Sulky Blendables #4028 ~ Storm Clouds

The name Storm Clouds really suits this thread! I had a hard time keeping going on this one. The color just wasn't interesting to me. Maybe if it had been named dolphin...

The shuttle is one of my newest from La Cossette, and I love it! The name of the shuttle is Grape. Perhaps La Cossette should be the one to name Sulky colors. She always seems to get it right!

This is the last week of school. Today was the last full day with students. Tomorrow is Teacher Institute day, when we wrap up all of our end-of-the-year chores. Thursday is report card day, and then I'll be free to tat to my heart's content! I'm also planning on spending some time with my bobbin lace and quilting this summer. Mom is coming up to visit in June. Other than that, we have no special plans for the summer, and that suits me just fine!

King Tut #913 ~ Jewel of the Nile

I'm discovering that I have many more abandoned projects than I realized! This shuttle was loaded with Jewel of the Nile, so that's what I used for my next set of Stumpy motifs. The motifs look a little wonky, so I guess I should have blocked them. I will before I send them off to Chris and Erin Hinton to be shuttle-fied.

The pink Clover shuttle is another one blinged by me with fabric from Ann. My, I really was daring when I combined pink and red for two shuttles!

The hardest part of working with the quilting thread is retro-tatting. I have been very successful undoing chains, but I've only succeeded in opening one ring. The tips of the shuttles are totally useless  for thread this fine. Luckily, I have a pin vise from Grizzly Mountain Arts. I put a tapestry needle in the pin vise, and it's perfect for undoing knots. I'm sure that with practice, I'll be able to conquer those rings any day now!

Check it out!

Wickedtats is having a mid-year giveaway! There's a beautiful pair of spangled bobbins and a shuttle blinged with Origami paper. Entries will be accepted until June 16, and the drawing will be on June 17.

Sulky Blendables #4027 ~ Silver Slate

In between laundry loads, I managed to tat another set of Stumpy motifs, this time in Silver Slate. I was not impressed with this color on the spool, or as I was tatting. But once the motif was finished, I decided that I like it! The shuttle is another one that I blinged with fabric from Ann. Little gifts can mean so much!

As a result of today's tatting, I now have another group of motifs to send off to Chris and Erin Hinton at The Shuttle Shop!

Sulky Blendables #4026 ~ Earth Pastels

Earth Pastels? The color name doesn't really work for me, but it sure is pretty. My friend Nancy would love this because it combines peach and green, her two favorite colors. Maybe I suggest to Sulky that they rename the thread "Nancy's Favorite Colors." Of course, that wouldn't make sense to anyone but Nancy and me, so I guess the color name should remain Earth Pastels.

The shuttle is another one that I blinged with fabric from Ann. I hesitated using pink and red together, because that was always a big no-no when I was growing up. My red-headed friends never wore pink, although pastel plaids, especially with pink, were wildly popular when I was in high school. As you can see, I was daring, and I really like the results!

Sulky Blendables #4025 ~ Hydrangea

Oh, how I love this color! It really does remind me of hydrangeas. The shuttle is one that I decorated with fabric that Ann sent to me along with my fabulous tatting press... everyone should have a tatting press!

Tatting with this thread reminded me of a package of napkins I purchased last year just for blinging shuttles. I never did bling the shuttles last year, but yesterday after school...

the blinging bug hit! I really intended for these to be examples of simple elegance just like La Cossette's shuttles. However, I don't have her flair for pattern placement, and like a crow, I'm drawn to glittery objects. The glitter nail polish was right there in my basket of supplies, and before I knew it... BLING!

Sulky Blendables #4024 ~ Heather

Yes, I'm still tatting Stumpy motifs for The Shuttle Shop! This color way, Heather, is especially pretty, but I don't think it shows up very well in the picture. Daughter Alison has told me that she'll send me a link for how to set up a little light studio so that I can take better pictures. We'll see if it helps my photography skills. : )

The shuttle was decorated by Cindy at A Happy Bluebird, and I believe it is my first shuttle decorated with a napkin. I love it!

