My goodness, 3 posts in less than a month. That must be a record for me.

I had another request. This time to see my shawl in progress, as you can tell by the turned over edges and the hanging threads. I was thinking it was small enough to scan, but apparently I've made more progress than that. It is sitting on the cushion of my couch.

I figure that 20 motifs to a side is my finished goal. Figuring on a good day it takes me 30 minutes to make a petal, and there are 6 petals to a motif... I don't want to do the math and find out, I may stop .

The main time that I work on it is during my lunch break walk, much to the amazement of my coworkers. They wonder how I can walk, tat, and listen to my MP3 all at the same time. I sometimes have to stop walking to make a join. And before you get concerned, my walking course is the inside upper balcony of where I work. I wouldn't think of doing this outside on the sidewalk. This is also the piece I grab when I have to wait anywhere (you know the drill) or when I'm doing demonstrations or listening to a concert in the park.

The base motif is from Jan Stawasz's tatting book. I see by his webpage that is currently out of print. He used it to make a vest and hat, but I have more of a need for a shawl than a vest, so that is what I am making.

The thread that I am using is Valdani Pearl Cotton, color JP 10 and I get it from DS9Designs. While the colors of the Valdani thread are just wonderful, it is far from my favorite thread to tat with. It is extremely soft and sometimes isn't very uniform. I had to stop, cut, and add a thread last week because I encountered a poorly done splice that I just couldn't tat through. As a shawl, though, the thread is just perfect.

I probably should post this, since it came up on the tatting lists. This is Black Beauty. He won "Best of Show" at the Los Angeles County Fair last summer. He is the third horse I have made, the first two being Silver and Mr. Ed. I would post them too except I don't seem to have any pictures of them at the moment. Once I do you would be able to see the evolution between Silver (the first on I made) to Black Beauty (the last and best so far). I need to do 3 more to complete the set.

The base pattern is from Ineke Kuiperij's "Nostalgie" (carousel) book. I just had to embellish it a bit though. When I got the pattern, I couldn't understand why the tail and mane weren't tatted, so I designed my own. After seeing a European carousel, I now understand why. They use horsehair tails on their horses, duh. I also added a flower to the rear as both a decorative element and a stabilizing element. I some redesigning on the head to make it a bit longer. That gave me a bit more room to play with decorative bridals and reigns. And after a bit of creative thinking, I managed to get colored hoofs in there too.

I think I'm on a roll. Let's see how long I can keep this up. Hopefully I will get caught up with my backlog.

This thread is Excella Embroidery Silk. I used all the strands. The pattern is from the March 1962 Workbasket. The thread was sent to me by Nivedita Sen of Kolkata India.



I got this thread from Lily Morales of Yucaipa, CA. It is Anchor Cordonet Size 20. The pattern is the November 1954 Workbasket.







This next motif is actually an edging pattern from the January 1952 Workbasket. It started really curving on me, so I just let it keep going until it met itself back at the beginning. The thread came from Roberta Lawson of Queensland Australia. It is Cebelia Size 20, color 814.




Shirley Burger of Iowa City, Iowa gave me both the thread and the pattern for this heart. The pattern is designed by Marcella Alcantara and the thread is DMC Size 80 color 55





Yes, this thread is as thick as it looks. It is a size perle cotton made by Royal Coats and Clark. The color is 0006. The pattern is from the January 1961 Workbasket. It was given to me by Deborah Craig of Bernville Pennsylvania.


This is the last thread sent to me by Nivedita Sen. It is Modi Thread Size 40. The pattern is from the January 1966 Workbasket.

Well that catches me up with everything I scanned last August :-O! I have a few more scans to do to catch me up to date. Hopefully I can get them posted before next January.

I guess it is time for my yearly update of my blog.

This thread was given to me by Nivedita Sen of Kolkata India. It is Excella Metalic. The metalic thread was rather difficult to tat with so I kept the pattern as free of rings as I could. The pattern is from the March 1962 Workbasket.


Shirley Burger gave me this Handy Hands Lizbeth thread. It is size 20 color number 121. The pattern is from the November 1960 Workbasket.







This is a March 1964 Workbasket pattern tatted with Optima Size 10, color 110. The thread was given to me by Lisa Sweeny of Kettington, Ohio.




This is a very delicate antique thread from Lily Morales of Yucaipa, CA. I have included a scan of the thread tag. The tag says Hilanderia Planas Barcelona Algodon Perle Size 12. The pattern is from the May 1959 Workbasket and I selected it because it is exclusively chains. That was the best way I could think of using this thread without breaking it.




