DVD coming soon!

I am in the process of producing a DVD on tatting for beginners. I posted two small demos on YouTube about beading and split rings and had so many requests for making a DVD for beginners - literally starting from scratch, like winding the shuttle - that I thought that I had better get on with it!

I had thought that there were quite a few instructional videos available that I didn't need to add to the list, but the amount of subscribers to my videos on YouTube and their assurance that they liked my way of instructing, led me to think, OK, lets do it!

If all goes to plan I should finish the DVD today and then I will try to make a little promotional video to post on my blog and on YouTube.

It will not be a professional video - I am doing it entirely on my own with my own video camera and computer software - but I think it will be classed as a good amateur one!

Another Version of the Star Attraction Doily

Sonja from Holland sent me this picture today of my Star Attraction doily that she has done in green and white. I think the colours are perfect together, don't you?

Back to tatting!

I promised to show some pictures of my latest daffodil design that I am making for Rebekah's bridal bouquet. There will be other flowers in the bouquet, but Bekah wanted the white daffodil to be predominant.

I am really enjoying the wedding themes that I have got running at the moment. I'm a real sucker for romance! LOL!!!

Some time ago I designed a new heart to decorate a couple of wedding cards that I need to do. I have now made the hearts intertwined in fine perle size 12 and encased them in a heart-shaped edging. The picture shows how they will be assembled on the card. When the card is completed - with the famous quotation of Friedrich Halm - I will post a picture.

Wedding cake all finished!

The finsihed article!

Now I can relax until a couple of days before the wedding when I shall make the sponge cake for those who do not like fruit cake. Mind you! I have had people come up to me and say that they didn't like fruit cake, but they loved mine! Maybe it had something to do with the amount of alcohol I put in it ;-) !!! Fancy not liking rich fruit cake!

A little preview!

I thought you would all like to see the flower arrangements that I have done ready for my next cake which is for August 2nd. This wedding cake is going to be for my son's best friend, Adam and his lovely fiance, Lauren.
Today I marzipanned the three rich fruit tiers ready for icing tomorrow. I can't wait to see it finished! When I have a picture in my mind of what I want to do and what the bride wants it to look like I'm always relieved to see the finished article - it doesn't always look like I expect! LOL! But this one is going to be just right!

4th July Wedding Cake

Remeber the hibiscus sugar flowers I posted about last April? Well here they are on the cake they were made for.

I couldn't finish the cake until today because one of the tiers is made of sponge! I don't usually make one of the tiers in sponge because of the time limitations. My usual method is to make all of the tiers as rich fruit cakes that keep for months, even years so that I can decorate them well in advance. I then make a quick sponge cake, decorated with plain icing that can be kept in the kitchen of the venue and then cut for any guests who do not like fruit cake.

The reason I do this is that, being as I am only one on my own doing someone's very special wedding cake and relying on me to deliver, I like to be done well in advance in case of accidents or illness (you never know what is around the corner!). Big bakery companies have more than one deocrator they can call on! But on this occassion, the customer is one of long standing and extremely valued so I broke my own rules! LOL. Mind you, I breathed a great sigh of relief about an hour ago when I had finally completely finished! Phew!!!

21st birthday cake!

My brief for this cake was:
A 2-seater settee on which are:
A boy with light hair and glasses which a small black laptop on his knees;
A girl with long brown hair with a larger orange laptop on her knees;
A plaque with "happy 21st birthday Carly"


Here is what I came up with!

Prize Shuttle!

Here it is then!

I won!

I decided to enter the Ring Of Tatters 2009 competition as the theme was to decorate a card and as you all know, that was right up my street! After sending in my entry I promptly forgot all about it!

Well I had a lovely surprise in the post yesterday morning - I received notification that I had won one of the two prizes - and found a beautiful wooden shuttle in a little box!

Now that the competition is over I can let you all see the pictures of the card that I submitted.

Freesia

One of the requests I have received for a bulb flower pattern is for the freesia and so here it is in all it's glory!

Tulip - Edited Version

I decided that the yellow tulip was not really deep enough and so have edited the pattern to give an extra row of rings and chains on each petal.

This time I have done a two colour flower as tulips often have a very dark centre.

The centre chains are made with double double stitches to give extra support to the flower without having to wire the petals, as I did with my very first tulip pattern in my book From Petals To Pearls. This makes for a much easier way to assemble the finished flower!

New Tulip Design

This is the second of my new bulb flowers - the tulip. I hope you all like it.

My DH thinks it should have more depth, what is your opinion? I could put an extra repeat in, but I think it looks quite well balanced, however, I will go with the majority!

Spring delight!

Here as promised is the bowl of hyacynths.

I think they give a cheerful, colourful display of early spring!

Now the boring part - writing out the pattern :-( LOL!

Continuing with the hyacynth

No pictures just yet but I am continuing with the hyacynth. I have done a pink one and a purple one and now I am in the process of doing a white one. When the white one is done I will arrange all three into a little pot and post a pic.

I am now seriously thinking of writing a new flower book on flowering bulbs, so if you have a favourite, let me know what you think should be in the book.

I asked the same question with the Summer Collection of Tatted Flowers book and got some really good suggestions!

New Hyacynth Design

In my book From Petals To Pearls (which was written over many years and published in the early 1990's) I have a pattern for the hyacynth flower, but t'other day I was passing my local florist's shop window and spotted a hyacynth in full bloom.

I got to thinking about how I could improve on my first design and this is what I have come up with. Perhaps I should start a new book with just flowers from bulbs! Now there's a project to think about!