2, 3, 4... tell the people what she wore!

Oops! This post is not about an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini! It's about my trials and tribulations with measuring thread...

Apparently my estimation skills are lacking. Really? What was I thinking? How could I possibly believe that two yards of thread wound on to the shuttle would be enough for one of these "Flowerpiece" fragments? Surely three yards would be enough... wrong! Okay, make that four... wrong again! I really think I must have measured incorrectly somewhere along the line.

I must have jinxed "Tropical Fruit," so I switched to "Ocean Sunset" in size 40. No measuring here. I just loaded up the shuttle and started tatting. I'm not worrying about where the color change takes place. I'm just enjoying the pattern and the thread!

Inspired by Allison

I was looking at Allison's Facebook page recently, and I thought I recognized a Mary Konior pattern. Allsion confirmed that the piece I saw was indeed a Mary Konior pattern. I felt so proud of myself! I did, however, guess the wrong color of thread. ; )

Anyway, I decided to look up the pattern, "Flowerpiece" from Tatting with Visual Patterns. My first practice piece was with some Sulky thread left on the shuttles. I probably will tat this piece in tiny thread eventually, but for right now I want to make it in size 20, so I decided to practice with the thread that was closest to me, Lizbeth #107, Tropical Fruit. The center piece was my first attempt. I realized as I was sewing in the ends that I had forgotten one section of the last chain. Can you see where the 7 ds are missing where the chain joins the flower? This one will go in my box of tatting for crazy quilting, something I plan on doing in retirement!

The fragment on the right (I love that Mary called individual elements fragments) is done correctly. My next step will be to determine how much thread to wind on the shuttle for each fragment. I'm guessing that two yards will be sufficient. I'll save that experiment for tonight. I know from when I tatted a similar piece a year or two ago, that I will want each flower fragment to start in about the same spot in the thread color. I'll have to look in my thread stash to see if I have one of the solid colors from Tropical Fruit. I know that I won't like the color changes in what Mary calls the chain trails. So, multi-color for the fragments, solid color for the chain trails, and I'll have a beautiful doily in no time!

Thanks for the inspiration, Allison! Maybe we could arrange for The Tollway Tatters to meet up your way sometime this summer. It would be great fun to meet you in person!

Caribbean Spinning Wheel

Caribbean Spinning Wheel glass mat... need I say more? : )

Sulky Blendables #4023 ~ Natural Taupe... again!

I've been checking off the color numbers as I go through the Sulky Blendables, until now. I didn't check to see what the color name was until I finished tatting these two Stumpy motifs. That's when I discovered I'd already used this color. Oh, well!

The shuttle is one of my early blinging attempts. My friend Denise and I got together to play with shuttles one day, and Denise brought along Halloween decals. We had a lot of fun that day!

Why not white?

I've been enjoying making these Stumpy motifs for Chris and Erin Hinton at The Shuttle Shop. They're destined to be "Tatted Shuttles" one day, but I don't think there will be a white set any time soon. True, white is classic, crisp, and clean. It certainly looks pretty next to this sparkling blue shuttle blinged by my friend Denise.

So, why not white?

Because there wasn't enough thread on the shuttle! ; )

P.S. ~ I know... add more thread. I can't. I was using thread that was left wound on the shuttle, and I have no idea what I was using! Besides, color is so much more fun!

Sulky Blendables #4022 ~ Midnight Sky

Are you getting bored with my thread journey yet? I'm not! I find it very relaxing to come home after a day at school and be able to sit and tat a pattern that I don't have to think about. Plus, it's so much fun to look at all my pretty shuttles! This one was from Val. I'm still amazed at her ability to perfectly place those pretty little decals.

And another set is ready to go off in the mail to Chris and Erin Hinton to be shuttle-fied!

