Taking a Chance

Well, I'm sending this off in the mail to my mother-in-law today, and I'm risking her seeing it here before it gets to her. I can't help myself, though -- just have to post it. This is the same pattern as the snowman ornament I did earlier except that I used size 30 thread instead of 20 and adjusted the stitch count to make the rings and chains big enough. FYI, these chains are 8 ds long and the rings are 5+5+5-5. The hanger is a chain made of 32 beads separated by 2 ds.

Quantiesque Snowflake

This pattern was a very generous gift from Jon Yusoff to the tatting community, and it came in very handy at 4:30 this morning when I was awake long before everyone else in my household and needed something to occupy myself.

Hankies

Continuing in my vintage mode (do I have any other?), I have gathered my latest musings into one worksheet for myself. I have worked out a couple thread sizes, patterns, and spacing on the hankies from Handy Hands (I'm sure you can buy them elsewhere; mine come from HH) that I enjoy in my "mindless" tatting time. I'm thinking that now I can mix and match colors of thread and hankies and possibly even troll around my local area for potential orders. Maybe this is obvious to some veteran tatters, but it is an accomplishment for me.

#50 Ornament (challenge finished!)

I recently joined the Yahoo group for Workbasket Magazine, and there is a discussion about crocheting around holiday card cutouts. I decided to play with the idea with tatting, and here are the results.

#49 Holiday Snowflake

I've made a handful of these little snowflakes to tuck into holiday cards. They tat up in a jiffy and are a nice little add-in. The pattern is "Ribbon-Floss Snowflake" from Vida Sunderman's Tatted Snowflakes. I used size 20 Hakelgarn again. That seems to be a good snowflake thread for me.

A Letter from 1947

Today I thought I'd share another treasure from the boxes of things I got from my Dad. I wish there was an envelope accompanying this letter so I could be sure, but I'm assuming that this was addressed to his mother or perhaps his grandmother. I would also love to have the first part of the correspondence. We can only speculate about that. The letter is hand-written, of course, but I will try to reproduce it as closely as possible for you.


Conewango Valley, N.Y.
Oct. 9, 1947

Dear friend:

I received your card last week but have been having silo fillers and since them my little boy has been rather sick and required so much attention I couldn't possibly write a letter.

I'll tell you the articles I make and the prices I charge:

pillowcases 42" plain tatted edge $3.00
hens & chickens edge 3.50

doilies oblong $2.00
round $.50 $1.00

handkerchiefs cotton with tatted corner $.49
linen " " " $.69
linen with corner & plain edge $.89
linen with hens & chickens edge $1. 29

baby bonnets $3.00
baby dress - plain tatted trim $1.00
baby slip " " " $1.00

tatted corner for handkerchief $.25

I always have orders ahead. I'm swamped with orders now just before Christmas. Lately I've been getting colored linen handkerchiefs and put white corners and a white edge on for $.89.

I do have patterns for collars. Do you have any tatting books? I guess I have all the books they've sold for the past 14 years.

There are two collars in tatting book no. 159. There are four collars in tatting book no. 183. There are three in tatting book no. 141. These three books are by "The Spool Cotton Company" (O.N.T. & J. P. Coates). There is also one in book no. 111 by the same company. These books are $.10 each and I'm sure the address of this company is New York City.

There are three collars in The Star book no 30. The address of this company is "The American Thread Company. Design Studio, 260 West Broadway, New York, 13, N.Y.

I hope you'll gain some benefit from what I've told you.

Very sincerely,

(the letter is signed, but I don't want to publish names without permission, even though I don't know the person)

Thinking about it. . .

Well, I seem to have exhausted my supply of tatting gift recipients, so I'm trying to come up with another focus. Two ideas seem to be surfacing:

1. donations of hankies and ornaments to a nursing home or assisted living facility where a vintage/nostalgic gift could bring some happiness

2. making a collection of ornaments, bonnets, tea towels, hankies, and pillow cases for next fall's local craft fair (I did sell a handful of tatted ornaments at a yard sale a couple months ago, so there may be a small market there.)

