I'm Back -- FINALLY!!!

After not being able to use my computer at home since early May, I was able to get it going last night. In that time, I have done several pieces of tatting. I did manage to attend one session of the online needle tatting classes by using a computer at the central branch of the city's public library.

In May, I had two items displayed in the same art gallery. The first, a hanging tatted sculpture, was in a show for two weeks while a drawing hung in the second area of the gallery for the second week of the first show. The second photo above shows the three tatted butterflies, all from the pattern, 'Flat Butterfly' from the book "Christmas Angels and other Tatting Patterns" by Monica Hahn. This will be motif #17. The threads are all Altin Basak #50, one green metallic, one yellow, and the middle one a variegated yellow, white, and green.

Prior to that, I participated in the Spring Exchange of the Fringe Element Tatters Guild (who now have their own website -- www.FringeTatters.ca ) and this card (top photo) will be motif #18. It is the same pattern as above, tatted in valdani 12 variegated thread. Then I made a few simple flowers and my own version of grass and came up with 'a spring garden' on the front of the card.

On the holiday weekend in August, I travelled with two of the ladies from the Fringe Element Tatters Guild to Lebanon, Ohio to the home of Ruth Perry for a weekend of tatting and learning new stitches and patterns. On Friday night, I tatted a large ring with 60 balanced double stitches. I have no photos at all for what I tatted on this weekend and since. As this was a completely new idea, and I succeeded, I am considering this motif #19. While there, I started tatting my boa which I completed about three weeks later, and this will be motif #20. It is about five feet in length and looks very much like the dancer's accessory it could be. Also that weekend, I tatted two celtic hearts and these will be motif #21.


As of this year, all my tatting is now done with the needle. I attended the Cambridge Tat Days again this year and at least seven of the approximately 34 attendees were needle tatters. For this event, I entered the competition by decorating the 'napkin holder' which was given to each participant in last year's goody bag. I treated mine as a window box, necessitating me to design some 'dirt' for the bottom inside of the 'holder'. I did this with brown worsted-weight wool and a size #1 wool tatting needle. Then I tatted an orange gerbera daisy following the pattern by Sharon Briggs in her book "Transitions in Tatting -- From Flat to Floral" which I placed on one end of the top attaching it to the dirt with a stem of a chain of balanced-double stitches. I placed another variegated butterfly, in the same colour and pattern as in the sculpture above, on the opposite end of the top of the 'holder'. All around the sides, I sewed on daisies that I had tatted following Sharon's pattern in the above-mentioned book. Around the bottom of the sides, I sewed on clusters of small flowers as suggested in the "Learn Needle Tatting" book by Barbara Foster. On one top corner, I sewed on a celtic flower designed by Ruth Perry. All of the tatting on the top and sides were done in various colours of Altin Basak #50 thread. As this was a considerable amount of work, and many items, some quite complicated, I am considering this piece of work to be four motifs, thus completing my second 25-motif challenge.

While at Tat Days, I completed the two paisleys in one class I attended, entitled 'A Pair of Paisleys' as taught by Kaye Judt. When I arrived home, I tatted the pattern that we had been given at Tat Days by Gina Brummett, 'Beginner's Beaded Brooch' which I gave to my employer's mother for her 87th birthday. It had over 200 seed beads in it and finished, was about two inches in diameter.

I participated in the Fringe Element's Fallowe'en Tatting Exchange by tatting a cat who was trying to be a pumpkin. In other words, I had orange thread but no black. I followed the cat pattern on page 30 of "Tatting Farm Animals" by Handy Hands, Inc..

One of the ladies in the yahoo group, New Shuttles and Needles, made an arrangement with me where I tatted a bookmark, which was 'Filigree Bookmark' by Monica Hahn of her above-mentioned book, and mailed it to her as she had sent me the tatting needles she had won in the silent auction at Palmetto Tat Days and she exclusively shuttle tats.

While at Cambridge tat days, I won three items in the raffles, and two in the live auction. One of these was a huge jar of antique threads which inlcudes a ball of #150 thread made in Paris, France by Cartier-Bresson and a 500 yard-hank of ecru #20 Daisy thread.

I have also started tatting letters from the alphabet and numbers book put out by Handy Hands, Inc.. So far, I have completed 'C' and 'N'. Everything that I have mentioned above has been tatted with Altin Basik #50 thread if not listed differently.

