Tatted Eye Patch

I sold a tatted rose eye patch yesterday, so I spent some time tatting up a new one to put in my etsy shop, which I have been woefully neglectful of as of late, because of, well life. I've also been keeping busy with a new activity in my life. Actually it's a really old activity that I used to spend all of my time doing, but I haven't been doing so in over twenty years. I'm doing theater again. My daughter started over the summer and once I was back in a theater, I couldn't stay away. I'm in rehearsals now for my first show since college. Yikes, right? It's called Men on Boats and it opens in January for a two weekend run. So yep, still tatting and crocheting, but also writing and acting, and look I even found the motivation to write here, so yay! Maybe it'll stick this time...don't make any bets on it though.

The Tatted Eye Patch

I wish I could tell you that I am a creative genius and that all of my designs were born of my own imagination, but it's simply no true. Sure, I've come up with quite a lot of ideas all by my lonesome, but some of my most interesting pieces have been the ideas of others. My tatted mask were only designed after someone asked for a lace mask. My tatted cuffs were a gentle suggestion for Belle Armoire. Just yesterday, I had perhaps one of the oddest requests I've had in a while. I was asked if I could create an eye patch which I did.

I think the reason that I get such wonderfully different ideas from others is they have no idea what the process of tatting actually is. This allows them to assume that anything can be created with it. They can think outside the box because they have no idea what the box really is. When I get one of these suggestions, I have to step outside my comfort zone and imagine the end result without thinking of the how. If I can see the resulting object, then I can start to suss out how I will go about creating it . Sometimes it turns out to be simple and sometimes it turns out to be harder than it's worth. Whatever the process the result of these suggestions is always unique and something I am proud of.

I guess I just wanted to publicly thank all those idea makers. Every idea you have placed in my hands has made me think and grow as an artist. Every idea that has grown far beyond a simple suggestion and has fueled other ideas and started a snowball effect. I hope that I continue to get outlandish and sometimes bizarre ideas for my tatting. I certainly would have bored of this craft long ago had I never moved beyond the traditional edgings and doilies. So, thanks and keep the ideas coming!