I may have cited this before but just for kicks and giggles, here is it again. The Knitted Elvis Wig! Get ready for Halloween early. Or maybe you have some kind of summer 50's thing going on. We have "Hot Summer Nights" sometime in July which usually features a lot of 50's stuff. LOL!

I love putting tatting on these lipstick cases. This one was a gift to the secretary in our office who wants to learn to tat. I put 2 shuttles in it and invited her to set a date and I'll teach her.
I'm not sure but I think a short hook and little ball of size 80 thread just might fit into it too.

The pattern for the tiny motif came from a Japanese book, Tatting - by Yusai Shokoin. It was one of the motifs embellishing a little cloth bag. I used size 70 Venus thread.

The edging is a Mary Konior pattern on page 39, Heel and Toe, tatted from Manuela size 20, color 202. It seemed too big and blocky looking for what I had in mind but it will make a nice towel edging if I can find a towel just the right width!
I used the Everlasting Leaves braid on page 38 of the same book to attempt a bookmark. This is tatted in Flora, size 20, color 84. I made a second braid, joining it to the first as I tatted. I'd made a mistake on the first length but it's not exactly popping out. I wasn't pleased enough with it to finish it off as a bookmark. It will go in a sample book instead.

Here's the bracelet I made in my wireworking class at A Time 2 Bead yesterday.
This is the side view. I continued to wear it at my granddaughter's musical that night and while I was holding my great-grandson, one of the wraps that broke near the edge popped out. I haven't found my own tools, which are located in a VERY safe place, to fix it yet. It got a little bent out of shape during the wearing because I kept catching that little piece that was out until I realized what it was - kinda hard in the dark of the play - and then I bent it back out of the way but it had already caused the damage.

Here's a puppydog bookmark that I tatted using the head of the dog in Tatted Animals by Inga Madsen. I used a split ring tail like Dianna Stevens did in her book, Tatted Bookmarks, A Tatted Zoo.







Last photograph of the paisley box. My camera is not taking the best of pictures today.







At the mention of a May Basket, I found the online pattern by Sharon Albers. As you can see, it's quite small. Quick to tat too. I made the smaller one but there is a larger one - not huge, but a little bigger.

This is as far as I've gotten on this vintage pattern. The way it reads, it sounds like I do stitches OVER the thread between rings but I don't see the point of doing that when I can make chains. I started this on a lunch hour and just wanted to see how the large and small rings fit together, so now I'll do it over using chains instead of a length of thread.

I've been catching up with other stuff lately. Will be gone most of today but hope to be tatting tonight.

My sister stopped by on Lace Day and took some photos of the exhibit. There is really a lot of talent here. Several members made 2 masks - it was so much fun...and addictive. I wasn't happy with the way my Romanian Point Lace mask was going so I didn't finish it. Maybe later.


The following day we had a workshop with Kaye Judt and the project was a Paisley Box, a small oval box which featured these tatted paisleys on the lid. We were all pretty frazzled by then but I think just about everyone got the paisleys done. The project included covering the small oval cardboard box which involves a lot of cutting and gluing. I worked on attaching the paisleys to the fabric Monday night and cut out all my pieces except the parts for the box sides. I did that tonight and started putting it together. Let me tell you - glue and fabric gets messy! I had to take off my shirt and wash it by hand in the sink almost immediately. I had to recut 2 pieces of fabric because I'd measured slightly wrong. It's mostly done now, just drying. I still have to glue the inside of the box in and the felt bottom but that will be when the main part dries. I managed to get some glue on the top. I don't think it will show anywhere else, but I can see it on the top. The original has a tatted edging inside that has a paisley shape. Kaye also had a sample with the edging on the outside. I'm not sure I'll get to that point. We'll see how it looks once everything is glued in place. Now I need a paisley shuttle to put inside!

I think I've made this snowflake before - in a much bigger thread. This time I kept thinking that if I tat it again, I should join that long chain about 2/3rd down. There is always one length that wants to turn. On the white one, I cut & tied after the center ring as instructed because it seemed easier than doing the split ring and then tatting a chain from there. I've done it before, but thought it might look neater not to....I don't think it made any difference. The pattern is from Dreams of Lace. I desperately wanted to tat something the other day and didn't have any books with me so I pulled this off the web. Then last night, I tatted the blue variegated version and added the picot near the bottom part of the chain and joined as I went around. The pattern calls for 7 points which I missed for some reason on the white one and made it 8 points. On the blue one, I also used 2 shuttles and made the last picot on the central ring a mock picot and climbed out that way. It saved hiding ends there. I wasn't sure how it would look ending there with a chain joining in, but it was okay. Not as fiddly as other things I've done.


I have an antique edging that I've started too, but I'm not sure where the print-out is for me to continue with it. Everytime I look at it attached to the shuttle, I want to work on it...but I have to find the printout first!

