Hearts and Flowers, Doilies and Earrings

Hubby has commandeered my computer several times this week making it hard to update the challenge page.

Just for fun Martha did beaded flip flops in block tatting. They're just adorable.

Pamela did a beaded version of Martha's Flower Bouquet heart in lighter colours that looks like a Spring Bouquet maybe now she needs an Autumn Bouquet.

Eliz found all her shuttles as she emptied them tatting pieces for the Palmetto Tatters to be give away during the South Carolina State Fair. She did 104 little butterflies, flowers birds and tatted bits. That's a lot of tatting.

Wendy has cut out her circles to start the yoyos for the Halloween swap.

Anne finished knitting her lavender garden shawl. Work took her for a quick trip to Scotland. Two books of making paper cards have arrived, tempting her to make some 3D cards. Anne received a package from Handy Hands Tatting, containing five tatting books and some thread. Now here's a busy lady knitting tatting and paper making.

Sarah is busy spinning various fibres to the the yarns she wants. She's now sure what she'll do with it yet.

Norma has been working on her TAST challenge and trying to empty some shuttles so that she can work on a few new techniques. She's done a Christmas tree and a shamrock in DMC 8 perle and then she tatted and insertion with a fine variegated purple machine quilting thread.She did a group of snowflakes and an angel in DMC Cebelia. Most of these are destined for the bazaar sale the senior citizens group will be holding in November.

Bob started with Sue Hanson's cluny pattern, but accidentally changed the number of picots on the chain and just carried on and see what would happen. It looks fine to me. Bob says the Pin loom idea seemed to work, so I lightened and enlarged the photo from yesterday. I'm not sure how everyone else was viewing it, but I found it too dark to see clearly what was happening and I thought if anyone else wanted to try the idea it would make it easier to understand.

Bev has conquered tatting and blogging and joins us with a collection of pieces from the online class.Each new piece is a new lesson learned - like making picots bigger keeps things from cupping. Her newest motif is Tudor Rose by Lynn Morton from her book, "Tatting Patterns".

Clyde tatted a snowflake called Star of Leaves from the book Christmas angels and Other Tatting Patterns by Monica Hahn using Hand Dyed Hues thread, Perle12 colour #1210. It's a really pretty snowflake, simple and elegant. Mark has added a Tatting Buddies Map to his web page. Add yourself to the map, you may find a fellow tatter lives just around the corner.

I had to revise the neckline on a collar I did for my sister.

Marilee has been experimenting with mixed threads using "Candlelight a metallic yarn that compares to a size 20 and a pink quilting thread used together with a fine sparkly metallic blending filament. A lovely effect, but tricky to work with. Gorgeous designs as usual.

Laura has just received on of Sherry's shuttles and is looking forward to working with it.

Melissa is working on her CQ blocks and she's starting to add some tatted accent pieces onto it.

Sherry has designed a delightful multi flower edging that can use many different flower colours. Now she's thinking maybe some of Marilee's hand dyed thread would look wonderful in this design.
Wally has finished a cro-tat doily but still no ideas for her next challenge.

Clunies and Another Jeans Bag

Wendy has posted her personal remembrance of Sept 11 and forced bed rest.

Sarah has been carding some luscious fibres for spinning. She found a wonderful crochet book at Abe books and a Tatting book with lots of edgings and doilies to make. They're just the kind of thing to keep you in new projects for a long time.

Connie has completed 9 crochet doilies and her first tatted doily done with King Tut quilting thread. We'll have to wait until her company is gone for pictures.

Bob has been trying out cluny leaves but his hand cramped up too much. He raided his wife's lacing supplies and created his own version of a cluny loom. Now to practice…

Mark gives the highlights of his trip to Palmetto Tat Days and shows us his improved clunies thanks to some tips from Mimi.

I finally had a chance to work on one of my bags for the Tatted Treasures from Trash challenge. When it came to making a jeans bag, I realized that I already have 2 bags that I could decorate with tatting so I decided to embellish both of those as well as making a jeans bag. This is the first one. I also posted a recipe for Buttertart Squares. Don't blame me for any extra pounds you gain. These things are yummy and addictive.

Melissa has begun piecing her CQ bedspread she's already added the lace to the first block and pieced the second block. She's also working on a round robin block.

Techniques, Butterflies and Favorite Designs

I haven't had a lot of spare time lately. I managed to get the Tatted Lace Pattern Collection newsletter out and thought I'd be free to blog, but the family had to prepare for the reception after my brother's funeral and then we had the picnic to prepare for our family reunion. Physical emotional and mental exhaustion set in and all I did for the last couple of days was vegetate. So here's a whole lot of new tatting.

