Valentine's is almost here!

I got into the fever of heart patterns and searched lots of them. All beautiful, tempting... So I decided to try one of them. It was this Christmas Heart from Anne Bruvold, found actually here.

So I start the work... of course I did not do it right, I did more ds between the picots and I ended up with 6 rings instead of 5. Stubborn as I am, I started to improvise and it gave this:

See the difference? I will try to do the original once more, because I really like it. 

With a leather cord, I got a necklace out of it, up in the shop with it and it is already on the wish-list for Valentine's Day in DaWanda Spain. 

Is there any tatting book only with heart motifs?

New ideas...

I spend a lot of time starring in front of the computer at tatted objects or patterns. A bit too much, sais my husband, buy I cannot help. Some time ago I found a Russian designer and I loved her delicate work. Here you can see her work.
I did not find instructions how to make these flowers, I looked a lot at this work. It was definitelly not sewed like all the Ankars objects. It was not really beanile work. I got a way how to make these elements. I guess I reinvented the weel, but I don't care, I like the result and I got more freedom for the next jewelry objects I have in mind.

Done with 12 Anchor thread and seed beads, already in my Etsy, ALittleMarket, DaWanda and Artesanio shops. 

I think that a bracelet would look spectacular too and my husband suggested a ring... I'll see about this last one. 

If would know that someone is interested on the pattern, I will post the instructions. 

Bracelet almost done

Remember it from the last post?
Recovery phase for me now, I'm posting for the times I did not do it.

So, I added the beads: Check cristals, pearls and tiger's eye beads. Still not happy with the right side (down here). But it deffinitely looks different than the last post.

Hobby or profession?

To make from your hobby a profession or not? This would be a good question.
Of course you need to support your hobyy, every hobby crafter knows that after a certain point, you have to refund your hobby. And this one is sometimes quite expensive, think about the beaders, for instance. Of course you can make presents from your work, but the question remains: to what point will you do it?
I read an advice today: let your passion at this point, otherwise you will end up by working for orders with no fun.
Is it true? I am still at the point when I have a lot of fun working for my orders. And I am happy to have the means to continue my game with thread and pearls. I would like, of course, to get to the next level, but then comes marketing in the equation. It was never my strongest side because I am rather shy with what I can achieve. I am not pushy, sais my husband. So I try to push...
And I continue to play with my material. Even with the ends of thread. And it gives sometimes this:

  

The main object will be a bracelet. I just have to add the beads (tiger's eye) and that's it.

The original pattern is here, I just adapted it to 2-8-2-8 both sides (I want it straight) and I just hid the thread by Rocaille seed beads. 

Long, long break in this blog. But not in my tatting.
I learned to know a bit more about the Ankars technique. The purists of the tatting will honestly say: this is not tatting, the lace is not purely lace. I like both techniques, each of them has its own purpose, therefore I will continue.
I used to hate complicated forms in jewelry but since I discovered tatting and saw the jewelry designed by the Russian artists, every single time I see a pattern and nice beads my mind gets wild. Funny how this what one thinks about himself changes.
Back to the working stuff.
I have tatted a small thing, just to learn how to make the Ankars basic layered rings. I gave me a small base in white 12 Anchor wich waited for further idea more than 1 month in my working basket. Ok, not quite a basket, more like a candy box.
And one evening, I wanted to practice Ankars sewing part of the technique, just so see how it is to be done. It gave this:

Of course I was not happy with the result (so imperfect! you see the horrible gaps in the middle?) so this object got back into the box for 1 week.
And then I got the idea of the cristals. But still did not know what it would become: Brooch? Necklace? I decided for a pendant. A simple chain, the simpliest I had in the house:

And then I tatted a backside to give it a neat finish and voilà, this is my very first Ankars pendant I can really present to you:

This other necklace is also finished and ended at my sisters neck. She tried it on and she said it will stay there: So I have to make it once again, because it is already posted on my Etsy shop, by ALittleMarket and Artesanio: