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.

The Cross Of Ambrosius

From the cuff came forth the choker and from the choker came forth the enormous pendant. As often happens, I kept seeing other pieces that could be born from the same new pattern. Though this one was so reminiscent of something, I kept looking up other tatting on etsy to see if I had in fact seen it before. I never did find anything just like it, only pieces with a similar feel.
I also made this one up with gray rings in the center and I wore that to the Renaissance Faire on Saturday. No, I don't have any pictures. I was far too busy enjoying myself and taking pictures of the children to remember to document the outfit. The weather was perfect and even though the crowds were thick, it was a lovely day.

Speaking of lovely, when I returned home it was to a healthy sale and the news that one of my chokers was on the front page. It had sold apparently rather quickly so the views garnered from the exposure where much smaller than other times, but I will take the sale over the views and hearts.I also got the hand dyed thread from yarnplayer that I was waiting for to make a custom moth bracelet. I'm sure it's well known that I prefer to use size 10 thread. There are a lot of reasons for that, it works up quickly, the size 5 needle is stronger and I am an aggressive tatter and I've used it so long I can actually guess final size as well as the amount of thread needed at the needle end. This is size 20 and while I do use that for earrings and a few other bits, using it meant that there was more guess work on the bracelet to get it the right length. It still turned out quite well and the recipient seemed pleased with the photos. Now what to do with the rest of the pansy thread...hmmm. Not to worry, I am lucky enough this morning to have a sold collar that needs making as well as a few other pieces that need making to be listed again. I will be a busy little bee for a spell and I am pleased as punch about it.

One last thing before I go, if you are a facebook type, I have a small giveaway that is ending sometime today. Turns out I turned my brain off when I made a pair of Victoriana earrings. There is nothing wrong with them except that's not the pattern for the earrings. The chains are longer and have too many picots. Rather than go to the trouble of taking pictures so I can list the variant to sell, I'm just giving them away to someone who leaves a comment on the most recent post. I think that's it for today, we'll talk again tomorrow.

Ambrosius, The Tatted Choker

I got that bracelet done yesterday, but while taking photos of it I realized that it needed another hook in the middle to survive. I suppose that's the good thing about needing to take modeled photos of a new piece. It gets gently worn and I get to see how it would handle on a person. But, Pam, you're thinking, you don't just wear all your jewelry? No, my friends, I do not. Occasionally, if I am going to a public event of some sort, I will remember a pendant or perhaps a bracelet, but most days it's just my metal earrings and my rings. Sure, I could sport a tatted ring, but I am so ridiculously rough on my hands that even my platinum wedding ring is pretty roughed up. Wow, did I just digress there...so, I put another hook on the end and the bracelet was fine.

After using the power of twitter to name and list the bracelet, I decided I needed a matching choker, so that is what I spent the better part of the day working on. Like the bracelet only twice the length, it tatted up fairly quickly. The only exception was the fill in work of those little diamonds. Cutting and tying and hiding ends makes for tedious, time consuming work. I even thought of leaving them out, but while the design is certainly interesting, it was far too free standing or open and I fear would not have stood up to much use.

Let's see, what else...no, I never heard back from the potential mask buyer. I shall assume that she was really trying to get the piece for free or ridiculously cheap and free advertising or not, that is not going to happen. I know most of us tat for the sheer joy and challenge, but I have bills man. I was fortunate to get a healthy sale yesterday though payment was painfully slow. In fact I only just now woke up to it. I was terrified that it was going to be yet another abandoned sale and I was getting a tad depressed. Etsy is still working on implementing an express payment system which requires payment at the time of purchase, but some sellers need the ability to charge different sales taxes based on zip code and this was apparently not anticipated. They've made the tax change so the checkout should be here soon...not soon enough, but soon.

