The Accidental Designer

Whoo Hoo! Up til 1:30 a.m. doing this and then I was only halfway through, not wanting to quit, but knew I had to, or I'd be making mistakes and regretting it. I decided to use some gold/amber seed beads instead of the bugle beads and I varied the picot size to jazz it up a bit. The result - I love it! It looks like a string of butterflies or perhaps dragonflies if I make the beady body longer and the middle picot. I may even keep this one for myself!

I did get my blinds down finally, and the curtain rods..........but it was midnight by then and I decided to tat a bit before I went to bed.....'cept I got involved in the bracelet more than I expected.

This morning now....and I finished it!!! Maybe it looks more like bees.......whaddya think? Click on the thumbnail to see it bigger.





LOL! Now that I got that out of my system, I can get down to the business of painting.

Painting or Tatting?

I should be painting my living room but I got so frustrated with trying to unscrew the hardware for the blinds that I gave it up for awhile. I just finished hiding the ends in a split ring bracelet I made this morning. Kaye was teaching split rings and split chains at the guild meeting Saturday and gave us a pattern for a bracelet to use for the split rings, in addition to the motifs she gave us for practicing the split ring and split chain. What i like about her bracelet was that it used bugle beads for a change and it inspired me to make one with black thread (size 12) and gold blending filament and some gold bugle beads that I had no idea what I was going to do with! Very Purdue-ish. I constructed mine differently from Kaye so I can give you the directions.



The split rings are 4 ds, 3 p sep by 2 ds, 4 ds, each side. Before I start the second side, I pull the 2nd shuttle thread through the bugle bead, anchor the loop with a paperclip and then proceed with the split ring. When the ring is closed, then I take my crochet hook and insert it in the loop sticking through the end of the bead, remove the paperclip, and do a "join" with either one of the shuttles. Then I made 1 ch ds before starting another split ring. Continue for as long as you want the bracelet to be. I got the findings at Hobby Lobby. Cheep! Only fifty cents.

Kaye's was done with 2 colors, one on each side of the split ring and fewer stitches overall. She also added the beads afterwards, when the tatting was done. I'm thinking of making another bracelet now, with different sized picots. I don't wear bracelets, except very rarely, but I may gift it to someone. It's a little on the small side as I was running out of thread, but it fits me. Initially, I started one like Kaye's and was putting seed beads where the picots were, but after exactly 1 split ring, I decided that wasn't going to do. I think I needed a heavier thread for it to work.

After Tatting Guild on Saturday, I met up with a woman I met on a different list, not tatting-related, and we had lunch and then she took me to an antique store in Greenfield. Ooooooohhhh, I was in BLISS! Linens all over the store!!!! Only about 3 out of hundreds had tatting. I bought about 4 samples of different embroideries and one of needlelace. I didn't realize until I got home that one end was damaged. Maybe I could fix it but maybe I'll just convert what is good into a pillow or something.

I also got several old magazines, Popular Needlework (5) which have tatting patterns or columns by Myrtle Hamilton, a Mrs. Randall, and some by a Mrs. Walter Frost and a few others. I see a variation on the hen & chicks edging, some block tatting edgings, a chair set combining tatting and crochet, a cat's edging.......and of course there are other needlework crafts too. Oh Hopie! There is a filet crochet owl edging! I also got 2 plastic bags of miscellaneous. One has a few embroidery transfers but most of it is Vogart embroidery color charts. The other packet has some original tissue patterns from 1913! A ladie's blouse and an apron and a skirt. I also got a few wooden pieces from the $1.00 table that I will use in my decorative painting. One item is a wooden fiddle, not a real one, but one you hang on the wall. A couple of necklaces, a wooden box with pearl inlays. I didn't get to see everything either. LOL! I'll sure be going back there! And she knows of even more places!

Well, I really need to get back to my preps. No painting tonight but at least I can be close to ready for tomorrow. That bracelet is calling my name too. I'd like to make another one for the fair. Perhaps I should finish Nina's pendant class first. Oh. and the elephant needs to be put on a different background. And I can't find my booklet for the fair. I checked at JoAnn's today and they were out. I think I can check online.

