Can it be?

Yes. Sadly, I am out of pink shuttles. I can't find a single undecorated pink shuttle in my house. So, I had to settle for purple...

...to make my new shuttle and bag sets!

What do you think? Is it overkill?

I had so much fun making bags with matching shuttles for Jane and Sue Anna, that I went back to Hobby Lobby for more pink and brown fabric. Wouldn't you know... the fabric I used before wasn't there, but I did find these two fabrics, and I'm very pleased with the results. I even figured out some improvements for making the bags, like measuring carefully! : )

I ask you, dear readers... can a tatter have too many project bags or too many pretty shuttles?

Christmas in July

Aileen put together a Christmas in July exchange, and my goodies arrived this week!The guidelines were to send a package worth $5 and include something old, something new, something sparkly, something blue. Of course when I read something blue, I just had to join in the fun. Val sent me these goodies. Oh, boy! Am I ever going to have fun!

Thank you, Val!

Paying the piper his due...

I've spent this morning cleaning. I figured I had to catch up since I've been having so much fun this summer! What fun, you may ask...

Well, I've finished another round on my doily.

My progress has slowed down. I tatted for too long, and my arm protested mightily! Lesson learned... a little here, a little there, and I can accomplish so much more!

On Tuesday, Sue Anna called me and asked if I wanted to drive to Cincinnati with her to meet Jane. I thought... are you kidding me? Of course! I would love to! was my eager reply.

I wanted to do something special for these two special ladies, so I decided to make some Dorset bags, also known as origami pouches.

Lucky for me, I have some stash!

These fabrics are from a fat quarter pack I found at Hobby Lobby a while back. I'm not normally a pink person, but I do like pink and brown together!

Sue Anna picked me up at 6:00 Thursday morning, and we made it to Cincinnati around 10:30. Unfortunately, we forgot about the time change, so we were an hour later than Jane expected. I think she forgave us! ; )

We spent the afternoon at Panera Bread, enjoying each other's company. Although I only met Sue Anna in person in June, and this was my first time to meet Jane, it was is if we had known each other forever!

Jane showed us some of her beautiful tatting. It's so much prettier than any picture!

Sue Anna and I took lots of pictures and video clips with our iPhones. Jane showed us how she organizes patterns and photos on her iPad. We're such geeks! ...and I mean that in the nicest way!

Do you see that Pop-A-Bobbin shuttle by Sue Anna? She has quite a collection of them. I am sooooo envious! Well, I'm a little less envious now, because Sue Anna gave me one of hers. Lucky me! : )

We did have a lady come up to us and ask us what we were doing. I believe she said her aunt used to tat. We offered to give her a lesson, but she declined. It's very flattering to have someone come up and ask about tatting!

We asked some young ladies in a booth near us to take pictures, which they graciously did!

We had Jane home by 6, and we had the pleasure of meeting the very handsome Nick!

Sue Anna had me home by 9:30, and she was home before midnight. That just goes to show that there's a world full of fun to be had in one little day!

So you see, I really have been having too much fun, and it's time to pay the piper his due. Bedroom and bathroom are done... off to the kitchen!

And another two rounds...

funny... each round seems to take a little longer! ; )

And then it could be that I've been a little distracted...

putting together 9 patch squares for my quilt.

I wonder how I'll get anything accomplished when school starts four weeks from tomorrow. The summer is really flying by!

Meeting of the minds...

or at least the like-minded! Sue Anna, Marilee, and I met at an oasis on the Illinois toll road for a fun-filled day of tatting, chatting, and sharing. I think the photos say it all...

A table loaded with tatting supplies,

Marilee designing a new piece,

Sue Anna winding thread for a future project,

threads from Sue Anna and Marilee...

all in all, a wonderful day! Thank you Marilee and Sue Anna!

Two more rounds!

I really haven't felt motivated to do much with all this heat, but I did manage to complete two more rounds of my doily!

Sporadic Internet and cell phone service are driving me crazy. Can it be due to the heat? I guess time will tell.

More inspiration!

This time I was inspired by a facebook post by Barbara Payne. She had a lovely coaster, and I asked for the name of the pattern. Believe it or not, I have the book!

It's funny that sometimes patterns seem so difficult to me until I see what someone else has done. Why is that? I guess I have to see that someone other than the designer is able to follow the pattern!

This is the first doily pattern in Tatted Fashion by Teiko Fujito. If I'm counting correctly, I have ten rounds to go, so this one will take me a while to complete. The thread is size 50 Altin Basak, color #363. So far, so good! Thanks for the inspiration, Barbara!

I also had the urge to bling yesterday.

This time I decided to make a personalized shuttle for myself. Can you see the sparkly little "D" in the middle? Of course, I had to add a touch of blue!

Inspired by Ann

The other day, Ann posted a picture of edging No. 52 from Old-Fashioned Tatting Patterns Book 1, edited by Barbara Foster. I immediately knew that she had tatted from a book that I had merely skimmed. Have I ever mentioned that my collection of tatting books is greater than my tatting? Anyway, I went and searched through my tatting books, and to my dismay... I couldn't find it! So, I shuffled off to bed.

