Check out the 2006 Exchange Schedule by Mary Donohue. She's got the whole year mapped out so you can pick and choose what you want to take part in. Exchanges are always fun and they kind of push you to do a better job. I sort of cringe at my first exchanges, but if it hadn't been for them, I never would have had something to aspire to. I had never seen any tatting besides my own before I took part in an exchange and I really didn't know if I was doing it right or not. Well...the stitches slid, so that part was right, but I had a LOT to learn. Bless those early exchangers who sent me such beautiful work.

The Shuttle Maker....
Bummer - is no longer making shuttles. Glad I got what I did.



Another stab at the vintage diamond motif - this time with block tatting. I like the block tatting better than the oval rings or chain rings, but the instructions definitely did not describe block tatting! I guess you could call MY interpretation of it.

I've been working on some ornament covers as a project for my lace group. Not my pattern, but from friend Hope. They were for smaller balls though so I find myself adding beads....and in fact, I may do something completely different for one. It's kind of a pain to string the beads for so many. During lunch today, I threaded a bunch of crystal clear beads on red thread. I'm not sure I'll like it. The red thread shows through the bead and I'm trying to visualize what kind of effect that will create. Ooops...ideas bumping about...now I have to play....

Here they are! It would look better if one heart was a solid color. I was hoping they would show up better.

I've been trying to find a handbag. Mine broke while in Walmart at the weekend. I guess I put too much in them - they always break at the handle. I really liked all the pockets in it, but I haven't been able to find another like it. I did buy one that I thought would be okay, but the very next day, it was pouring and I had to pull out my umbrella. I still don't have everything in there neatly. It's overflowing and too tightly packed. So I'm still looking. I may make one. At least it would be big enough!



I really don't like a bag to be too big, but I like the pockets. This one is made from a fat quarter and it has lots of pockets so I'm considering it. 17 x 21 inches though is a bit big.


I think this one might be good for traveling.

Now....do I have time to make them????

I've been busy! The Feast of the Hunter's Moon is this coming weekend. I've been tatting give-aways inbetween cleaning house and going to a wedding and catching up with other stuff.








I've also tatted these hearts. The single one will be joined with another one just as soon as I can get to it!

Today I practically ran a student down. I was several feet behind her and her hair ornament looked suspiciously like tatting...so I put on the speed and caught up with her. It was brown -kinda hard to see because she was taller than I am, so I asked if it was tatted. Yes! Did she tat it? Or someone tat it for her? A barrette? Questions questions! No, she didn't tat it - I don't think she ever said who did, but it is a hair covering worn for her faith. It just looked like a large rectangular motif and her hair was caught up on her head, with this motif fastened over it. We had a nice short conversation over the next 50 yards or so when we parted ways.

Well, I've been interrupted several times and sidetracked and also did quite a bit of real work.....so I'm giving it up for now.

Oh wow! Look at these Crazy Quilt Blocks! From the blog In A Minute Ago, which also features some references to tatting. Go look at her I Dropped the Button Box crazy quilt! I noticed on the previously mentioned blocks that she had a winning way with buttons. Now I know what to do with that 3 gallon container of buttons and all my tatting bits. And beads. LOL! Those blocks are absolutely stunning! You can waste a whole lotta time drooling over them.

OH...here is Clyde's Blog and I can't read a word of it but Clyde is doing celtic tatting!



I can't stay....much Feast tatting to do. And here's a teaser for you. When I was cleaning and sorting, I was inspired to create something. This is only one itty bitty part and it's actually just a prototype, a test. teeheeheehehehehehe

Isn't this cool???? Gail sent me a shuttle she painted with the Goddess logo on it! I absolutely adore it. And the little knitted bag it came in. I think Gail is now an official Goddessette!









I finally completed the bridal bag. I was running out of thread at the end so had to reduce the number of rings and chains so it isn't as ruffly in the back. I didn't have the impression that the top was that ruffly in the Workbasket booklet but I checked and double-checked the instructions.



We did have 4 members besides me before the morning was over at our lace meeting. I gotta get busy on spiders for the Feast event...only 2 weeks away!

It just seems like there is always something coming up!

