"It's a String Thing" #47 Tiles

The Fourth of July was well celebrated this past week, as evidenced by the amazing tiles sent in for "It's a String Thing" #47. My string line included just a hint of a star with a festive swirl in the middle.  It was especially interesting to see how tanglers treated that swirl and which of the four given pattern they chose to use in it.  Let's take a look ~


Lily sent in the first tile ~

She added a splash of celebratory color and a touch of gold.  Note how she popped in little sparks of Yincut.  She also posted it here on her blog.

A very warm welcome to CZT Devin who said, "Here's my first ever submission to a tangle challenge. Fun!"

Lovely tangleations abound  - especially the Zinger topped Joy.  The tile is also posted here on her blog.

A very warm welcome to Misty Buchanan as she also wrote, "This is my first challenge ever!"

Misty added sparkle to Yincut and great shading to Joy - what fun!

Jocelyne Pigeon-Bernier from Quebec wrote, "Happy 4th of July to you, neighbors to the south!"

She added, "...looking at the patterns, I knew immediately where to place in the string."  Tangling does inspire great confidence - with fabulous results.  She, too, added sparkle and shading around the string lines accentuated the roundness of them.

Kia Richardson said ~

I enjoyed helping you celebrate your Fourth of July, having just celebrated Canada Day on July 1. I only used three tangles, so I spelled JLY! I'm not sure I did Joy correctly - it's deceptive, looking so simple but actually quite difficult even with a lot of practice. But I really like Laced and I'm working on letting the white space speak for itself. 

Yes, she "did Joy correctly" - simply because she tangled it :)  Lace is a lovely addition, isn't it?  She also posted her tile here on her blog.

CZT Joan Delony sent in two tiles - her first in black and white with a very unique take on Unyun in the swirled string line ~

Note how she used half of the pattern and added sparkle and how she shaded Joy in Ahh fashion.

Of her second tile she wrote ~

I used the clear glaze Gelly Roll to tangle then I water colored over it. Kind of like batik. I will do a couple things differently the next time I do this, but I kind of like the results for first time.

That is a great technique we can all add to our 'To Do' list.

Ken Zutter said, "Happy Independence Day! I worked this one a little loose, as I wanted to get it posted before the 4th. Made a slip on the Yincut, so tangleation it is!"

That's the spirit - and tanglers take note!  Ken used a creative opportunity and look what resulted - fun!

Sharyn Penna said~

Happy 4th, Adele!  Loved the string...I wanted to really play up the spiral. I think I should name this tile Twilight Zone ... the theme song (complete with bongo drums) of the old tv show came to mind after shading was added.

I can hear it!  In addition to the fabulous swirl of Unyun, the circular grid lines of Yincut compliment it so well.

Another very warm welcome to Christiane.  This is the first tile she submitted.  She is a friend of our friend, Henirke Bratz, as she says, "near the Baltic Sea."

Christiane asked for patience with her English as it "slept for a long, long time."  That's a happy thought!

- accompanied by a very happy tile, complete with a Joy filled center.

A very warm welcome to Christine Forrester.  She said - 

I started tangling in April this year when I was too ill to do my knitting or sewing…..I have been addicted since. I am totally self taught.
I discovered your challenge last week and was amazed that being given a challenge made me think outside my comfort zone. Thank you.
These are therefore my first submissions. I liked the black and white version but thought I’d redraw it and add a touch of colour.

It is difficult to choose a favorite - both are wonderful pieces.
It very impressive to think that Christine is self taught - along with many other tanglers who don't have the benefit of a CZT near them.   Welcome to our community here!

The Netherlands' Ingrid Coventon sends wishes for a "sunny and lazy weekend" and "Happy 4th of July to all Americans!"

Ingrid's Yincut is inpsired - and she was the first tangler to use Unyun in rows through the spiral string line.

Cathy Cusson created two tiles this week - and she noted that she "just couldn't decide how to work in the four tangles into that string..."

She did it wonderfully.  Note the Yincut border in the colored tile and the touch of Lightening Bolt in the other.  

Donna Flynn said, "Happy July 4th! Thank you for creating this fabulous challenge. I look forward to seeing the amazing creations every week. "

That is a fabulous tile - colorful Joy dropping off into single lines, a Lightening Bolt swirl and colorful Unyun.

And from Juul -

Bonjour chère Adèle
I was a very happy tangler this week,as I could not send my tile last week. My tile is very "charged" but well,I had a good time tangling.

Very "charged" it is, and very energetic.  Juul's take on Lightening Bolt is fabulous.

Carmela said that she found the patterns "very laborious, much linework and difficult for me to combine."

Yet, her finished tile is a masterpiece.  Of note - she used sections of Yincut around the swirl line and shaded Lightening Bolt for depth.  

Carmela also posted her tile here on her blog.

Audrie Wiesenfelder wrote, "Hope you're having a fabulous 4th; or had one, since it's already late in the day...As I said in my blog, I've always liked Unyun and Yincut, and your string was perfect for this holiday."

Audrie was the first one to tangle the swirl in sections for two tangle patterns - that worked well.  And note that little extra line on Joy - very pretty.  She also posted her tile here on her blog.

Cheryl Anne Day-Swallow returns with a colorful tile.  She said -

Star was created by using Yincut
Background was created by using Lighting Bolt
Sparkler was created by using variation of Joy
Border was created using variation of Unyun

She said that her tile looks "cooler in person" because she used glitter nail polish and gold and silver pens but they didn't show up well in the photograph.  We can imagine it though :)

And once again, a poem to accompany her tremendous tile - 

The 4th of July, comes only once a year
We always celebrate with fireworks & cheer
Declare independence, still free today
Thank you Lord, for this very special day

Annemarie wrote, "Here is my 4th of July tile. I enjoyed working on it and thanks again to you for giving this to us every week!!!"

