Demi Glove

Wow, did I have a productive weekend. Well, it was mostly Sunday actually. I shipped the awareness bracelet to its new home and got an order for a custom red choker, so I worked on that all Friday and Saturday morning so I could get it in the mail as quickly as possible and get back to the demi-glove. Twitter assured me that 'demi-glove' was the better name for the piece, so I'll stick with that for now. This is the first one all done up and embellished. I spent a lot of time working on getting the design to follow the shape of my hand and it fits perfectly. Luckily the design also has a bit of stretch so it shouldn't need to be too customized. I am currently still working on the second of the pair. As you might image this is a more involved piece than even some of my neck pieces so with the crystals and the embroidery added on too, they are going to cost someone a pretty penny.

It wasn't just a productive tatting day either. Where we spent Saturday movie going, Rango is a great movie by the way, we shopped on Sunday and I found my rings. I checked hardware stores, but I just kept finding bits that were not quite right. Then I thought maybe the craft section of Michael's, the Internet had let me down, but after an impulse to check just one more aisle, these babies were found. They are beyond perfect, the right mix of diameters and the ring gauges are just right as well, not too thin nor too thick. While I was there I also ransacked the clearance aisle for more bits to work with and scored quite a few new oddities that will eventually be worked into lace.

Today the plan is to finish up the other demi-glove and perhaps even get them listed. Then I have a couple of things I want to remake including the awareness bracelet. Once all that is done, I might get to playing with rings, or the other bits. Of course all that might wait until tomorrow too since the list before it might take longer than I hope. Boy, it is great to be inspired to work though. I love getting things done.

Wear It On Your Hand

Thank you all so much for your pictures guesses. You were of course all correct and that was a great relief to me. I had been asked to create a bracelet that would contain the ribbon, but not be just about the ribbon so I thought the best was was to actually work the design more subtly into the lace rather than design a larger ribbon, but I feared that I could only see the ribbon because I already knew what it was. The design was also approved by its requester and it will go into the shop today for her. It will likely also go into the shop as a regular listing soon as well.

I was also busy yesterday with the new idea I mentioned yesterday. I wanted to blend two pieces into an entirely new product. Well almost entirely new...I had tried the glove before, but I lost my way. This one is sort of a glovelette or mitt or demi glove...yeah, I don't know what to call it. Anyway, I started with the Tenebrous motif because I will eventually embellish it and then I started by adding bits of the throat corset motif to the sides, then more of them.

This is the point where I began the making, cutting out, remaking and staring at it until it made sense phase. I had mentioned on twitter that I wondered what it was like to be a maker that prepared and sketched and planned before working, because I just jump in and cross my fingers. When that crossing doesn't work, I get out the scissors. I won't tell you how much clipping I did before I finally came up with something close enough to call a decent prototype.

I was trying to make a final piece, but as I closed the glove, I realized what more needed changing to make it fit right and since it was plenty obvious, I knew I could stop working on the prototype and just use what I have learned for the final piece. What was surprising is that using the fingers from the first glove attempt, I think I can use what I've learned here to finally make the full glove as well...one day. For now, I'm just going to try to finish up this little, purely decorative accessory. I plan on embroidering the center and adding crystals to make it an over the top piece, well likely a pair, but they should be swanky.

P.S. Thanks for the hardware store suggestion for rings...I can't believe I didn't think of that!

Guess The Picture

Well, I got distracted yesterday and only accomplished a bit of what I had planned to. It wasn't my fault really, I got an early morning custom request from a previous customer and since it had special meaning, I started to work straight away. I don't want to give away the design yet as I haven't heard back from her, but I did spend much of the day sussing it out. Heck I'm not even going to say what you're suppose to be seeing, but if you could tell me what you think you see, that would help me know whether I got it right or not.

Before you start giving me what for, like I told you to do, I did get some things ordered yesterday, but there was much disappointment. The shop where I got such a phenomenal thread deal by buying in bulk, no longer offers that deal. I have thought about trying to buy wholesale, but I'm not sure I could get the gig without being an actual reseller. So I sucked it up, found an okay deal with free shipping and basically bought them out of black thread. Then I decided to stick with my current business cards as they are not all that expensive so I can change them before they run out if I have a good enough reason, so those are ordered.