After a little shopping spree yesterday (unfortunately we shopped for mulch, not tatting supplies), I started thinking about that book again. I was sure it had a lavender cover. I looked in the bookcase again... no luck. I went to the Handy Hands site and looked up the book. Yup... that's the book... back to my sewing room for a more careful look. Guess what? It was right where it was supposed to be! Somehow it was pushed back a little, and the edges of other books had covered it up. You'd think a librarian would remember that these things happen!

I had just a little bit of Confetti Sprinkles from LadyShuttleMaker, so I decided to look for a shuttle only pattern.

There it is, that tiny little piece under the word "Tatting". I just thought I'd show you the cover of the book in case you can't remember where you put your copy! ; )

Isn't it cute? I need to work on my bare thread lengths to keep them uniform, but I still like the way it turned out. This is very similar to the edging Ann tatted, which I didn't realize until I looked at the picture on her blog again. I followed the pattern for Tatted Insertion-Edging No. 20, which has slightly smaller rings, and does not show a crocheted header.

Several other patterns caught my eye. Just what I need... more ideas! Thanks for the inspiration, Ann!

Two new shuttles

I just can't help myself... when I see a new and interesting shuttle, I get the urge to buy it. I think I may have a problem!

These two lovelies arrived recently. Have you seen LadyShuttleMaker's copper shuttles? She also has some beautiful silver shuttles. I now am the proud owner of two of her copper shuttles, as well as one silver. I feel very special tatting with miniature works of art!

The wood shuttle is hand-carved in Chile. I ordered it through a friend at InTatters. The shuttle is incredibly light weight. I liked it so much, I ordered another one in a dark wood. If you're interested in finding out more about the wood shuttles, e-mail me and I'll get you in touch with my friend.

Along with my new copper shuttle, I ordered some size 50 HDT, Confetti Sprinkles. I think it makes a terrific Spinning Wheel glass mat! Believe it or not, I was able to wind the entire skein of HDT on the two shuttles, which are each about the size of a Clover.

Just think... if I ordered a shuttle with every skein or ball of thread, I'd have quite a selection at home. Oh, wait... I do!

Another snowflake from Jon

I love this design! It's called Adiratna, and it's the first design in Jon's new book, Elegant Tatting Gems. This one's done in LadyShuttleMaker's Confetti Sprinkles, size 50, and it measures 3" across.

I really, really, really like this book!

Lovin' Mary Konior!

Yup... I had the urge to tat another Spinning Wheel glass mat by Mary Konior! The Lizbeth "Juicy Watermelon" just kept calling my name and urging me to tat with it! What's a girl to do?

I did decide to expand my horizons and tat another design from Mary's fabulous Tatting with Visual Patterns. Call me silly, but I never had the urge to tat the little piece in Lizbeth "Caribbean" because of it's name... "Dress Trim." I didn't have a dress I wanted to trim, so there was no need to tat it!

The other night, I was taking a break from tatting, and I decided to read... yes, I said READ... some of Tatting with Visual Patterns. I was interested in Mary's information on designing with hexagons. Funny, I had never thought of this design as a hexagon until I read the information. Sometimes I can be so dense!

So now my next decision is... do I content myself with one motif and move on to another design? Or, should I tat some more and make a doily or a table scarf? I guess I'll just have to wait and see where inspiration takes me!

13: Ratnasari in green

Here's another test-tat for Jon Yusoff's new book, Elegant Tatting Gems. I love the way the colors flow in this pattern!

Jon may have changed the pattern slightly after seeing our test-tats and reading our comments. I don't mind saying, this is destined to be one of my must-have books!

3. Almas

I enjoyed tatting this one in blue and white, but I think it shows up much better in red. Imagine how good it will look when I block it properly! ; )

This is one of my test-tats from Jon Yusoff's new book, Elegant Tatting Gems. Jon has asked us test-tatters to let you know that she may have changed the design slightly after seeing our efforts and reading our comments. She did a fabulous job with this book, and each pattern is so beautiful!

13: Ratnasari

Not traditional snowflake colors, I know, but I love this little beauty from Jon's new book, Elegant Tatting Gems. 

Did you read Jon's big news? She's had so many entries to her post about her new book, that she's decided to give away two copies! Be sure you post a comment here for your chance to win a copy. 


Please note: this was a test tat, and Jon may have changed the design a little before publishing the final version.

Suztats

One of my favorite blogs is Suztats. Why, you may ask? The answer is simple... Suz is teaching me about art! I'm fascinated by the artistic process, even though I've never pursued anything other than following directions. Painting eludes me. I don't know if it's a mental block, or what... still, I love learning about what goes into creating a beautiful piece of art.

Last week I received this beautiful card from Suz:

Isn't it gorgeous? I feel extra special, because Suz remembered that blue is my favorite color, and she chose this card especially for me! Thank you, Suz! I think I'm going to frame this little beauty!

Lily wants a star blanket...

light blue and dark blue, with flowers in the middle. So, as any good grandma would, I went searching for a pattern, and I found this...

