The reason I've been really quiet lately is because I've been busy tatting on much larger projects than my motifs. I'm almost done with one of my fair doilies. This one is using a workbasket pattern. But my other fair doily is my own design and part of it has had me scratching my head trying to get everything to work. More on both of these later.

I have had one other iron in the fire that has taken my time. Back in January, I proposed a group project to my lace guild (The Hedgehog Lacers) and that was to make a banner (silly me). After looking over a few letter patterns they chose a block letter style for the banner. The majority on the members are bobbin lacers so, of course, the patterns were bobbin lace patterns. Then they proposed that since I am their current president that I get the honor of doing the H in tatting. No problem, I said. The pattern they chose looked like it could easily be mimicked in tatting. So here it is:


Another member of the guild is also tatting an L (Lily how is it going?) using the pattern I dreamed up.

Now I have to sew the backing together so we will have something to attach all the letters to at our next meeting. (I'm not going to do everything myself if I can help it....I hope.)

I do like what I have come up with for the pattern and instead of twisted picots, using bugle or seed beads on the cross pieced with a faceted bead where they cross. Later on, when my fair projects are finished, I think I will do an M for my niece, Maribeth, and sew it onto a sweatshirt for a Christmas present.

If you are interested in the other letters my guild members are doing you can go to:

http://hedgehoglacers.org/gallery/Banner/gallery.html

I got a surprise envelope in the mail over the weekend. Stacy Houston was looking over my blog and saw my confusion on one of the samples she sent me, so she sent me some color swatches of the thread she thinks she sent me. It was enough for me to make a positive identification of the thread color. My guess was off by 1 number. Here is a repost of the thread she sent me.




The thread is King Tut, Color 973. The pattern is from the April 1974 Workbasket.




Stacey also sent me some more King Tut in other colors to play with.
Thank you Stacey.

These are the other two threads Sylvia Free from Penarth, Wales sent me.


This thread is Manuella Size 20, Color M053. The pattern is from the December 1962 Workbasket.







This last thread is Altin Basak Size 50, Color 3051. The pattern is from the May 1948 Workbasket. The thread is nice to work with, but the pattern was not very cooperative. That 2nd and 3rd round of chains puckered like crazy. It would probably look better if I had really blocked it, but being at work, all I could do was mash is under a couple of heavy manuals for a while.

Someone asked a question about using Gutermann silk on the lists. I am currently playing with the samples that Sylvia Free sent and one of them just happens to be Gutermann silk. The first time I tried it I just grabbed the nearest available shuttle and wound some on. Big mistake. The thread broke while I was trying to close a ring.

I'll tell you what I did wrong. First off I used a Peter Cua engraved shuttle (black with a phoenix). This thread will catch on anything rough so it was snagging on the engraving. Secondly, this thread has a very definite nap to it. To find which direction the nap is hold up a piece of thread (any thread) and run your thumb and finger down the length of the thread. Now turn hold the opposite end and do the same thing. One direction will be smoother than the other. When you wind your shuttle you need to make sure that the thread feels smooth between your thumb and finger as you wind. Sounds kind of elementary but for all my engineering smarts, I have to really think about which direction the thread is traveling when I pull a ring closed. For the second try I also went back to my trusty Aeros.

Anyway, having the thread going in the right direction made a big difference. I also closed some of the more stubborn rings in stages, (inch that last bit of the ring closed between picots rather than just yanking on the core thread). Here is the end result. It is a but fuzzy, but very soft. It would make a nice edging for a handkerchief or scarf.

Now for the usual particulars. This is Gutermann pure silk color 416. The pattern is from the December 1955 Workbasket. Sylvia Free lives in Pernarth, South Wales. (I had a kick addressing her sample from me. They have such wonderfully complicated addresses across the pond.)

Someone on the lists was looking for a pattern for a canoe. I have done a boat but it is more of a gondola. There is a story behind this picture.

This is what happens when you are reciting poetry while trying to choose thread within hearing distance of Lily Morales (loopylacer.com).