Wally went a long time without internet access and then a trojan virus messed up her computer. Now she's back online with several new motives to show. Wally has been designing her motives using a different technique for each motif. Her new entries are a motif that uses roll tatting on an onion ring design, multiple picots forming the wings and halo of an angel, and padded tatting creating a remarkable motif. Her last motif uses a spiral chain and Wally says it's been a challenge to come up with 25 designs using different techniques. She plans on using a different theme for her next 25.

One of the projects that Meme has tatted several times is this doily from an old magazine that uses block tatting. The first time she did it with a shuttle and ball, but after working on it she realized it was better to do it with 2 shuttles.

Martha used a beautiful thread with some lovely matching beads, but the pattern didn't do them justice. There are too many beads for the butterfly to lay flat. The design is really pretty, it just didn't work out the way she wanted it to. At least it gives her a piece of tatting for a jeans bag.

Wendy is still working with lots of yo-yos. She found some vintage thread and used it t make the ring and chain edging she saw in the store. She has included the pattern for the edging on her blog. Also posted are the items for a Halloween exchange.

Anne is suffering with a cold, but she still managed to block the shawl that she created based on the mystery stole. It's gorgeous.

Laurie is looking for public involvement in a movement to block proposed mining legislation. She's also looking for votes for her fabric postcard.

Sarah has been knitting away on a sweater. She shows the bruising results of banging her leg several days ago and the accumulated yarn stash is growing again. Her most exciting news though, is that her self published book is on it's way to being available to the public.

Joyce has completed an "I spy" quilt and incorporated a piece of fabric from her grandmother's stash.

Sapna has tatted 4 meters of lace edging to go on a dupatta for her new salwar and Jeanne Lugert's 3-D rose. That's a lot of lace to tat in one weekend.

Norma shows he work on the TAST cable chain stitch and how she separated a piece of lace into sections to be used in her crazy quilts. She also made an amazing thread find.

Diane found lots of interesting things at the fair and shows us all her treasures including the pieces she got from Marilee who was also at the fair. The tatting she has been working on is lace for a tooth fairy pillow.

Clyde started the challenge intending to tat a tablecloth that was to take 150 large and 126 small motives. Part way through he discovered the hand dyed threads and decided that if he was going to tat a tablecloth, he was going to at least going to use threads he liked working with. In the interim he has a length of lace 4.5 feet by 1.5 feet and the blocked runner is very pretty.
Marilee posts a picture of Diane and herself at the fair.

Laura has posted pictures of Candace's wedding but sadly the tatted lace hanky around the flower stems just doesn't show up well.

Marty has posted pictures of the tatting she has done for her Tatted Treasures from Trash bag. It’s really looking good.

Melissa has started a new long term project a CQ bedspread. Marie Smith and her granddaughter Violet read how Melissa was using cast off tatting bits in her CQ and they sent her lots of pieces to use.

Sherry is taking the Tatters Across Time proficiency program and is learning ways to improve her tatting. She has created a lovely necklace for her Etsy shop that uses her grape vine design with tiny beads. She has just heard that her husband will be going to the Middle East for a whole year. That's rough to be without your partner for that long. We're here for you Sherry.

Wonderful, Marvelous Tatting!

Gail has been tatting through the summer but has had to share computer time so she wasn't blogging. She did manage to create the beautiful doily from the front of the Burda book. Isn't it gorgeous?

Martha's new book "Tat's Amore" is out. It's a terrific book and by all reports it's going to be a must have book for heart lovers. Ordering information is available on her blog.

Pamela already has her copy and she shows us some of the designs she tatted from it.

Wendy is working on quilts and in September started a block of the month group. Yo-yos still abound on her blog and she's been working on scarves for a Halloween swap.

Anne has finished the mystery stole and the shawl it inspired. Now she needs to find room to block it.

Sarah has been knitting and finishing some projects, or at least as much as she can with her knees and hands skinned. Ouch!

Tami has been working on a really stunning quilt and has finished an outfit and the bindings for a quilt for her granddaughter and grew some really weird broccoli.

Connie took a break from tatting to do some crochet.

Sapna tatted the Celcelia doily from the etatters web site using size 20 Opera thread, then she did the tatted heart from Melissa's blog, but she did it in 2 colours.

Norma has been emptying her shuttles to do some larger projects She tatted a butterfly using a multicolor #20 Anchor crochet cotton and a Hens and Chicks edging using #20 Anchor shaded blue crochet cotton. Both of these will be attached to some CQ.

Diane is very enthusiastic about the new tatting book she ordered "Tatting Patterns" by Mary Konior and she wants to get all of her books. The Spinning Wheel glass mat was made with some hand dyed thread from Marilee. Now she's thinking maybe it needs one of Sherry's teacups to sit on top of it. The hand woven bookmarks that she made have been embellished with some tatting from Patti Duff's Mini Tats. The blue/green variegated thread is Marilee's hand dyed thread size 20 and the purple is Flora size 20.

