Just a reminder, if you're interested in Tat Day in Greenfield, Indiana on August 25, 2007, go here for the description and a link to the registration form.

"Victorian Tea Party"
Saturday, August 25, 2007
9:30am - 3:30pm

arrggghhh....I knew I forgot something....I meant to look for a tatted glove pattern while I was home at the weekend. Oh well, I also forgot to pick up a bill so I'm going there after work and will just have to remember then.

I finished the hardanger sewing part. i decided to make the pincushion instead of the sachet because I have no idea where my potpourri is at the moment. This lining is a plum color so I'm doing the edging in plum also. This is an edging from one of Mary Konior's books and the thread is Venus, size 70. Venus thread tats so nicely!

I tatted the heart from Nancy's Bestitched site and turned it into a bookmark. It's leftover thread on shuttles so I'm not certain what it is except the yellow is Cebelia size 30. I had the cord maker with me but no directions....that wasn't much fun trying to make it work!




More shuttle endings...I started one of the flowers in Linda's Petals to Pearls book but didn't have enough thread for the last round. I think it's perfect just like this. Altin Basak size 50 thread.


and then these two photos are teasers. I'm working on something for an exchange. What do you think it will end up being? The thread is the same - just metallic floss separated onto floss holders and there are 2 sizes of beads here. It's amazing how many matching beads you have when you go looking!Hmmmm....I seem to have a lot of plum and pink in this entry!

I was pleased to see the latest Tatting Times had arrived when I picked up my mail today. There's a bunny and a cat and a snowman, plus a vase of flowers and some earrings, a heart, an anchor, a cactus flower and probably more that I haven't mentioned. Contact Karey Solomon at P.O. Box 9, Hector, NY 14841 if you would like to subscribe to her quarterly tatting newsletter.


Here's the hardanger I worked on from our last lace guild meeting....and clipped in the wrong place, so it is essentially "redesigned". LOL! I think I'm going to stay in my own house overnight and try to do the sewing part and finish it, as well as the pincushion for my pincushion exchange. My partner, Mary, has already sent hers but it wasn't in the mail so it will be later in the week before I pick up my mail again. I can't wait to see what she made!

I tatted some odds and ends last night but didn't bring them with me today. Guess I'll scan later!

Finally...I'm back to my blog and checking the drafts, I see I loaded this photo and had written some of the following without publishing. The doily is now in its owner's possession and she loves it. She commented that she liked the way the variegated thread went around the black....the problem is, it's not a variegated thread! The black motifs bled into the ecru when I wet the whole thing to block it. I never would have expected that! That's one of the issues you come across when you work with unknown threads. I don't know who the tatter was or where she (or he) got their thread. I do know they tied knots at the end and didn't hide the ends and that they ironed them.

I was very sorry to remove the Japanese Tatting Ring but every time I tried to go there, each link took me to the same page so I took it out of my links. There was some beautiful tatting there if you had the patience to find it.

In the meantime, I'm down to 2 motifs for my friend's doily. One is partially completed but I haven't been home enough to work on it. I was hoping to finish it by tomorrow night so I could scan it. Oh, I do have photos...in my camera..and no way to download them yet! (obviously this was an earlier entry!)


My yellow bag which has been to Egypt and back! One of my lace group members won it in our Lace Day Drawing and took it with her on a trip to Egypt last month.








Vintage bag that is very similar although I think the outer motifs look slightly different - I'm not sure they are. I think the centers may be the same but sized differently. Oh, there are more small rings. I also added a hen & chicks edging on the top of mine.

CQ MagOnline has a new issue! I've been so busy I didn't even realize it was time. I've been studying for a test I have coming up Tuesday (not nearly as much as I should be!) and doing some watercolor painting. I've tatted too, mostly trying to use up threads on shuttles and on floss holders, but I didn't bring any books with me to the place I'm house-sitting at. I have a few printouts and I can do simple things from memory, but I purposely did not bring my tatting so that I would focus on other things....like studying. HA!

Last weekend I packed up a bunch of beads and thread and hauled it over with me. I really don't know why...I'm also working on a scrapbook but so far I've not even been able to get the photos sorted out. I've got them kind of sorted but I'm in the process of duplicating some ( a lot more than I thought I would) so I haven't even started on layout or themes.......I think this weekend I will take back all that tatting stuff and just keep the floss holders of threads and my shuttles and workbox. I can get lots of roses and butterflies done if I really feel a surge to tat.

The doily is complete and too big for the scanner! I still have to block it and after I block it, I will photograph it and post it later. I plan to give it back to Lila on Wednesday - we're both out of the office until then.

I ordered this book on Monday from the UK and it's here today! I'm anxious to do some of the flowers although I will probably put them on a denim shirt rather than in a bouquet. I have this shirt that I showed in an earlier post where the "paint" has faded and flaked off and I want to replace them with tatted flowers. The shirt is in great condition otherwise!

