Bookmarks, Doilys and a Design Challenge

This is Anne's design from the picture posted on my blog July 3rd. Since so many have taken up the challenge to make a snowflake from this picture, I moved it to a place of it's own to make it easier to see what people create. So all of the designs people create from this image and the ones to follow will be found on the Design Challenge blog.
Iris did an exposition in Matera, where all of the old houses are caves. Check out the fantastic displays.

Ais has round 5 pf the Pretty Doily finished except for one floating ring, but she ran out of thread.

Tara used the yellow thread on her shuttle to create this bookmark from an edging pattern found on the internet. Then she tatted the July Mystery Motif that Gina posted.

Wally has also created a snowflake from the design challenge photo on my blog.
I missed Joy's current work in progress in my last post. It's the "Oval Tatted Doily" designed by Darlene Polachic and published in Old-Time Crochet magazine, which she is doing in size 30 Omega thread.
Diane has only 2 repeats of the Cornelia doily left to do.
Pamela is working her way through Iris' book of Tatted Doileys using her own hand dyed threads.
Mark has discovered numerous tatting kits being sold from authentic period stores, yet as we all know the earliest reference to tatting in print in English is around 1850.
Jon has added another tatting tutorial to her blog
Snowy's mail delivery brought some of Sherry's HDT.
Marilee has a collection of bright solid colours available.
Laura has framed her tatting and made Nancy Tracy's "Tatted Loopy Earrings"
Marty has another take on the snowflake design challenge.
Gina took some pictures of Carol's prize winning gingerbread house.

Bookmarks, Round Robins and Exchanges

Eva's new pieces are done and will be going off to her exchange partner.
Anne has completed her project working from an old pattern, but she adjusted it and used split rings. She has also found a local vendor for DMC thread and bought 14 balls of thread to stock up on it.
Tami finished a wedding hanky, but no pics due to the fact that she was finishing it on the way to the church. Here is the pattern that is being used for the 2008 Tat-off at Palmetto called Entwined Hearts Edging by Barbara Hevener. The crosses are for a young lady going on a missions trip to Africa and Tami is trying to get as many done as she can before she leaves.
Margaret has all of her round robin pieces back from Joy in Pennsylvania, Aileen in Singapore and Bob in Wales.
Aileen tatted Pam Palmer's crinoline lady using her own hand dyed thread but she ran out of thread and had to make another batch, but the second batch came out darker. I can't see the difference.
Ellen finally got her last round robin package done. She decided to design all of her pieces and it was more challenging than anticipated but the pieces all turned out well. This little cat is a bonus pattern from Jane's TIAS. These bookmarks are made using the snowflake motif, and have been tatted with Manuela 20 in variegated threads.
Tara tatted a daisy bookmark with a green border, but wasn't happy with the shading so she re did it with a darker green. The second has better contrast and makes the white flowers really stand out.
Joy has posted pictures of her round robin pieces, 4 very different bookmarks.
Mary has been combining tatting with cards and re-did the instructions for a tatted edging.
Diane has found and corrected the mistake in her doily and now things are back on track.
Clyde has posted an article on the tatting community.
Jon is on round 5 of her doily.
Marilee introduces"Fortune" and "Snowflake" her 2 new colours.
Laura is trying out Pamela's new HDT "Coral Reef" and "Apple Blossom".
Sherry has had an interesting adventure trying to acquire more silk thread.
Gina has revealed the July Mystery Motif.

Bells, Flowers, Hearts and Bookmarks

Anne's centrepiece is progressing but she got some books, thread and shuttles in the mail, which distracted her a little. She has made her first Celtic motif, but she's going to post the finished photo later. She had some time to tat in the garden at her parent's place and the centerpiece has grown some more.
Sapna posts 10 questions and 10 answers and suggests it would be good for others to join in and do the same, if only so that other people know what to give you.


Bev has done a review of "Tatting Collage" by Lindsay Rogers. Her beading shuttles and picot gauges have come from Nina Libin and she immediately put them to work on her July exchange piece. Also received were some commissioned shuttles from Grizzly Mountain Arts. 1 post and 1 bobbin because Bev is an equal opportunity tatter.


Jeff shares his maple leaf motif in honour of Canada Day which was July 1st. Jeff is working on his final motif which is something he has done before, but he forgot to photograph it. He'll post the picture after his exchange partner gets it. His Mom loved the bracelets he made for her and Marilee's Carnival earrings made in Altin Basak thread and blue Czech seed beads. shown here, in progress.

Joy has finished her first 25 and decided to go for 50.
Nita took a class with Terry and learned several new techniques. This is one of Terry's 13 bell designs done in size 12 DMC cotton and size 11 seed beads.
TattingChic shares a friendship card she made.
Tara has joined the challenge and started her blog with the Cherub doily which can be found on Gale's Tats All site. Tara's version of the recent TIAS is a Saloon Girl which she attributes to watching a lot of westerns while working on it. She tatted Mary Konior's Large Cross in size 80 Venus thread as a gift for a friend going in for surgery.
Wally's recent Hibiscus which combines tatting with crocheted chains and single crochet in a vibrant blue thread. She has re-done it in red with modifications and decided to call the first one a fantasy flower and this one is the REAL Hibiscus.

Pamela has Green elephants.