Oops! Forgot a draft was in the works.

Jane has her patterns posted that she introduced at Palmettos. The Patchwork Diamond motif was beautiful in person. It was probably about 15 inches in diameter when I saw it and more more colorful than what shows online.

Yikes! I forgot I started this.

I've worked a little more on the butterfly collar. I got one fern frond done. It appears that the rose part is tatted and joined to the frond and a cut & tie & finish off is in order before proceeding to the next frond. That will permit me to make it in a different color.

I was in Hobby Lobby tonight. I went to get a few birthday cards but had to stroll around the store too. Instruction books were 1/2 price so I got a few crochet booklets I've had my eye on. Also got a baroque bee's wax holder kit for $2.77, originally $27.76. I also got a package of 25 miniature clear glass ball ornaments.............and just discovered that one is missing! LOL! I'll have to take it back.....not sure I'll have time tomorrow night. Anyway..........Hope Green and I did a private exchange one year tatting on this size ball but we used the colored ones. I'm thinking this might be a good project for my lace guild's Christmas tree project. We are decorating a small tree with lace ornaments and then it is donated to be auctioned off for a charitable organization. The ornaments must be very small and in multiples. So I thought I might make some tatted covers for these, a few anyway.

Well, I want to work a bit more on the rose/fern frond motif before I go to bed.

Treasures!

Here's the motif I started in Karey Solomon's short class at Palmetto's. The teneriffe part was left up to us and since I have no idea what I'm doing, I've only done one tiny section....freehand, at that. All I have to go on are some instructions Cincy Wilma sent me some time back and those are for making the wheel on a template. In this class, we tatted a ring with very long picots and then after the tatting was done, you added the needlelace. Since I missed the beginning of class, I'm not sure how it was explained. My loss!

I did buy 2 templates from Snowgoose while there, so I'll get started on teneriffe yet. Needlelace, as I think of it, is different, but technically, teneriffe is truly needlelace. I want to do the kind that involves drawn thread work or cutouts in the fabric.

Today I went to St. Vincent DePaul's on my lunch hour. I only had a little time to "shop" but I found a metal teapot that I love, a short & top set, a framed bobbinlace doily, a small wicker suitcase that I plan to do some decorative painting on, and a bead necklace that I bought only for the beads! A very good haul indeed, for only 15 minutes and $16. Ha! That's a little over $1 per minute.




Last night I started on the butterfly and fernleaf collar that I posted instructions for right before I left for Palmetto's. I only had time to start the fern frond. I'm still not sure what I want to do with it ultimately. I don't wear tatted or crocheted collars but I can surely use the design on something! Right now I'm doing it in the equivalent of size 20 thread. hmmmm.....just had a thought..........I'll bet I could spiral that collar around a bolster shaped pillow. Made of elegant fabrics in a crazy quilt manner with decorative embroidery stitching........

so many ideas, so little time

Quick bookmark for a friend, butterfly pattern from Migrating Butterflies. I added a lockstitch tail and a dimpled heart ring.



Rose Garden Doily from Big Book of Tatting

I had a bear of a time blocking this. The thread got hard and stiff and the curved places didn't want to curve. I suspect the varying tensions will be points off on this one, but I like it as far as looks go.

My necklace display arrived from Fire Mountain Gems today. I got one big enough to hang a long necklace on and it will also be good for a collar. I got a styrofoam head at a garage sale or something in the past year that will work for earrings and hats! Now to tat away!

Tonight's entry is short. Got other things to do!

Tatted Jewelry at Palmettos

by Nina by Jane E. Mary D.by Ruth P. Sharren M.