Thoughts? Ideas? Warnings?

#48 - Hanky

I had this one done a couple weeks ago, but I had to wait until today to post it because it was a gift for my mother-in-law. I gave it to her today as a little thank-you for Thanksgiving dinner and for all of the kind things she does for us all year long. I used size 20 thread for a simple ring edging and emboidered the corner.

Another Little Ornament

My daughter says I'm tatting too much, but she's 15 - what does she know?

#47 Still Snowing!

It sure has become winter around here - the snowflakes keep falling from the sky and from my shuttle. This one is "Hearts in a Snowflake" by Jon Yusoff, and the pattern is on her website. I made a small error, so those of you who know the pattern will be able to see it. However, I'm not going to point it out. :) Like the other snowflakes, this one is made with size 20 Hakelgarn thread.

#46 Another Snowflake

Yes, the snow keeps falling around here. I guess we're supposed to get 2-4 inches of the stuff tonight, so I thought I might as well add to the merriment. This is a motif from the Snowgoose website. I used size 20 Hakelgarn thread (again).

#45 Ornament

I took this idea from the April 1990 issue of Workbasket where little bunnies are displayed in tatted half-eggs. I changed the shape and the figurine and ended up with this ornament. I got a package of 12 little figurines (santas, snowment, reindeer, etc.), so I can make a few more of these if the mood strikes.

#43 & #44 Let It Snow!

Here are a couple more snowflakes that will be used for a round robin. They are both done with size 20 Hakelgarn thread. The top one is "Little Ring Snowflake" from Tatted Snowflakes by Vida Sunderman, and the bottom one is "Star with Six Points" from Christmas Tatting by House of White Birches.

#42 Snowflake

This is The Deshka Dancer Snowflake from Georgia Seitz's book "Tatting Alaskan Style." I tatted it with size 20 Hakelgarn thread, and it will be sent out in the mail for a round robin.

Birthday Present - #41

I just finished and delivered this little hand towel as part of my sister's birthday present. The lace is hen & chicks done with Omega size 30 thread.

Hanky - #40

Here's one project that I can share. I just finished edging a hanky with a simple edging to make a bonnet for a friend who is expecting a baby next month. I used Olympus size 40 thread; the color seems perfect for a baby.

I'm still here!

Hi Friends,

No, I haven't disappeared, although sometimes it feels that way. I'm just back to work and running the kid around to school activities, so the tatting time has definitely taken a serious hit. I am doing a little bit; however, since the projects MIGHT be gifts, and the recipients MIGHT frequent this blog, I've had to go undercover.

I really miss all of my online friends and the time that summer gave me to play.

I hope to "see" you again soon.

#39 - Oval Tatted Doily

This is designed by Darlene Polachic and was published in Old-Time Crochet Magazine, Summer 2001. I'm having trouble getting a good picture because the entire thing won't fit on the bed of my scanner, and when I take one with the camera, the colors aren't coming out right. Anyway, you get the idea. I did it with size 30 variegated Olympus thread.

Tatting During the Olympics, #30-#38

Well, here's what I managed to do in the last couple weeks. I was hoping to finish 20 ornaments, but I fizzled out after 11, then managed 2 more for a grand total of 13. I still like the way they all look together. The patterns are from the following places: A New Twist on Tatting by Catherine Austin, Tatted Snowflakes by Vida Sunderman, Beginning Tatting by Gloria Crowther, Workbasket Magazine, The online beginners tatting class, bellaonline, and picotnet.com. And believe it or not, a couple are actually my own!

There are 9 of the designs that I haven't yet included in the 25 (50) Motif Challenge, so I'm adding them to my numbers also.

Checking In

I just realized that it's been a while since I posted again, so I thought I'd better pop in for a minute. I have been tatting - quite a bit, in fact. In one of the online groups, I'm participating in a challenge that coordinates with the Olympics, and while I'm making progress, I think I'll wait until the closing ceremony to post pictures. My choice for the challenge was to complete 20 ornaments during the 16 days of the Olympics. So far, I'm on schedule with 7 completed.