This is DMC Babylon Size 30 made in France. I got it from Wally Sosa from Rome, Georgia. The pattern is the January 1959 Workbasket.




Elizabeth Zipay not only gave me the Oliver Twist thread that I tatted this pretty bookmark with, she also designed and gave me the pattern for it.
At the moment I don't remember where Elizabeth is from, I'm going to have to look it up. The thread and pattern came to me not from a thread exchange but from a secret santa exchange.

For some reason, every time I try to update this blog something comes up and I have to log off. Maybe this time I can get some things posted.

This thread is YLI Machine Quilting Thread. The color is 04V (mango). Stacey Houston of Everett, WA sent it to me. The pattern is from the August 1967 Workbasket.






The next thread is from Dorcas Newkirk of Evansville, IN. The thread is Flora size 20 color number 53. The pattern is from the October 1974 Workbasket.






This is DMC traditions Crochet Cotton. It is size 10 color number 5109. The pattern is from the December 1972 Workbasket and it is one of the many threads that I have received from Deborah Craig.







Jeanette Hasseman of Canton, OH gave me this thread. It is DMC Cordonette Size 40, Color number 320. The pattern is from the August 1978 Workbasket.





Finally, I decided to do Janes 2010 Tat It and See with an exchange thread. Since I was using an exchange thread, I didn't try to go digging though my collection to find other threads in the same size, so my rooster doesn't have any color changes. When I sent him to Jane, I called him an exotic rooster because he turned out to be all green. He kind of looked like a bird of paradise to me as well. The thread is size 16 Finca from Lily Morales.

Summer Vacation Part 3

Bob Shotten of Wrexham, North Wales gave me the next two threads. I worked on this one shortly after boarding the train for the return trip. I started it near Mendota, Illinois and finished before coming into La Junta, Colorado. The thread is Rubi Size 10. The pattern is from the April 1963 Workbasket. The pattern called for a tie and cut between each element. I tried to rework it so I wouldn't have to do that, but my first attempt didn't come out quite right as you can see. My second attempt did a little better, but it involved doing a lot of split chain work over several lengths between isolated rings. I finally gave up and called it good.

This piece was started after a brief stop in La Junta, Colorado and finished near Lamy, New Mexico. The thread is Oren Bayen Size 20 The pattern is from the February 1963 Workbasket.


This is one of my older threads. I got it from Georgia Seitz during the 2008 IOLI in Rockford, Illinois and finally got around to using it. It is Lizbeth Size 20 Color 120. The pattern is from the May 1982 Workbasket and I tatted it from Lamy, New Mexico to Gallup, New Mexico.

In contrast to our trip east on the train, the trip back west was running about 3 1/2 hours behind schedule. Just outside of Kansas City, Missouri, one of the coach cars developed an overheated bearing and had to be dropped off. I didn't really mind too much. Rather than waking up at a really early hour to get off the train in Fullerton at 6:00 am, John and I were able to eat a leisurely breakfast before detraining.

Would we take the train again? If time is not an issue - absolutely. It was very relaxing, we saw a lot of the countryside, and there was no security to deal with. There were a few downsides, though. The shower only stays on for 2 seconds after you push the button, so the water never got warm. Also, during the night, they crank the speed up to close to 90MPH, so you feel every bump and rattle from the tracks. I finally had to knock myself out with some antihistamine to get some sleep. Otherwise the bunks were very comfortable. The food in the dining car would compare favorably with what you’d get at a chain restaurant. The food wasn't the same quality that you would get on a cruise ship, but it was better than you could get at a Denny’s and the deserts were great.

Summer Vacation Part 2

We arrived in Naperville, Illinois, Monday afternoon. The motel we were staying at was great. They sent a van the train station for us, then took us back to the station Tuesday morning so we could take a trip into Chicago and see the sights.

Our first stop in Chicago was the Field Museum. Actually, it was our only stop; we spent the whole day there and probably saw less than half of it. We're planning to go back some day and finish up. We did have a bit of a misadventure on our return trip to Naperville; we got on the wrong express train (right line, it just didn't stop in Naperville) so we had to get off at Lisle (the stop before Naperville) and wait a bit for a milk run commuter train to take us the rest of the way. Come to find out later from our hotel shuttle driver that he could have picked us up at the Lisle station just as easily.

