Without Umi

2 years on . . .

A New Bed

Tsuru has found a new place to sleep in. I bought these storage boxes for my patchwork fabrics and after cleaning them, I left them to air dry but before I could put my fabrics in, someone has made it her bed. She can have it till she tires of it. 

I have also caught her lounging on the table between the sewing machine and the wall. I think she is doing that at this moment.

Cocoon Earrings

This is a great design from Marilee Rockley. Thank you Marilee. How do you come up with designs? 

I love the smooth edge that the node stitch gave this earring. This pair was tatted using Tat-ilicious' HDT called Mindanao Gum Size 40. Delica beads and Swarovski crystal pearls (5mm) were used. It measures about 2 inches from top of earring design or 2.75 inches from top of ear hooks. 

I think if you use more rounded beads instead of Delica, it would arrange nicely just like in the book. I must try it.

A Cymbidium Bloom

Hope it brightens up your day wherever you are.

Patchwork Tatting - Bremen

Tatted in Lizbeth Size 40 in English Rose Medium (#700). I need to make the centre picot a little larger as the rings are overlapping a little. It measures about 3 inches across. It looks like a pretty snowflake. Another one from Adelheid Dangela. I am tatting a couple more before deciding what to do in this project I am contemplating.

Concoction Bracelet

Another pattern from Marilee's new book. I thought it matched so well with the Melange earrings. I might have to change the bracelet toggle clasp as it is making the bracelet too long. The bracelet is also too light for the clasp. I think a heart lobster clasp would be lovely and more secure. What do you think?

The bracelet without the clasp is already 7.5 inches in length and the heart lobster clasp adds another 0.5 inch. I hope it fits the person I am presenting this to.

You could also convert the bracelet into a choker. All you have to do is string a silk ribbon through the end loops and tie. That way you can tie it round your wrist or neck.

Patchwork Tatting - Brussel

The onion rings did not arrange up nicely. It felt like the number of stitches were not sufficient to go around or I did not tighten the first ring enough or perhaps make the joining picot smaller. But it is still a pretty pattern. Might need to try it again. Perhaps blocking helped a little. This is tatted in Lizbeth Size 40 Boysenberry Dark #644. Pattern is by Adelheid Dangela.

I am contemplating a project.

 Choose a few coordinating colour threads . .

 and tat a a few pattern in those colours.

I would love to see each pattern in each of the thread colours . . .

so that will keep it interesting.

Should I?

Lemper Udang

One of my favourite nyonya kueh. Unlike most nyonya kueh, this is savoury instead of sweet. A spicy dried shrimp mixture is rolled in steamed glutinous rice. Wrapped in banana leaf and grilled. It looks like a nyonya sushi.

Melange Earring Mishap

I used LadyShuttleMaker's HDT Coffee and Cream Size 20 for this. After it was all done, I was adding the ear hooks when I accidentally clipped one of the Delica bead with my pliers. Can you see that one is missing in the above photo?

Well, the pair of earrings will now have to be a pendant as I did not have anymore thread to tat a brand new one. 

Rare Old Photos II

My sister and I in mini dresses

My sister and I in samfu

Patchwork Tatting - Belle

I love how this looks. It is so pleasing to the eye. One of my favourites in this book Occhi - Patchwork by Adelheid Dangela. 
Tatted in Lizbeth Size 40 in Juicy Watermelon (#156). The long chains were not difficult to block and it shaped up nicely.

Melange Earrings

Tatted in Lizbeth Size 20 #670 Victorian Red with
Swarovski pearls (5mm), round crystals (6mm) and fire polished drops (8 x 6mm) 

Tatted in Coats Size 20 #693 with 
Swarovski pearls (4mm & 6mm) and fire polished drops (11 x 8mm) 

I was so pleased with the results that I did not notice the mistakes in these two pairs of earrings. 

Pattern is one of Marilee Rockley's in her latest book 'Marilee's Beaded Tatting Finery. 

Valentine's

 Happy Valentine's

Heart on her sleeve.

