New Projects!

I'm back! And all in one piece.

I really had no idea there would be so many projects to tat! The first scan shows most of them but nothing is finished. The peach colored motif at the lower right is a the beginning of a miser's bag. I love that pattern and hope to finish it up soon. Gwen Coen designed it and taught the group. The next class, and my favorite, were Fantasy Flowers. They are in the upper right and not on a stem yet. Those are designed by Pat Stevens who also taught the class. She has written the book:



I'm not certain where you can get it but probably either from Pat herself or from Catchpin. It's a great way to empty shuttles! [looking now, I see Catchpin says it is closed, but I'm sure you can still email her]

That night I believe we put an edging around a poppy pod. Mine is still stashed away somewhere - I remember seeing it yesterday, but I'm not sure where I put it!

Then the next day we tatted a pansy which was taught by Patti Duff. A great lesson in using a picot guage. In the afternoon, we got to make a different leaf - which I believe was taught by Sue Hanson at the June session. Later on, we used a different kind of hand loom and tatted cluny leaves. There were also some variations on that but I didn't get to that part either! LOL! Irene showed me how to start a bobble but I haven't had a chance to continue on that. Also learned how to hide ends when adding a ball thread on a chain stitch. You just knot it a bit away from the last stitch (yes - not where the 1st stitch will be) and then when you make the first stitch, you slip it over the knot and to the left, filling up the space and tatting over the ends. You can tat right over the knot and barely notice. Camelia showed us that one. I was also shown how to tape my tails to the shuttle while hiding ends. I haven't had a chance to try that one yet either.

The pic of the classroom is just to show how huge it is. There were 22-25 people there but I took the pic during a break so it only shows a few of the gang.

SIGH.........

My entire trip was packed! I arrived in Missoula around 2:30 pm and picked up my rental car, a red Dodge Neon. I found a hotel room and called my friend's cousin, Teri (the other person up there in the photo with me) and she came over as soon as she got off work and drove me on a little tour of Missoula and we stopped and had tea. Then back at the hotel, I called my other friend, Erin, who was on her way to meet me - we were to have dinner together. Cell phones don't work well in the mountains, so I didn't hear from her until she was actually in the parking lot. We went out to eat and catch up since the last time we had met in March. Back to the hotel.

Thursday morning I went shopping in Missoula! Got a couple of tea-for-ones. A red one and a purple one! Also, a local potter made their version of a tea-for-one, which is actually a cup and top saucer. I got it since it was hand-made. Also got some loose tea and tea strainers and ..............some other odds and ends. I didn't have much room to bring stuff back so I didn't buy much but I checked a second hand store and found a package of the Red Heel Work Socks with 2 pairs in them in a size 6-7. You can never find them in a smaller size than 10-11 so that was a real find. At the same place, I found a vintage DMC embroidery thread organizer with approximately 90 skeins of embroidery floss. I might try to get a photo of it later.

At Bobbie's, I got 2 new books - the Fantasy Flowers and another Russian one. Also got a pen with a retractable crochet hook and 2 metal shuttles and a bobbin. Maybe something else - I don't remember now!

After the workshop, I traveled to Portland, OR and met a couple there, staying overnight and traveling back the next day to catch my flight.

Today, I attended a non-tatting workshop in Cincinnati - so.......since Sunday, I've been in all 4 time zones!

My shoulder hurts between the intense 2-day tatting spree and hefting my heavy luggage around.

Saturday, I'm attending Tatting Day at Zig-Zag Corner in Greenfield.

I'm pretty close to exhausted. Don't plan to do much else for several days now.