Gotta love the Internet and YouTube! Mikey gives very clear directions here, in case you have a little person who wants a star blanket.

Lily says I'm supposed to make a star blanket for Ella in rainbow colors. I wonder what Eva and Aidan would like?

Bud Fragments Bookmark

Have I ever mentioned that blue is my favorite color? At the Downers Grove lace event, I purchased a few balls of blue thread, including this beautiful Oren Bayan size 50. I had the urge to tat a bookmark, and here's what I came up with.

The two motifs are Mary Konior's "Bud Fragments" from Tatting with Visual Patterns. I decided to be brave and try tatting it all in one piece, and I surprised myself! I tatted the fragment on the left first, tatted my chain, and then started the other motif with a split ring. It was a bit of a challenge for me to tat the pattern in reverse order so that it resembled Mary's design, but I achieved my goal!

Now for my product review... Best Press. Normally, I just steam my smaller pieces, and I'm usually a bit displeased with the end result. For larger pieces, I thoroughly wet and use my blocking board. This time, I tried steaming, and again, I wasn't completely pleased with the result. Then, I sprayed on the Best Press, and positioned all the rings and chains... they stayed exactly where I wanted them! I think I'll be using Best Press regularly. : )

Fun in Minnesota!

Three Tatters: Michelle, Cindy, Diane

Last week, Dave was on vacation, and we decided to take a quick trip to Minnesota to visit two of our daughters and their families. Before reaching our destination, I was able to take time out the meet two of my blog buddies, Michelle and Cindy. I think our original plan was to meet for a half hour, but we managed to stretch it out the a little over three hours without even trying!

We shared tatting ideas, and special finds. Cindy brought safety pins without coils, which I've been looking for and haven't been able to find. We talked about Best Press, and I found some at a quilt shop in Forest Lake (more on that later). I had my picot gauges with me, and I showed how I use them. We discussed how we could make our own picot gauges and what materials could be used. I'm a bit lazy, so I think I'll just buy my picot gauges! ; )

Gosh, we talked about so much, I can't even remember it all!

Recently, Cindy blogged about making jam...

 Cindy shared...

and we enjoyed!

Can you tell?

Michelle brought along her beautiful daughter, who was tatting a choker. Oh, how I wish I had learned when I was that young! Think of how much I could have accomplished over the past 40-some years!

Michelle also brought along, and shared, tatting goodies...

beautifully tatted motifs,

hankies and thread,

all from Aunt Rose-E's collection. Michelle was very generous, and I feel very lucky!

Thank you for a wonderful visit Cindy and Michelle! I feel like I've known the two of you my whole life, and I look forward to getting together with you again!

Patriotic Shuttle Winners!

You'll have to trust me on this, folks. Blogger is not letting me add pictures. The lucky winners are...

#3 - Jane Eborall

#25 - Karen T

#10 - Sharon D.

If you'll please send your mailing info to me at DianeCademartori at gmail dot com, I'll get these off to you at the beginning of the week.

Thanks for joining in the fun, everyone!

Coming soon...

...Jon's new snowflake book! Keep your eyes peeled, tatters!

I am honored that I was a test tatter for some of the snowflakes in Jon's new book, and let me tell you... they're wonderful! Those of us who test-tatted have been given the go-ahead to share what we've done, with the note that these are test-tats. Jon may have altered the designs based on our comments and scans.

Sneak peek...

3. Almas

This was the first one I tatted. While I really like it in person, the scan just doesn't do it justice. I think it may be because of the white on white... and the poor job I did of blocking. Scans just seem to pick up every little detail, and I guess I'm not as much of a detail person as I thought. ; )

Trust me... Jon's is much prettier!

Simply fob-ulous!

I've been having a great time making...

scissors fobs!

Happy 4th of July!

4th of July Bling!

I hope everyone has a safe, happy, and fun-filled 4th of July!

To celebrate, I've blinged some shuttles. Three of these shuttles will be given away on Friday, July 8. Sorry... the other four are spoken for! Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win. Good luck!

A little MK...

will set me straight every time! I was feeling frustrated with all the mistakes I made with my tatting yesterday, so I decided to spend a little time with my beloved Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. It worked!

This is one of Mary's "Briar Fragments" in size 40 Lizbeth, Col. 126. Just a little dose of Mary, and I'm back on track!

Okay... true confession time...

This is the first Briar Fragment I tatted today. I was getting ready to weave in the ends, when I realized my tatted piece looked different from the picture. I couldn't figure out why, so I poured myself a cup of coffee, and then I looked at it again. Duh! I didn't join the flowers!

After successfully completing the pattern, I decided to work some more with Anika's beautiful hand-dyed thread. I was feeling bad about the motif, because it wouldn't lie flat. I almost gave up. I'm glad I didn't!

A little blocking worked wonders! I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, but I'd still like to know how other tatters manage to have perfect pieces without blocking!

The pattern is No. 1: Motif from The 3rd Tatting Book by Kirstine Nikolajsen and Inge Lise Nikolajsen. If I ever figure out how to tat without blocking, I think I'll make the hat on the cover! ; )