Another day, another Ice Drop... or two!

Today I decided to use stacked beads instead of picots... just a touch of bling!

Once again, I've tatted a matching pendant. I put two of my newest shuttles in the picture just to prove that I do use the beautiful shuttles I purchase. 😁

Our soybeans were harvested today, and for the first time in more than 20 years, I thought to take before and after pictures.

One of the things I love about living in the country is seeing the changes in the fields with each season. I do love the fall!

I got carried away

I admit it. I really got carried away this time. I do love Rita Richmond's shuttles, and these beauties called out to me!

I'm enjoying tatting Ice Drops with Lizbeth Arctic Waters. I think the crackled glass gem adds to the frosty look!

Craftie sylvie asked about the bale, so I thought I'd share a couple of pictures showing what it looks like glued to the glass gem.

I glued bales to several glass gems before starting to tat, so I know they'll be sufficiently dried by the time I use them. I just slipped them into place according to the pattern.

The placement of the ribbons has to do with where I finished tatting. Although I'm pretty good at hiding my ends, I think the ribbon adds a nice touch. I'm hoping my Ice Drop pendants are a hit at our Christmas in the Village!

Trying something new

Periodically, someone will ask what we Ice Drop Addicts use them for other than decorations. Some use them as zipper pulls, others have added pin backs, and some have had ideas for using them in jewelry.

I recently watched a video about using paper to decorate glass gems and then adding a bale to use it as a necklace.

Of course I have plenty of glass gems, so all I needed to do was purchase the bales, which I found on Amazon.

I crackled some clear glass gems yesterday. I don't think they show up very clearly in the pictures, but they look nice in person. I was in the mood to work with blue again, and this time I chose Arctic Waters, Lizbeth #185.

After tatting an Ice Drop, I tatted the same pattern again, this time using one of the glass gems with a bale attached. I like it!

The next Ice Drop featured more picots.

The next Ice Drop pendant followed the same pattern.

I really like these bales. They're glued to the glass gem, so the weight of the pendant is not pulling on the thread. Why not give it a try? It's fun!

Green cat's eye

I only managed to tat one Ice Drop today. I had errands to run, and I really needed a nap this afternoon.

I do like these cat's eye cabochons! They're slightly smaller than the glass gems, and they're light weight. I think they might work well as earrings. I just may have enough Jelly Bean for one more Ice Drop. If not, I have some ideas for working with blue. I know... you're really surprised that I'm planning on working with blue!

Cat's eye cabochons

I found some cat's eye cabochons on Etsy.

They are very light weight, and in person they really shimmer!

I only have enough Jelly Bean left for one or two more Ice Drops, but I do have lots of cabochons!

Another treeful

My little tree was full, so now this batch of Ice Drops is safely tucked away in a little tin ready for the holidays.

Of course I started another right away! This one has a cat's eye cabochon that I found on Etsy. Unfortunately, the cat's eye doesn't show up on this orange gem.

Barbara gave us glass gems with the little floaty things in them. Are those called cat's eyes as well? No matter, it still looks pretty!

Snip, snip, success!

pattern by Erin Holloway Moseley
size 20 Lizbeth #131, Vineyard Harvest
shuttles from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design

The first class I signed up for was Erin's Josephine Chain Square Motif. I snipped off the portion I started in class, the one on the left. I had flattened out my Josephine chains, and I originally planned to finish the motif with the mistakes still there. This morning I changed my mind and snipped off that first attempt.

I didn't get very far into my second attempt when I realized I'd tatted a ring incorrectly. Rather than spend time retro-tatting, I pulled out my scissors and snipped!

Three times must be the charm, because I finally finished the motif correctly. I may have twisted the last joining picot, but I didn't look very carefully, and I'm pretty sure no one else will either!

Can you tell I was in a matching mood when I prepared for class? 

Out of the heat

It was a warm one today, but the Tollway Tatters were cool and comfortable!

Barbara

Sue Anna

Denise

I never think to take a picture of myself!

Our tables were loaded with tatting goodies!

Barbara brought cat's eye glass gems to share with us, and she also brought glass gems that she had decorated.

I worked on my sister-in-law's runner. When I got to the last ring in the motif, I realized I had tatted the first ring incorrectly. Luckily, I had my scissors with me!

Denise finished Karey Solomon's Ice Drop from Palmetto Tat Days. I finished one of my Ice Drops, so the day was not a loss!

We did have a great time together! If you're ever in the Chicago area when we have a meeting, please join us. We would love to have you join in the fun. We've tentatively set our next meeting date for October 21. We'll verify the meeting closer to the date.

Slow tatting

With two of my grandchildren here this week, I had very little time for tatting. I guess if I'm honest, I could have made time for tatting, but I chose to enjoy my time with the kids.

I did manage to slowly finish my metallic thread Ice Drop. The sparkle doesn't show much in this picture, but it really is bright in person!

Playing with metallic thread

I was disappointed that Rita Richmond was unable to attend Palmetto Tat Days this year. Not only was I looking forward to seeing her new shuttle designs, I was also interested in seeing her new line of metallic threads!

Being rather impatient, I ordered the Rexana and DMC threads that Rita carries on my way home from Tat Days. Aren't smart phones wonderful?