Wednesday was the beginning of the Windjammers Summer Meet. Each day from Wednesday to Friday we attended six hour rehearsals and recording sessions in the motel ballroom (with a good break for lunch). I discovered at the end of the day that I really shouldn't have forgotten my glucosamine. The fingers of my left hand (the French horn is a left handed instrument) were pretty stiff. Surprisingly, while my lips had a pleasant tingle, they didn’t feel like jelly.

The music consisted of a variety of different pieces that were used through golden era of the circus. Some were the obvious circus classics, others were more obscure pieces that had been written by the great circus composers.. The publishing dates ranged from the late 1800's to the 1940's. What I didn’t know was that often the circus band would play what was called "The Center Ring Concert" before the show actually started. These pieces consisted of the popular music of the day or common dance tunes. In all, we played 80 pieces during those three days.

On Thursday evening, we drove downtown to hear the a concert by the Naperville Municipal Band. This also gave us a look at where we would be playing on Saturday. The concert facility was wonderful. The city built a dual-purpose rehearsal hall/concert pavilion at the edge of the central park. The whole side of the rehearsal hall opens upward to form a stage that fronts an open air ampitheater. The acousitcs of the stage are fantastic. On the stage, you can hear from one side of the band to the other, and from the audience, you can hear everything, with minimal amplification.

This is a picture of the facility.
The mural you see is actually
the big door for the stage.

Friday evening was a banquet at the local vets hall. A small Dixieland combo made up of Windjammer members provided the after dinner entertainment.

We had some free time Saturday after a morning rehearsal, so John and I decided to see what the DuPage County Fair was like. It was a very small fair, about the size of the Imperial County Fair in California. There were the usual things you'd find at a fair; the one thing we'd never seen before were the duck races (we've seen turkeys race, but not ducks). I didn't find any tatting or bobbin lace in the crafts, just the usual crochet and knitting.

The big concert Saturday night was almost cancelled. A band of rain came through right when we were supposed to start playing. The organizer said that we would wait about five minutes and see how things went. At the end of five minutes, the rain had passed so they opened up the wall/door. The people of Naperville are a resilient bunch when it comes to summer rain (after all, it's just part of life in the midwest). Quite a few just settled under their umbrellas and others retreated to their cars and waited for the rain to pass. By the end of the concert, we had a pretty good crowd listening to us.

The concert went well. We even had a ringmaster, all dressed up and in full cry. One bad thing about the great acoustics… his whistle was ear-splitting.

Sunday was a day to say goodbye to everyone over breakfast, then back on to the train for the trip home.

I do need to say something about the hotel we were in. It was the Holiday Inn in Naperville, and the staff was just wonderful. We had the doors of the ballroom open while we rehearsed and I think they enjoyed listening to us from the lobby. Aside from running John and me back and forth to the train depot several times, they also provided transportation to and from the concerts and the banquet. One of the evenings a small combo of Windjammers set up in the hotel bar, and the staff brought out extra chairs for the rest of us who were hanging around listening to them. If we go back to the Chicago area, we would probably make this hotel a home base for our stay.

Summer Vacation Part 1

The majority of the thread exchange tatting I did this summer was during a train trip I took with my husband, John, from Fullerton, California to Naperville, Illinois. The trip itself was about forty hours (two nights) each way aboard Amtrak's Southwest Chief. Of course I didn't tat the entire forty hours. I took time out to eat, sleep, nap, read, and a few other things. For the fun of it, I did make note of where along the route I started and ended each motif, or at least my nearest guess.

The actual purpose for the trip was to attend a Windjammer's Unlimited Convention. The Windjammers are a group of people dedicated to the playing and preservation of traditional Circus Music (www.circusmusic.org, in case you're curious).

We could have flown in except that John won’t trust his trombone to airline baggage handlers. My French horn will fit in an overhead compartment, but his trombone would have to be checked. Taking the train ensured that the only person who would lay a hand on his trombone was him.

John and I boarded the train Saturday evening in Fullerton, California. I didn't get any tatting done that evening, though. After settling into our sleeper, we went to dinner, then unwound from the hectic days leading up to our trip by just watching the desert landscape go by in the twilight.


I started this piece sometime before I started on my vacation. I didn't finish it 'til somewhere around the Arizona/New Mexico state line. Valery Stewart from Scott City, Kansas gave it to me. It is YLI Silk Floss. I used 3 strands of the floss. The pattern is from the January, 1992 Workbasket.

