Fabric & Lace Flower: Black and Silver

This flower I made for a bridal shower where the bride's colors are Silver and Black! I know she'll love it! I glued a pin-back on the back of it.

I made this one a little differently by making 3 of the larger flower blobs 2 of them the silver fabric and 1 is lace fabric. Then in the center I also did lace fabric strips but I also created a tassel using a thin black lace and silver metallic thread then attached that to the center gathered it up and then added a button to the center!

Fabric & Lace Flower

I saw a really pretty flower tutorial and just had to try my version of it!!! Here is a link to the Shabby Flower Tutorial. I didn't care for the center of hers so I did it a little differently by adding a tatted flower that I made a long time ago and it sat in my stash waiting to be used and a pearl thingy-ma-bob (it's not a button but it's not a bead either but it had a metal eye sticking out one end).

I did like she said and cut 2 larger (9 petal) blob shaped flowers, and 1 each of a medium (7 petal) and a small (5 petal) blob shaped flowers and crumpled and frayed them. (I made my small one too small so I had to re-cut it. Make each size just barely smaller than the other.) Then I added lace bits and sewed it all together added the tatting stitched it on and added the pearl thingy. Then I went around the back and gathered it like she said. But there I stopped I didn't do any gluing but I did tie some pink eyelash yarn around the pearl.
Now I'll just back it with a pin-backing and either use it as a pin or a pendant. You could use this for anything really I could even see sewing this (or a smaller version) down onto a crazy quilt.

Fabric Flower Fun!

I found a Fabric Flower Tutorial that I loved and decided to make some! I liked the look of the double flowers in this flower tutorial in a smaller fashion but prefer the method of petal mading in this flower tutorial. The bottom layer has 6 petals, and the top layer has 3 petals with a button or bead in the middle! Then I either sewed a loop of fabric or elastic onto the back, but pretty much anything can be attached to the back to use them in tons of ways!

To make the different sizes I just used different round objects to create the circles the same way you'd make different size yo-yo's.

The smaller flowers I used a spool of thread for the circle.

This is a small one with elastic on the back that I slipped onto my new puppy Ginger's tiny collar.

This bigger flower I used a 1/3 Cup measuring cup for the circle it has a fabric loop on the back and I slipped it onto my pink pearls for a pendent.

Here's another on my dog Madie's collar it also has elastic on the back. She didn't like the bigger flowers so I made a small one using a spool of thread for the circles so that she barely notices it on her collar.
I also made one for Bekah in a blue floral fabric with a big blue bead in the center and made it a headband by attaching a large elastic loop custom fit for her head.

A Few More Hearts

I finished up a few more hearts (Peacock Heart by Birgit Phelps) in size 80 thread for two of my small group birthday girls Kaity (purple) and Elizabeth (rainbow)! I also tatted a third in pink for another girl, Robyn! I stiffen them with white glue then attach a bail and put them on a chain!
I just love this heart pattern it's so cute!

A Couple More Tatted Hearts

I tatted up a couple more hearts (Peacock Heart by Birgit Phelps) in size 80 thread for two of my small group birthday girls Kaity (purple) and Elizabeth (rainbow)!
Elizabeth loves every color and when I had asked her what color heart she wanted she said Rainbow!!! At that time the HDT rainbow thread was not made so I had no idea what I was going to do...then I saw Tatskool's Rainbow Bright HDT thread!!! And as soon as I saw it I wanted some I knew it was IT! When she sent me a link to her site to buy some I got some in size 80. It's great I love it and I know Elizabeth will love her rainbow heart necklace too! I was worried that such a small motif might not get all the colors but sure enough it was perfect and I even got some repeat!
P.S. Don't ask why one is bigger...they are both the same pattern with size 80 thread either the size 80's differ a bit or my tension was different with the two not quite sure.

Blue Tatted Heart

Peacock Heart by Birgit Phelps
Here is another heart tatted in Helm's Deep HDT size 80 thread as another Birthday gift for one of my small group girls!

Purple Tatted Heart Necklace

Here is yet another Tatted Heart Necklace for a birthday girl in my small group! Done in size 80 variegated purple DMC thread.

Purple Heart Necklace

Here is another Peacock Heart by Birgit Phelps for another birthday girl in our small group! I used a variegated purple DMC tatting thread, stiffened with white glue and a bail and chain attached!