Pattern is by Georgia Seitz

Tatted in Milford Size 20 Holiday Red

Patchwork Tatting - Blomberg

Tatted in Lizbeth Size 40 in Orchid Green Dark (#668) and measures about 3 inches across. Pattern is found in Occhi-Patchwork by Adelheid Dangela. This is a great little pattern book.

Roti Jala

Last weekend we visited friends for the lunar new year. I volunteered to cook a dish for the gathering. Since it has been a long time since we had roti jala, I made it that afternoon for the dinner. It is perfect with curry chicken. The same group of friends had this dish two decades ago in my KL home. Mom had ordered this from a neighbour for lunch.

Roti (bread) Jala (net) is more like a netted crepe. It is not sweet but savoury and the texture is similar to a crepe. I cooked it once before using our neighbour's recipe. As I had lost that recipe, I went on the internet and found this. I omitted the turmeric as I did not want it yellow. It turned out nicely.

Fish

This is another pattern from Martha Ess. I am enjoying the block tatting. It is such a cute little critter. Those lips are adorable. Thank you Martha for such animated creatures.

My Jacaranda Tree

If I had a garden I would love to plant a Jacaranda tree.

Instead this will have to do. Using Helma Siepmann's tree design, I tried ot make it work with catwalk picots, reverse knots and picot rings. If you would like to try it yourself link here.

Now I have to find an easier way to attach these to the backing fabric. I was thinking of using fabric glue to fix the positions, then sew it in with invisible thread. 

Does anyone have an easier method?

Is it possible to use the fusible web?

On another note - The Book Depository is giving friends a 10% discount coupon to use by 26th February. 
Do let me know if you need a coupon. 
You will need to supply an e-mail address for the coupon.

Kurbatskaya Pattern Page 66

Join 8 of the motifs together then join the 9th motif using a chain. This is complete for now but one could continue and make multiples of the above for a table mat. For pattern and thread details, see here.

Martha's Bird of Paradise

This is tatted in Perle Cotton Size 8. Great little pattern from Martha Ess. I think the variegated thread makes a great body for this bird.

Zig Zag Edging

This will be the last towel edging for some time. I gave most of the hand towels away last Christmas. Some said it was too pretty to use. I kept one for myself to use so that I can see the wear and tear of washing to the tatted edging.

This one is a pattern from the book Occhi Schiffchenspitze Frivolite by Marianne Langwieser and Tatiana Scharowa on page 57. Tatted in Lizbeth Size 20 in #139 or Fruit Fizz.

Rare Old Photos I

I have rarely seen my grandparents take a photo. These are my maternal grandparents taken in front of their house, . . probably in the 1950s. 

Mom's family photo - with her sisters and brothers, their spouses and children. Mom is the youngest and in this photo still in her teens.

Below is the house that we lived in, in the early 1970s. This is a special occasion - grandparents, aunts and uncles and lots of cousins.

More Flowers

Part of my field of flowers

Clean, Cook, Tat

I would rather cook or bake than clean house but I would rather tat than cook. Do you know where I am going with this? 

At certain times of the year, for me at least, I need to do all three at once. That is what I have been doing for the past weekends. Luckily it is only once or twice a year. Other times of the year, I just tat.

Clean
This is my kitchen window. These curtains have been hanging for ages. Last week I finally took them down to wash and dusted the windows. They are back up and it looks cleaner.

I also cleared the back balcony and threw some stuff away. Stuff just collects and it gets dusty.

Cook / Bake
I made the kueh pie tee cups again this year, cooked the vegetable filling and the same filling can also be used to make popiah. My sister will be preparing the rest of the garnishing for the popiah as we will be having it at her home.

I made sugee cake. Full of semolina flour and almond meal. It has a crunch when you bite into it. I love the texture. One for each of my siblings and of course mom.

Tat
You know I have been tatting. I do not have to get hot and sweaty and tired after tatting. That is why I prefer it. After all that cleaning and cooking, it is time to relax and rest my feet. Tatting a new pattern is my favourite thing to do.

Happy New Year!

Its time to eat and give away tatting.