You can find this book to order here directly from Linda Davies.

Just a quick post while I'm home. I've actually added one more motif to this and have one last one to do. Maybe tonight! I think she will like it.

It's been a busy week and not slowing down much anytime soon. I'm out of town Monday and Tuesday.

I've got 4 motifs together so far, the 4 center ones. Kinda hard to find a background that makes them pop out. They looked beautiful on my car seat upholstery but I don't have anything handy that matches it.

I'm in my friend's house now ( well, home for a bit gathering up the last laundry and other stuff I want out there) so for the next month, postings might be even more sporadic. My scanner is at home but I'll be there once a week or so once my son moves out which he expects to be by the end of the week.

My hardanger is at Paula's and I didn't bring it with me to scan but I don't have much done on it yet. Sally gave us the option of an applique for something or for it to be a little pincushion or sachet. I'm choosing the sachet/pincushion.

Welp, other son here to fix something for me so this ia a very short one!

I xeroxed the motif in two different formats for Lila's approval. This one uses all eight motifs but is a bit odd in shape. This is the one she liked however, so I hope it comes together okay.


This formation left one motif out, which I thought could be a coaster or something but she really preferred the unusual structure of the first one so I don't have to worry about what to do with the odd man out!



I took part in Mary Donohue's Christmas in July Tin exchange and showed what I sent Melody in the last post. Since then, I've received hers! Melody painted this lovely tin and added a needle tatted edging and some very pretty motifs on the lid! She also included 2 balls of thread, a shuttle, a bookmark that matches the tin trimming,tiny pink buttons and some wintergreen mints! The card is also of her making.


Here's a little closer view of the tin. What a fabulous job! Thank you again Melody!


This weekend I start my month of housesitting and I went to Paula & Craig's last night for last minute instructions. Paula will be gone during my birthday and also wanted to give me my gift. She gave me this beautiful embellished bag...sequins and beads...so elegant. She thought I could carry around my projects in it but it's almost too nice! I might put my hardanger in it until I get the project done. (Just started today in lace guild!) See the tea-for-one?

The Tea-for-One is actually a salt and pepper shaker! I think I have a tea-for-one that very closely matches this. I just think it's adorable!


Here's a closer-up view of the bag. For the moment, I have it hanging on my iron screen room divider in the living room. I'll probably take it with me today when I haul my clothes out to their house. Thank you Paula & Craig!

Melody, my Christmas in July Tin Exchange partner received her tin....and I forgot to get a photo of the tin but here's most of what I sent her. Remember the tease post? I like these retractable key fobs to keep my crochet hook on but you could put scissors on there too. I used the #4 motif from Patti Duff's Minitats to make this. It's tatted in size 70/80 tatting thread and I used 3 beads for each picot to give the impression of holly berries since it was a Christmas theme.

We didn't have to tat anything but I couldn't resist tatting a snowflake. I used DMC silver metallic thread and a sulky red/green/silver blend together. I ran out of the DMC metallic and had to quit after 3 rounds when it should have had 4. It is snowflake #13 in 24 Julestjerner i Orkis by Lene Bjorn. This is not the English version - thank goodness for diagrams!


Turns out Melody is a needle tatter, but she does have a small shuttle collection. I'm a little rusty on my painting but it was so much fun doing this. Makes me want to get back at painting on a regular basis!



I can't find my notes for the "frame" I had around Lila's motif so I found a new possibility. This is the 3rd try. I took it to work to xerox so I can play mix and match with multiple shapes and see if they will go in the formation I want. Then I forgot to do it. I hope it works out the way I want. I'm ready to wrap it up and get it back to her.



Here's my latest WIP. Jane's kokopelli done in tatting cotton size 60. I still have painting to do on the shuttle before I glue him on there. I bought some black quilting thread yesterday and will have another go at him, attempting to keep the eye inside instead of letting it slip out and become a nose. The size 60 thread I have is old and kept breaking. My frustration level is already on the high side, so I decided to try it on stronger thread or just use the nosy kokopelli! Deb Flork's design is there too so you have TWO choices. I was afraid hers would be too fat. I had to decrease the stitch count on Jane's to make it fit on the shuttle.

My friend P came out today to take some stuff to her house....and I felt the stress I always feel about showing someone my home. I guess it's a concern about being judged. Our homes create an impression in someone's mind...it reveals so much about us - or mine does anyway. There's nothing hidden because there is no way to hide anything. I guess that's why it's my sanctuary - but at the same time, it makes me feel vulnerable.

Oddly enough, associating with lacers has made me realize that we are much the same. There are a few that have the "show home" atmosphere, but they are rare in my circle, and it's mostly because of the husband, not the wife. I find that most are reluctant to let me in their homes.....because they have this impression that my own world will be more organized or something. Most of them still don't know. LOL! It's kind of funny how creativity is like that.....appearing messy, disorganized, in little piles. That's because our workshops are our homes. We don't contain creativity to a single room or a single corner of our lives.