Green Heart Necklace

All the girls at Uturn (youth group) just ooo and ahh over the heart necklaces, and since we started small groups me and the other leader for our small group decided to use them for birthday gifts for our girls along with a journal. This one is for a young lady who loves green! Our small group name is Love Out Loud with the verse 1Cor. 16:14 "Do everything in love." So the hearts are fitting gifts.
I used Yarnplayer's size 30 "Forest" thread! I loved how the veriagation was shorter distances than other kinds and I like how it turned out. Although I think I like the pendants in size 80 thread better but I didn't have any in dark green at the time but...heehee any excuse to buy more thread right? LOL So I ordered me up some more colors of size 80! So it seems I'll be making these regularly! Unless I find another small heart pattern I love just as much, this one seems faster to do than most. I enjoy how I can tat it up in a day and stiffen it the same day.
I also used a normal 18 inch chain this time, I want those friendship necklaces I made before to keep their specialness. (By the way both girls wear them everyday!!!)
Pattern is Peacock Heart by Birgit Phelps

Little Pink Tatted Heart Necklaces

Here are the finished necklaces!!! They are SO SO SO CUTE! I stiffened the hearts and attached a bail and then put them on the 16inch sterling silver heart chains! I put them in little white organza drawstring bags and gave them to the girls last night at youth group! They LOVED them! I was so thrilled at their reaction, I'm telling you it was what you hope for when you make something like this as a gift! They adored the hearts and the chain too and put them on immediately and showed everyone all night! They told me that they were looking for "best friends" necklaces but hadn't found anything yet and that these were perfect!

Blue Rose Brooch

Here is another Brooch for My Etsy Shop! I used some of the hand-dyed bridal fabric and put blue SRE rose and buds with some vines and beads and some fire polished flower Czech glass beads.

Burgundy Rose Brooch

Tonight I sat down for a few hours and made a new Brooch for My Etsy Shop! I tried out some bead embroidery and did my first bead embroidered rose! I love how it turned out and I really like how it has a similar look to bullion roses but with sparkle.

I used burgundy Dupioni Silk with black lace overlay, my new burgundy size 15 seed beads, some bronze stamped metal leaves, 3 vintage rhinestones, and a little feather.

Sneak Peek for Diane

Here is a little sneak peek for Diane!!! She ordered 2 custom brooches from My Etsy Shop one blue and one red. Since Diane and I have tatting in common I put a tiny little tatted butterfly on.

Just finished this one this afternoon! I love red too so I'm really loving this one!

Soft Bouquet Brooch

I also made another Brooch last night before bed, so I just took photos and put it up in My Etsy Shop! For this design I tried to be more free with my placement and just started by putting 3 yellow sweetheart roses off to the side and then added feather stitching in variegated green thread. Then I added in some rose buds in 7mm ribbon stitch, with 4mm green ribbon stitch. I added a Melanie Rose in 4mm ribbon and then some bullion tipped lazy daisy leaves. After all this I felt the feather stitch area was a little weak so I added size 15 seed beads! Then I added a glass flower to the center, and it seemed complete.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade HoneyBeesBliss.etsy.com

Lace Cuff

I wanted to make a little token of love for my sister and I had the idea to make a little lace cuff!
I folded down the raw edges of the vintage lace and hand stitched it then I stitched on a vintage Mother of Pearl button, cut a buttonhole to size and whip stitched around the raw edges.
Then I added some of my tatting to the top with a pearl bead. Wah-La a cute cuff! Now I want one!

Needle Tatting: Lots of tatting

Motif's 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the 25 Motif Challenge

I made these dragonfly earrings for my SIL, Echo, since she loved them so much. I had to stiffen them quite a bit to get the wings not to flop. I just put a picot at the tip of the head and added an extra stitch to the head as well and then just attached the earring to the picot. I'm just counting the pair as 1 motif.

This is the Cecelia Doily by Cherie Wheeler I saw a lady doing it at the 25 Motif Challenge blog and thought it would be a good pattern to try with a thicker thread and bigger needle. So this is a thin yarn and the size 3 tatting needle. It's big and reminds me of a granny square in crochet...I think it would make a nice blanket or scarf or rectangular shall. I haven't finished off the ends or blocked it yet either.

I also finally finished this pink pendant with a pink Swarovski crystal at the tip. The pattern is the SweetHeart by Birgit Phelps. I still need to block and stiffen it.

Then since I have a military formal coming up that I'm wearing a white formal to, I created another clover leaf heart pendant with 4mm bicone Swarovski crystals in the outer picot's (37) and also in the joins (12). I added a large 8mm bicone Swarovski crystal to the center of the clover by stitching it on. I still need to block it and stiffen it.

