Becareful of what you post!

Hi Everyone or at least the few people who read my blog. I've decided I'm going to shut down comments in the next few days. I'm finding it too stressful since I don't blog very often. Sometimes weeks will go by before I come here, other times I just forget about them, and I don't want to upset anyone by making them think I'm ignoring them.

Because of all the problems I have with panic attacks and agoraphobia, the less stress in my life the better. My safe "cocoon" isn't feeling so safe to me right now because I upset someone whose work I greatly admire. I didn't think I would hurt anyone with my "moan" but it did and I'm beyond sorry. To avoid upsetting anyone else I've deleted that part of the original post.

I never want to hurt or upset anyone with my ramblings. There's too much meaness in the world so I try to be nice whether it's in the real world or online.

When I started this blog I decided it would only be about the business and not about my opinions or anything personal. Over time I've broke that rule but I think it's time for me to go back to it again. The only time I'll be moaning now is about myself.

I admit I'm neurotic and tend to fixate over things. That's why I was up almost all night brooding over all this and writing pages and pages to help me deal with all the sad and panicy feelings I'm having. So excuss me while I drop off the face of the earth for a while and pull my cocoon tightly around me until I can let go of the pain I'm feeling over the hurt feelings I've caused................

Another Pattern in Soft Dolls & Animals!

Last week I got an email from Kelly at Soft Dolls & Animals saying they would be interested in printing the pattern for the bears in the picture. I'm so happy!!!!!!! They are just a basic bear pattern but are decorated with made and purchased flowers.

I usually decorate bears with silk ribbon embroidery, in fact I even won first and second place in a big national contest for designers with 2 different bears that I embroidered a while ago. Better Homes and Gardens was one of the sponsors and bought the rights to the patterns but I'm not sure if they ever used them in any of their publications. Most mags I've dealt with send out free issues of the one your in but not all do. I had sent a tatted bracelet pattern to workbasket magazine. Turns out they printed it and never paid me. Worse yet they lost the bracelets and still didn't pay me. I have never sent anything to them again. At least BH&G did pay.

I'm still tatting and working on new patterns. I actually have 4 going right now. I put aside the winter fairy I was working on and got out the rabbits I started last year. I also just cut out fabric for a bag doll. Lena, my witch pattern, was supposed to be a bag doll but as I made her I really went off design. Today I got out the patterns and fabric I had ready for a new fairy and frog pattern. Then of course are the fall tatting patterns. Forgot to add those to the total. I sewed 2 to tote bags but still have to finish the other 3 designs. Since they aren't sewn I'm slow on doing them but the designs are pretty much worked out. Guess I need a few days without interruptions, yeah like that will happen :)

Here's some of what I've been working on -

These are 3 of the tatted rings I've been making for the new etsy store I plan on opening just for jewelry, both the beaded stuff I make and some tatting. There are so many great tatters over there already. I should have done this a few years ago but didn't think there was a market in selling tatting. It takes so long to make things so it's hard to get paid for your time. The pattern is on yarnplayer's blog and she allows people to make things from the pats she posts to sell. She has a great blog and etsy store. The thread she dyes is amazing! In case you're wondering the book the rings are laying on is an old one I bought at my local libraires book sale. It's from 1047 and has a variety of needlecrafts. I was so lucky to find it.

The metal bowl I have this tatting in belonged to my Gran. I love it and recently dug it out of storage to enjoy. I have quite a few things from everyone in my family. They all know I love old china and things like that so when they clean out cupboards I usually end up with boxes. Prob with that is I have a basement full not to mention all the cupboard in my kitchen. I would have liked to take some of it to an antique mall to sell but how do you explain that you know longer have something when the person who gave it to you asks to borrow it.

The tatting I'm doing here is with 2 shuttles and 2 balls (one is just the thread wrapped around paper). It's just a basic ring and chain edging that I decided to try joining at the chains. They wrap around not join at picots. I came up with this on my own after doing reading on Celtic tatting. I don't think anyone can claim this pattern as their own since it's such a basic pattern. I know I don't claim it as mine. I plan on turning it into a vintage looking bracelet/cuff. I know by the time I'm done with it I'll want to keep it!

That's the hardest thing about tatting, deciding whether you can claim the design as yours or not. Like the basic square I use for my mini tatted quilts. I saw it in an old vintage booklet I bought. The book is now available online as a copy right free download so anyone can use that same block and do their own thing with it. Some things in tatting are just too basic to claim as your own design. It's what you do with it that makes it yours. Like how I took that basic 4 ring square and turned it into mini quilts. As far as I know no one has ever done that before with tatting so that makes it a new design that I can claim. Just how it's used but not the square itself. I've never seen any rings like the one yarnplayer came up with even though when you look at it, it's just a basic trim. But it's how she used it that makes it her design. Or when someone takes a basic motif and adds beads or charms and turns it into a necklace. They used their imagination so I think the tatted piece could be claimed as their design. But what happens when someone else uses that same basic motif and adds other kinds of beads, can they say it's their design? It's the same thing with basic doll and bear body patterns. It's all such a grey area that causes anger and hurt feelings.

BTW, if you want to learn how to tat, online classes are run by http://www.georgiaseitz.com/ . I've never taken them but have had a look at the classes. They look really good and they're FREE!

Some one asked about making and selling dolls using my patterns. I have terms of use them so there is no question that you can sell what you make as long as you're not hiring people to do the work. As for the free patterns on my web site, yes there are free patterns over there so go look some time, the same goes for them.

Way too much snow!

This pic was taken yesterday, since then we've had another 5 inches with more to come! Great excuse to stay in and make something. :)

I'm still tatting for my new etsy store. I was working in black, but last night switched over to white, next will be a dark red thread. Thought I should have a few choices of color.

Valentine dolls are up at the ebay store. There are 3 sweet little Valentine fairies. I don't think I'll be making any more because I'm too busy with other projects. I guess I'll just skip Valentines and move onto Easter Rabbits. I really like the one I have at etsy and was surprised it never sold last year.