Sunday morning found me packed and ready to go after eating breakfast. I'd spent some time the evening before talking with Hope Green and Jane Moody, comparing notes about the event and looking at each others treasures. They are treasures, you know. Jane was wearing a filet crochet top she made. Lovely! I didn't get a photo, but I know Hope did. Before I took off, I also saw Sherry Townsend and we said our good-byes. It's so nice to meet people in person. Sherry is much more animated than I'd given her credit for, a strong and resourceful personality. There were so many people I didn't have the opportunity to talk with for long. Wally came in while we were playing the two-partner tatting the first day and sat right across from me but we didn't have a chance to talk at that point. It's great meeting people whose patterns I've used. Jane, Karey, Terry, Ruth, Mark, Nina, Martha, Irene.....and the people I've talked to off and on through the past 6 years, exchanged with, followed tatting conversation threads............Joy, Teresa, Deb, the Snogoose people,Sue, Carol.....new people - Laksami, Sheron, Karen, Erin, Rita, Joyce, and many faces whose names are still unknown to me.

I missed Wilma Walker and Mary Harris as well as Riet, who had all planned to be there. Maybe next year!

So off I went to see Witt who had also been unable to attend, but I knew soon enough before I left home that I could mapquest how to get to her. It was only a little over an hour to drive there and I stopped off the highway at an easily recognized location and called for them to meet me. They thought I would have trouble making the last part of the journey. 20 minutes later, John and Sharon Witt pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant and led me back to their home, Witt riding with me just in case I lost John along the way. Again, it was so great to put a face with a name and see the personality in motion. I showed her all my tatting and the ribbons and the goodies. I don't remember if I showed what I did in class, but I don't think I did. Too much chattering. They offered me a lovely lunch which we ate sitting out on the porch, surrounded by trees and flowers and sunshine. Then I got to visit the much loved chickens. Sorry, I don't remember their names.

It was lovely! I got a few pics before I left...........and yeah, Witt sent me on my way with 2 dozen freshly laid eggs. One was still warm from the hen! They also gave me some SC seashells from their collection to take home with me. The bag was made for Witt by someone else and I was admiring it.

Last motif on Rose Garden Doily!

I'm on the last motif and hope to finish it sometime today and block it! Somewhere between home, the Taste, and bringing the grandkids home, that is. LOL!

I still have so many pics from Palmettos. This morning I edited several that were small - taking the elements out of a bigger photo so I could highlight them better. There were several necklaces so I'll do them all in one entry. I wish I had the knowledge and web resources to just put them all on a separate page and link there but I don't so I'm not sure how much more I will show here. It makes the page load slower for dial-up connections, even though I reduce the size of the pics considerably.

I found a motif on Needle Tatting Two that I want to experiment with as soon as I get my fair entries ready. I think the potential for something celtic jumps out at me from it. It's called Wild Flowers and there is no name attached so I assume it's Roger's design. I'm hoping to do something with the base of it.

Okay, before I get carried away with ideas again, I said I would show you the lovely hideaway I found at Columbia University the last evening I was there. I took a walk and saw what looked like some kind of tower/chapel structure so made my way over to it. It is just that, a very small, though tall building, that seems to be meant for stopping in and taking a moment to reflect or meditate or pray. It has some lovely stained glass windows in it and I'm sure there is an upper level, but I only went through it to get to the other side. There I found a pond, sort of hidden amongst the trees and on the other side of the pond was a gazebo. It was breathtakingly serene and beautiful there, a moment's quiet much needed after all the excitment and rush of the past two days. I went over to the gazebo and sat there, photographing and taking in the atmosphere. There was such a stillness, yet it was alive..........fish leaping out of the water, birds and cicadas singing, the perfume of the mimosa trees, sunshine breaking through the tall trees, the shoreline reflecting so clearly in the water that it appeared mirrorlike.

I decided to sit there and meditate a bit. I'm with an online meditation group that is currently meeting Saturday nights and I told them if I had some time alone, I would join them even though I wasn't at a computer. I was a few hours early but it was the best I could do. I was sitting there, deeply relaxed and feeling such a oneness with nature............and I heard a child's voice.........huh?..........opened my eyes - and there was a man and child on the other side of the small pond. LOL! So much for that. I sat a bit longer and finally made my way back to the dorm. I will definitely seek this place out when I go next year.