Sulky Blendalbes #4021 ~ Truly Teal

Lovely, lovely color! I think I need to look for a mallard pattern now! The shuttle is one of my most recent eBay purchases. The wood is curly maple, and the inlay is blue dyed paua shell. The shell inlay is so smooth!

Periwinkles

Tonight I finished my smallest Spinning Wheel glass mat to date. It's 3 3/4" across, tatted in Sulky Blendables 12 wt, #4056, Periwinkles. I love this thread! I think the 12 wt is softer than the 30 wt, and I was a little concerned that it might be too soft. As I was tatting, it reminded me of Valdani, which is beautiful, but not suitable for some of the pieces I like to tat. With this pattern, the thread works. I'm not sure if I'd use it for a snowflake, though.

Yes, I do have plain shuttles in my collection. They look kind of bland next to the blinged ones! I blinged this SewMate shuttle with scrapbooking paper. I love the paper design, but...

the paper has separated and bubbled up along the tip.

I haven't decided what to do with this shuttle yet. I may try re-gluing the paper, or I may strip the paper off the shuttle and decorate it with something else. I think if I decorate any more pic-tip shuttles, I'll leave the tip alone!

Sulky Blendables #4020 ~ Moss Medley

I was a little bored tatting with Moss Medley. The color is so close to Forest Floor. On the spool, Moss Medley appears to have more gold in it, and Forest Floor more green. So it could be that if I were tatting a larger piece, such as Mary Konior's Spinning Wheel glass mat, I might see a greater difference in the two colors. Maybe that should be my next challenge!

It was a pleasure using my new pink fish shuttle from Anika Nassar. I love the way the "scales" sparkled as I tatted! : )

Sulky Blendables #4019 ~ Forest Floor

Oh, I do like this color! I think the name is perfect... shades of light brown mixed in with the green... all very subdued... I can almost feel the sunlight filtering through the trees!

I may have mentioned that I've been trying out a self-imposed austerity budget in preparation for retirement. I know it's four years away, but old habits die hard. Anyway, I've been very unsuccessful in my budgeting efforts. Point in case... I couldn't resist this beautiful silver shuttle inlaid with turquoise and malachite from West Pine Creations! I love the feel of it in my hands, and I feel so elegant tatting with it! Yes, there is a bit of adjustment when tatting with a shuttle like this. I've had to learn to turn the shuttle sideways so that the thread doesn't catch on the stones. This slows me down a bit, but I don't mind. I've never been a speed tatter, and I don't think I ever will be!

Although I purchased the shuttle, Marie kindly sent me two tatted teapots (Martha Ess's patterns), as well as a Tatting Essentials tool. They were a thank you for sending thread samples. I never expect anything in return for thread samples, but I am always thrilled with unexpected gifts! The teapots have been tatted with some of the Sulky thread that I sent to Marie, blended with metallic thread. They really shimmer in the sunlight! Thank you, Marie!

Stephanie Grace recently posted a picture of her motif in shades of red. I had written to her that red is my mom's favorite color, and she sent it to me to give to Mom! She also sent two other pieces and some thread samples. The generosity of tatters overwhelms me at times. Thank you, Stephanie Grace!

I try to stay away from eBay. There are way too many temptations there! As you can see, I succumbed and won this lovely little Bee Shuttle from Jitterbug62. It arrived in a pretty little organza bag decorated with tatting. What a thrill! Thank you, Carollyn!

Is there any help for me? I can't help myself... I LOVE tatting shuttles!

Sulky Blendables #4018 ~ Summer Grass

I think this thread is named appropriately, especially since it's the exact color of our grass as I look at it with the morning sun shining on it. We've had quite a bit of rain over the past couple of days, and we're very glad to have it!

This is a very busy time of year for my husband. He's a wholesale tropical plant dealer, and the month of May can either make or break his business for the year. Since the weather has been beautiful, it looks like it will be a good year for him. Yippee!

