sold, but then I started thinking about retiring and reinventing some older pieces. There are a few I simply don't like making much anymore and I've got over 150 pieces in the shop right now, so maybe it's time to let a few go. Then there are a few like the throat corset that I think I can make better and I haven't because I'm too lazy to take new pictures of complex pieces that require me to really model them. I'm also thinking about bringing back a couple of designs that I let go of, but again think that with a bit of a redesign they can be good again like the Grand Daisy choker that got me into Belle Armoire Jewelry. Who knows how much of this rambling plan I'll actually get around to, it is only now being articulated for the first time as I write this, but I think it might be a good direction to head in for awhile. Your opinions of pieces to let go of, redesign or bring back are quite welcome. It of course does not mean I will listen to you, but external opinions are very useful in providing perspective and balance, so go right ahead, I'll get started without you.

The Queen's Hand

I wanted to start off today with another thank you, this time to Gilliauna who has a lovely write up on my work on her blog, Handmade Gift and Shopping Guide. It is a very flattering piece and very much appreciated.

Now back to the tatting. First up another peek at the veil motif now all embellished and sewn together sitting on top of the silver french veiling I'll be using. I also got in the ostrich feathers I needed, but the final construction will wait until the hat base arrives. I added five crystals to the center of the silver motif in black diamond and, well actual black. I thought about adding some filament to the edges, but I think it might have a better era feel without that embellishment.

Next up is the new slave bracelet design. Now, you saw the one with an open center, but that has a very specific purpose. So once it was finished I went ahead and made another with the center and it joins the other 'Queen' pieces as the Queen's Hand. This one is very small and by that I mean it fits me like a glove. In fact I think it rather gives off more of the fingerless glove look than my other slave bracelets. I can of course adjust the length. I've been making the bracelet portion of this design so long that it has been requested in a great many lengths.

Ooh and while I was making up one of my 'In Bloom' pendants yesterday, I had an idea for another simple pendant, so I might give that a go today. I've also been stalling on remaking a sold mask since I have only made it once. I wrote down the basic pattern before I popped it in the mail, but what I honestly don't remember is the order of construction. I don't recall how I started the piece and it wasn't immediately clear upon even close inspection. I think I might have blogged some of it so I guess it's digging through the archives for me. I guess it's just a good thing I document or posterity or I'd be out of luck.

A Bride And A Princess

I got some pictures of the custom veil for the listing yesterday morning so I thought I'd start today off showing you a better one. The listing is also up with a few more pictures though I feel compelled to mention that the price listed on it (that you can no longer see because it just sold) has a story behind it and it's not what I will charge in the future for a similar piece. The sole reason I have made a single hairpiece or veil was because this person asked and as a thank you for a brand new product line I knocked the price down. I actually wanted to make it even cheaper for her, but I had to order so much stuff and sewing a veil, very time consuming, so that's the story behind the price for this one.

Once I had that all sorted, I went back to the newest grab bag piece. This one started with a copper filigree piece and a few little copper bead caps. Again I just made it up as I went and actually the first go had to be ripped out as I ripped the thread to shreds trying to get it back through the first tiny hole. I was not amused, but I started over anyway. I flattened out the bead caps for the little swirled bits there and then I tatted the chain. I was going to add some copper rounds, but they're far too bright to match the antiqued copper of the other pieces.

I used a discontinued brown shade and this is what I came up with. I call it the copper princess and I personally liked it so much that I searched around to try and find the same bits again so I could make it again if it sells. Or maybe in purple with the copper. Of course it might not even sell. I tend to get ahead of myself with pieces. You just never know which ones will be big sellers and which sentimental favorites will just sit there like a lead balloon. It helps to just keep on making stuff until something sticks.

I got started on remaking the flame mask yesterday so I'll keep on with that one and again I have a more color combination ideas that won't likely see the light of day outside of another custom order. I also thought about making my last mask design in two colors a light and dark brown as well. I always state the option of changing the color of a piece, but I rarely get asked and I wonder if it's because people need pictures to see what the options are. I might try and get a few more different colored pieces up so they know it's possible even if they just sit there. I am finding that without having to home school in the morning that I have been getting a lot more done. So much in fact that I might stop tatting in the evening save for when there is a custom in queue and just relax a bit more then. That is of course if I can force myself to stop, it's kind of second nature to have a needle in my hands at all times now. Yeah, we'll see.

The Grab Bag

Much tatting was accomplished yesterday. The first bit was to dive into that grab bag I told you about and get something made. I'd had my eye on this little ring bit here so I decided to just tat around it to begin. I added a picot every four stitched completely unaware of how that would leave me at the end. Well it left me a little uneven but I just kept right on making it up as I went around. When I reached the top I decided to keep on going and just weave in the chains. After that I reached into the grab bag again and came out with a little filigree ball. I dug out a black swarovski crystal and a montee...that's the sew on ones, added them all to the mix and put the whole thing on a chain.

That leaves me with another one of a kind creation. I tried to think of a clever name, but I just ended up calling it Filigree and Lace. That however was not the end of the day for me. About this time the mailman brought me the final ingredient to the veil puzzle, the blending filament.

Now, I don't have proper photos yet. I should get some today, but here's a peek at the motif anyway. It is meant to have a bit of blue to match the brides earrings and there was much careful cutting and sewing of the veil as this one is much longer than my previous attempts. I promise I will get some proper photos hopefully today and show them off tomorrow.

