Not as planned

Yesterday did not go as I had planned it. I did not touch my sewing machine, so my quilt block did not get made. It probably won't get made today, either. It's a good thing I'm not on a deadline!

I did finally finish my bookmark this morning. The pattern is Braid: Three Rings on page 28 of Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti.

The thread is size 20 Hakelgarn "Patriotic", hand-dyed by LadyShuttleMaker. I have a 50 yd. skein of this thread, so I know I will be able to tat at least four bookmarks, possibly 5, from this color way.

Today will be a busy one. Mom has a doctor appointment this morning. I have a retired teachers' lunch at noon, a graduation party from 5-9 p.m., and a jewelry party from 5-9. Depending on how my day goes, I may have to opt out of one or both of the parties. Life seems to get very busy once school is out for the summer!

One done, one to go!

 

I didn't spend much time crafting today, but I did manage to finish one more quilt block.

I only need one more for my project, and I plan on finishing that tomorrow morning. After that, I will decide on the layout, and then I can begin joining blocks.

I did start another bookmark today, but I didn't get very far.

So, what did I do with my day? I did a lot of walking and enjoying the beautiful weather. I bought a gently used sewing machine so that I can give sewing lessons to local kids. 

The best part of the day was preparing dinner with my brother. David tried a new recipe for ribs, and I made roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions. Dinner was delicious!

Robin Perfetti

 

I love Robin Perfetti's designs. I also love hand-dyed thread. So, I've decided that I'm going to increase my bookmark stash using Robin's designs in Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks and some of my hand-dyed threads.

This is Braid: One Ring from page 24 of Robin's book. The hand-dyed thread is one that was left on a Tatsy shuttle that I pulled out of one of my shuttle storage drawers. The tag is long gone, so I have no idea of the color name or who dyed it.

This one is Braid: Two Rings from page 26 of the book. If I had just a little more thread, I would have tatted at least one more pattern repeat. 

All in all, it was a pretty good tatting day!

Unfinished forever...

It's true. I started tatting the final round of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 this morning. It took me about an hour and a half to complete one pattern repeat... not a problem. I knew that as I moved on I would get faster.

However, something looked off. I counted to see how many pattern repeats I had left... 23... and a half! How could that be? Four rows back, I missed tatting a ring and chain.

This doily is for daughter Joanne, so I contacted her on FaceTime to show her what has happening. She likes it just the way it is, so I'm just stopping here. Right now it's 24" in diameter.

I love this doily, so I will probably tat it again. I will pay much closer attention to how many repeats are on each round. It's too bad the final round can't be worked into this properly, because it is really beautiful. Next time!

After my doily disaster, I decided to work on a quilt block. This truly is a scrappy quilt block. I used up bits and pieces from previous blocks. It's not my favorite, but it will do.

The quilting pattern looks kind of funky on the back, but the look on the back is always a surprise to me.

I did try starting a tatted bookmark today. As I finished the second ring, I realized that I had missed a section of the first ring. I cut the thread and decided that tatting will have to wait for tomorrow!

Celebrating Alison

 

This weekend we celebrated my oldest daughter Alison, who turns 50 tomorrow. I can't believe I'm old enough to have a 50 year old daughter!

After a big lunch at home, we visited Mistie Hill Winery, about 40 minutes from our home. There was a beautiful breeze, and the temperature was just right for sitting outside and enjoying each other's company.

Alison's one request for her birthday was to spend time around the fire pit. It was the perfect night to sit by a fire.

This morning we went out to breakfast, which was delicious. Alison and Andrea both headed for home right after breakfast. Dave and I went shopping for a few things we needed and then went home. This afternoon we each worked on a little cleanup from the weekend activities, which really didn't take long.

Tomorrow we should be back to normal. Let's hope for lots of tatting and quilting time!

Round 19

 

I finally finished round 19 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. Only one round to go!

We are celebrating daughter Alison's 50th birthday this weekend. We won't have the whole family, but we will have enough to make it a true celebration!

Lucky me!

 

Mom finished this beautiful Eternity Shawl that she made just for me! It's 7' long and 30" wide. She finished it a few days ago, but I didn't get around to blocking it until today. My brother David helped me. He's pretty good with blocking pins!

I did make some progress on Renulek's Spring Doily 2026, but I'm so close to finishing round 19 that I decided to wait until I finish the round before posting another picture. I'm hoping that happens tomorrow!