Sadly, this is the last LaCossette shuttle I have to share with you... unless I happen to purchase some more! This one is named Ornate Teal. Believe it or not, I'm not even halfway through the shuttles in my lighted shuttle case. I'm really enjoying using each of these little beauties and remembering how they became part of my collection!

Sulky Blendables #4017 ~ Lime Sherbet

I think of lime as having more green in it. This looks more like the center of a lime than lime sherbet to me, but it still is yummy thread! The shuttle is my new Regency Clover shuttle from LaCossette. I hope she doesn't make any more... I'll be tempted to buy them! ; )

So, another set of Stumpy motifs is in the mail the Chris Hinton at The Shuttle Shop! I'm really looking forward to seeing how these shuttles turn out, especially the Peacock Plume and the Valdani.

Sulky Blendables #4016 ~ Peacock Plume

Oh, how I love this color! I'm thinking of making the Peacock out of it. I wonder if I'm up to the challenge? Maybe I should try it in a thicker thread first. : )

I absolutely love my new shuttle from LaCossette! It's perfect... my favorite color, my favorite inexpensive shuttle, my favorite flower... a shuttle to be used again and again!

Valdani?

The next shuttle in my cabinet was a gift from Tatting-Marie, and I love it! There was thread left on it from a Mary Konior pattern I tatted a while back, so I wound some of it on to my new Tatting Forums member shuttle and tatted my Stumpy motifs. I'm pretty sure the thread is a Valdani sample from Fox. I do like the color combination!

Another lovely mail call!

We all love LaCossette's shuttles, don't we? Did you know that she's started offering Clover shuttles? I feel so lucky to have been able to purchase these two. I love blinking shuttles, but LaCossette's are much more refined than mine, and I just had to have a pair. I love the names, too... Rose on Blue and Regency. Maybe I should read some Jane Austen now! ; )

I also "had" to order another Roly Poly Bag and Poke Proof Pouch from Jane Eborall. When my daughter Alison and her family were down visiting a couple of weeks ago, granddaughter Eva decided she wanted to learn how to tat. Eva was really excited to learn that I have a friend in England who enjoys tatting, so I gave her the last set I had purchased from Jane. That's okay, because I really wanted this set as well. : )

Sulky Blendables #4015 ~ Cool Waters

Isn't this a pretty color? I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying working with these threads! I feel like a real tatter! ; )

The shuttle was a gift from Fox. I had tried it before with some size 20 Lizbeth, and it just didn't work well for me. You may remember that for a while I didn't enjoy using the bobbin shuttles with the fine thread. Size 40 seemed to be the best fit for me. However, now that I've been using the 30 wt Sulky Blendables with the bobbin shuttles for a while, I'm finding that I really like the bobbin shuttles.

I think this is one of the Pony shuttles, and except for the protrusion at the end, I really like it. I love the ratcheting sound when I unwind thread from the bobbin. Maybe I should have a Pony shuttle in every color... or two! 

Sulky Blendables #4014 ~ Ocean Blue

Is it possible that some colors of threads are smoother than others? I think so. This Ocean Blue was so silky smooth, I know I'll use it again. It didn't kink at all, and some of the colors have. I love this little shuttle from LaCossette, Robin and Friend.

New Member Shuttle!

I received my new Tatting Forums member shuttle today! I suppose having one with my name on it should have been enough, but...

I rather like having a shuttle that says Lace-Lovin' Librarian!

Thanks Chris and Erin!

Lovin' Lavender

I loved the size 20 Lavender HDT thread from Yarnplayer so much, that I decided to tat every last bit of it with Mary Konior designs. If I could only keep one of my tatting books it would be Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior.

Top left is "Dress Trim." Center is "Flower Patch." Top right is "Masquerade." On the bottom is just half of "Anniversary Motif." I will tat the full motif. It just won't be in Lavender. : )