Daisy Art Dolls, ATCs Received and Tatted Bag from Wally

These daisy dolls were by far the easiest to conceptualize and create, thanks to QuicKutz die-cut! I love this Fashion Doll set, just look at those long slender legs! My girls complaining the daisy skirts were too short though, chuck! I'm still in the mood of salvaging those junk mails into something "useful", so they were created mainly with junk mail flyers, except for the white petals. I tatted simple ring daisies to go with the skirts as an extra touch. One has already reached Charlene in the USA.

This is Margie's daisy doll for me - look at the head and face! It's amazing to see how different people interpret a theme. Margie is so creative with her doll, I learn much through these swaps! Thanks, Margie, for the doll and everything!

Next are fabric ATCs I received in the week. This first one is from Annelie of Sweden, this must be one of the best butterfly cards in my collection. Annelie painted the fabric with watercolours and such sweet tones, and look at the butterflies stitched in threads! Thanks, Annelie!

Here is a swap which we agreed to tat something on them. See what Susan Cuss came up with! According to Suz, the background was hand-knitted varigated pink mohair-blend yarn, with more fibers and bronze organza on top, then all the layers quilted onto a felt backing. The dragonfly was tatted with three threads together: a metallic turquoise, silver metallic, and a sulky blendables to create the shimmering effect. Fire-polished crystals, 4mm, in Capri AB were used for the eyes and tail, and a larger turquoise bead for the thorax.

The background for the flower piece is done the same as the first pieceof and covered it with a layer of burgundy organza. Flower and leaf were tatted with Yarnplayer's 'Garden Afternoon' size 40 thread, and white seed beads were sewn for the flower centre. These 2 are definitely special additions to my collection. Thanks, Suz!

When I signed up for the Extreme Tatters Round Robin early last year, I put in a lot of time and effort to design new animal motifs for my partners. So, it was especially sore when I didn't hear from one of them, somehow, emails didn't come through. But, alright, Wally made up for my long, long wait when the package finally arrived a few days ago.

I love Egyptian things for the mysterious air around them. The postcard (death mask of Tutankhamon) and bookmark (Hieroglyphic alphabets) will be special keepsack. Then there are 5 balls of El Beida pearl cotton threads (and I love dark brown as it is not easy to get them), 2 painted wooden flat shuttles, 2 mother-of-pearl round discs, a packet of the round sequins from Egypt used on Belly Dnacing costumes. Wally has used these sequins to adorn the tatted bag. Although the tatted bag consisted of simple rings and chains, it is in black, and I always admire people who are brave enough to work with black thread (it is really difficult to see!) Last but not least, there is another tatted cord bracelet. I must try tatting this one day. Big Thank You, Wally!

Every year, my children would hand-make something for their teachers for Teachers' Day. We couldn't make up our minds what to make this year, not until I came across Kata Golda's Hand-Stitched Felt in the library. The projects inside look good, yet simple enough for the girls to do. So I cut all those colourful felt, took out the needles and threads and sat down to stitch with them. Joey has used the needle before, but not Kristine, so I had to guide and help them along. Well, they are still stitching a few more of these pouches at the time I took the photo. The cards are of ATC-size, done mainly with QuicKutz dies.

These few pouches and cards (photo below) are done by Joey, while Kristine stitched 11 pouches and made 9 cards.

Finally. here's a little treat for myself - Martha Ess' latest books. And I have tatted the first of the animals in the Critters book - alligators! I can't make up my mind what is the colour of alligator, so I have done them in 3 colours. These critters are just delightful to tat!

ATC Sharing Sessions, Tatted Needle Book and ATCs Received

In addition to the ATC on Parade exhibition, we had 2 ATC sharing sessions - in Bishan Library on 7 Aug and in Ang Mo Kio Library on 15 Aug. There weren't big crowds, but comfortable-size groups for the 4 of us to share some of our collections in the hour-long sessions. It was an eye opener even among ourselves, going through all the ATCs in so many different mediums, different themes and different styles created by people from all walks of life from every part of the continents. Amazing!

That's me in Bishan Library ...

and in Ang Mo Kio Library. Both photos taken by Moses.

I have received another tree ATC from Teresa, this one is embroidered on fabric. Thank you, Teresa!

This is the first silk ribbon embroidery piece in my collection, really love it! These lovely ATCs were created by Ati in Norway.

I have been thinking of making a needle book for ages. Since I started sewing all the fabric ATCs, my needles are everywhere, but sometimes, they are simply nowhere to be found : ( . I know this must be the time to make a needle book. Tatted flowers with Gutermann Sulky threads adorned the felt pieces put together in a booklet. Oh, I love pink!