On other fronts, I've been getting ready to go back to work next week. My first day of class handouts are finished, but I still need to get my office organized. It has been a glorious summer of tatting, relaxing, improving my Spanish, cooking, and enjoying my family.

Thanks to all of my cyber-friends that have been a part of it.

First Crazy Quilt Block

I did it! Thanks to some great instructions, I have managed to produce my first crazy quilt block. Now I have to think about how to embellish it. Stay tuned. . .

Farm Show Report

Well, the results are in, and it's a GOOD year for tatting!

Ribbons: Blue = first place, Red = second place, White = third place

Snowflake Ornament: BLUE
Ecru & Rose Doily: BLUE
White Star Mounted in Circle: BLUE
Hand Towel with Embellishment: BLUE
Dresser Scarf: RED
Knit Poodle: RED
Cross-Stitched Bib: RED
Tatted Egg & Flower Arrangement: WHITE

I hope that there will be some more tatted entries next year. Maybe I inspired someone.

#28 & #29

Here is a candle that I made from Workbasket Magazine in size 10 thread and the new swan from TAT-MAN.NET in size 30 thread. The candle was for a Christmas in July exchange, and the swan will probably go to my sister in some form, but I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet.

Another Bib

The tendonitis in my elbow and wrist has convinced me that a knit blanket is not going to happen, so I've decided to continue with the bibs for my friend's baby shower at the end of this month. Here is the second one. As you can see, her theme is bugs. The sonogram has indicated that she is going to have a girl, but she is asking people to save receipts, "just in case." I'm going with non-gender-specific designs!

Exchange Package

Today was the big opening of the Christmas in July exchage packages in our online group. Mine has been waiting not so patiently for a couple weeks taunting me, but it was worth the wait! A big thank you to Nancy in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia for a wonderful treat.

Farm Show Entries

Okay, I got over my funk and spent the morning getting my entries together. I have 8 of them: doily, star motif mounted in a ring, dresser scarf, hand towel, snowflake tree ornament, Easter egg displayed with some silk flowers, cross-stitched bib, and knit poodle. I don't expect a ribbon for the bib, but it's for a friend's shower; if there isn't much competition, it may win something. It would be nice to be able to give her the "award" along with the gift.

Checking In

Just an update, since I feel that I've been away for a little while. I've finished 2 more rounds on the purple doily and am trying to find a way to get a better picture, one that gives better representation of the true colors. I just have 2 rounds left until it's finished, so I'm hoping to have the photo situation resolved by then. Any suggestions would be very welcomed - a photographer I am not!

The Farm Show starts on Sunday, so I need to finish sewing the lace onto the table runner and the tea towel if I want to enter them. I must be in a bit of a funk this week, because I don't care much for the tea towel. It was fine before, but now that I pulled it back out, something about it is not making me happy. Maybe it's just the competetive perfectionist in me thinking that my work isn't good enough. I have to say that some recent events in an online tatting group have also put a damper on my spirits this week.

So . . . we'll just keep on keeping on. I'll let you all know how the Farm Show plays out - what I decide to enter and how the judging goes. Entries have to be submitted on Sunday afternoon, and judging takes place on Monday morning.

Stay tuned. . .

#27 & Design Challenge

I've been taking a little bit of a break from tatting to work on a baby shower gift for a friend, but I made time to complete this snowflake for Sharon's Design Challenge. Once again, I have found the limit of my skills and learned a lot in the process. As it sits, the snowflake doesn't hold its shape, even with lots of starching; however, I'm thinking that a mounted photo in the middle could solve that dilemma and make a nice tree ornament or refrigerator magnet.

Dad's Tools

Does anyone recognize these? They both appear to be hand-made, but I doubt that my dad made them. It's possible that my mother made the case, but I almost think I would have been told about that, so I'm suspecting that he purchased them somewhere.

