I came up with several ideas for the hearts. I asked on facebook to see what people thought of the hairpin idea or maybe making a bracelet. Some didn't think the size eliminated the possiblity of earrings. I also played around with more thread sizes to see how they turned out. The simplest option was the largest size thread I had (size 3 crochet cotton) as a pendant and the 20 crochet cotton ones as earrings:
Simple but effective, I think. I like the set, but if I can do simple, the next step is always going overboard. I used a couple more of the size 20 crochet cotton hearts and one made out of size 10 together with swarovski crystals, chain, and some eyepins to make a necklace.

I really like this. I think tomorrow I'm going to make a bunch of the size 20 hearts and try a bracelet and see what the pattern looks like in size 80 tatting thread. I also need to take some better pictures if the sun decides to peek out so I can get these babies listed on etsy! I'm feeling amazingly motivated lately. Let's see how long it lasts.

Best Laid Plans

I was thinking about making some jewelry for Valentine's Day to add to my shop and I remembered that I had created a small heart pattern several years ago. I've previously made the pattern with fairly small thread and used the little motifs on cards and scrapbook pages. The pattern is in my journal but I never attatched a sample and I hadn't worked it up in years. I thought I would be smart and make the hearts with size 20 crochet cotton so they would be a little bigger and dangle them either directly from earwires or attatch a headpin with some beads in between. Seems like a great plan, right?

Then I worked two little hearts up. I discovered that in that size thread, they're roughly the size of a quarter. Drat! My brain couldn't really work out how to make plan A work, so it's back to the drawing board. I'm not sure whether to tack them to some felt and make hairpins or clips or just work up a whole bunch and figure out an edging to connect them and make a bracelet. I guess we'll just see how motivated I am in the end. Here's a sneak peek of the "little" guys with the threads still trailing and terrible lighting.

Busy Little Listing Bee

Back at the end of November, I spent a good three weeks tatting my fingers to the bone and acquiring endless paper cuts working on cards to get ready to a craft fair I wanted to attend. Most of the work I wanted to accomplish done, I went to turn in my application and pay my fee, only to be told they'd been full for two weeks. Frailty, thy name is procrastination. The end result of this, is that I now have lots of work to photograph and list. Procrastination got in the way again. But I finally wrestled that evil little devil to the ground and pinned him down long enough to get a little etsy work done. One pair of earrings sold within twenty-four hours! Here are a few of the other little items I've listed this week:

White Filligree Drop Earrings

Live Charmed Earrings

Ring Around the Daisy Pendant

Peachy Keen Pendant

There are a few more items in my shop that aren't listed here, so take a sec and go check it out! More to come soon.

Keeping Track

I know what you're all thinking: How can someone so scatterbrained that she can't keep up with a simple blog manage to keep track of all her tatting patterns and ideas?

Well, I'd love to say that it's because my outward disorganization is just a mask to hide my inner-genius, but I can't. The truth is, it's all about the tatting journal. Whatever craft you do, particularly if it's something you as a business, it's important to find a way to stay organized. Here's a quick look into my tatting journal.

I chose this journal in the bookstore because the circular design on the front made me thing of a doily for some strange reason. It's easily identifiable from all the other journals I have.

I try to work up a sample of most patterns I like and want to be able to repeat and glue them into my journal. I make notes about the pattern on the same page. Sometimes I'll take a day and just make some rough sketches of ideas that popped into my head.

I also glue in pictures that inspire me whether it's ideas for packaging or pattern inspiration. I loved the idea of the hairpins all little leaf cutouts so I pasted it in here for future reference.

As you can see from these pages, sometimes I don't work up a sample to glue in but simply make a rough sketch of the pattern. I've found that just writing a pattern isn't enough. I like to have a visual for reference. I need to be able to remember details like the length needed for picots, etc. Most of my samples are worked in pearl cotton or crochet cotton to increase the size of the pattern.

And that's how my poor little over-stuffed brain keeps up with all this stuff. It's the secret to being able to repeat earring patterns in multiple colors and sizes. If perchance you can read and understand my chicken scratch notes, please keep in mind that these are my personal patterns developed to be sold as finished products through my shop. If you wish to recreate them for your own use, you may but do not sell the finished products without my permission. Thank you for your consideration.