Avoiding the Doily

Yes, I am avoiding work on the Spring Doily.  I have only the final round to go, but it's just like me to feel a 'need' to do something else.  Just like the birthday quilt that needs only the binding to finish, and the wedding dress straps that need a little top stitching. Ha!  

Mom gave me some handwork thread to try - Sulky Blendables.  It's actually more for embroidery and appliqué, but I know others have tried it for tatting too, and it comes in nice variegated colors.  I thought I should try it out, and have been thinking I need a stash of cross bookmarks anyway.  And Mom needs a few more bookmarks to have on hand too.  Perfect diversion from actually completing any of the larger projects in waiting . . .

First I tried this little cross - the Pearl Cross Bookmark by Dianna Stevens. It ended up a little smaller in size than I wanted, and I didn't plan ahead well and ended up with a too-short tail for my liking. Oops.  I guess it will still keep one's place in a book, though.  

The Blendables thread seems to compare to about size 40.  Much nicer size than the sewing thread I tried - my eyes were practically crossed trying that.  Honestly, I thought it would be quite a feat to tat with tiny thread.  Surely it must be an accomplishment to be proud of, right?  I don't think I like it enough to struggle with it again.  I am not sure why one would use such tiny thread, I can't see the beautiful stitches anyway!

Back to trying out more of the Blendables colors.  I love Jane's bookmark pattern, so I thought I'd try the cross variation by Grace Tan. 

I love the look of this cross, and it works into a very nice size bookmark with the Blendables.  I really didn't mind tatting with this thread as long as I didn't need to un-tat my stitches much.  I did some un-tatting that led to a break that led to some ranting.  But only once.  A good long rant that addressed many unrelated thoughts  :)

And, I started another book too.   There are just so many things I want to do, and not enough time to do them all.  And many times I find that completing a few smaller projects gives me the satisfaction of actually completing SOMETHING, and then it's easier to get back on track with the larger projects.  Weird? Nah. Just the way my crazy brain works I guess.  Besides, I can squeeze in some reading at lunchtime easier than I can accomplish much tatting.  Wouldn't want to waste any time, you know.

Back to the worst (but most necessary) deadly time-sucker tomorrow.  The job.  Takes up a lot of time, but I gotta pay for all these hobbies somehow :)  I'll get back to finishing the Spring Doily. Soon. 

Almost Done.

My weekend goal is pretty much accomplished - it's nice when things go according to plan, and I've actually given myself ample time.  I definitely like to be 'done' with things ahead of time, and not rushing at the last minute! Just a little top stitching left, but that will wait until the bride can try them out with the dress.  And give her final approval.  

Hopefully these straps will look and work the way we envisioned!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  I don't think the organza base shows as much on top of skin as it does in the photo - we'll see.

Did I mention how slippery organza is to sew on?  Sheesh.  And did I mention how the lace on my mom's dress was tiered and sewn in a way that made it a little difficult to get good lengths of lace?  I hated to cut into it more, but I did have to.  A pile of scratchy tulle netting is left.  Still makes me feel a bit guilty.

This is actually a weight off my shoulders.  I knew it had to be done, but I knew DOING it would require a good stretch of uninterrupted time.  Thank heavens hubby is self-sufficient when I'm in my cave :) 

And Ruby doesn't care as long as she gets a little sun.

Dragging My Feet ...

The Task: Make straps for daughter's wedding dress.

Out of lace.  

Lace from my mother's wedding dress. 

Yikes!

My daughter's wedding will be on my parents' anniversary, so the plan was to use mom's dress, but it didn't fit right to wear as is. Then we figured we could use the lace somehow, some way.  Grandma and granddaughter will share a wedding anniversary, so shared lace would be awesome.

Straps!  Not crazy about a strapless dress, but we could add straps!  The bridal shop charges a pretty penny to add straps.  The lace from mom's dress was originally white, but is discolored enough after all these years to match the ivory lace of the new dress.  Perfect.  We like to be sentimental, we do. 

How do I get myself into these things?  "Sure, I can do that - that's a great idea!" Boy, I have a big mouth sometimes.  

I have been the Queen of Procrastination on this task. But it's time to get it done, so it's my goal for this weekend. When it came down to it, I really had to force myself to cut into that lace. The lace on THAT dress. Mom is OK with it.  It's been sitting in a box for over 50 years.  But still. I CUT UP MY MOM'S WEDDING DRESS! 

A daunting task, but finally, the straps are in process.  The lace is so pretty, but the pattern is a bit too wide to use as we wanted.

Some modification to the original idea will be necessary.  I will be sewing it to some organza, so I have some figuring to do.  I think one edge will have to be straight to get it to the desired width. Dang it. 

To be continued ...

Progress

I'm still working on Round 11 of the WIOSNA 2015 Spring Doily, but I haven't been as dedicated as I'd hoped to be.  As if wedding shopping, quilt making, and attending a work conference for a few days wasn't enough, I dove into another book as well.  There just aren't enough hours in a day!

I've chosen to use more pink in this last round to pull out that small bit of earlier pink - I think it works nicely.  I see where I've missed joining a ring in between the florals though - on both sides!  Dang it.

I hate it when I do that!

I got another new shuttle from LaCossette yesterday - I couldn't resist.  These shuttles are so addicting - they are my absolute favorite to use.  

Besides, who could resist Roses & Chocolate?