Monday, September 30, 2013

October, already? Oh, even a different year.

Just dipping my toe back in.  It's been more than a year since I posted anything -- and what a year it's been. I think we finally have Dad settled in a nice assisted living place less than 2 miles from our house. We've been using weekends to clear out his house and garage (5.5 TONS of metal taken to the recyclers -- Dad was a welder and made wonderfully creative metal birds).
I've been making little Halloween pieces for a friend's fundraiser this October.  I've made ten of Sherry Matthews' pumpkins (five with beads and five without) two of Mark Myers "Scary Ghost" without picots, and two of Jeff Hamilton's "Ripley The Ghost". Then I got this idea to make a skeleton.  Martha Ess has a really great pearl tatted skeleton on her website, but it's a bit big and more complicated than I wanted to make for a donation thing. So, I borrowed Jeff Hamilton's basic ghost body and added skinny arms and legs made with double-double stitches (or at least, my version of what I understand them to be). What do you think?

Addition:  Way cool! Jeff Hamilton just said he liked the skeleton and it would be okay to share.  Now I just have to be as good as he is and get the thing written up -- fortunately he's done most of the work.  I just have to figure out how to write the weirdness I did to be able to tat it all in one round and attach the legs the way I wanted to.  I'm wondering now if another set of split rings wouldn't be better than the chain.  I'll have to test that out.


P.S.  Don't think you're not going to have to read about this fair this year just 'cause I posted Halloween first (and before October!).  HA.  The fair post is coming...

10 comments:

Margarets designer cards said...

Lovely pumpkins, ghosts and bones,
Nice to have you back blogging
Margaret

tattrldy said...

Your pumpkins and ghosts look great. I really like your skeleton. It works.
I think I'm skipping Halloween altogether and going right to Christmas - at least in the tatting though I might get some fall things done.
I'm looking forward to hearing about the fair.

Fox said...

Hi Marty,
Funnily enough, I thought of you this morning and checked your blog. Because you had not posted in a year, I was wondering how you were... And here you are!

Love those pumpkins.
Fox. : )

tatting-marie said...

Glad you are back. I missed your postings. Great job on the Halloween pieces.
(Good to know you are so near your Dad. We were fortunate to have my parents next door. That was truly a blessing to have them so near as it saved lots of time since we were both still working.)

Ladytats said...

That is a very nice skeleton. I have tatted Carol Amich's skeleton many years ago (1999) in glow in the dark thread. I found the link on the way back machine. http://web.archive.org/web/20080719104349/http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art5314.asp

Marty said...

Ladytats, thanks for the link to Carol's skeleton -- he's got a good skull!
Thanks, everyone for welcoming me back. We'll see how long I can keep at it this time. Sometimes I tat like a mad fool and sometimes I twiddle my thumbs (no actually I play games on the little tablet we have).

Jeff Hamilton said...

Your ghosts look great and the skeleton looks awesome! I don't mind that you borrowed my ghost's body and head. Feel free to share your changes; I'd love to tat your skeleton.

Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ Diane said...

Glad to see a post from you again! I wish my mom's retirement village was close to me, but she chose Alabama. That's okay... we have a warm destination for Christmas break! :-)

Kathy Niklewicz said...

Good to see you back! Very nice tatting here, as usual. I look forward to the Fair post!

Glad your father is now settled, and nearby. It's a difficult transition. He had an unusual hobby!

Marilee Rockley said...

Your skeleton design turned out very cool!