Lemon Tart or Work of Art

I would say Gastronomy Art. This was recommended by a friend. A must try, even if you do not fancy desserts or lemons. It looks like a whole candied lemon and it is, but when you cut it open . . . .

You have lemon curd, lemon sorbet and chantilly cream inside.  Where did the pips and lemon juices go? I was told it took 72 hours to prepare. There was no visible incision so how did that happen? It must have been magic!! Do you see how thin the whole lemon rind is. Amazing! Lemon tart deconstructed in a most clever way. I hope it inspires you to create something beautiful yet . . . boggles the mind.

Little Sister Angel

Two sister angels, one in silk threads (right, ~ Size 60, ~ 1.5 inches length) and the other is in Size 10 Milford (left, ~2.5 inches). The silk threads was a gift from Fox. The pattern by Martha Ess' new book 'Playing with Picots' and it is quick to tat. If you add a tail, you could use it as a bookmark. The one in silk could be worn as earrings or both could hang on your Christmas tree.

Oh My Gold

Last night AAA reminded me that I wanted to watch this new programme 'Oh My Gold' on TLC channel. It is scheduled for 10pm every Thursday night in Singapore. I am glad I did not miss it. The 1st episode showed the traditional jewellery craft in Jaipur. If you love jewellery, you should not miss this. There is a repeat showing tomorrow at 4pm. 

The pieces were stunning and the amount of handwork is amazing. The gemstones, gold and enamel that goes into each creation are astounding. The designs are traditional but some pieces could look very contemporary too. 

It also showed the beautiful architecture of Jaipur and the intricate decoration that filled every inch of the palace walls. It is hosted by Lisa Ray and she makes the show even more interesting with her sometimes distracting antics. Try to catch the show if you can.

Elephant Patterns from Martha Ess and Inga Madsen

This pattern is from Martha Ess' book 'More Critters on the Block'. I used Lizbeth 20 Col. 143 Royal Wave. This tiny elephant is about 2 inches across.

This pattern is from Inga Madsen. I used the same thread for it. I think somehow the pattern got lost with this thread. Perhaps I should try a solid blue instead.

How is the scale of this mother and baby? Does it look strange?

Or is this better? Perhaps I should use all the elephants I made and group them into one big family.

One More Beaded Spider

I made one more beaded spider using a filigree bead as the body. I have limited selection of bugle beads right now so they are in the same colour theme as these.  Kathy made a great tutorial so do try it out.

Testing Patterns for Blue Elephants

I had a request from J for a mother elephant with a few baby elephants. I earlier tatted from Inga Madsen's book so I decided to try Jane Eborall's patterns. I am afraid my adult elephant looks more like a mammoth but the baby elephant looks really cute. I am going to try Martha's block elephant next and decide which pattern to tat for J after that. 

Chinese Seals

These seals are really beautiful. The carvings on the stone are intricate and you can see the details when it is imprinted with ink. The first seal is carved on all sides. In the rest, all four sides of the stones are carved in addition to the bottom surface which is the actual signature. My favourite is the last one with the lotus.

Candy Canes

The Tatting Goddess shared this pattern by Julie Patterson with me when I asked if anyone knew whether Julie had published a book of tatting patterns. These candy canes are just the thing for Christmas. I tatted this in the red Coats Size 40 Shade 700 thread which Gina gave me and white threads from two different brands but both labelled Size 40. As you can see the cane on the right is slightly bigger because the Size 40 thread is slightly thicker than the one on the left. Quick to tat up and fun too.

Three Horses

These horses were tatted using Lizbeth Size 40 Rootbeer Float (#150). Compare it to this in variegated pink. The pattern is from Inga Madsen's book - Tatted Animals. Doesn't each horse look just a little different? These were specially requested by T. 

Hanky Edging #7 - Completed

This lovely monogrammed handkerchief was given to me by Fox of Tat-ology. I started the hanky edging with this post and progressed to this post.  Did I undo the first 6 inches of the edging? No, I did not. It did not look too bad after I blocked and ironed it. There is some crumpling but that's fine, easier than undoing 6 inches and tatting it again.

What was tatting 3 edgings simultaneously like? Well I got pretty distracted with side projects until I could not remember the pattern for each edging or what thread I used. If I had to do it again, I would tat one edging with many other small motifs at the side. I think perhaps that would be done much earlier. This took me about 2 months but I am happy with the results. Here is a photo of all three and I have Gina, Fox and Diana to thank for.

