Deadline Approaches

Greetings to you all!!

I'm learning to be careful not to commit to producing major tatting pieces for expectant mothers and grandmothers....(with a grin)... unless I want the urgency of deadline to guide my tatting endeavors. It's not the recipients who are pressuring me...it my crazy perfectionist self.

I believe I am about finished with my first tatted baby bonnet. There are many comments to be made about this piece.

Here are a few photos of the bonnet as it stands.

Here is a picture of how I presented it to you last...

It took me awhile to figure out how to attach the two pieces of tatting. I began improvising the garden path between the two pieces and occasionally joined where it seemed most appropriate. It caused some gathering... I thought I might snip it out and begin again...until I started to really like the gathering and noticed it looking a bit more 'lacy' and not flat or 'fussy'.

I started in the middle and worked my way out. Because the garden path pattern is asymmetrcal I needed to be a bit creative with the connective work. The back is gathered by a ribbon that can be retied as the baby's head grows. I don't mind the gather either. I will work to perfect the bow and maybe insert a slightly wider ribbon over the top.

In the end, I'm quite happy with the outcome and will probably try to duplicate this one more time.

So, there it is.

Oh, about the shuttle from my Great Aunt Lucy... I actually have a copy of the patent... and now I'm even more interested in the hook. Some of you have shown me a hook pointing out. However, this one hooks back toward the shuttle. I'll try to get a good picture of it and post in the next blog entry.

Until then,
Happy tatting and have a wonderful day!!
john