It's been a long time since I brought it up but ever since I saw the title somewhere, I've wanted this book. It was a very small run of a chapbook and no where to be found. I finally was able to contact someone who handled the author's sales but there were no copies available. When I last emailed, I was told the author, Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel, was recovering from serious illness after suffering a stroke. They had hoped to republish but everything was up in the air at that time. So I kind of forgot about it but today as I looked at my wishlists on a couple of online booksites, I decided to try to find a used copy again. What I found was this webpage, http://back40publishing.com/wemeditions.html, which is a tribute to the author who did pass away in 2007. I also saw the book I wanted, Tatted Lace & Other Handmade Poems, is expected to be republished sometime midyear. It's a small book of poetry and I don't think it even is about lace except maybe just one, but I have always loved that title and even have my google ID as poemsoflace. I emailed and asked them to let me know when it is published.

Now, that leaves one more author that I'm still trying to contact or learn about. Kate Plummer who designed and published Kate's Kritters. The alligator I've tatted from time to time is from Kate. If she is living, I would love to talk to her about republishing an updated version of her book. And if she is not, perhaps her family would allow me to tackle the project. The only copy I've seen is in the library of I.O.L.I. Books sometimes do not return to the library - either the borrower disappears or the mail goes awry. I'd hate to think that might happen with this one.

Just in time for Easter, I stumbled (again) on this site. She has a few tutorials but you can't print them out so you have to stay glued to your computer to follow them. LOL! In this one, she shows how you can take an insertion, or what appears to be 2 edgings joined together, and use them to trim an Easter Egg. I think it's really clever. I probably won't get to try it this year, but maybe next year. On this one, she shows how to take two circle motifs and string them together over the egg. You could do this with Christmas ornaments too. Your own design.

I would love to show you what I've been tatting and it is something that will go on the exhibit table for Lace Day but it will go to Marie after that so ......you'll have to wait. I'm excited though! It's the first I've made like this.

Okay, so what can I show you?

I may have mentioned that I LIKE buttons in passing. I have to confess that I am a Buttonholic. A few weeks ago when I was in JoAnn Fabrics looking for some fabric for a project for my daughter's birthday, JoAnn's had buttons 40% off - maybe it was even 50%. I don't know....I was in a trance by the time I walked out the door. If anyone ever gets my name in an exchange, get me buttons. I never think to put it on my preference list. I do use buttons in tatting. Well....I plan to....and sometimes I even remember to. I love unusual shapes, glitter and sparkle, metal and wood, glass - yep, just about anything in buttons.

I wanted to use these somehow for the birthday theme but didn't get to it. I think I was going to put them on a hat. Maybe someone can give me some ideas. I also brought back some handmade buttons from Australia when I was there. I bought as many different elephant buttons as I could find since my daughter loves elephants. I was going to put them all on ........ something...yet to be determined. LOL! I'm currently thinking of a pieced bag, with some bits in neutral ecru which will also show off the buttons. I don't want them to get lost in a busy print but plain canvas or cotton would be TOO plain. It will probably be a Christmas present so I have plenty of time. (yea...right!) I've probably got 10-15 buttons. It wouldn't have to be a bag but she is very practical. She does crochet so it could also be a crochet bag or tote. I think she is too busy to read this so I'm not concerned.

Here are some I bought at JoAnn's that day. Some may look a bit ordinary but I specifically picked them to go with other buttons, stacked, on my little pouches. I like to tat behind them and make brooches or earrings too. I also like to just pick them up and look at them, fondle them, fantasize where I will use them. See those flower ones? They are real dried flower bits. There were about 8 others I could have gotten but I did show some restraint. Til they are on sale again!


Walmart has a lot of colorful unusual buttons too. I love the square shape on these and I love the dimensional floral design on the black ones. I have buttons from years back, some from my mother's button box, some that I've simply saved from clothing when I was super frugal and used them for my children's clothing.


Here's my biggest button jar. Most of them are in here, I think. I have some small bags in other places and maybe if I gathered them all up together they would fill another container like this but I don't have another container. I just love buttons.