Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Look what I did!


Can you tell?


This is how it used to look. What is different?


Look close!


Spiral binding! A friend of mine takes her books to the copy place all the time and has this done. I really didn't give it much thought until I opened the book and the pages started falling out. This is one of my earlier purchases and well used. I took it there yesterday. He said it would take a day or two and cost $1.50. He called me that afternoon and said it was done! I love it. I can open the book out flat now. I can open it anywhere and fold the right half and the left half together so only one side is showing. The spiral binding is heavy duty and isn't going to pop out of the holes. I love it! I'm thinking of doing this to all of my bigger soft cover books.




Here's the rings only edging or insert again, this time in Manuela variegated yellow size 20. I'm not overly fond of this color either but when I repaint my bedroom, I want it to be in white with touches of yellow so I thought I'd go ahead and use up some yellow!


And here it is with the hen and chicks added on. It fits perfectly around my wrist so it would make a nice cuff trim, but I plan to put it on some kind of little pillow I think. You'll often see the rings only insert used on sheets or pillowcases and then the edging with the hen and chicks on the same sheets and pillowcases along the edge. It's very elegant looking but it's a piece of lace that can be tatted quickly in comparison to many other patterns. I filled my shuttle full for the insert and it tatted up into about 6 1/2" of length. Then I filled my shuttle again for the hen and chicks and while I added it to the entire length of tatting, I still have a fair amount of thread on my shuttle. The hen and chicks clearly doesn't eat thread as quickly as the insert does!

12 comments:

  1. That's an excellent idea! My copy has loose pages also so I try not to handle it too much. I'll have tostop by the copy place in the morning.

    The edging is very pretty. I like hens 'n chicks and mignonette edgings best. The bare threads give them a fragile or dainty look.

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  2. I'm not a fan of spiral binding at all for my tatting books...I just put up with it because I don't control how the designer decides to put their book together. That is good to do if the pages are falling out! I haven't had that problem so far

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  3. That's a great way to say a battered book! I recently borrowed that book from the library and loved it!

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  4. Steph, check prices first. They can vary greatly. Also, I would suggest the spiral binding rather than the comb. The plastic comb ones are pretty much worthless IMO. I have some books that came that way, with the comb, and I hate it. I don't know if I can have them rebound or not - I can, but I don't know if there's enough room for them to cut off that edge without losing material. They have to cut off that edge so if the print margins are very narrow, it might not be a good idea.

    TattingChic - I have some books that came with a lighter wire spiral binding that I'm not fond of but this one is heavy duty and I don't think it will be a problem. The person who recommended it to me is pretty picky about her books so I'm trusting it will last.

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  5. Yes, that does look like a nice heavy wire on your book which won't smush like a spiral notebook. I like spiral bindings because I HATE having to weight my books down so they don't flip shut on me (I have enough obstacles already). And yeah, combs are terrible. They are so easy to snag anywhere on the binding and why are toddlers so keen on picking them apart?

    The hen and chicks edging is very nice. That WOULD be pretty on the edge of a pillow case. I actually like the yellow thread - it is SO cheery!
    Ann

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  6. Well that is pretty cool...and $1.50 sounds very reasonable. Seeing your yellow tatting makes me want to tat in yellow. ...Such a happy color.

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  7. Very good idea to ring the books Gina !!!!!!.
    The shore that you are doing is beautiful, as you say quite so quick to weave and thread handles a lot.
    Congratulations
    Irma Luna

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  8. Hi Gina,
    I have been doing the ring thig on my tatting books for a while now and I love it! I used to have books cerloxed - comb binding- and the pages do not open as flat as the ring binding.

    Love the yellow. Not a colour I often use, but it certainly looks pretty in your photo. I have wanted to tat an edging for my pillowcases since I started tatting and now I REALLY want to.... : )

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  9. The spiral binding is so cool! Did you get it done at Kinko's or ?

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  10. Fox - hen & chicks is a fast and easy edging for pillowslips or towels and I think it holds up a little better than some of the daintier laces with repeated washings.

    Carol (battatter) Not Kinko's which I hear is very expensive but Instant Copy downtown on Main.

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  11. Great idea, Gina, but I'm a cheapskate - I scan everything into my computer, then print off the pages I want as and when. Keeps the books pristine, too!
    Hugs, Chris, UK.

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  12. I'm going to try the hen & chicks pattern today! My sister was doing it the last time I was with her and we never got to do it together. So, now every time I do it, I will think of her! Thank you so much for showing it. Linda

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