The long-awaited Lace Day is over! More later, but here is the purple lucite shuttle that I bought! I didn't even see them until Carolyn pointed them out to me. The Lacemaker had them from Lacis.
As you can see, it's bigger than a Clover. I already slice my hands up with the Clover point....I wonder how I'll do with this one?

I bought a few balls of thread and a few bobbinlace supplies for down the road, but I didn't really buy a lot. I still managed to spend over $70. How does that happen?

It was really good to see lots of friends again and to meet new ones. I didn't get a picture of it (I didn't manage to get ANY pics myself) but Carol Amich brought this fabulous tatted bat mask! AND a tatted bat necklace. She was wearing the dragon one. I hope someone got a picture of it and if not, then Carol better post one! There is a similar necklace on her blog but the ones she was wearing and showing were fantastic! Great combination of thread and beads - I think you really have to see it in person to appreciate it.

Mary Harris was showing a baby bonnet she tatted - what a lucky baby! Several ladies were knitting and a few were doing some bobbinlace. I met Dorcas Newkirk whose split ring heart enchanted me a few months ago. She showed me a photo of a fiddle she designed and tatted which is also 3D. Beautiful design! A couple of ladies from Illinois, Denise and Diane, paid me lovely compliments on my blog, but the first thing I noticed about them when they arrived were the beautiful knitted shawls they each wore. I've been looking at lace shawls to knit lately, ever since Sheridan posted her beautiful shawl onlist a week or so ago.

The masks were phenomenal! I know there were lots of pics taken of those so as soon as I have a copy, I'll post it here. We played Lace Jeopardy again. It really is a fun game but we probably need a bigger pool of questions or contestants need to study more. LOL! All in all, everything went well, in spite of competing with other local events and in spite of the weather. By the time we left, blowing rain had turned to sleet and then to snow. I wish everyone a safe journey home.

Tomorrow is the tatted paisley workshop with Kaye Judt.

Here's the motif I'm tatting from the same thread that I crocheted the last motif from. The pattern is from: Tatting - 60 Original Lace Treasures, Christel Weidmann, pg 21, design #23. I don't think I've made anything from this book before but I'm not sure. I didn't get it for ages even though it was available. Every time I looked through it, it didn't seem like there was anything unique in it that I just had to have. I think it finally went on clearance at Hobby Lobby once and I got it then. Can't pass up a bargain!




Completed!






The Apron Book was finally in stock again through Walmart online where I got it for 97¢ shipping as well as the low price shown on Amazon. It arrived Monday and I looked through it today during lunch. My favorite aprons are the embroidered ones but there are only a few in the book. Still, it's a lovely nostalgic book about something we seldom see these days. I have a few patterns I've been meaning to sew some aprons from for years.....maybe this will be the year!

Crocheted Gollum hat by Regina Rioux Gonzalez. Lord of the Ring fans - here you go!

And there's a shoe-torial....a tutorial about crocheting on shoes at Crochet Me. Hey, anyone want to try that with tatting?

I'm a member of the Fiber Arts Bloggers Ring so every now and then, I see who else is there. You know what? Out of around 500 members, maybe 4 or 5 of us are not listed as knitters! I have to admit, as I scrolled through the titles, I was kind of happy there are not that many tatting blogs. There's no way I could keep up with them if there were! I think you sort of take it for granted when there are that many too. Back when I started blogging, that was the closest I could come to joining anything. There were no tatting blogs other than one or two that weren't really tatting - they happened to include a post or two about tatting so I linked them as it was the best I could do. I love knowing there are so many to visit now.

Here's a crocheted motif that was on Annie's Attic Free Pattern of the Day link last week. They made a pendant out of it. I'm making a brooch. That glass button in the center is the perfect touch. I put a second coat of stiffener on it this morning (minus the button). I'd like to tat a similar motif and see how it looks. I used some DMC silver thread on a spool and some kreinik multicolored thread, also a metallic, together. The metallic helps it keep it's shape a little too. I had crocheted the motif earlier in 2 colors, a blue and a blue multicolored thread, but it didn't seem to look as nice when I was done. I'm not sure how the silver mix will tat up though.

Now that Easter is over, the flurry of Lace Events starts! Next weekend is the Lafayette Lacers hosted Lace Day in Lafaeytte, Indiana. The public is welcome from 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church, 3610 S. 18th St., Lafayette, IN. We'll have 5 vendors of lademaking supplies, Lace Jeopardy (a great way to test your lace knowledge) and a fantastic exhibit of masks embellished with handmade lace. We'll also have drawings throughout the day and lots of great socializing! Kaye Judt is teaching a workshop on Sunday, which still has some openings before we hit the 20 person limit. No fee for the Lace Day but the workshop is $15 plus $5 kit fee if desired and pre-registration is required. You can contact me if you need more information by emailing - ginab6(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Now...if you aren't near Indiana, The Finger Lakes Tatting Group is hosting their 9th Annual Seminar in Hector, NY on April 14-15th and you can get more information here.