Pictures

I have to apologize to my round robin partners - my package has been home for a couple weeks, and I have neglected to post the pictures here of the great work that everyone did. Better late than never, right?? :)

So . . . here we have bookmarks: the blue one at the beginning is the one I did and sent out, followed by the pastel one by Aileen's Wicked Tats in Singapore, the green one by BoB The Bike in Wales, and the red & white cross by Margaret in Canada. THANK YOU to my new friends!
























Next is a photo of my current WIP, "Oval Tatted Doily" designed by Darlene Polachic and published in Old-Time Crochet magazine, Summer 2001. I found it when someone on Here-Be-Tatters was looking for the roll stitch baby bonnet, and decided the doily was too pretty to just put away and forget about. I've finished the center and rounds 1-5 and have 6-9 to go, so I'm probably a little bit over halfway, since the next three rounds are chains only and should go quickly (famous last words).

I'm using Omega size 30 in a pink & purple variegated. I don't know why my scans are coming out so dark, but the actual color is not quite that harsh.

Tagged Again!

Wow, I guess I'm "it" again :) Aileen's Wicked Tats has tagged me.

So . . .Here are the rules:
1. Link back to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share 6 unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag 4 people at the end of your entry.

About Me

1. I can't seem to learn the "running man" dance move, no matter how hard my daughter tries to teach me.

2. I watch television programming for preschoolers in Spanish to help me with the language, since I don't have anyone with whom to converse.

3. I've recently survived my 40th birthday (still getting used to the idea).

4. I don't know how to take a bus in a city. Living in rural areas my entire life, it's something I've just never learned. In March 2007, I took a business trip to New York City and (with a friend's help) took the subway and a taxi, but no bus yet.

5. I read 35 books in 2007 for "pleasure reading"; that would be ones that I didn't need to read for work.

6. I want a cookie.

And now . . . TAG* to
Tatted Lace Treasures (Tara)
Jon's Thread Escapade
snowy's tatting
Steph's (tat) Stuff

*Please don't feel obligated to participate. Just know that I visit your blogs regularly and appreciate having you as part of my cyber-circle of friends!

Onward! #26

Since I started the 25 Motif Challenge in February and have just "finished," I think maybe I can continue and make it to 50 in the 12-month period. So . . . here is #26. On eTatters there is currently a challenge to makes something with an old (out of publication) pattern. I took a simple insertion from Pricilla Book No. 1 and attached it to some elastic to make a wedding garter. Now that I see how it works, I think I would cover the elastic first with fabric or ribbon so that it doesn't show through as much.

25 Motif Challenge Finished!

Now that my round robin partner has received her package, I can post a picture of my final motif for the challenge. It is "Lisa's Dragonfly" by Lisa Reichart, and the pattern can be found on Tat's All website. I used a variegated size 30 thread (don't know what type, as it was in the stash from Dad) and dark purple beads. Just a note - the colors aren't as dark as the scan shows.

Sad News

We had to put down our friend, Cosmo, this evening. Since I always seem to find solace in my handwork, I'll be searching for a project to fill the empty spot - maybe knitting, maybe tatting, we'll see. Sleep well, little guy - we love you.

25 Motif Challenge #24/Another Towel

I got some fingertip towels for a good price on Ebay, so I have some new projects to play with. I think they will make great gifts. On this one I used a little snowflake from Tatted Snowflakes by Vida Sunderman and an edging from Workbasket Magazine.

Tagged!

I hope this isn't like the games of tag in elementary school where I stayed "it" forever because I couldn't catch anyone (short legs!). I have to admit that this game is a lot more fun, and Bonnie's Tatting Blog has tagged me. So . . .

Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share 6 unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag 4 people at the end of your entry.


About Me

1. I graduated from high school at age 17, Bachelor's Degree and student teaching completed at age 21, and Master's Degree at age 23 (why was I in such a hurry???).