Carol's tatting has won lots of awards at the fair.
Snowy's on the fourth round of her doily.
Marilee shows another peek at her upcoming book.
Laura has more snowflakes to share. She's looking for the name of the designer of her recent snowflake done in Winter Blend.
Marty is having fun tatting Jon's Snowflakes.
Sherry's working on a new batch of Rainbow Sherbet.
Gina has been tatting motif bookmarks.

Snowflakes in Summer

Riet has been working on things for the Palmetto Tat Days. There is an Angel with a dimpled heart centre and a dimpled heart inside a dimpled heart. These are variations on Eborall's patterns used with permission. Jane challenged people to design something around sequins and Riet took it a step further and worked on mother of pearl disks. They made a perfect backing for pictures of her favourite cutie and the pictures are beautifully set off with the tatting. A grouping of these pictures make a wonderful mobile.
Eliz will have her teddy bear pattern available soon. Keep watching her blog for more info.

Margaret was at the lacer's guild meeting and one of the ladies showed her that she starts each ring with a 'ring stitch' - an extra stitch at the beginning of the ring. Supposedly she does this to 'open' the ring. Has anyone else heard of doing this? All it would seem to do, is throw off the stitch count.

Shay tatted Mrs Beeton's Rosette in size 8 DMC on a fine needle. Then she did it again without the centre ring in some glittery floss that she thought would make a nice snowflake but it wasn't really spectacular and it was a stinker to work with. She started it again in DMC 20 and while it's pretty, it's also pretty small. She has plans to do it in size 10 red with gold beads to make a Christmas poinsettia.

Aileen has taken a picture of all of her tatted pieces received in the round robin. Aileen requested animals and started with her own black cat, Bob added a ginger cat, and Margaret a turtle and some mice for the cats to chase. Joy tatted a dragonfly for the collection and now they are all back home. Many thanks to Aileen for helping to keep this international group on track.
Joy can post the picture of her round robin piece now that it's back home. The dragonfly Joy tatted for Aileen was made with thread from her Dad's stash in size 30 and dark purple beads. The pattern is "Lisa's Dragonfly" by Lisa Reichart from the Tat's All web site. That finishes Joy's 25 motifs.
Ellen designed this large snowflake in Manuela 20 for the round robin. The finished flake named Snowflake Meme measures 4 3/4 inches across. While she was in the mood for tatting snowflakes she did the next one which is about 1 5/8 inches across and some smaller 1 inch snowflakes that she mounted on paper clips.
Shirley joins the challenge with a bookmark from Kim's Tatting Page entitled "forget-me-not bookmark" which was adapted from a collar pattern in the Aug./Sept. issue of the 1976 Old Time Crochet Magazine tatted in size 30 thread. Her second piece is her first venture into Celtic tatting and the pattern is by Jane Eborall.
Mary has posted an unusual flower. Do you know how she did it?
Clyde has added a pencil to the picture of his doily to give some perspective.
Jon needed her own tatalong doily and she's working it in Twilley 40.
Snowy has just receive Iris Niebach's Tatting Doilies in some supplies she ordered from Roseground.
Laura's "snowflake house" is overflowing with colour.
Sherry has "Raspberry Mousse", "Royalty" and introducing "PEACH PANDOREA" on it's way to the shop.
Martha tatted a little lamb to go with her TIAS Mary.
Gina is finding gauging the length of "Maids of Honour" for a hanky a bit of a challenge.

Hearts Doilies and Snowflakes

Eliz was challenged to use the Valeire Square to make a heart. Somehow it just didn't come together until now. Here's the Valeire Square Teardrop & Heart complete with pattern. Anne thinks she's finally found a pattern for a doily that will be as big as she wants. There's lots of tatting being done this summer so it looks like the knitting needles will get a rest. Bob has finished the last article for the round robin a lovely 7 point snowflake in green based on the Elegant Snowflake from Rozella F Linden's book Easy Tatting. Bev is joining a growing number of tatters getting the word out for people to avoid buying from the "timeless" web site.

Margaret tatted these wee mice to give the cats something to chase. Both the cats and the mice were sent to Aileen in the round robin.

Mrs John has posted 6 unimportant things about her tatting including the picture of the results of distracted tatting. Never mind, we all have a few pieces like that, at least you can undo the ring for a quick fix.Aileen has her tattings back from the round robin, but no time to post pictures just yet. She's thinking of selling her picot gauges. What do you think?

Nita tatted all of the Snowflakes Roses from the book by Denise Munoz and used DMC 80 for all of them. This is one of the patterns.

TattingChic shares a picture of a tatted liberty bell she found in an antique store years ago. Teri Dusenbury's Wheel of Fortune heart pattern was tatted with Sherry's HDT Seaweed size 20 and DMC's Cebelia Red size 20 with black plastic faceted beads for the seeds to make a juicy slice of watermelon.
Diane is doing a review of all of the Iris Niebach books she has.
Joyce has finished the last row on Jeanette's doily for the round robin.
Clyde has completed the heirloom doily for his daughter. Magnificent.
Jon shares the pattern for her dimpled edging.
I have posted a picture and I challenge you to use it to create a snowflake.
Snowy is going through Jon's snowflake book.
Marilee gives us a peek at something she is working on.
Laura has posted some pictures from Picasa and they seem to disappear
Melissa is on the 4th round of her doily.
Sherry received a tatted ice cream cone made in her own HDT.
Gina posted a template for a crocheted vest that could be done in tatting.