Next entry.........maybe my doily, more Palmetto tatting, and my visit with Witt.

More from Palmetto

And here are even more lovely entries!

I forgot my watch was on Indiana time while I was flitting around admiring and photographing all the tatting! I thought we had a nice little break after lunch and before the next class.

WRONG!

I was an hour late to Jane Eborall's class - a funny face bookmark. I've barely got the eyes and mouth done, so you'll have to wait to see the rest of it. Shortly after I got into the class (very late) I felt the buzz on my cell phone and went out to answer it. That's when my daughter called to let me know an uncle had passed away. From what she told me, I thought it likely I would make it home in time for the funeral. And back I went into class..........trying to figure out that funky funny face. LOL! It really is cute. It's not on Jane's site yet, but I'm sure it will be after she returns to the UK.

By this time, I was losing my sense of time and place, obviously. I popped over to my last class...........for some reason, when someone gave me the room numbers in the morning, I had marked Terry the Tatter's instead of Karey Solomon's class, so there I was listening to Terry talk about designing and wondering when she was going to get to the teneriffe part.........for a whole HALF hour! Hey, I was having fun! Then it suddenly dawned on me..........I was in the wrong class! So I zoomed out and found Karey's and managed to get most of that motif done. LOL! I finished the tatting part last night but I still need to do the needleweaving around the wheel center. I got 2 for 1 that time!

Then we all met in the cafeteria again but this was very informal and many people were leaving in just a few hours. I was starting to drag then and didn't get to say goodbye to a lot of people that I wanted to.

After the initial flurry of goodbyes, I took a walk to gather myself and relax. I'll show the lovely setting I found tomorrow!

Displayed Tatting at Palmetto's

Faye Baker's ornaments Sue Miller's Flowerpots

Flowers by Sherry Townsend Handkerchief

Here are a few of the stunning entries. I have to confess that I didn't enter to win and I didn't keep track of who won what prizes. I'd make a terrible judge and probably argue with the others all the time! LOL! Which is not meant to slight the judges here in the least. They had a formidable job and I pretty much agree with every thing they commented on my own entries. I'm not complaining at all. I won 2 blue ribbons and 4 red. The blue were for my elephant and the peach colored miniature hat shown elsewhere on this blog. I also won one of the shuttles with my hat, and that was special to me. I bought one of the Shuttle Shop Palmetto shuttles too.



I've been working on my Rose Garden Doily and I'm down to the last 3 motifs and in process of one of those! I also tried tatting with my finger and thumb holding the shuttle and pushing it forward and back instead of using my whole hand to manipulate it. I found that I can use a much shorter length of thread between shuttle and core thread by doing that and that I tend to tat much tighter that way. It also puts my hand at an odd angle and I noticed fatigue and aching periodically. I worked with it a little more and at some points, I was able to lessen the angle I was twisting but over the long haul, I can see carpal tunnel being a problem with this technique. I seldom experienced fatigue with my usual method. I may continue to work with it though - it might just be that my muscles aren't used to this motion and may compensate with familiarity.

I plan to enter the doily in our county fair in mid-July as well as Madeline, the Elephant. I'm putting the elephant on a different background before I frame her though. The gray fades into the taupe too much, IMO. I lost some points at Palmetto because of the long threads in the back possibly catching, but it was never my intention to display it like that anyway. I think I'm going to put it on a white background. Everyone says "what about the tusk???" LOL! I've decided to go around it, outline it in a fine black thread, just enough to define it a bit. If I get my pendant from Nina's class finished, I will enter it in hand-made jewelry. I can only enter 2 items in the tatting category so then I have to get creative to find other ways to make it visible to people. I could make some cards....maybe stamp them and then use tatting.........for the stamping category. I don't think I have a lot to enter this year. Oh, my filet crochet will go in crochet. But I don't have any Christmas tatting to put in the Christmas category. If I really got in gear, I could paint one of my gourds and put tatted flowers on it, but I don't think that is going to happen this year.