I saw a couple more patterns hiding in the new pieces that I want to try out, so if I get a chance I'll work on that. I thankfully have a few other pieces that need to be remade now, so there is that as well. Looking forward to the weekend as the Nor Cal Renaissance Faire begins this weekend to apparently good weather, so we'll be heading there for a day. The children adore it and I need my yearly fix of strange fair food. Sadly there will be no frivolous shopping as sales are too slow to justify it, but a day out, is a day out and the people watching is top notch. Enjoy your weekend all!

My Apologies

Alright, I get it...I'm an impatient schmuck. I blame the Internet. It has taught me to expect instant gratification in all things and I should know better. I am glad that folks do in fact like my little moth and so here's a much larger picture of one to help with the pattern. You should be able to click on the image and get a really big version of it. This one was tatted onto a lapel pin with a ring at the end. I simply worked the head stitches on the ring and though it was a tight fit toward the end they all fit.

I was also lucky enough yesterday to sell my eye patch, so I remade one. The whole time I was working on it though I was called by a piece of prototype scrap on the table. I knew I wanted to try something with the the pattern and as soon as I got a minute I started fiddling with the design.

It started as a bit of the pattern for my petite goth bracelet. I got rid of the individual small rings in exchange for one big one. I thought I could just keep going with the design, but I miscalculated a bit and I needed to go back and fill in the small middle diamonds. The change to the bigger rings did one great thing though, even with the fill in work, this sucker worked up really fast and with the extra decorative picots it still looks plenty detailed. I haven't even pressed it yet, but I hope to get it finished up and listed today.

We had park day for my daughters home school yesterday and the middle of the week event I fear has put an odd spin on the week. I woke up this morning with an awful headache, I assume brought on by heat or allergies, so I wish I could say I had high hopes for today, but I don't. I also had a strange evening exchange with a potential buyer for my Masquerade mask. A discount was requested in exchange for advertisement to a rather sizable Internet audience. I hemmed and hawed over it, finally offered what I was willing to knock off and after another short exchange, I still have not heard back. I really am not sure which way I wanted this to go. Sure, I would love to sell the mask, but I really don't want to compromise on price. This is that whole, if I want to be respected as an artist, I can't sell myself short and I know how much work went into it. They also inquired about just borrowing the piece, but when tatted mask meet makeup, the mask looses. With my other masks washing them is easy and the mask recovers, but this one is coated in crystals and sequins over more wire, even hand washing does not seem practical. So there is every possibility that the whole exchange will have been for naught. Though I do now feel encouraged to start on another show piece of some sort...not today, but perhaps in the let down after the holidays that's what I'll do. I will of course let you know if it goes the other way and where it has gone, should it go and now I think I shall go.

Hmmm

I had hoped for more response from the pattern yesterday, but I suppose the little moth is not nearly as useful as some of my other patterns so I'll let it go. Here's a peek at what I just recently did with the moth though. I am still waiting for more thread to do the other custom one for the customer, but this one is done save for the hardware. The lack of interest does however give me an excuse to not bother with all the other bits I was going to bother with. Sure, I really didn't need an excuse, but now that I have one I'll take it.

I have little else to report as me day was spent getting that last mask made. Now all the masks listed in the shop are made and ready to ship should my sales actually pick up, which I give them permission to do...any time now. Once I was finished with that I made a list of the remaining pieces in the shop that are listed as custom. There were 7 out out 175, so not too bad. My current goal is to get those all made and ready to ship as well. They are all larger pieces, but if I do manage to get them all made the next step is to start making seconds of the most popular pieces. I'm not certain how I will determine that since it changes all the time, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Oh, I do have one other thing I've been meaning to share. Next time you're in the book store head the lifestyle magazine section and flip through a copy of Gothic Beauty. Look for the article on RockLove, page 6 and 7 and take a close look at the earrings and ring on the model. Yep, they're my tatting designs...in silver. Those are the tenebrous earrings and my simple Celtic weave ring. No, I don't know when the collection is due to actually launch, but when I find out I'll let you know. If you're not heading to the book store, you can spy the image here on her blog as well.