Angel in Progress

My angel is finished except her wings. She is a brand new endeavor working with some new  materials that I have had no experience using. The size and angle of each wing has to be just right. Oh, and the starching. Hmmmm. Then there is her height which can be adjusted if I want. It took me weeks to find just the right thread, Finally I found a lovely Red Lion creme #10 thread. One of the wing designs from another angel seems a good fit. Writing down the pattern as I go is tedious but the alternative is going back and doing it after I've forgotten the pattern which is harder. That's why it took me 5 years to finish Tatted Angels & More - 26 Tatting Patterns. I let the angels flow from my fingers as fast as they came. Not once did I write out the pattern as I went so........ I spent almost 3 years recreating each pattern, re-tatting each one without the benefit of the photos to see if the instructions were right. It's been a learning curve that both pleased and challenged me. I was doing all of this with grandsons surrounding me each day, being my husbands secretary for his business, co-chairing our church's prayer chain, creating enough tatted cards to keep up the inventory for a local gift and art store and to supply my needs for  a lovely craft show that I look forward to doing each fall. My granddaughter comes along (14 this year) and we have a great time sharing our crafts with the buyers and browsers. One of the favorite items at our display was the greeting cards with angels starched and sewn to the front of them, either all occasion or Christmas. I also had some cards with starched and tatted snowflakes sewn on card fronts in the same manner. They are a card and gift in one, perfect for loved ones that live far away and are on your gift list. For wedding showers I love to give a Christmas tin full of tatted snowflakes and angels, starched and ready to hang in windows, on wreaths or the tree. One of our pastor's wives asked me to make a chain for her angel so that she could wear it as jewelry. I love autumn with the lengthening evenings and chill in the air. After a long walk by the river, curling up with tatting in hand makes the end of a great day.
If you aren't a tatter, consider learning. One ball of thread, a tatting needle and some sharp scissors can save you lots of money spent on gifts. Pillowcases with tatted edges, lovely hand or kitchen towels beautifully finished with a pretty tatted fringe, a tatted heart framed for hanging or delightful little Christmas stockings topped with tatted lace. These are most likely the only tatted gifts a person will ever receive. Teach a few tatting classes and you'll be able to pay for your supplies for quite a while. Try needle tatting, which is easier to master than shuttle tatting and for those with arthritis or other disabilities is less trying on the joints. Next time I will give you tips for starching your tatting projects. Have a great autumn!.