You see, I mean.....

 Explaining what I do in words has always been difficult for me. I guess because I learned to read music before I learned to read English. No, I didn't really think you'd take that seriously.

My brother would tease me, “Music is your first language, Sis. Stick with it and forget the English.” I’ve learned how to express myself in words….as long as I can edit them. It’s so much easier for me to just sit down at a keyboard and play or sing to convey what I wish.

The same can be said for tatting lace. What I see or imagine can be expressed in thread. I’m learning how to do that too. I still find myself trying to put into words what I’m tatting. For this blog, for the insert I add to my artwork, for friends who know that the lace is inspired by music. Next week I’ll begin another complicated piece of lace. Perhaps I’ll try to give a chronology of the process here. If I can figure out the words!

Off to edit the latest draft of writing about my lace…….

Deciding

 One question that often comes up, from tatters and those who don’t tat but love lace, is how I decide what to tat. That part of the creative process for me is the really fun part!

When I first started tatting, I followed patterns published in books. Sometimes I’d get so far and then I wouldn’t finish the piece.

Then I found patterns on the Internet. Sometimes I’d make several starts before I figured out how to tat the piece.

Then I found a group who discussed tatting on a weekly basis. Through that group, I was encouraged to design my own tatting projects. Sometime there’d be several trials of ideas before I’d come up with lace.

This is all part of the process of tatting for me: learning what has been done in the past, honing my skill to execute lace, and imagining new pieces. The deciding part is messy. The deciding part takes time. The deciding part can be unproductive and frustrating.

But the lace, is all good!

Returned and BWV 549

 

I have returned. And this is what I picked up from the framer:

My photography set up doesn’t include taking on art work framed under glass. But, you get the idea. I think it will work for a thumbnail to include with the pattern. I rather like how it all came out. The framer chose just the right mat to use with just the right frame.

Now to turn it in to the Fundraiser. When everything is set up, I’ll share info about it all.

Off it goes....

 Not with someone’s head. Just my tatting to the framer. I think I have everything in place, labeled, and ironed/blocked. We’ll see. I trust the to call if there’s any doubt or a question.

I also finished another sample for a class. This will focus on blocking. I used the wonderful Awareness ribbon pattern by Lenore English. If anyone has a link that’s active online, please let me know. I like to encourage new tatters to try it as it’s a little more involved than mignonette, and they can gift their tatting to someone who could use a boost. Here’s the tatting ready to block:

Now I’m off to pack for a short trip. I’ll be out for a week. Don’t expect I’ll get a chance to post Thursday. See you when I return to Monterey.

And here's how I do it

 

It occurred to me shortly after my last post went live that I’ve never really posted about how I prepare tatting for framing. So, here’s an in-process photo.

After finishing tatting the pattern and blocking, I visit a trusted framer to decide how it will look hung.

After a quick iron and lint-rolling, I place the black cotton fabric in a frame or hoop. If it’s too large, pinning on an ironing board or something works well. The idea is to make sure the fabric doesn’t move and the tatting can be tacked down easily.

Next come the guidepost basting. I do baste in a contrast thread. My eyes do not see square. They see very fluidly. So, I never, ever trust them to see if things are aligned. With the software I use to create diagrams, it’s easy to print out grids. Using a sharp needle as small size as I can limits the marking of the black fabric.

Next I baste the tatting down with help from that guidepost basting again using contrasting thread.

Now comes the slow part.

I pick the densest part of the piece and proceed to tack it down with a cotton sewing thread that matches as close as I can get. If I’ve used a variegated thread in the tatting, I match each section. That can leave a few knots on the back of the piece, so I try to make as small a knot as possible using a quilter’s knot to start each thread piece.

From there I work to tack down the rest of the tatting.

I do not trust myself to use self-sticking mat board. I know many people swear by it, but I trust a good framer more than my eyes.

Ready to mount

 I’ve blocked the tatting, found the black cotton, visited the framer to get the final dimensions needed. Now it’s time to do the very tedious part of sewing the tatting onto the backing material. This will take me awhile. I’ll have some in-progress photos Thursday.

Tatting finished, now to block and mount and frame

 

I finished tatting yesterday. It took me a few starts. I got the stitches counted, but forgot to measure the chain, remembered to measure the chain and got it laying flat, forgot to weave the chain, remembered to weave the chains, untatted a chain and undid a lock join, remembered to do everything….finally.

Now to block this beauty!!

BWV 549 ready to block