Well, it's been a busy weekend. No rain today so I was able to get some quite forlorn looking plants set out. My son came to do his laundry and put in my window ac so it's nice and comfy here now. I haven't been in town at all this weekend. I thought I'd go get a few groceries tonight and decided to wait until after work tomorrow.

Palmettos - Day 2

You know, it's just so hard to know where to start. I think of one thing and half a dozen more memories are crowding in..........talk about me! talk about me!

Before I start though, I wanted to show a pic of my great-nephew, Carter, at 14 days.


Isn't he a darlin'?

Okay.........
Saturday morning started off with breakfast in the cafeteria. Columbia has an excellent assortment of choices at each meal. The only thing I didn't really like was the dinky glasses for drinking. I'm a heavy iced tea drinker and I never got enough, but I wasn't too perplexed by that.....too much to do!

I found my handy-dandy book, btw.

Which brings up all the goodies we got in a crafty treasure bag! Upon registering, we received our choice of this dorset bag. I say our choice because the liner colors were different but the outside of all of them were the black with multicolored palm trees. ONE person sewed approximately 100 of these bags which were packed full of toys. I'm sorry I don't remember her name!

You can see what all was in the bag, plus a few things I've already taken out. The booklet for one - it had the schedule, maps, pics of all the teachers, names of all participants, history, patterns and notes. The logo on the front is from Sue Hanson and was also on the back of the T-shirts we received, apart from the bag! In the bag were 2 flat cardboard shuttles already wound with a thread, perfect for a quick lesson; a shuttle winder made from a plastic lid; a paper bag to drop in snippets of thread; a fan to decorate for next year's theme; a packet of tiny tat patterns (10 cards, printed on both sides), film canisters for storage; a tin with safety pins and a few other things we would need in classes; a bottle cozy, a pen to write with, a plastic canvas template for cluny leaves; a bookmark, and a small bottle of hand lotion. I might have forgotten something. Oh, we got a bottle of water too, to go with the bottle cozy.

My first class was with Ruth Perry aka Rozella Linden "Beginning Floral Celtic". I took all short classes, wanting to meet as many teachers as possible. Ruth explained the background behind celtic tatting and how her technique differed from what had been offered before. She actually winds the chain through itself as a true celtic design does. Ruth has a yahoo group that focuses on this type of tatting here. The motif shown is my second attempt. The first one wasn't quite the way I thought it should be. I then added the celtic stem per the instructions after I got home.



Ruth also treated us with a bag of goodies! In a bright and cheery yellow paper bag we found Ruth's business card with a tiny handmade paperclip that she uses in beginning her chains that are done in fine thread, like size 70/80; a floss holder; a pin backing (since that's what the project actually was); some size 8 thread; a gift tag with tattings on it; and a larger gift tag with a tatted celtic rose bookmark! I was so busy fussing with the technique that I don't think I gave Ruth a proper THANK YOU for all she gave us. I had fiddled with some of Ruth's online patterns before I came and it does take some playing with it to get the "feel" for it. I had put off buying her book until I felt reasonably sure I would use it..............and then I forgot to have her sign it! LOL! Maybe we'll entice her to come up to our tatting guild one of these days though and I'll have another opportunity.

My next class was with Nina Libin. I've had Nina's book, Beanile Lace, for a couple of years and I brought it with me. Yes, she did sign it......but that was due more to her noticing I had it than me remembering to ask! Nina is from Russia and has an accent..........but not enough to deter understanding what she says! We had the choice of making a brooch, a pendant, or earrings. We had the patterns for all, but only supplies for one. I chose the pendant. Once I got the idea of how the beads are put on, following the instructions was easy. I wasn't very good with the thread needle though. My pendant looks a little off because it is not done. I still have a few beads to add and I sure hope I remember how. Nina told me how to finish and it made sense at the time, but I'm not sure it stayed in my head! LOL! I think the instructions will make it easier to figure out.


Okay, that's enough for now. At this point, we broke for lunch and lunch included awards. I also used that time to take photos of the entries and displays so I'll show some of them at the next entry.