I haven't done much tatting this week, as two of my grandchildren are visiting and I've been helping them with schoolwork. However, I have tatted enough to know that I really like the Rexana!

Rita sent me pictures of three shuttles she thought I would like, and she was so right! I do like the decorated Moonlit shuttles because of the embedded crochet hook. However for smooth tatting pleasure, nothing beats Rita's own acrylic shuttles!

By now, you know how hard it is for me to resist beautiful shuttles. When Rita posted these, I headed straight to her Facebook shop. This picture does not do them justice. They are gorgeous! I wish I had realized that she also had two of her acrylic shuttles with the poppy and flower designs. By the time I noticed, they were gone!

Palmetto Tat Days 2017 ~ the challenge

Did you know that you can apply for a scholarship to attend Palmetto Tat Days? Next year, the guild will be raffling of a quilt, and we were challenged to take quilt squares and strips with us to decorate with tatting.

For each of the three fabric categories, there were tatting patterns designed by Jane Eborall to get us started. I'm not a fan of skulls, but I had decided to take one of each square, and this happened to be one of the categories.

I am fascinated by beer steins! I don't have any, and I often wonder if they're really practical with those lids.

I think this Japanese lady would appeal to my mom. She loves oriental designs!

I was really drawn to this dragon fly fabric. Now it's time to get tatting!

Save the date!

Save the date! Tollway Tatters will be meeting this coming Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Hinsdale Oasis on 294 at 10 a.m. If you're in the Chicago area, we would love to have you join us! Look for tie-dyed t-shirts, tatting supplies, and lots of smiles! We try to sit near Starbucks and Panera Bread, and we usually stay until around 3.

Palmetto Tat Days 2017 ~ my classes

The hardest part of attending Palmetto Tat Days is choosing classes. Of course I want to take them all! I can't imagine how hard it is for the organizers to select which classes will be offered.

The event is so well organized! We each had a folder that contained the patterns for our classes, and the schedule was on the front of the folder, making it very easy to keep track of where we were supposed to be and when. Luckily, this year I remembered to change my watch when we entered the Eastern time zone. Last year I almost missed lunch, because I thought it was an hour earlier than it was!

Thursday night was our first class, with everyone invited! This little flour-de-lis designed by Linda Reiff is the only project I managed to finish. I rewarded myself with a shopping trip in the vendor room!

My Saturday morning class was with Erin Holloway Moseley. Her Josephine Chain Square Motif was a challenge for me, because I couldn't figure out why my Josephine chain wasn't twisting. It turns out there was a simple solution. I just needed to drop my shuttle in a different direction before tatting the rings. I will finish this just to make sure I have the pattern down pat, and then I will tat another the correct way!

Saturday afternoon started with Sharren Morgan's Chain of Violets. Once I understood the bead placement, this was very easy! I plan on finishing this as a bracelet.

Sandra Eichelberger's Elegant Clovers Necklace is a challenge for me because of all the split rings. At least those split rings have beads instead of picots! Honestly, if I had read the description or looked at the picture carefully, I might not have taken this class because of the split rings. I'm glad I wasn't careful! I think this is going to be a beautiful necklace!

Wally Sosa's Button Flower Oya Igne Style was really interesting! I had no idea how to do this technique, and I'm very glad I learned it. I think it will open up lots of possibilities, maybe even a new Ice Drop! 😉

The most difficult class for me was Linda Reiff's Mekik Oyasi Turkish Tatting. I think I understand the concept now. This will be another one that I finish knowing that it will be far from perfect, but I feel confident that my technique will improve on the next one!

If you've never attended a tatting conference such as Palmetto Tat Days, I encourage you to give it a try. It's tremendous fun to meet other tatters and learn tips and techniques to improve tatting skills. Thank you to all the wonderful people who put Palmetto Tat Days together, and a special thank you to all the teachers who have given me inspiration to try new techniques and challenge myself in new ways.

Palmetto Tat Days 2017 ~ shuttles

I was way too tired to post last night. I subbed all day Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and I subbed part of the day Wednesday and Friday. I'm not used to working that hard now that I'm retired!

Anyway, I'm sure most of you know that I'm addicted to tatting shuttles. My favorite inexpensive shuttle is the Clover, but when a pretty one catches my eye, I will buy it if it's in my price range!

Lisa Adams of The Tatting Corner had two of these beauties. I was tempted to buy them both, but decided to leave the other one for another tatter. :-)

Clover shuttles make me happy! Red and Indigo Blue shuttles are not readily available in my neck of the woods, so I just had to get them!

I pick these up whenever I see them. I want stores to continue carrying them, and my theory is that the stores will only continue selling them if they disappear from the shelves.

Moonlit shuttles are another favorite. I like them when I travel because of the built-in crochet hook... one less thing to use!

Although I was too tired to post, I did find time to tat.

I wanted to try out this metallic thread that Lisa had at Tat Days. It's really nice to work with. I chose to use a bobbin shuttle, because I was afraid that the clicking though the tips of the Clovers would cut the metallic thread.

The thread is size 30, so it tats up smaller than the 20. Luckily, I had a glass gem that fit beautifully!

The back is just as pretty as the front!