House-shaped Pillow

I remember watching my grandmother sleeping on a ceramic pillow. I think that pillow is at home with mom. This one is showcased at the Shanghai Museum. I cannot imagine sleeping on a pillow like this but it is a beautiful work of art.

Hanky Edging #6 - Completed

I have been tatting 3 hanky edgings since August. I have finally finished all three edgings.  Previous post on this was here and here. This handkerchief was given to me by Gina of Threads of a Tatting Goddess from this post here. This hanky is embroidered on all 4 corners with pink roses. They are so pretty. Thank you Gina!

I chose this edging No. 8 pattern from Kirstine Nikolajsen and Inge Lise Nikolajsen's 'Tatted Handkerchiefs' book and adpated it to fit the scallops on this hanky.  I love how the edging ruffles. The first photo shows the edging which I pinned and blocked straight but it looked a little strange so I washed the hanky again and let the edging dry naturally. Does it look better?

And Isdihara, I did notice tatting in the Downton Abbey ladies' collar. Do you think they would feature my tatting-edged hanky? Now, that would be a dream!!

Thank you for all your lovely comments for Hanky Edging #5. I will definitely think about them when I tat the next edging. Diane, it may be sometime next year.

Lotus Seed Pods in a Vase

I remember eating raw lotus seeds. Imagine seeing these lotus seed pods arranged in a vase. It was a beautiful sight. It reminded me of the time when mom would buy these fresh from the market and I would spend time peeling them and taking care to remove the bitter embryo from the seed before munching on them. They tasted green but sweet.

Hanky Edging #5 - Completed

It all began here. Then progressed to here and today I am showing you the completed hanky edging. This hanky was given to me by Diana of Lace-lovin' Librarian from this post. Did you see how many hankies she gave away. Thanks so much Diana. You have been so generous.

I hope I did the beautiful handkerchief some justice with this Mary Konior's edging pattern called Josephine. I really wanted the Josephine knots to complement the embroidery around the yellow bouquet.  

Chain Maille Earrings

This is my attempt at chain maille. Saw this tutorial here tried out the 1 into 4 spiral chain. It didn't turn out as in the photo. But if I held the two end and twist, I do see a twisted chain. Anyway I made a pair of earrings with it. Rings and hooks are antique silver tone with fresh water pearls at the end.

And . . . More Wigjig Necklaces

Swarovski crystal pearls in powder green with a carved light green bead. Chain, clasp and earring hooks are antique silver metal tone.

 

Swarovski crystal pearls in night blue with a Swarovski briolette pendant. Chain, clasp and earring hooks are copper tone.

Bronze fresh water pearls with polymer beads with a Swarovski briolette pendant. Chain, clasp and earring hooks are copper tone.

Swarovski crystal pearls in powder pink with a Swarovski bicone (top drilled). Chain, clasp and earring hooks are antique silver tone.

Thank you Gary at WigJig for your helpful suggestion of using a connector at the centre WigJig motif. In the last pink one, I used a ring.

Blue and White Ceramics

Some of the beautiful ceramics we saw at the Shanghai Museum. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. We did not see all the exhibits, only the ceramics, calligraphy, Chinese seals and jade galleries. Now where are those pamphlets I brought back?

At each level, there is a little gift corner where you can buy reproductions or items related to each gallery. It was fun to see what they had for sale. But there is also a larger gift shop on the ground level with everything you could imagine. As they did not charge for admission, we decided to support them by getting two items - a book on Ancient Chinese Jade and a ceramic water decanter for painting. It fits in your palm perfectly.

More Wigjig Necklaces

I found a different motif for the Wigjig here. I adjusted the pegs a little so it does look different. The first necklace is made with Swarovski crystals - nine red round (6mm) and one baroque pendant crystal AB (16mm). Matching earrings are made with the same red round (6mm) Swarovski crystals. Chain, toggle clasp and earring hooks are antique silver metal tone.

The second necklace is made with Swarovski crystal pearls - nine deep brown (6mm), one bronze twist crystal pearl nugget (9mm) and one briollete pendant crystal silver shadow (11mm).  Matching earrings are made with the same deep brown (6mm) Swarovski crystals. Chain, toggle clasp and earring hooks are antique silver metal tone.