Fait Accompli

Persistence pays

As a follow up to the previous post I want to share something with you. 

I'm now almost done. I have 2 fans left and 2 legs of the trail. That means I've done 9 fans and 10 legs of the trail. 

Of course that NOT what it means. It actually means that I've done 17 fans and 22 legs of the trail. Because until the last fan and last trail leg, I've had to take out and redo every stinking one over at least once. Now that I think of it, I should be counting the unmaking just like the making but I can't count that high. So we move on. 

The last fan and the last trail were done right the first time. But I've now stopped because I was starting to feel a little cocky and we all know where that leads, right?  Down the unpleasant trail of profanity and nobody wants that. 

So I've stopped for the night and will go do other things that are good for the soul and I will resume tomorrow. And if, when I resume, there are errors, you will be told nothing. It will be finished and a second one started with no one the wiser. Especially not me. 

I have a plan

I have a plan to make a bobbin lace fan. 

It's been on my list for several years now but I haven't had the skills up to this point. Not that I'm sure I have them now but every once in a while I start it to see how far I can get. If I can get through the first section I should be able to do the whole thing. 

This time I thought I'd do a smaller project to practice the trails and fans. The transitions between the two elements are what gave me a problem the last time I tried it so it seemed like a good thing to practice with 14 pairs of bobbins instead of 28 pairs. 

Plus I get this fetching little piece at the end of it!

I've finished 4 fans and 5 legs of the trail. Of those, I've had to undo and redo 2 fans and 7 legs of the trail. Yes, that means that some of the had to be undone and redone more than once. Sigh...  Maybe I've got it now. 

I Wonder What This Would Do...

My friends will tell you that my favorite craft store is @Lowes. The point being that I enjoy finding things that do one thing and seeing of they will work doing something else. It inspires me to think differently about common items. 

With my intermediate tatting class coming up at the Chicago Lace Day in June, I've started experimenting with alternate material to work with. 

How about using thin jewelry wire as part of the base so it can be shaped and hold it's shape?  What about using a thicker thread as a base to give the item some structure?  What about using some thick stretch magic as the base to give it some weight and structure?

Here are some of the experiments. 

Three pendants and a pin that also incorporates some needle techniques. Add a few beads and a few jewelry findings and you have yourself a unique piece in no time!