The following weekend, The Shuttlebirds are hosting their annual workshop with lots of teachers and fun too. So April is chock full of opportunities! Don't miss out!

How delightful! I found this teacup nightlight! I might have to put that on my wish list.





I had great fun adding tatting to this lipstick case as a birthday gift for Bette. It doesn't have to hold lipstick. I put a tube of beads in there but you could put in a shuttle or lip balm or floss holders or paperclips or any number of small things.

I decided to take out all the colored fillings on the RPL mask and start over. I think the colored fillings is too busy with the multicolored outline so I'm going with a solid color - white, I believe.

I stopped at a little antique store in Dayton, Indiana on my way home and came away with these two finds, the little picnic basket and the trinket box just big enough for the Amber Clover shuttle.
I managed to snap the pic while the cat was walking by so you can get an idea of its size. The shop had a nice large filet crochet bed cover for $110. I saw one large dresser scarf with hen & chicks tatting in red around the edge. Everything else was crocheted. Not really a lot in the way of linens, but there was a modest collection.

I'm afraid I've been so busy lately I haven't made many entries. I hope that changes after next weekend after Lace Day is over. I committed to a wireworking class on the 28th so you might get to see some jewelry here later too!

Here is one of the items offered in my Cafepress storefront. I used a scan of my gingerbread boy pattern and have it put on several items there. I plan to get this one for my great-grandson in blue. I haven't looked at the storefront in ages. I should update it.

Here's a mug with the Tatting Goddess logo on it available on another storefront. There are lots of other things you can get too, like the tote bag which is quite large. I wish it had pockets though. Since Cafepress has added new items, I might see if they have another tote bag.
I know there are smaller ones, but I like this big one. I've had it over a year now and washed it a time or two. I also have t-shirts and a sweatshirt that I wear from time to time. I've got a framed tile that I put up on my wall in the craft room and another tile that I put my glass or cup on when I'm on the computer. Yeah...I'm kinda full of myself, I guess. LOL!

When I was housesitting for my friend Paula, I noticed she had towels attached to potholders and the loop fastened onto a button. I really like that better than the crocheted ones I used to make so when I was at Walmart last, I bought a cheepie $5 pack of towels and potholders which just happened to be a good color for my kitchen. They are so easy to sew! Just stitch down the middle of the potholder onto the middle of the towel that is folded to just the right width and then sew a button on. Today I found out Paula bought hers, but I'll betcha she paid a whole lot more for hers than I did mine! Plus...I have 2 extra towels and a hand mitt to boot.

The mask so far. I'm having trouble visualizing how it's going to look. I'm not real pleased with how it's gone so far, but I know it will look different off the white basting cloth. I wish I'd used a different color than white as the background because I can't see the how the white filling looks. Maybe I should put this on a black base when the stitching is done. The orange triangles took a lot longer than I expected. I don't know how to make wheels yet but this might be the time to learn.

I did get to some tatting this evening. I was trying to make a bookmark from Mary Konior's everlasting leaves pattern. I made a mistake on the first strip so it curves a bit. I don't know if I'll keep going as is and hope the 2nd strip pulls it into shape or if I'll cut it out and retat. It's an experiment and I'm not sure where I'm going with it. I sort of thought of going in the opposite direction with the 2nd strip too. Might get to that tomorrow. I stitched one teensy area on the RPL mask and will probably work on that instead.



And here is THE Yellow Bag again! I finally got a lining done for it and added a black ribbon. I had crocheted a yellow cord but it fit so snugly that it didn't slide easily which is important when you open and close the bag. It's going in the Lace Day raffle.

I received a comment from Aklima from a post about Lace Day 2 years ago. Aklima asked how to do this - I believe she means tatting - but did not give me an email to contact her at. The comments come to me anonymously so I can't reply except on here and the comment was for a post 2 years old so it won't show on this post. Aklima, if you will email me again and give your email address in the message, I can respond to you. Or click over at the right where it says "Email Tatting Goddess" and it will automatically open a window to email in.

And in reply to Maggie Ann, I love the old patterns. I have a huge collection of the old Needlecrafts from the early 1900's. I've been trying to transcribe the patterns when I have time but the print is so tiny and the pages so fragile. The antique pattern library rarely has the whole issue scanned. People tend to scan only the tatting or only the crocheting but they have tons of wonderful patterns. I would like to see the whole issue preserved. Unfortunately, it is such a huge size which does not fit on the scanner that it's unlikely it will be scanned unless it is by a professional firm that specializes in those sizes.