Law & Order

Results from cleaning my craft/sewing/computer room over the weekend:

* room to sew

* 12 binders of print-outs ranging from one 1" to four 4" plus a storage tub....or 2.

* added another tower drawer from Walmart to separate the thread and embellishments and tools - one drawer crammed with UFO's

* 1 garbage bag and 2 garage-sale boxes

* still some to go through in living room

* inspired to create a tatted design from a crocheted pincushion

* found 13 shuttles including one tatsy I was looking for

* A slew of 80's Anna's I didn't know I'd tucked away

Labor Day Weekend

Ha! I plan to labor this weekend alright!

Not getting an early start though. In fact, my breakfast/lunch is in the oven right now....blueberry muffins.

I was tired yesterday after my segment with Global Fest. I can't imagine how tired Cathy and Bette are. Both also demonstrated at other booths there plus they did the set-up and take-down. Someone else may be helping with the take-down. I was up quite late the night before tatting spiders and making the cards. There were very few left when I was done at 4:00 p.m. I think we stirred up interest in at least a few potential members. One of the potential members is from Italy and had her mother with her. The mother did not speak English so the daughter was translating. The mother is visiting but the daughter lives here and is interested in the group. I learned how to pronounce chiacchierino...sort of...LOL! I'm amazed I even recognized the word as she spoke it.

I took a nap at 8:30 p.m.....woke up at 11:00 p.m. I really didn't think I would be up very long but then I really woke up. and I couldn't get to sleep again. My mind was racing and I finally decided to get up and try to do something to calm my mind...like tatting. I got my CD's from Palmettos in the mail and had watched them between coming home and taking my nap. I think it was too much stimulation. LOL!

After my nap and before I tried to sleep for the night, I'd been looking through some old I.O.L.I. Bulletins I got from a fellow lace member a few years ago. That was some of my over-stimulation too. I found a column by Kate Plummer who had published Kate's Kritters, where I got the alligator pattern from. I've posted the finished item here a few times if you want to use the search engine at the right. That prompted me to make a few inquiries to others as a result of that article. 1992....still a long time ago. Anyway, I found several things about tatting that piqued my interest. One was an article by Judi Banashek about "Multi-Color Split Rings" in the Spring 1994-95 issue, Volume 15, number 3. You use 6 shuttles or 3 pairs of colors. She talked about Tatter's Helper Mini-Shuttles which I assume are a specific kind of shuttle. I'm not familiar with them but they sound like they are flatter than the typical post/bobbin shuttle. I just used my regular Clover shuttles. The technique is actually what I've come to know as Encapsulated Tatting, as described in this lesson from Georgia's online class. I had some big thread on shuttles that I wanted to get off so I decided to give it a go in the wee hours of the morning. Tatting relaxes me and I figured that would get me sleepy. I used Blue Tac to hold the shuttles together and it was a little awkward but I got the hang of it. The article said to make even rings and uneven rings and then when you are good with those, throw rings off the rings in different colors. I didn't go that far, but it is a fascinating technique. The thing is - I don't like the look of padded tatting. The charm of tatting for me is the delicate lacy look of it. If I start doing the padded tatting, I might as well crochet. Much faster and much less trouble. Still...if you want a variety of texture and color in your design, this would be the ideal solution.

I also found another method for filet tatting described by Bobbie Demmer. That one makes use of long picots to create the bars between blocks. I'm going to give it a try but it sounds iffy to me. So...this just dawned on me...why aren't we using block tatting to create the filet mesh look? Oh...I may have to look into this further...later....

REMINDER TO SELF...fix craft/sewing room TODAY if you ever want to find anything again.

I'm tatting spiders tonight so probably won't get back here before Saturday night - maybe even Sunday. The leaf above is the thread holder I painted for Abby. The shuttle went to Gail. Both got 12 bugs done in the Jane-A-Thon. Gail's were shuttle tatted and Abby's were needle-tatted. Definitely fun.

Now that Sue Hanson has her bugs up, we'll have a Sue-A-Thon. Not this weekend though. Busy holiday weekend!

Tomorrow my lace group demonstrates lace-making at Global Fest.

I'm so glad this is a long weekend!