Margaret Boos from London, Ontario, Canada gave me this thread. I worked on it from Gallup, New Mexico to Las Vegas, New Mexico. The thread is Altin Baesk, size 50. The color is number 365. This pattern is also from the January, 1992 Workbasket.

As a side note, the train arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico early. Albuquerque is the longest stop on the route, but rather than the usual half hour or so, we had an hour and a half. That gave us an opportunity to walk into the old part of Albuquerque and look around a bit. The local historical society has done a wonderful job of putting pictorial plaques on the buildings that either described what the existing building started as or, if the original building had been replaced, what it was and what it looked like.

Margaret also gave me this thread. It is Valdani Size 12, color number 0541. The pattern is from the July 1978 Workbasket. It was tatted between Las Vegas, New Mexico and La Plata, Missouri.

Between La Plata, Missouri and Fort Mason, Iowa, I worked on this thread from Bonnie Peters of Casadagy New York. It is Omega Size 30 and the pattern is from the July 1982 Workbasket.

The last thread I worked on for the trip east was this Flora in size 10, also from Bonnie Peters. I started it in Fort Mason, Iowa and finished it at Mendota, Illinois. The pattern is from the March 1961 Workbasket.

Stay tuned for part 2.

My old dog Winnie(Winnefred) died last night. She was 10 1/2 years old (average for a bulldog). My husband, John, and I think she had a heart attack.

The poor girl was on a lot of meds this past year, so this really was not a surprise. Last summer she was diagnosed with an enlarged heart and Cushing's Disease. She also had to have a bladder stone removed. John and I decided at that time that if anything more happened, we would just let her go. We were giving her a pill to keep the crystals down in her urine, a blood pressure med, a beta blocker, Melatonin for the Cushing's Disease, as well as an antibiotic for a never ending eyelid infection.

The last thing Winnie did was her most favorite thing in the whole world. Go for a ride. When we leashed up our other dog, Sadie, Winnie found enough strength to get up and was right on Johns heels following him to the car. She died peacefully just before we got to the Emergency Vet Clinic. Sadie was with her the entire time, so Sadie knows she is gone.

What a year! It seems like I haven't had time to do anything other than work. I did get the M finished before Christmas, but didn't have time to sew it down, so it will now be a birthday present (Feb 15). The sweatshirt has turned into a tee shirt (I couldn't find any sweatshirts that didn't have anything printed on them).

I have found sometime to work with my exchange threads again. I also have a new scanner, so my scans are much clearer than before.

These next 2 threads were sent to me by Abby Calson of Rock Island, Washington.


The heart pattern is "Small Tatted Heart" by Betsy Evans.

http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/vangogh/235/heartpattern.html

The thread is Oren Bayan, Size 50, color 710.


The 2nd thread Abby sent me is Altin Basak, Size 50, color 3053. The pattern is from the January 1956 Workbasket.

Speaking of thread exchanges, I have started a new one. I'm not going to post the details here since this an open blog (I hope you all understand). The details have been posted to the assorted tatting email lists.

This is the unfinished M I'm designing for my niece, Maribeth. It will be sewn down to a sweatshirt. Never fear, I am dutifully recording what I'm doing so I can post a pattern. I'll post it in January (hopefully - but don't hold your breath.

I went to IOLI this year in Rockford, Illinois. Since I was in the neighborhood, I extended my trip to include visiting my brother and his family in Monroe, Michigan. That gave me a lot of time to work on my thread exchange threads waiting at airports, on planes, waiting at the train station and on the train.



I started this motif in the Long Beach Airport and finished it on the plane to Chicago. It is DMC perle cotton size 12 that has been hand dyed in red, white and blue colors. Krystal Kubiszewski of Minneapolis, MN gave it to me and she says the dying was done by shatteredshardsofme.net. This thread came to me several years ago (I really have to spend some time catching up on my exchanges) so I doubt if it is still available. The pattern is from the November 1960 Workbasket.



This edging was started on the flight to Chicago and finished on the bus to and from Rockford. It was also given to me by Krystal Kubiszewski. It is Olympus Size 40, Color number 221. The pattern is from the August 1967 Workbasket.

I didn't work on any exchange threads while at IOLI. I was too busy working on homework for Georgia's class or learning Romanian Point Lace. Those projects aren't quite finished. I'll post them when I get them done. (If I get them done.)