I did stress out for a bit as I waited for approval for the piece when it was finished, but it was approved and this marks the first sold headpiece from the line. I still haven't purchased any additional supplies to make more of them and I likely won't until I sell a few more. Just because I think they look great, doesn't mean they will sell. I started on another grab bag piece late last night, so you'll see that one rise today as well and then I think I might remake the flame mask so I can list it in the shop. Off to it then.

June Bride

So while yesterday wasn't normal, it was much closer than usual. There were bike rides and video games and copious amounts of plants acquired, but through it all, I managed to not only tat, but to actually finish something as well.

All sewed together and listed is the newest veil product, this one in white hopefully perfect for a bride somewhere. The tatted motif is the same as the black version except that it is in white. The feathers however are different. I couldn't find the ostrich in white at the shop I got them from, so rather that buy from multiple sources, I opted for coque saddle feathers. It's a much denser fringe of feathers and as I mentioned yesterday, there is an off white character to them. They are also a bit longer I think making the stripped feathers not stand out quite as much. I don't think any of the differences are a bad thing at all, just differences.

I then started work on making another elytra necklace so it can be listed again. I do have a dentist appointment, so I'm not certain if I'll get that done today or not. Then I need to decide whether the feather pad version of the hair pieces without the veils should have a hair comb, a clip or maybe even on a headband. Yeah, I probably won't bother with the head band idea, not versatile enough. I like the idea of being able to wear the piece wherever you want.

I do still need to make the motifs for the other pieces, so again, it might be a while before they are realized. It does feel good to get back to work and here's hoping that June is a successful month both creatively and fiscally.

The News

Well, what do you know, I kept my word. I did something yesterday worth a mention...a tatted something. Though I had plenty to keep me occupied I was inspired by the necklace round the newscasters neck in morning. I know, right? We are HLN watchers, every morning without fail and I have often thought of making and sending something to Robin Mead as she seems to favor large and interesting jewelry, but this is actually about a piece worn by one of the other ladies, whose name escapes me at the moment.

It was a simple chain piece with a bobbles of some sort spaced out along it. I looked over saw some of the new small flowers I've been using on the veil and decided I had a little time. I made up a few flowers then gathered some chain and some pewter beads and made a new necklace. I may eventually do another version with more flowers and no pewter beads, but I was strapped for time and I wanted to get something created. It's not listed yet, but I will get it up later today.

After all the morning chaos I also got a couple of hours to get some other things done including getting photos of the veil for listing. After my stress over the mannequin versus real head shots, it was suggested that if I had a wig to wear that for the photos. Of course I have a wig, three actually and the most realistic one was sitting on my mannequins head in the first place. So I put it on, remembered how much I had grown to dislike them after having to wear them to work so long and got my pictures. I'm not over the moon about them, but they're done and the first veil is listed. I think that the white feathers might be here today or tomorrow, so I'll get to do it all over again once I make that one up too.

I also spent the evening moving the girls clothes to their new drawers. I had forgotten how allergic I am to whatever happens to clothes when they're stored for any length of time. Is it dust? I don't even know, but I'm still sneezing and snuffling this morning over it. Today is the rare unplanned day for the week. Tomorrow I must clean before the birthday party, but today should theoretically be a 'normal' day. I'll try to get the white veil sewed together in anticipation of the feathers arriving...if I can find my whit thread. I know I have at least two spools around here somewhere. I'll get the new necklace listed later and maybe if I'm feeling adventurous, I'll start drilling some more beetle wings for another project that was handed to me yesterday. Off to it then.

The Tatted Veil

Good Monday morning to you. My insane week will begin just as soon as the rest of my family awakes, but since that will be a while yet, I have time to share my newest piece with you. So, I shared the creation of the motif and the veil itself, well on Friday, I received in the mail the last component needed to make the piece complete, the feathers. First a quick lesson I learned about feathers during this process, there is a dramatic difference between 'craft' feathers and good ones. I had picked some up at Michael's thinking they would do. They shed and I just wasn't happy, so I ordered some from a supply shop on etsy and they were magnificent. So, what I'm saying is look for the good stuff even if it takes a while and costs a bit more, it is so worth it.

After a brief consultation with Twitter using a picture with the pieces laid out together, I started the laborious task of sewing everything together. It was suggested that I fan out the feathers from this configuration, so I pinched and sewed the strip they were on to give them a bit of a fan. I didn't even tat the flowers to the base, but sewed them as well, adding crystals to the centers as I went. In this first shot, you can't see them, but there are also stripped feathers stretching out beyond the soft Ostrich ones and those I tried to fan a bit as well. I thought about just gluing the whole thing together, but that seemed lazy and if one is going to make a high end product, one must make a concerted effort to make it as high quality as possible.

The end product was praised enough on Twitter that I felt confident to go to my favorite Milliner for advice and opinion. Lucky for me, she is kind enough to answer my questions regarding pricing and design so I think I have that sussed out. I was humbled by her responses that it was in fact well constructed. Every time I try an entirely new product with my tatting, I freak out over whether I am qualified to make the piece at all. Seriously, I used the Internet to get tutorials on birdcage veils. Then I just guessed as to which feathers might work and I tried to make them look nice enough that I would wear the piece.

I am so lucky to have experienced people around me to ask in the end or I would be stumbling in the dark. She also suggested some additional pieces to add to create an entire line of hair accessories. So as soon as I receive my white order of feathers the bridal version will appear and then pieces without the veils on clips that match and if I can figure out the best way to construct them, bobbies with the matching flowers. Clearly none of this is happening this week, but in the near future. I'll try to get listing photos of the finished veil this week so that I can list it, but with the crazy, I don't know that it will happen. Yeah, I'll let you know. Now, I'm off to celebrate the daughter's birthday.