beaded

I've been quite pleased with how little purse/smart phone pouch worked out. The base, the pouch itself, is crocheted with two strands of size 20 thread held together. One is orange, one is more of a pale coral color. As I created the pouch itself, I tatted, with the orange thread, strips of beaded lace that I then crocheted in as I went along. The beads are size 11 seed beads in a mix of colors that I felt coordinated with the thread colors.

For anyone who can crochet and tat, this is a really easy sort of project and the result is quite lovely. Just find a favorite edging pattern and off you go.

 

Here's how it looked in the beginning!

Three rows of lace added at this point, there are seven in all.

the finished purse

close up of the tatting

they came from outer space

Ok, so they didn't really come from outer space. I've had these tubular hematite beads for a while now. I created a necklace with them that I wasn't happy with, so snip, snip, snip...

I thought they might look interesting in tatting, so I loaded some of them on a shuttle and just like pod people, they sprang out!

Seems a matching alien necklace is in order now!

more fancy phones

A few weeks ago I showed off my latest smart phone cover up:

I was so pleased with the result of combining crochet and tatting that I set out on making another. Here are the pics!

I used Lizbeth 10 for the crocheting and a matching Lizbeth 40 for the tatting.

Again I made the pouch itself as a wristlet that opens easily to get at your phone.

Here's a detail shot of the single crochet and tatting. This time I used clusters of three seed beads (size 11) on the picot of the chain.

Since I had some leftover thread, I tatted this lock stitch chain bracelet/necklace. The beginning and ending rings just slip over one another to hold it secure.I've never had a problem with one of them coming undone (you'd really have to get it a pretty hard tug).

Next up! I have a new idea for another phone pouch, but this time I'll be using different tatted ornamentation. Pics to follow!

fancy phone

It's been forever since I updated this blog, well, not forever, but about three months. After the Christmas season I found I needed a bit of a break from fibers, and apart from a few small projects I was not too active. So now I'm back at it and decided to come up with a little smart phone pouch that combined crochet with some tatted lace adornment ... so here it is!

In the beginning: I used Lizbeth 10 (Caribbean)  for the pouch itself and Lizbeth 20 for the tatted trim. The beads are amethyst. The trim was attached as I went along by crocheting directly to the pouch.

I had just enough of the amethyst beads that I could do four rows of trim. Once I complete the bag, however, I didn't' like the placement of the first row I had joined (the one at the bottom), nor did I like how I had finished the closing at the top, sooo... I ripped it all out!!

Here's the redone version with better placement of the trim and a new closing at the top.

Detail of the closing. The strap was done in crocheted slip stitch, three rounds (which I threaded through the openings in the pouch as I started the second round so that I could crochet continuously.

The strap is long enough to go over the wrist when it's drawn up tight and securely holds the phone in place.

By moving the inner part of the strap aside the phone easily slides out. I tend to experiement with different ways of closing that don't involve too much sewing.... I'm a horror at putting in linings and zippers, but I have done it on occasion.

Detail of the tatting.

I'm happy with the result of this one overall and I've started the next! Once again I'll use a combination of Lizbeth 10 for the pouch itself and this time size 40 for the tatting. Here's a sneak preview!

Hues of orange, red and yellow for the next one with red seed beads.

Knotty Beaded Necklace - before and after

Just a couple pics of a necklace prototype. It's tatted with size 10 Lizbeth thread with nine leopard skin jasper beads added... oh, 12 if you count the closing beads.

I did this with three strands of tatting..... so I had to start with three shuttles and bobbins. I felt they were picture-worthy!

BEFORE:

I did a simple over hand knot making a loop jut big enough to slip something through for the closing. I tend to dislike metal findings so I don't use them if I can find another way. (I think it's due to the fact that my skin is sensitive and breaks out easily with most metals... silver is ok, but the tarnish factor is a nuisance and gold does not bother me, but it's just too expensive to use for most things, especially if I need to pass that cost onto a buyer).

AFTER:

And here's pic of this necklace on the official Crunchy Banana website model (ok, ok, yeah... I gotta find someone else to model my stuff... or maybe get a manequin of some kind... either way they'd do more justice to it than I!!).

Triad Beaded Tatted Necklace

A simple little necklace I tatted up tonight. I used size 10 cotton thread in brown with glass beads in red, mustard, and shades of brown.

Bottle Bling

The things one can do with tatting! This general idea came from Ruth Perry at the 11th International Finger Lakes Tatting Seminars held this past April in Hector, NY. This is a stretchy hair band with tatting (all chain) attached at intervals with various beads.

A great way to use up random beads and keep other people's lips off your bottle!