Banquet Dinner

Friday night was the banquet but there had been a change of plans. There were so many entries in the competition that they were unable to complete everything before the banquet so the awards were presented the next day during lunch. The rest of the program continued however. I have managed to put my program book in a very good safe place so I don't have exact details or names now.


The past president and new president of Palmettos spoke, telling us about their growth and future plans. They are sooooo excited about their future and they should be. It takes a lot of cooperation to make this work. Then we had a show and tell by a live model. Jane Henson (I hope that's right) modeled Hope Green's gorgeous Victorian dress. Hope sewed the skirt, blouse and vest from a Vogue pattern and tatted the seeming miles of trim. I don't remember the exact number of inches of tatting but I'm sure Hope can tell you. I left the photo of the outfit off the model in a bigger size so you can see the tatting better when you click on the thumbnail. There is tatting in the under petticoat.........hen & chicks and an insertion with ribbon running through it. Tatting is inserted in the skirt (black thread, mind you!) and the turquoise underskirt or lining of the skirt makes a striking contrast to the thread. There is a black tatted motif on the front waist of the skirt but because it's black, you can't see it in the photo. The blouse also has that same black thread insertion going down the arms and there is a black tatted band around the neck. This is a major accomplishment that any one of us would die for! However, it's not the only clothing Hope has tatted for. I hope we see more of her designs at future Palmetto events.



Then Jane Eborall and Sue Hanson spoke to us. Initially, their banter kept us in stitches, but in the end, they emphasized how we are setting the tone for future tatters and encouraged everyone to teach a young person over the course of the next year.



Sherry gave me her tatted bag during the banquet, but mine for her was in my room and I gave it to her afterwards. I hadn't scanned it and forgot to take a photo of it but Sherry was kind enough to do that for me. I made a little striver for her too, with a dragon charm, befitting the designer of a dragon design. The bag I made for Sherry was a miniature dorset bag trimmed in Oliver Twist purple variegated thread.



After that, there was a 9:00 - 12:00 midnight gathering in the lobby of the Admissions area. I've skipped mentioning the morning forums only because I didn't attend them and forgot, but there were 3 of them with panels of experts discussing different aspects of tatting. The late-night gathering was very informal and we shared and talked a lot. I showed my filet crochet snowman and some other things I had in a notebook. Then I looked at everyone else's "stuff" and lots of pics were taken too. By this time, I think we were beginning to get slap-happy from all the excitement. I went to bed shortly before midnight. There was an early morning event at 6:00 a.m. that I thought I might make it to..............and didn't. Hope & Karey gave a presentation titled "What can I tat with this?". I hear it was very interesting!

Tomorrow: the classes!!!!

Palmetto's .....Day 1

I got to Columbia University very early, around 9:00 a.m. I stayed in a motel about 5-6 miles away and wanted to make sure I gave myself plenty of time to get there before I needed to turn in my competition items at 10:00. It wasn't hard to find but the signs weren't up yet telling me what building to register in and where the classes were. A very kind lady at the first building I came to showed me the direction I needed to go in and gave me a map, also telling me I could go ahead and register. They decided to go with it earlier than stated on the website.

I registered for my dorm room and hauled my luggage in. Then I popped over to the building where I turned my competition stuff in. Then I went to the vendor room! heheheheh.........they were still putting stuff out but I found a good lot to spend money on right away. I also found Hope in this room and we chatted a bit about her train ride up and what had been going on in her life. Then I went back to my room and unpacked a bit, at least organizing my stuff somewhat. I'd made up baggies the night before I left and put supplies for each class in a separate baggie. That was about as prepared as I could get.

Next thing I knew, it was lunchtime! Frankly, all this is kind of mush in my head now. The food was delicious and the time was filled with delightful hellos and putting names with faces and much laughter and hugs. I think I went back to my room at some point and made up the bed. Went back to the vendor room and bought more.


About 4:30 p.m., we had fun and games in the basement. One game was a round-robin motif. I wasn't there at the beginning so I missed how they divided people up and explained what to do.