It's kind of an odd perception, that because you are creative, your creativity adorns your home. It can and often does, but a lot of it adorns someone else's home instead. It used to be for my home, but that doesn't seem to happen as much anymore. I have great ideas, but no time to follow through.

I'm especially feeling closed in right now. Both sons with respective households spilling all over the place. My living room is currently half storage for one son. The other's spills out of his bedroom, into the kitchen and basement...and he has a lot stored at my daughter's. Even my refrigerator is overflowing.

My garage is not storage safe, but they have stuff out there too. For the most part, it doesn't bother me. It sounds like both will be moving out next weekend....coincidently the same time I'm going to housesit for my friend.

Then ....my house will feel empty.

I finished test-tatting the partner hearts that go with Martha's larger one. They didn't take long at all...I got both done last night as I watched a movie and even took time out to visit with my son & his girlfriend who stopped by to pick up some stuff. They are both in a friend's wedding today.

While I'm housesitting, I plan to watercolor and I plan to scrapbook. I do not plan to bring any lace with me. HA! I'm really not terribly good at scrapbooking but I want to get these organized and done with....but it also occurs to me that I really need to scrapbook my tatting. I've been putting the motifs in small photo albums....it doesn't work. I want to write about the tatting experience, show the pattern, and have the piece(s) all in one place. I think a scrapbook would be the best solution for permanent documentation. I guess I didn't know I wanted it to be more permanent until now. The problem with the small albums is that the pieces fall out...or you take them out and forget to put them back in. In a scrapbook, I can take the entire page out for certain displays and then put them back ....if I were a truly organized person. That's something I have to consider too. More ideas than time and energy is a huge issue for me.

Well...gotta do laundry and get ready for a family get-together tomorrow.

The night I should have been studying for a test (which I passed), I ended up tatting some motifs from Patti Duff's Minitats. The motifs were designed for size 20 thread and work out to between 1 and 1 1/2 inches each, but I'm using Coats machine quilting thread #50 Egypt so they are coming out even smaller. This is #1 through #4. I think I'll do #4 over. Or maybe I just need to block it. Anyway, this thread tats up more colorfully than it looks on the spool. I'm thinking it will look good on the denim bag I'm doing for Tatting Treasures from Trash challenge. Providing I can find the denim bag again. It's utter chaos here since both boys moved in but it's only for a few weeks and then I'll be able to find things again. I'm thinking all 69 motifs will probably fit on the bag. I was just going to tat them all as samples, thinking they would be quick and it would make me more familiar with the book when I'm thinking of something specific. I'll probably have to add beads too, you know. Of course. (VBG)

Here's the heart I'm test-tatting for Martha Ess. Isn't it gorgeous? I was looking through my internet printouts last night - actually looking for something else, but I came across the pages I had printed out several years ago from the round robin exchanges of the hearts I especially admired and this is one of them. I had a couple more printed out which I'm pretty sure will be in the book too so tie yourself down when the book comes out...you'll be over the moon otherwise! I'm thinking this would be such a beautiful addition to a scrapbook or a quilt or as a very special card. And this isn't all there is to it! You'll see when I get those tatted up too.

I had some requests recently for the pattern of the triangular gift bags I made a few years ago. I had them in the file section of my yahoo group but no way to post them publicly. And then....when looking at Mary Donohue's website, I realized e-snips was an option so I created an account and uploaded the file there. The link is over to the right under "patterns". It will take you to the folder with patterns but you'll have to click on which one you want. As I have time, I'll add my other designs, all 3 or 4 of them. LOL!

Variegated thread doesn't work well with everything. I played with this size 60 thread in split rings, wanting to make a circle around something very small. Unfortunately, the distance between repeats is so long that you can't really see it on a small tat - it looks disjointed and inconsistent. I tatted off the rest of the thread on my shuttles and while you can see the changeover,it would take quite a length for it to be appealing to the eye. Some variegateds are soooooo pretty on the ball but it depends on the motif design and the length of repeat for it to look good tatted up. I had a little hummingbird I tatted that managed to have the red at the throat and the green at the feathers, which worked out perfectly, but I learned to be careful where I started tatting on the thread to get it to work out right. It was a different thread from this one, including some pink and the red and green were more muted.

I've actually done quite a bit of tatting in the past 24 hours. I wasn't trying - actually I'm procrastinating studying for a test. I read for awhile and my eyes get sleepy so I get up and do something else, including tatting at the computer - a most uncomfortable position!

So...this is a tease. I'll show it and tell you about it later.


Friday morning, before I left for work, it just happened that I had some glitter glue pens and these butterfly pins in the same general area so I "wrote" on the butterflys and took off. I think they are quilting pins but I use them on the blocking board mostly in places I need something a little heavier than a regular pin. They're easy to find for unpicking a stitch too.



And here is another tease. Are you noticing a pattern of any kind?