2. I love to spend Friday nights at home with pajamas and a movie.

3. My Gram taught me to work hard, take care of my family, be kind, stay true to myself, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, take naps, and have cookies and milk.

4. Favorite movies: The Wizard of Oz, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Grease, and Lord of the Rings.

5. Dessert can make me happier than anything else in the whole world.

6. I can recite the alphabet backwards.


And now . . . TAG to

Circles and Straight Paths (Margaret)

Carol's Tatting Blog

Arlene Tats and Knits

Memé, sus nudos de amor y más.

Being pretty new to the blogworld, I just want to say that I won't feel offended if you've already participated and don't want to again.

More from Dad's Notebook

I thought of posting this yesterday on Father's day, but it was just a little bit too tender for me. Several of you asked me to share more pages of Dad's (Lloyd's) notebook, so I will from time to time. On this one we have some samples by my grandmother and my Dad's note that it is his mother's (Amanda's) work.

Of particular interest is the hen and chicks edging at the top. I have always done the edging like you see it here, with one picot on the "hen" ring. That is how my mother (Phyllis) did it, and she learned from my father who learned from his mother. I was surprised recently to see that in all of the pattern books there are multiple picots on that ring. Does anyone know of any single-picot samples other than my family's, or do we just have a little quirk?

More Finishing and #23

What a productive day I've had! I completed the insertion design and sewed the tatting onto my hand towel for the Farm Show. The variegated thread here is Olympus size 40. I absolutely love the silkiness of this thread as the stitches are forming. It reminds me of cross-stitching with Caron Waterlilies silks.

25 Motif Challenge #22

Another little doily/medallion. This one is in size 30 Cebelia and comes from Tatting Doilies & Edgings edited by Rita Weiss.

More Finishing

I was going to put this little doily into a trivet, but I couldn't find one quite large enough, so I finished it as a hanging piece instead. Super simple - a styrofoam ring wrapped with ribbon, and the tatting sewed on. Then some colored scrapbooking paper on a circle of cardboard glued to the back. This method has some definite possibilities - it's lightweight and inexpensive, and I didn't have to put any glue onto the tatting.

Dresser Scarf Progress

Finally - I've made it through the slump and found a color/design combination that I like for this project. Both ends are painted, and the hand-hemstitching is done all the way around. I just have the tatting to complete and sew to the other end, and it will be ready for entry in the Farm Show in August. Oh, this is also my first venture into finer threads - the edging is done with size 80.

Checking In

Well, I've been tatting on a couple projects, but don't have a finish to post today. I have also been getting my ideas together for my Farm Show entries in August. We have a large county fair at the beginning of July, but the real needlework/craft competition in our area is at the Farm Show. My sister-in-law and I have entered and won ribbons for the last 12 years in the cross-stitch and knitting categories. She won Best in Show a couple years ago for a counted needlework sampler. I'm still chasing that award.

This will be the first year that most of my entries will be tatted. I expect them to do well because I haven't seen many (any?) tatted items there before. So. . . the odds are good for ribbons :) Half the fun is trying to see how many different categories we can get things into.

Here are my ideas so far:

1. TOYS/STUFFED ANIMALS - a knit poodle (finished)
2. NEEDLEWORK ORNAMENTS - tatted snowflake ornament (finished)
3. DOILIES - duet doily (finished)
4. TATTED ITEM - star doily in a trivet (tatting finished, have to get trivet and mount)
5. USEFUL ARTICLE - tea towel (edging and insertion motifs about 1/2 finished)
6. TABLE SCARF/RUNNER - dresser scarf with painted design (if I can resolve my edging issues)
7. FLORAL ARRANGEMENT/HOLIDAY, NOT CHRISTMAS - thinking about putting the tatted easter eggs in a vase with a ribbon and some greens
8. PICTURES/NEEDLEWORK - may tat a butterfly and mount it in a frame
9. PURSE - made a bag from an old corduroy mini skirt, may embellish it with tatting scraps if I have time
10. STOCKING - This is a longshot, but if I get really ambitious at the last minute (which is always a great adrenaline rush), I have visions of a velvet stocking embellished CQ style with tatting.