I always try to make another one similar ATC, in addition to the one traded, for keeping. This is mine for keeping, with "ellen" embroidered on the bag. Now, I'm stitching alphabets, though it's still a long way to perfecting my words.

With barely half a month's time from Teachers' Day, it's full swing into making up the teachers' presents for the children in-between their homework. Mummy has to help too with most of the cutting and giving lots of guidance on the stitching! What are we making? We'll see next week!

I Did A Lot !

It started with the swap "Things with Wings", that reminded me of the flying pig designed by Jane Eborall. I have only tatted it once and given it away. I have always wanted to tat it again, so I picked up my shuttles and ta ta ta tah...

This piece (above) went to Cobi Wittekoek in Nederland.

And these two to Ati in Norway for a private swap.

While these 2 latest tatted pieces went to Susan Cuss in Canada.

I just found out about button fairies, and made a few, small enough to fit on the ATC. Cute!

The owl ATC on the left is a watercolour painting by Pei Ling (traded for 1 of my button fairies), and the Lost Dog on the right is done in colour pencils by my girl, Kristine.

I have finished up another 2 pieces of embroidery on painted calico "Growing Along The River".

And a tatted flower booch for Sharimah, a colleague, who quitted.

I did a lot!

ATC On Parade 2010

Received this latest piece of fabric ATC from Linda Higgins of the UK. She used a technique which she has not done before - ironing fresh flowers from her garden onto bondawebb and then ironing a sheer voil over the top and adding stitching. I must say the flowers turned up clearer in the photo, the sheer voil on top adds a mysterious, dreamy effect to the piece. A very co-ordinated felted butterfly is sewn on top with metallic thread!

I really love the reddish paper used for the qipao of the junk mail doll I made for Linda Marino, and hope to try to squeeze out enough of it to make another dress, but it was not quite sufficient, so I went into the red border, and voila, quite a nice effect too! I'll keep this one for myself!

These 2 pieces I took the longest to complete, had to keep repainting the fabric to get the colours I wanted, and black is really difficult to control! The effect of the sky at sunset, and the glowing river turned up lovely.

Now, the ATC On Parade exhibition. What we are exhibiting -

This is mine.

The top 3 with tatting, the middle row are dolls and the centre piece is my first button fairy, the last row are 3 of my embroidered flowerscape showing the progression from just French knot flowers to hills with cut flowers and the latest river banks.

Joey's ones.

Kristine's ATCs.

And my name plate!

The others....

Two News!! And The Latest Junk Mail Dolls!

Two news to share, if you have not heard them!

ATC on Parade 2010 - our 3rd Artist Trading Card exhibition.

This year, our ATC exhibition will be held at 2 locations - from 5-12 Aug 10 at Bishan Public Library, and from 13-19 Aug 10 at Ang Mo Kio Public Library. In addition, we will be sharing some of our ATC collections, including many international ones, on 7 Aug (Sat), 4.30-5.30 pm at the Bishan Library Programme Zone, and on 15 Aug (Sun), 3-4 pm, at the Ang Mo Kio Library Programme Zone. Do drop by if you can make it.

We will also holding our regular monthly trading session on 12 Aug (Thu), 6.30-8.30 pm at the Bishan Library Programme Zone. Come join the round-robin ATC creation that evening!

Next is Georgia Seitz's grand project - 2 handmade crazy quilts embellished with lots of tatted motifs by tatters all over the world!

Well, the quilts are up for drawing, tickets by donation that will go into the Tat Days Scholarship Fund. More information here can be found here:

http://www.tatdaysscholarship.info/

Just flown in is this junk mail doll from Cindy Whiddon of USA, yes, I said junk mail! I couldn't belive it either! On closer inspection, the limbs are noticeably made up from the inside of envelopes, but the dress? Look like a quilted dress, but made up from flyers!

This is my doll made for Linda Marino. She is already flying to the States. Her limbs and shoes are cut from flyers from Maybank, her qi pao cut from some Reader's Digest contest flyers, the Vanda Miss Joaquim motifs on the dress from the printed stamp on envelopes (I found different colours of the flower!), and the head from an opera flyer.

I'll end off this post with Kristine's latest Chinese calligrahphy works from school, she was so happy to show me these 2 pieces last Friday, especially the one on the left which her teacher graded an A+!

The words can be translated as "Country thousand of miles on" for the left piece, and "Good moral can prolong the life" for the right one. Did a bit of homework myself and found this: 明代养生家吕坤说“仁可长寿，徳可延年”，“养徳为养生第一要也”。Guess that's how the saying started.