Needle Tatting: More hearts

Motifs #7 and #8 of the 25 Motif Challenge
Well we were on the road this weekend so I brought along my needle tatting supplies and finished these 2 hearts (pattern from Birgit Phelps). The top one is ecru size 10 crochet cotton using a size 5 needle with a clear Swarovski crystal at the tip. The bottom one is red size 8 Perle cotton using a size 7 needle. I had trouble with the red one so it turned out kind of messed up but it's good enough for a crazy quilt, besides I had forgotten to add the Swarovski crystal before I started tatting. What was giving me trouble was that the thread that was threaded through the needle was getting worn and giving me the hardest time pulling the stitches off the needle so I moved it a little and sure enough it went easier!
I also added the ecru tatted pendant for sale on my Etsy Shop.
I have permission from Birgit to use her pattern to create pendants for sale on Etsy.

Needle Tatting: SweetHeart Motif

Motif #6 of the 25 Motif Challenge

I found this pattern on-line it is SweetHeart by Birgit Phelps. She has other patterns you can use as well. They are written for shuttle tatting but I got some help from a MSN Group called Needle Tatting Two which helped me turn the pattern into a needle tatting pattern. It writes out differently for the needle. OH and I did the variation at the point of the heart replacing the Ch 4-4 with Ch 4.
It's a pretty easy and fun little heart to do! I really enjoyed tatting it up!
Oh and I got a proper stiffener "Aleene's Stiffen Quick". Then I just added a bail to the top picot where the last join is made.

I was given permission by Birgit Phelps to share the SweetHeart pattern rewritten for Needle Tatting so here it is!

SweetHeart Pattern for Needle Tatting

Clover: R 8-8, R 8-8, R 8-8 RW
Ch 4-4-4-4 RW
R 8+ (to last ring of clover) 8 RW
Ch 4-4-4-4 RW
R 8 + (same picot) 8 RW
Ch 4-4-4-4 RW
Clover: R 8 + (to previous group) 8, R 8 + (to middle ring of first clover) 8, R 8-8 RW
Ch 4 + (to last picot of previous chain) 4-4-4 RW
R 8 + (to last ring of previous clover) 8 RW
Ch 4-4 Do Not RW
R 6-6 (tip of heart) Do Not RW
Ch 4-4 RW
R 8 + (to last ring of previous clover) 8 RW
Ch 4-4-4-4 RW
Clover: R 8 + (to previous group) 8, R 8 + (to middle ring of first clover) 8, R 8-8
Ch 4 + (to last picot of previous chain) 4-4-4 RW
R 8 + (to last ring of previous clover) 8 RW
Ch 4-4-4-4 RW
R 8 + (to last ring of previous clover) 8 RW
Ch 4-4-4-4 RW
Final Clover: 8 + (to previous group) 8, R 8 + (to middle picot of other clovers) 8, R 8 + (to first ring of first clover) 8 RW
Finish Off

Variation also by Birgit Phelps at the point of the heart replace the Ch 4-4 to only Ch 4.

Needle Tatting: Green Silk Heart Pendant

Motif #5 of the 25 Motif Challenge
Here is the finished heart before I stiffened it and attached the bail and necklace. I put a quarter in the photo so you could see how small it is. You can see a few mistakes in the heart, a few chains are uneven, and then I made a major mistake with joining in the bottom area of the heart. I joined one picot too soon! I swear I counted about 3 times before joining it...but I didn't count after I joined it and before I closed the ring! I still think it looks nice though, enough not to scrap it and start over. I wouldn't have enough thread to start over anyway. I was majorly bummed when I realized what I had done and I was already to the third clover ring by the time I knew what happened. I didn't work on it for a couple of days because that was really discouraging! But today I figured I'd finish it and stiffen it and see what it looks like, even with the mistakes...and it's not so bad...I wonder if she will even notice it...even so it proves it's hand tatted!

Ta Da! A beautiful Pendant/Necklace! I made the necklace with 4mm silk ribbon, and made the clasp adjustable. I was going to use sugar starch for a stiffener but when I started cooking it up it just seemed too goopy so I didn't use it but used hairspray instead. The hairspray worked perfectly!

Needle Tatting Heart Pendant

I turned the Clover Leaf Heart motif I needle tatted into a pendant by adding a silver bail to 2 picots that were touching in the center top of the heart. I also sewed on a 4mm clear Swarovski Crystal bicone bead to the center of the heart.
Now it's ready to slip onto the necklace of my choice! Yeay! I love it!