Summertime is so much fun (one of the huge benefits of teaching)!

25 Motif Challenge #21

This doily is about 5.75 inches across done with size 30 Cebelia thread. It is from A New Twist on Tatting by Catherine Austin.

25 Motif Challenge #20

This is "Blue Doily" http://www.geocities.com/leen_tats/BlueDoily.html done with size 30 Omega thread. I know - it's pink, not blue, but "pink doily" is a different pattern altogether. I did use a blue background. :)

Today's Adventure (#19)

I'm not currently participating in the TIAS because it was just a little bit intimidating, but I'm watching and thinking about it for later. However. . . the excellent diagrams of how to join to the button from a ring were a huge help, as I have struggled with this concept several times trying to complete "Snowflake from Avalon" shared by Mary Hickox in Online Tatting (1999 book edited by Georgia Seitz). I was so excited this morning when I saw the diagrams and realized that they were exactly what I needed that I loaded up my shuttles, grabbed a plastic ring, and started tatting. Here ends part one of the adventure.

Part 2: In my copy of the book, there is no size for the plastic ring, and apparently mine is too large, because I completed the number of repeats in the directions, and I was nowhere near close enough to join and finish the round (without creating another basket!). No problem, I think; I'll just add one more repeat and add another point to the snowflake. So it will be a little bit asymmetrical. I finish round one.

Part 3: Upon completion of climbing out to round 2, I realize that something looks wonky. This isn't the right ring, and of course, I've already closed it and chained to the next one. Sigh. This adventure is getting to be less than wonderful. Okay, what to do? I can't bear the thought of cutting and going back to fix the climb out, so I just keep doing what I was doing, making rings and chains and joining them to whatever I come upon next. The points of the snowflake have officially been abandoned.

End of adventure: Look at this cute ornament! No cutting, no more cussing, done. {I planned it this way all along, really I did}.

I did it! (#18)

Last month I started and abandoned a square doily pattern that was in my Dad's notebook. All I know about it is that it was tatted by my aunt. Well, this week I gave it another try, and I did it! It is made up of small square motifs joined together and then edged. I just did a little coaster-size to see if I could figure it out, but now that I get the pattern, I could make it as large as I wanted to (theoretically). Here is a picture of my masterpiece and the pattern page from my Dad's notebook.

Sneak Peek #2

I like this simple edging much better for the dresser scarf. The pink was just becoming too heavy and overwhelming for the delicate linen. This edging is done with size 12 pearl cotton. I think it will move a lot more quickly too.

UPDATE: The white pearl cotton was too white, and color #712 was too dark. I tried a couple colors and an even lighter design, and I'm still not happy. For one, I think I made the edge too wide, so it's throwing off the eye. Secondly, this linen is so fine that everthing seems to be too heavy. Right now I'm having 2 thoughts - I need to think about using a very small tatting thread (70 or 80) OR it doesn't need an edging at all. Sigh.

25 Motif Challenge #17 - Elizabeth's Basket

I've said recently that I am not a designer, and I certainly stand by that comment. However, this little basket just seemed to emerge from my shuttle this weekend. I came home from visiting my very sick niece, Elizabeth, in the hospital and really needed to sit in my chair and tat, but I couldn't seem to focus on any pattern or plan. I loaded the shuttle with some size 30 thread and started what I thought would be a little motif, but it curled up. I was going to throw it away when my daughter said, "Don't throw it away - it's a basket. Put a handle on it!"