Annmarie's shading makes her tangles superb - on either side of the Lightening Bolt dark line, the outward curves of Unyun and the centers of Joy.  She also posted it here on her blog.

Lucy Banta's note read - 

Happy 4th! I have thoroughly enjoyed all your posts this week - so creative, bright, and fun.

Here's my tangle challenge for your starburst string challenge. I had not used 3 of the 4 (had used Lightning Bolt), so it was fun to try to add them to your pattern. 

All of the tangles as she drew them are festive - but Joy stands out among them.  Note how she tangled larger ones shining from the star - and how she used it on her border.  She also posted her tile here on her blog.

A very warm welcome to Debby Yabcznaka.  She wrote -

My friend Cheryl introduced me to your site a few weeks ago and I am so glad she did.
I was inspired by your string this week and had a great time with these tangle patterns. This was the second
challenge I tried and I think on the next one I will attempt to let the patterns define the string.
I can’t wait to try.
So much fun!

Fun - and clever!  See how she used Lightening Bolt for a border with just a touch of aura.  Yincut is sparkled and shaded and she varied the weight of her lines.

Melanie Ringler said, "Hope you had a wonderful fourth of July Independence Day!"  She called her tile "Canada Day Celebration”.

It is a spectacular celebration - line over line, tangle over tangle, light and dark...just beautiful.   Melanie also posted it here on her blog.

Jackie Becker wrote -

Happy 4th of July weekend!
I didn't realize how difficult it would be to spiral unyun until I approached the center. Thanks for the tips on tangling you have posted. They have been very helpful.

She demonstrated that difficult is not impossible!  It is a sweet swirl of lines complimented by Joy and Lightening Bolt.

CZT Kate Ahrens wrote, "I enjoyed working on this weeks string thing! Didn't get all the tangles in, but took the firework theme to heart and with a bit of change to the string, used some red white and blue to light up the night sky! :)"

She did all of that and added the brightest of color to capture the celebration - that blue is beautiful.  She also posted it here on  her blog.

Jane Glotzer said -

Love the string you created for the holiday and this challenge.
I absolutely love Unyun, too. No matter what you do, it ends up looking so cool!
Kept my piece pretty light this week...had a few small issues... but all's good when there's fireworks involved! :)

Yes, all is very good when fireworks are involved :)  Jane's shading of the Lightening Bolt swirl makes it pop.

CZT Char Carpentier could be heard singing in her note...

And the rockets red glaaaaare!

So I worked all in Gelly Rolls on black this time...a little Zenstone wash so the black would show up. And I stayed with the patriotic theme, but only ended up with half an Unyun...lol

That is a great half, though! and a beautiful tile.


Joey (Joanne) van Oort sent in this colorful creation with wishes for a great holiday weekend -

Her Joy looks flower-like with those pretty centers.  Joey keeps a lovely blog with her own creative challenge every week.  You can read about that and see her tile here on her blog.

Deanna Spence sent wishes for a fabulous 4th of July weekend along with this fabulous tile - 

Note how she layered Joy and alternated red and black lines- very clever.

Sue Agnew sent in her tile with a lesson - 

Here's the 4th of July challenge. I really enjoyed this string! I decided to do lightnin' rod along the edge of the spiral, and learned two things: 1) it makes an interesting star effect when done that way and 2) you really really really have to turn the tile.

- and a reminder to turn our tiles when we tangle.  Oh, this is so pretty!

Caroline Moore sent her tile with happy news.  She wrote, "Here is my July 4th tangle. Another fun challenge. The swirl reminded me if an elephant's trunk. I am launching a website... Very new... Thanks so much for your creativity!!"

That is fantastic - a new adventure on the web and her tile on display here on her new site.  The lines of Joy fanning from the corners is stellar!

Sue Jacobs sent in this celebration of the 4th - 

It is a burst of color in the night sky and the white curves of Joy are just gorgeous against the black.

Holly Dodson joined Ingrid across the ocean (little did they know!) and used stripes of Unyun in the swirl - 

Note how she used Joy in a vine like way - a very nice variation of the tangle pattern.

Kirsten Bish added a nice touch to Yincut by leaving white space - and note how her grid got smaller the tighter the spiral - 

AND now, the tile selected for honors this week was created by~

Linda Bladen of the UK.

Linda wrote -

All 4 tangles are ones which I have seen but not used so I enjoyed learning them all. In particular I liked Unyun although taking it around the swirl was a bit mesmerising! In view of the celebrations I felt compelled to use red, white and blue, and I did put some glitter pen along the outer lines of the swirl although the photo does not really bring it out. Although I'm in the UK my son lives in the US and I know that he will be joining in the 4th of July celebrations with gusto!!

Unyun is mesmerizing as she tangled it - not only in the spiral, but also in the way she darkened and sparkled it.  Her Lightening Bolt is supercharged with detail lines and color, Yincut sparkles too, and Joy adds a touch of airiness.  

Linda also posted her tile here on her blog.

Congratulations, Linda!  I have a little something coming in the mail for you.

Many thanks to the talented tanglers for sending in your tiles this week - I am happy that you enjoyed my string line.

Thank you to the creative minds behind the tangles used in the challenge -

Joy  by Jaoyce Block, CZT
Unyun  by Carole Ohl, CZT
Lightning Bolt by Suzanne McNeill, CZT
Yincut  an official Zentangle® pattern

Stop by tomorrow for "It's a String Thing" #48!