Bob joins the challenge and his first piece is a little bit he played around with while waiting for his wife to finish work. He's included the pattern for it on his blog.

Carol did another Scaredy Cat, this time with green eyes and she's selling the pattern for this one on ebay along with her glove pattern. Then she was inspired by a beading book to tat her Heartline edging and she has shared the pattern for it. It's really sweet and would look wonderful around the neck of a little girl's dress.

Ruth is on the move again, but she popped in long enough to post a picture of her butterfly collection.

Arlene has been knitting and tatting. Her socks look a tiny bit odd, but her tatting of Iris Niebach's Francesca is wonderful.

Clyde's kids are growing up and one is off to university and the other is busy working so he doesn't get to see them as much now. He's continuing to work of tatted snowflakes for Christmas and remarks that his friends really appreciate them.

Mark has posted some videos taken of him at work. The indoor fish and outdoor fish were introduced and now he has lots of little fishies. Meanwhile he's still got a lot of tatting to get done for the Palmetto Tat days

August 30th is Malaya's independence day and Jon's birthday. Belated Happy Birthday, Jon.

I have posted a picture of the snowman family I tatted for the newsletter. The bit of black tatting I posted a few days ago was the snowman's top hat. The newsletter is done and if I can just get all of my software to talk to each other, I'll get this thing published yet.

Snowy has been busy. She tatted a black doily, very dramatic, but hard to work on, a bookmark that she copied from one done previously, and a motif that can be made into a doily if she wants to tat 5 more of them.

Marilee has acquired one of Sherry's ceramic shuttles and she's using it to work on a new piece. This one is a rock encased in tatting adorned with pearls.
Laura tatted the chatelaine from my last newsletter in a vibrant red. Then she decided having everything attached to the chatelaine made it too heavy so she started again and did a slight modification to hold only one implement. The weight is one of the reasons I attach mine to my belt or the strap of my purse. Carol's Heartline edging was just too sweet to resist so Laura had to try it out. Charlene has been tatting butterflies for the Palmetto's Tat Days and more recently she used Marilee's hand dyed threads to make a cross and butterfly. She used Finca for the tatted baskets and DMC for another cross. Melissa has just passed her one year blogiversary and she's finally into her new home and busy unpacking everything.

Sherry has been working on tatted note cards to include with her sales. What a charming idea. She spent some time in San Diego and had a chance to see lots of things including the beluga whales and orchids.

Edgings, Snowflakes, Butterflies and Bookmarks

Martha tatted Jane Eborall's gecko in Valdani thread and comments that it's not as smooth and shiny as a regular perle cotton, but not as "matte finish" as Caron Wildflowers.

Wendy's family went for a picnic with friends and it looks like they had a good time. On the tatting front Wendy posts 3 yards of tatting done with vintage pink threads.Sarah is being troubled by people taking patterns from her web site and selling them as an e-book on ebay.

Joyce has completed snowflakes 23 and 24 from Lene Bjorn's book. Both of these used block tatting chain on chain components that intimidated her so she saved them for last. They look great. Now she has to decide what to do for number 25.

Sapna did a bookmark for one of her friends and now they all want one. We know what that's like, seems everyone wants our tatting.

Iris is working on a book of jewellery designs like this one. She has also posted the diagram for the Tatt off butterfly. She won't be posting again for a while since she is travelling to Edmonton, Canada and then to the Palmetto Tat Days in the US.Norma joins the challenge with a motif and edging, both done with Finca perle #16. Norma plans to use the challenge to try out some threads that are new to her.
Ruth posts the basic butterfly for her NC class. She'll be disconnect from the internet until she's set up again in Ohio.Clyde is using the Hand Dyed Threads to create colourful snowflakes for Christmas giveaways. It's hard to think of Christmas in 90F degree heat. Mark will be teaching this angel at Tracy the Lacemaker’s Fall Lace event in Ohio on Nov. 3-4 and Living Lace of Omaha on Nov 10-11. It is made of DMC Cebelia cotton size 30 with clear glass beads and teardrop crystal bead and 3 Swarvsky crystals in the dangles and features pearl tatting with wire encapsulation.Jon learned to needle tat and her first piece is this bookmark from the Dreams of Lace site. She used size 10 Manuela thread since that fit her needle. She's concerned that she might break the finer needles.

I tatted several more flowers using different threads, and I've added a teaser from the upcoming newsletter. Can you guess what it is?Marilee created another pendant using her hand dyed thread colour "Summer Trail". It does look like a summer trail doesn't it? Charlene has been tatting lots of butterflies for the Palmetto Tatters day.
Sherry has just finished firing some cups and saucers with tatted motif decoration.