Then I tried to get more package stickers and I was sorely disappointed again. Both shops on etsy that I have used for this service are now closed and the ones that remain don't make the ones that I had gotten used to. Theirs are all die cut and, well...girly. I like my nice square bold ones. So I didn't get those yesterday and I'm deciding if I should just get the much smaller moo stickers. If I do those I need to put together a logo or find a photo that looks good at 22mm x22mm. The stickers I have now are 2" and I can put my URL on them and my whole shop name, but I suppose if they already bought from me they don't really need my address huh? Do you people understand how much thinking I do while I write here, it's like talking to myself only with typing. Anyway, so I guess I need a small, distinct logo before I can do that. Great, more stalling.

Oh, and in other disappointing ordering news I couldn't seem to find anywhere that would offer a ring mix in larger sizes like I wanted for more of the asymmetric necklaces. Of course I am likely just jumping the gun anyway. Just because I like making them doesn't mean they will be flying off the shelves, but with no other jewelry supplies in desperate need, I just skipped that order for now. So that brings us to today's plans. I've just got a couple of things left on the remake list and neither are imperative. I've got a couple of ideas brewing for more odd products and the next fancy mask idea is also percolating. So I guess what I'm saying is I have no idea what I'll be doing or making today, fun.

Ah, Wednesday

I'm up at an even more ridiculous hour than usual today, I had to 'help out' the tooth fairy since the husband has been out of town since Sunday and the oldest child had her loose tooth knocked out by one of the kittens yesterday. Yes, I am aware that sounds odd. She was holding said kitten and as he struggled to get away, he head butted her in the mouth and tooth gone. We're now calling her toothless as see is currently missing both top front teeth...it's a classic. Yes, I could have 'helped' in the middle of the night, but I have a horrible time getting back to sleep once awake. I also cannot nap, so I'm up at four and I'm staying up.

Yesterday had a bit of an odd feeling as well. I took my mask to the post office and said goodbye to it for the last time. It was actually sort of anticlimactic as I just returned home and started back to work on remaking things. Then when I had a bit of light, I got the pictures taken of the brown ring piece. The large center ring makes this one huge. I did also try to mimic more of a gear teeth look with a few of them. The effect seems to be best from a distance as the floweriness seems to take over closeup. Either way, these are fun to make and I think I might have to acquire more rings.

Speaking of acquiring things, I think I should take some time to do some more supply orders. I am getting dangerously close to the end of my massive black thread box. I am also running low on my package stickers and business cards. Those are the things I always stall on. I wonder if I should change them, then decide it's okay, then I worry because if I don't change them I won't be able to until I'm running out again as I buy in bulk. Of course all this back and forth merely results in me actually running out before supplies are replenished and me mentally kicking myself yet again. So yes, that is what I will do today. I will make some decisions and get things ordered and if I don't tell you I did these things tomorrow, feel free to give me what for.

SOLD

You will not believe what happened yesterday...unless of course you follow me on twitter, then you already know, but for everyone else this should be a shocker. Ready? My Masquerade mask has been SOLD! Yes, that mask, the one that took me weeks to construct, was lost in the mail during the fashion week fiasco and recently returned to me unharmed. It has found a home and even better than that the home it is going to is a good one. This wasn't just a buy and run, I got to have some lovely conversations with the new owner and I am so relieved that she will be fully appreciated and she may even be seen again in another creative pursuit. It's not my place to share what that might be, but if it comes to pass, you will know.

As you can well imagine, this was a bit of a shock for me and after it occurred, I spent much of the day in a state of disbelief. Yes, I know how much work went into it and I know it turned out well, but after so many people trying to negotiate the price down I resigned myself to it never selling and simply remaining a 'show piece'. Now of course I need to design a new one, something with the same over the top feeling, but I will need to wait for the proper inspiration to goad me into that weeks long process again. For now, I would like to say Woo Hoo and Huzzah to the giver!

No, that wasn't all I did yesterday. I made the mask buyer a matching embroidered pendant as a gift...which I didn't get any photos of, but then I went back to work on the new brown ring necklace...which I didn't get any pictures of yet. Ooh, I did list another of the one of a kind pieces. This one is another tatted around a huge metal ring and I picked up this domed bit as I went. Again, I made the stitches up as I went and really had no preconceived design. I call it, Tribal Sun and it is gigantic, but again surprisingly light for all the metal. I didn't even add a ring to hand it from and just wove the chain through the top lace.

I will get my mask in the mail today and hopefully get photos of the brown piece and get it listed as well. I also sold a few other pieces recently that I ought to get remade and since I am waiting for the inspiration fairy, I'll get on those in the meantime. I know, I know, I should just rest on my laurels for a few days, but you know I can't do that. My fingers must keep tatting and my mind must keep creating. Some days, I just feel so very lucky.