Here is the pattern:

Center: R 4 ds, sp, 4 ds, p, 4 ds, sp, cl

Repeat for 6 rings total, joining into a little flower

Tie & cut

Round 1: join to a picot

ch 4-4 , shuttle join to a picot from center

Repeat all the way around

Tie & cut

Round 2: R 4-4-4+4-4-4 cl

Ch 4-4-4

R 4+8-4

Ch 4-4-4

Repeat around, joining final ch to base of first R

Do not cut

Handle: Ch 4-4- until there are 17 picots

End with 4 ds, shuttle join to base of opposite R

Tie & cut

Block & Starch

Sneak Peek

I worked a little bit of my planned edging to see if I like it with the dresser scarf. I think it will be just fine. The thread is size 30 Omega, and the pattern is "Babylace" from Mary Konior's book. Onward!

UPDATE - The edging has stalled after about 13 inches. I made a mistake that has to be cut back, and that may just be the final straw for this pattern, because it was looking a bit heavy on the scarf as I got further along anyway. I'll have to think about it.

25 Motif Challenge - #16

Believe it or not, we had SNOW here in Pennsylvania this morning (just a few flurries), so it's appropriate that I've finished this tatted snowflake. This is a bit of a moral victory for me because it is the pattern that I struggled with and abandoned earlier in the year. I can certainly tell that my skills are progressing.

The pattern is from Tatting Patterns by the staff of Workbasket magazine, published in 1990. I believe the designs are collected from earlier issues of the magazine, so you could probably find it there also. I used size 20 thread.

25 Motif Challenge - #15

News flash -- the first two rounds of Mom's Pink Doily (http://www.be-stitched.com/momspinkdoily.asp), when done with size 30 thread, fit perfectly into an acrylic coaster. I get my coasters from the local craft store (Michaels), but they are also available at www.thestitchery.com, and some other online sites, I'm sure.

Something Different

Today I finished up this scarf that I began knitting in February after a trip with my daughter and a few colleagues to a local knit/crochet weekend festival. The yarn is 100% bamboo and is MUCH softer than it looks.

Tea Towel (25 Motif Challenge - #14)

This is a stress-buster for me because it's everything familiar: a vintage design done in embroidery paints, hen and chicks edging (size 12 pearl cotton), and purple (my favorite color).

Update to the Update

I have made some choices for the dresser scarf - a floral painted design and a pink variegated edging. When the thread arrives from Handy Hands, I can get started. BTW, does anyone know of any other variegated size 30 threads besides Omega? It's the only one I've been able to find, and ideally I'd like to work with something a bit more crisp. I'm not complaining - would just like to know all of my options.

The small square doily has been scrapped after at least 5 starts. I've decided that I'm just not ready to tackle that design yet. I need some more practice. So . . . tonight it was back to the comfortable hen and chicks edging. I painted a simple design onto a tea towel and will sew the h&c onto it when it is finished (about 12 more inches).

Update

No, I haven't disappeared - I've just been working on the hemstitch edge of the dresser scarf. I managed to finish that up tonight, and my fingers were itching for the shuttle, so I started a small square doily from a pattern/sample in my dad's collection. This one will be special if I can actually do it because it is a design done by my aunt. I will have to contact her and see if she created the pattern - it is just written on a piece of paper with a tatted sample stitched to the page.

The dresser scarf is now ready for a painted design and tatted edging. I've decided on a pattern for the tatting, but I won't know the color until the painting is done.

It's good to have more than one project going, right? :)

Doily Finished! (25 Motif Challenge #13)

Here it is - Duet Doily from The Tatter's Treasure Chest by Mary Carolyn Waldrep. I made a couple adjustments, but I'm really happy with the end result. It is done with size 30 thread and measures about 9 inches across.

I've also made progress on the plans for my dresser scarf. I remembered that I had a piece of white linen that a co-worker brought from Ireland several years ago. I checked, and it is the perfect size, so I trimmed and pinned it and have begun working the hemstitch edge. Then I will figure out an edging and a painted design.

25 Motif Challenge - #12

This bookmark is a short section of "crooked mile" edging from Mary Konior's book called Tatting with Visual Patterns. It's done with size 20 Manuela. As I near the end of my doily, I'm planning another "serious" project - a dresser scarf with edging on all sides to enter in this summer's Farm Show, and I wanted to try out a couple edging patterns while thinking about it.