I hope to finish up the "sorting and cleaning" this weekend and get back to tatting more prolifically. In the meantime, I work on bits and pieces when the opportunity arises. I started this motif by Lyn Morton in Tatting Patterns during my lunch hour yesterday.

It's called Hearts & Flowers and is tatted in size 20 Lizbeth thread. Sorry, I don't know the colors as I don't have the package anymore and it's not on the label. I've actually been using the Lizbeth more for crochet or needle lace since I can work around the slubs and knots more easily so it's handy and I still try to tat with it. No problem this time but I've had problems with this same ball so don't think I've changed my mind about the thread's suitability for tatting! LOL! I've not had a problem yet with the size 40 though. Anyway, this motif turned out nicely but I did have to wet and pin it to block.

I've also been working on some needle lace, simple edgings. There are something like 12 categories of needle lace and I'm not sure where this would fit in. It's a buttonhole stitch and I got it last night out of a 1916 Home Needlework Magazine I was browsing through. The edging on the right side is from figure 1 in the diagram and the edging at the top is figure 2. I really like figure 2. The scan from the book is below.

I left the description in the scan. It only cost 40 cents for the towel stamped and with a plain border. BUT, you could get it for 5 cents if you also got a new subscriber for them. The book itself was only 10 cents!

I love looking at the embroidery patterns in these books and wish they survived somehow but I've yet to hear of any central location where you could find any. The illustration for the edging was a bonus and I think it makes a very delicate trim that any stitcher could easily do.