I have recently finished the smocking on my first baby gown for our smocking guild's service project. I plan to tat the trim for this gown. In April, Rita Cochrane, guested at our meeting, teaching the ladies how to needle tat. Two of the ladies have already completed gowns with tatted lace edgings (using smallish threads). I am also participating in a cross-stitch stitch-along at my local thread store.

That just about sums up my tatting endeavours since I last posted.

Daisy

As I couldn't sleep again tonight, I tatted. This time, I worked on the folded join from the beginner's online class using the tatting needle. The pattern I used is the daisy, found on page 15 of Sharon Briggs' book "Transitions in Tatting: From Flat to Floral". This is motif #16.

Lacers Meeting

This afternoon I attended the London Lacers meeting. We had six ladies and the hostess. One lady was using 85 pairs of weighted bobbins on her pillow to make a fan, one lady was shuttle tatting, another was using a Tambour-lace technique with African beads, another lady was needle tatting a Celtic Maple Leaf with pattern by Ruth Perry and the other two of us were learning the 'Cloth Stitch' on the learner's pillow with six pairs of continental bobbins. After my turn on the learner's pillow, I finished needle tatting my blue medallion in Altin Basak #50.

When I arrived home, I finished my medallion in worsted weight yarn that I had started the day my wool tatting needles arrived in the mail. These two medallions are motifs #14 and #15.

Hearts Completed and Appreciated

I needle tatted the heart from Sharon Briggs' book,"Transitions in Tatting, From Flat to Floral" on pages 15 - 16 and this will be motif #2. This heart is the top photo.

My girlfriend is hosting a 75th birthday party for her mother this Sunday. Using the pattern by Ruth Perry from our nametags at the Cambridge (ON) tat day last September, I needle tatted 50 hearts for party favours. Since this was all one pattern, and a relatively simple one, I am considering every 5 hearts as one motif, thus giving me 10 more motifs.

In addition, I tatted three of these hearts and made a type of bouquet with them for her mother. So this will be motif #13.

I started these hearts on Saturday, January 10 and was finished the tatting by Sunday night, January 18. When I delivered them yesterday morning, my girlfriend was extremely pleased and greatly appreciated them and my effort.

A Discovery

Last night, I spent several hours searching for a certain recipe to prepare for the church New Year's Eve Potluck tonight. Although I never did find it, I found several other items that had been hiding, some for quite a while.

One of these, was my number 5 tatting needle. After I had lain in bed for over two hours without being able to fall asleep, I decided to get up and TAT. So here is the result -- a medallion in blue crochet cotton #10 using the appropriate needle. (compare to the red medallion below when I used a # 3 needle)

As I plan several more tatting projects, -- including an order -- I will be continuing the 25 motif challenge for another round.

Catching Up

I believe when I stopped blogging in July, I had completed 14 motifs in my 25-motif challenge that was started sometime in October of last year. The two pair of earrings, the butterfly and the dove for the Christmas-in-July exchange, I am counting as four motifs.

I have also tatted four yellow butterflies from Altin Basak #50 thread, a shamrock from Altin Basak #50 green thread and a needle tatted heart at the Cambridge Tat Days when I was learning to needle tat(I do not have a picture).

On a train ride, I tatted a 'bouquet of flowers' for the lady who was my seatmate -- without a pattern, from yellow Altin Basak #50 thread as that was what was on the shuttle that was with me at the time. This then, I consider to be my first official 'design'. As I did not have my camera with me, I have no record of it.

In learning to needle tat, I have completed a blue butterfly in Altin Basak #50 and a red crochet cotton #10 medallion. In learning needle tatting, I have also made a couple of in-progress projects.

So now, I am considering that I have finished the 25-motif challenge.

Finally Back

It is almost four months since I have posted. Much going on. Have only a short time now to blog. I attended the "Fall into Tatting" Tat Days in Cambridge, Ontario, CANADA on the last weekend in September where I met some wonderful people and learned how to needle tat. It is much faster.

Today I will post the pictures of the tatting that I mailed in my parcel for my recipient in the Christmas-in-July tatting exchange in the Yahoo Group, Here-Be-Tatters. Due to complicated mitigating circumstances, I was only able to finish tatting two pairs of earrings, one butterfly and one dove to mail as my tatting component in the package.