It started with a guild retreat. We were at a conference center in the mountains. Lily made everyone a backpack type bag as part of the goody bag giveaway for the occasion (she was nuts!). Anyway, those attending were challenged with decorating it by the next event. (About a year away) My original idea was an owl in a tree branch, in keeping with the theme. But as I was musing on a suitable thread for the owl I starting saying poetry - it's a habit I picked up from my Grandmother.

So, here I'm muttering "the owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat." Lily heard me and said "Oh! Oh! I have the perfect green for that!" And, well, the rest is history.


What you see here is not mounted on that backpack. I took it off and put it on a black backing so I could enter it in the Orange County Fair. It won first place that year. (2004 if I remember correctly). After that, I had it framed and gave it to my mother (with the blue ribbon) for Christmas since she collects owls.

Now for the credits:

The Boat, Moon and Water are my own design.
The Owl and the Pussycat belong to Jane Eborall and the patterns can be found on her web page.

http://www.e.n.e.btinternet.co.uk/

THANK YOU JANE!!!!

I've been on another trip, so I have a bunch of motifs to post at one time again. I forgot to put the tape measure into the pictures this time, sorry.



This first motif I actually didn't do while I was traveling. I started it before I left and finished it after I returned. You can see why. I don't like the idea of juggling and chasing beads while sitting on a plane. Dorcas Newkirk gave me this very colorful Manuella with beads to match. I had to do some looking to come up with a pattern that would be suitable for just 12 beads. When I first tried this pattern, I used the beads in place of the outer chain picots, but I didn't like the way they were laying. Just too big. I finally increased the stitch count enough to I could get the beads into the rings themselves. The thread is Manuella size 20, color M202-04. The pattern is from the September 1971 Workbasket.


This next motif I did do on the plane, with just one big bead, it was easy to deal with. The thread and the bead was given to me by Sharol Thompson from Boulder City, Nevada. The thread is DMC Perle Cotton Size 8. The pattern is from the August 1990 Workbasket. It is not a pattern I have in my own Workbasket collection, Sharol sent it along with her thread. It actually calls for a bead to be used in the pattern. I'm not sure if you can see from the scan, but the bead is decorated with pretty little flowers.




Elizabeth Zipay from Schukil Haven, PA gave me this multicolored thread. It is Altin Basak Size 50. The pattern is from the May 1948 workbasket.




This is the last thread exchange motif that I got finished during my trip. The thread is Perfect Quilter color 085. The pattern is from the November 1960 Workbasket. It was given to me by Lori Oliwen-Kluger of La Cresceta, CA.




The rest of my trip was spent working on this years ornament for my holiday cards. I'm doing Jane Eboralls Celtic Wreath this year. There is a bit of story to go with this. My trip was to visit my brother and his family in Michigan. While I was there I listened to my nephews orchestra rehearsal. My niece, Maribeth, was sitting next to me watching me tat the first round of the wreath. I finished the round and on a whim gave it to her. She promptly squeezed it over her little hand and wore it as a bracelet. (It just barely fit). The next morning she proudly showed me the bracelet I had made her for her birthday along side the one I just gave her. I was just thrilled, so I quickly wound some more thread (I didn't have much with me, but I did have lots of beads) and made her another bracelet. I used the central split ring of Jane's bracelet and alternated it with just plain split rings to make a really pretty bracelet in blue thread with gold beads. I finished it just before I had to come home again. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Maribeth with all her tatted bracelets. I should have. We were a bit rushed that last morning to get me to the airport on time.

I do have one of the clan.From left to right in the back, my father, me, my oldest nephew Andrew, my brother's wife Kim, my brother Mike. In front, my niece, Maribeth, my youngest nephew Samuel and the character on the end, with the super big grin, is my second oldest nephew Jonathan.


While I was there, we put together a little hoedown and played some fiddle tunes. Probably a first, fiddle tunes on a French Horn. (The only strings I deal with are the ones that move my valves.)

I had a great time.

This thread was given to me by Valerie Ho of Singapore. She said it was called Enjoy, 100% Cotton Lace Yarn in Size 40. It's made in Turkey. It tats very nicely, but didn't feel as stiff as a cordonnet or as soft as a cebilia, so I decided to take it apart. It separated into 2 strands then those 2 strands separated into another 2 strands making it a 4 strand thread. Very interesting. The pattern is from the January 1969 Workbasket.