Indigo Tatted Lace Brooch

Friends,

A few days ago I finally stopped working on my ePattern because I was finally done and emerged from my cave and it was really strange. It's like you've been holed up in this underground shelter waiting for the nuclear fallout to pass and one day you leave the shelter and open the hatch... Yes, something like that but without the nuclear fallout.

In fact the first day I stopped working on my ePattern, I fell sick. Weird sick. I slept for hours and hours. During the day. I had no sense of time and felt purposeless.

I greatly admire people who could spit out ePatterns after ePatterns. How do they do it? For me, and I know that now, I have to at least swim around in it. Occasionally drown in it. And only when my skin has turned really wrinkly from staying too long in the water do I leave. So again. Great admiration for the super bag designers. Is there a Designing ePatterns for Dummies out there? Please send me a copy if there is.

This is a sample bag I made. This is the first big bag I made a ePattern for. I think psychologically I was not prepared to write a ePattern for a big bag. My previous efforts were 1-hours projects and relatively easier to manage. I had to balance the size of the pdf with the right amount of instructions and photos. You can't over teach and and you can't under teach. Perhaps I will get better over time to tell the story of how the bag is made.

One other thing I did during my July hole up in the cave was to improve my skills technically. I wanted to be able to use my bag making software better. The only way to do it is to read up and practice. There is no other way about it. I'm quite pleased that I managed to figure out a few more moves that will really help me tackle the more difficult templates in future. So I'm saying it was well worth the effort.

Anyway, it's back to life for me while I wait for my ePattern to be tested by a few people. I do have a VivoCity date coming up in September. It's best I get cracking on stocking up.

Yesterday I started tatting again. I had purchased some indigo felt and I think the white tatted lace looks really good against it. The top left one is already sold. (thank you D) The other two are still available. Let me know if you're interested. In any case they'll be sold at VivoCity.

I can't tell if Bear is impressed with the brooches. He looks stoic.

* * *

Today we, meaning my extended family celebrated my mother's birthday. As always, it was organised, meaning paid for, by my younger brother. The restaurant was next to the boats mooring bay.  No, we don't own any of the boats.

Look what I ate. I had oysters for the very first time. My stomach is still holding up. Thank you.

It was a buffet. My kids thought the little glasses of jello were candle wax.

Here's me and the birthday gal. She's 84!

See you soon.