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These papers are remnants of a banner I made yesterday. They are smaller pieces I thought I would use, but didn't. I love the colorful patterns and shapes. I don't know what to do with them, but I don't want to throw them out.
They remind me that doing is an imperfect venture. Elaine O'Donal is an award-winning lace artist. Under the name Tatted Webs, Elaine makes tatted lace ornaments, wearables, and lovely household pieces. I first caught up with Elaine at the Art on the Hill show last fall where she was busy tatting—and talking with customers! To get started, could you tell me a bit about yourself. I am originally from New Hampshire, and moved to Maine when I got married. I am a wife, mother of two daughters, and grandmother of two. I have always said that my business grew as my daughters did. When I’m not tatting, I have a number of other pursuits. I love music, reading, fencing, bike riding, and x-country skiing. How did you learn to make lace? Is it a family tradition? I didn't know anybody who tatted when I started. I like many other people, I thought I could teach myself. When that didn’t work, I was lucky enough to find Mrs. Libby, a retired school teacher, right in Gorham, Maine. Was there a time it was just a hobby, how or why did you make it into a business? When I started, I never had the idea that I would turn it into a business. I just kept making pieces and giving them away. Then people started making comments like, “Oh look, another piece of tatting.” In other words: what am I supposed to do with this? That’s when I started to sell my work, and things just developed from there. Could you explain what tatted lace is and how it’s different from other kinds of lace? There are actually many different types of lace, they can be thinned out to two vast groups. One is a woven type of lace, such as bobbin lace, and then there is knotted lace, which what tatting is. Almost every region in the world has it’s own type of lace. Tatting is one that is universal, so much so that it’s history is very gray. Perhaps one reason for this is because it's portable, requiring only a shuttle (or needle) and thread. The needle tatting came first, it is actually easier to learn, but the results are not as intricate as tatting done with a shuttle. What tools do you need to make lace? Do you follow patterns? Are there special threads? Tatting is mainly done with thread, today there are many types to choose from. The fiber needs to smooth and strong. Also your choice of thread depends on what you wish to make. I like to use soft to the touch fibers such as bamboo or silk , when making an item that will be worn close to the skin. If I’m making something like an ornament - I’ll stick with the more traditional cotton or cotton blend. When starting out, I started following patterns. There are books, both old and new available, and now thanks to the Internet there are patterns on-line. It didn’t take me long to go through those patterns and want to create pieces that where not in the pattern books, so I started to come up with my own designs. Once you start creating your own designs, it’s hard to go back and follow another. When I saw you at the Art on the Hill show, you were working without looking at your hands, how do you do that? Do you count the stitches? I always laugh when someone watches me tat and think that I’m not paying attention to what I’m doing. Of course I am. Like everything, the more you do, the better you get, and I do a lot. That is why my stitches are so even as well as the tension of the thread. I do keep count of my stitches and usually when I tat in “public” I work on a pattern that is easy for me and I can tell how many stitches I have just by looking, if I happen to lose count. On your website I saw you have classes, are they for beginners, advanced? I do teach, not often, maybe a class or two a year. Classes are very time consuming for me and can be difficult to work in my schedule. I often hear of people wanting to learn, but have a hard time to finding the “time.” It does take time to learn and master the art of tatting, and unfortunately most people give up before they even really start. Have you heard of the Steampunk movement? They would love your work, especially the gloves. I learned of Steampunk through a customer a few years ago. I find it very interesting and have a few customers that are really into it. What’s coming up in 2016? Right now, I am preparing new pieces for this year and working on show applications, once I have that ready I’ll be updating the website. I am very excited about a new ornament for this year, it came about because I was asked to contribute to a lace display in Europe, representing the United States. I was so pleased with the design, I’m offering it to my customers. You can purchase and see more Elaine's work at Tatted Webs. This is a Calendar of Days post: Today is Lace Day
This is a lettering experiment I did as I was thinking of my dog, Agatha, and her wagging tail thump, thumping thumping on the floor.
Doodling can be an expressive and experimental way to approach a project. Have you heard of Zentangles? It's the ultimate expression of doodling. This is a Calendar of Days post: Doodle Day! Split Pea Soup - that’s what I remember growing up, and when I started cooking, it’s what I made. Dry peas, soaked (sometimes overnight), and then soup. I like pea soup, but was never a fan of all the soaking and waiting.
And then I discovered pea soup with frozen peas—delightful. No soaking, so it’s ready in a flash. And it’s a brilliant green, unlike the dull green that results from the dry split peas. I think the frozen peas give the soup a fresher flavor, but it remains a point of discussion in my household. The traditional, familiar split pea soup is still favored by some. Here's a recipe: Martha Stewart's Green-Pea Soup with Cheddar-Scallion Panini This is a Calendar of Days post: Homemade Soup Day Years ago, I hosted a Valentine's Day letter event and wanted to offer people some suggestions for writing a love letter. But I had two concerns:
1) it had to be easy 2) it was important to emphasize that love letters are not just for lovers So I created a template, an easy fill-in-the-blanks love letter. And people really liked it. This year I wanted to create a new version. Because I've been wanting to experiment with collage, hand-lettering, working off-line, and keeping things loose, this was the project I picked. Below is the finished piece. Be sure to download the fill-in-the-blanks love letter along with a stationery sheet, write a letter, and say something nice to someone you love.
There is a brick and mortar library in the neighborhood, but still, just five blocks away there is a Little Free Library, a “take a book, return a book” book exchange. Started in 2009 by Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, to honor his mother, the concept spread and now there are “over 36,000 registered Little Free Library book exchanges in all 50 U.S. states and over 70 countries around the world.” Though book exchanges are not a new idea, these are maintained and registered through a community website. The project has inspired readers and carpenters alike—the libraries are as varied as the towns and cities where they are installed. There is a delightful gallery of images on their Instagram site. If you’re interested in knowing whether there is one in your neighborhood, the Little Free Library website includes a map page where you can look up your location. That’s where I discovered there are three within just a couple of miles of my home. The one above, I knew about. I found two more on the map and will search them out this week and will take and post photos of them, too. UPDATE: found a lobster trap library! Maybe there's one in your neighborhood. This is a Calendar of Days post: February is Library Lovers' Month |
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