I'm not sure how many of the tatters in this group were doing the motif but Karey Solomon has it in hand.


This game partnered a new tatter with an experienced tatter and one person worked the shuttle while the other held the ring thread and between the two each using only one hand, they were to tat a hen-and-chicks pattern. I do not remember the names of the ladies Carol and I partnered with, but Carol Rasor and her partner are on the left and this is how it was supposed to be done! My partner and I kept sticking an extra hand in there and because I didn't think we would get very far, I didn't wind the shuttle with very much thread. We ran out of thread before we ran out of time. Both our partners were needle tatters so it was definitely a challenge to get coordinated! Carol (on the right) and her partner won 3rd place though.

The third game was the tat-off and I didn't get any photos of that but they put the chairs in an outward facing circle so that no one would be right in sight of speedtatter Mark Myers and feel intimidated. LOL! Yes, Mark won, even though I believe someone sat directly in front of him in an effort to intimidate him.

I don't want to post too many photos in each entry so I'll leave the banguet for the next post but I did want to show the tatted bag I received from Sherry Townsend, CelticDreamWeaver. We planned to exchange tatted bags when we got there, just for fun. This is the lovely beaded bag I got from Sherry along with a little striver that was attached to it. Not only that, Sherry also gave me a lace bobbin that she attached my tatted name on and signed. These are just too gorgeous! They need to adorn something.........like me! LOL!

Teachers

A huge attraction to Palmetto's is the opportunity to meet and interact with knowledgeble tatters whom we refer to as "teachers". I took these photos during a segment in which the teachers were handing out doorprizes to participants whose names were drawn out of a basket. By this time, everyone was familiar with each other and were feeling pretty loose and relaxed.

I think the middle photo has all of the teachers so I'll list them left to right, top row to bottom row.

Mark Myers, Ruth Perry, Terry the Tatter, Karey Solomon
Jane Eborall, Georgia Seitz, Karen Bovard, Nina Libin, Marie Smith
Sue Hanson, Rita Cochran (Deb Arnold is missing from my photos)

There is way, way too much for me to post in one entry but I have to say this is absolutely the greatest tatting time I've ever had! I was so saturated with tatting.....I haven't picked up a shuttle since Saturday night. Unbelievable as that may seem! None of my projects are finished so I'll show them here as I finish them. Some will take longer than others. As the day wore on, my comprehension skills wore down. I forgot I was on Indiana time after lunch and sauntered about, taking photos of the tatting, and suddenly realized I was an hour late for my afternoon class with Jane Eborall.

Then for my last session, I went to the wrong class. I kept wondering when Terry was going to get into the teneriffe part of the lesson......and 1/2 hour later, I realized I had the wrong teacher! So I ended up getting two for one that time! Actually, I'm almost complete on every project but Jane's and that makes sense, since I was an hour late to that one.

I bought a few books, lots of thread, a Palmetto shuttle, and some teneriffe templates.

But the best part was meeting everyone face to face! What a deal!

More to come...............

Home Again!

I got back home about 4:30 p.m yesterday. My uncle/godfather passed away at the weekend and I wanted to be home in time for the funeral. I knew everyone who was left at Palmettos would be leaving Monday anyway so I left for home Sunday after visiting with Witt.

I have so much to tell!!!!

But first, I'm going to the funeral and spending time with the family. I tatted rosaries for this aunt and uncle one year for Christmas. I helped them move last summer and noticed they had draped the rosaries over a crucifix near the door. Made me feel good that they did that. I no longer practice catholicism, but we still carried on the tradition between godparents and godchild anyway. This couple is actually the aunt and uncle of my first husband who passed away himself when he was 26. I've always remained close to the family and this couple also lived only 3 miles from me when I was growing up. Lots of memories there.

So after I spend time with my family.........THEN I'll tell you all about Palmettos Lace Day and the wonderful people I met with and tatted with and played with! I didn't take near as many pics as Hope did, but I couldn't put them all on here anyway.

Glad to be back home.

Funny thing............I noticed myself talking like a true southerner......doesn't take much for it to rub off on you!