After IOLI I caught a train from Chicago to Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was a very relaxing trip and I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to ride the rails to upgrade to business class. It will be the best $11 you ever spent. I didn't tat that much on the train, I kinda fell asleep for the first hour of the trip. OK, I did fall asleep. That week of lacemaking was tiring.



I guess this was an edging trip. This next thread was tatted on the train to Michigan. It is Manuella Size 20 in Ecru. The thread was given to me by Dianne Warren of Wichita KS. The pattern is from the November 1966 Workbasket.



This thread was also started on the train to Michigan and finished on the flight from Detroit to Phoenix. It is also an edging pattern but I decided to double it back on itself to make a motif. I didn't realize till I scanned it that I goofed on a join. A little too late, the ends are already hidden. I suppose I can cheat and pull the last ring back into place with a bit of invisible sewing thread. I'll think about it. The thread is Knit Cro Sheen in rainbow colors. It was given to me by Jeanette Hasteman of Canton OH. The pattern is the April 1977 Workbasket.



This heart was also completed on the flight from Detroit to Phoenix. Stacey Houston of Everett, WA sent me this thread. It is Olympus Size 40 in color OL-101. The pattern was designed by Birgit Phelps. (http://www.geocities.com/birgit_ph/sweetheart.html). This is a great pattern and I enjoyed tatting it.

I started one other motif on the flight from Phoenix to Ontario, CA, but it is sitting on my desk waiting to be finished.

Just a quick post of the gifts I received from the Here-Be-Tatters Christmas In July exchange.


Here is everything.

This is the ribbon pin.




And this is the ornament.



My partner is Valerie Stewart from Scott City, Kansas.

I'll put up a few pictures of that intriguing box tomorrow when I have more band width and a photo editor that can cut down the size of the pictures I'm trying to upload.

Whew!! Fair projects are finished, my Guilds Lace-In is over, all the summer concerts have been played (almost) so now I have time to work on my thread exchange threads again. For those who are wondering, I am planning to getting another thread exchange going in mid September before I have to start tatting for the holidays (again).

I have been busy designing for this year's fair. There is a story behind this design. I am a Rat. My Tai Chi Chuan teacher also makes tee shirts. Some years he does one to commemorate the Chinese New Year. I started late last year asking him to design one for this year, but he said he couldn't think of any Tai Chi Chuan move that would go with a rat. So, I decided that if I wanted to have a tee shirt, I would need to do it myself. So here it is.

I do have the pattern scribbled down on pieces of paper, I haven't had time to get them into a word file. I'm not even thinking of how long it will take to diagram them. If you are planning to go to the IOLI convention this year, I will have my scribbles with me as well as a few stray rats.

I also have a few motif entries. All three of these threads were given to me by Brigitte Henneberger of Wurzburg Germany.


This thread is Amann Buttonhole thread. It is stranded silk. I was going to do a different pattern with it that involved onion rings, but the thread split so bad as I did the split chain join (or smooth join as I call it) that I had to give up and find a more conventional ring and chain pattern.

The pattern is from the August 1958 Workbasket, but any resemblance between the written pattern and the picture is purely coincidental. I had to mostly go by visual and tried it 2 different ways, neither of which look like the book. Oh well. You can put this pattern down and one I won't ever try again.


This next thread is Valdani pearl cotton size 12. The color is number 35 and is described as Mango-Kiwi-Papaya. The pattern is from the January 1976 Workbasket.





Finally I have the same color number as above but in the Valdani Quilting thread. This is a really pretty color combination. I may just have to get some more for myself. The pattern is from the November 1953 Workbasket.


I might as well keep going with this monster post, it is likely to be the last for a little bit. My lace guild also demonstrated at the Orange County Fair last week. Part of the requirement is to put on a little stage presentation, so here I am, flapping my gums on stage. They had a big screen TV in front of the stage so the camera man was able to really zoom in on my fingers. I could tell by watching peoples faces that they could see the thread flip.

Surprisingly we had a lot of positive response this year. A large number of people were asking about learning how to tat and make bobbin lace. I'm thinking it must have something to do with the current economy. It isn't so easy to go out anymore, so people are trying to find ways of keeping themselves occupied at home.

The Jail Break

Winnifred, the Godmother, is in the hoosegow. She has ordered her henchwoman, Sadie, to set her free.

I didn't teach Sadie how to do this. She figured it out on her own. If we really want to keep the crate closed, we have to clip it shut or she will open it every chance she gets.

The sound in the background is an episode of "Get Smart". I haven't figured out how to edit out the sound (or if I even have a program where I can) yet.

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.