hitting a milestone of Round 2 done

I think I’ve got things corrected. What a way to miss a deadline. I know folks have said the project shouldn’t get stressful. That’s the plan. But, mistakes like these do need to be corrected. Without the proper join, nothing would lay flat. The finished piece would look, well, awful. Here’s what my corrections came out like:

correction of added ring

correction of proper join

So, here’s Round 2 motifs finished and joined to Round 1.

Round 2 motifs connected to Round 1

The piece is not blocked yet, so there are places where things are squished and contorted. Blocking always helps that out. I want to wait until round 3 is finished before I block. Just in case the thread has sizing or something to keep it from picking up too much dirt. Hope, hope, hope....

Now there’s the question of what to mount it on in the frame. Any ideas???

 

And another oops

Remember that mistake I needed to correct. Well, there’s another one in need of creative spicing:

oops to correct

If you count the number of small rings connecting the outside section of rings and the picots from the motif, you see there should be 5. I forgot one. Yep, right there. Sigh.

If you spotted the mistakes, you should mahjong.

 

Off to try correcting at least one mistake….after a walk…….and maybe some chocolate mint ice cream.

 

Ever have one of those days????

This week has been one fly in the ointment after another. Thank heavens my mobility is continuing to improve. I’ve enjoyed wearing “pretty” shoes the past few days. Some may not think they’re much to write home about, but I’m not wearing the same athletic shoe each day/all day. (The crowd roars!!!) 

Here’s the latest on the Saint-Saens, with apologies for the quality of photo:

Joining mistake in Round 2

You see the threads that lead to nowhere? They are what’s left after cutting out 3 rings of the connecting round. I discovered I’d joined incorrectly. Why not just leave it? Because the competed tatting would not lay flat after Round 3 AND everyone would see the mistake. Not just tatters, everyone! I’m still trying to correct that mistake.

 

Chapel chair in use

Time has flown by. I’ve been working steadily on the Saint-Saens. With the cooler weather, I’ve been able to work an extra hour or so. I did end up cutting out and changing how one of the motifs joined. That took 3 days work, but it’s worth it!

Last weekend saw a milestone:

The chapel chairs are back and now in use. Here’s my little contribution:

Thank you to Don and Penny for the photo and all your help. I hope everyone can see enough to appreciate how nice the chair looks. The design really does bring the stained glass windows into the interior of the church. In case you’re wondering (and even if you’re not curious) folks estimate 2 hours per square inch of stitching. Most of my stitching was done during the healing phase of my summer. It saved my sanity!

Now on to more Saint-Saens and may be some pineapple doily.

a note

Getting a surprise in your mail doesn’t happen often now-a-days. Fewer things arrive by post. Most of the surprises seem to show up in a phone call or email. I received a welcome card the other day:

Thank you post card from Sandy Hook PTA

It most definitely brought a smile to my face. The original event was horrific. The response of snowflakes was heartwarming. This thank you made my week. Which made me stop and think, who could I surprise with a thank you?

Round 2 B Motif with rings

Just when I thought I had a clear path to the next part of the design, I stubbed my toe on this motif:

Round 2 B motif with connecting rings

 

I also quite literally stubbed my toe. Not on the foot I broke, my “good” foot. It wasn’t bad. It didn’t hurt. It did remind me to slow down and be more conscious of how I’m walking. I’m still wearing the athletic shoes each day. I’m not brave enough to start using different shoes until after the trip; more on that when I’m back at my desk.

Anyway, back to Saint-Saens. This motif needed some care in edging. I understood the need for evening out the edges so it would look nice assembled. I didn’t want to detract from the asymmetry of the motif. I think I came up with a good compromise.

No, I’m not going to jump and click my heals. I’ll leave that to those not recovering from bone avulsions. (I say that to myself to remind myself to be more conscious.)

Snowflake for gifts

I’ve been distracted lately.             Again.

A few weeks ago, a tatter posted a question on a snowflake pattern on NSAN. In the ensuing exchange, we chatted about patterns in 24 Julestjerner i Orkis by Lene Bjorn. I have been drawn to the 16 December pattern for quite awhile, but never tried it out. So, I finally tatted it up.

I like it. Here’s the first itteration.

16 December by Lene Bjorn

I think this will be our mail out gifts to family/friends. I think I will add beads. Maybe some bling. Maybe not. No pictures of what folks will receive until after Christmas though. Don't want to spoil things now do we??????

And so I slowly get it done

Halfway through my second try at the connecting rings around this motif, I was in despair. What was I thinking??

I know I want to connect everything. Saint-Saens used different ideas in each section, but the movement has continuity.
I know I want to keep the themes of each section in bold so to speak. The smaller thread for the connecting rings work nicely for that.
I know I want to achieve a balance between the busyness of the connecting rings and the space created within each motif. Saint-Saens managed such balance.

Well, sometimes the only way to see if ideas work is to try them out. In tatting, that can waste a lot of thread. What was I thinking? Make it look good. I’m getting closer.



Round 2 A with connecting rings

 



A surprise in my mailbox

Something possessed me during my senior year of college to pledge to a music sorority http://www.sai-national.org/home/ . I know, I know, my SENIOR year! I had been a bit independent at my first college, and settling in after a transfer meant that I missed the boat my Junior year. I didn’t really think I’d pull off the degree in 4 years with the transfer and all, but I did. So, my Senior year saw me initiated as a SAI. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed flipping through the Pan Pipes. http://sai-national.org/home/Publications/PanPipes/tabid/78/Default.aspx The philanthropy always inspires me. Not that I can even manage to get my personal act together, but it is inspiring. So, imagine my surprise when the Summer issue has not one, but two articles about organists! One announces Eileen Guenther’s appointment as Professor of Church Music at Wesley Theological Seminary. The other profiles a program that the Wichita Kansas group runs educating folk about the organ. http://kids.agowichita.org/  It sounds very cool!! Inspiring articles for li’l ole me.

Round 2 Motif C with connecting Rings

More progress on Saint-Saens:

 This small bit required 4 tries. I wasted thread, but I know now that I have what I want. I Don’t like to get out the scissors on a final tat, but it just didn’t work. This does.

Round 2C with connecting rings

Round 2 F with connecting rings

Well, I have completed the connecting rings of one of the Round 2 motifs. It’s slow going. But, I’m making progress.

Round 2F with connecting rings

I think after blocking, it will lay nicely. I decided that I wanted to make sure all the motifs worked before working my way through the second motif of each section. So, on to Round 2C as that looks like it will be difficult to attach.