I have always enjoyed using my hands to make something small. My first creation, my first initiative, it is hard to recall… Must be some time when I was around the age of 8 or 9. One summer holiday, some free time on hand. There were a lot of lovely things in the store, yet no money to spare. Looking at what was available at home, I started making small ornaments.

It is really satisfying to make a unique gift by hand and give it to a good friend. For example giving a gift to a friend who loves animals, I can make a doggie. The surprise, the smile that appears on the friend’s face. It is priceless.

I enjoy the creative process. With an idea, I start to ponder how to proceed, when I really start to create, I will soon come across a lot of issues, I need to make changes, improvements and finally when the item is done, there is a kind of mission accomplished. Actually, I love to see the finished products. What is good, what is bad, is it one of my favorites?

A few years back I decided to pick up tatting. It was not easy to learn to tat, for some people they are able to pick it up after two tries. For me, I made mistakes after mistakes. It was frustrating then one day, I picked up a thick thread and used my hands to start tatting (without using a tat shuttle as the thread was too thick for any shuttle). With the thicker thread, I was able to see the knots clearly, able to see when I first made a mistake, then I corrected it right away, gradually I was able to complete the simple steps. Based on the basics, I was able to finish simple items, and building on the basic, I started to learn new skills. Finally, I was able to create different designs, and I wanted to share my work with you here.

I have a book put together on my beadworks - Pearl Projects for Beaders. Hope I will one day have something similar for my tat lace creations.

Daphne Yu