Not much to show

I had a very busy day, but I don't have much to show for it. Alison and the kids had to leave early today, so after breakfast I got started with my day.

I've been making curtains for the windows in the cafeteria doors. So far I've finished ones in school colors for September, pumpkins for October, and turkeys for November. I meant to finish December curtains last week, but Thanksgiving got in the way. This morning I made it my goal to finish both December and January curtains. They were delivered by 11 a.m. Mission accomplished!

After lunch, a friend came over for help with a blanket she was making for a relative. She was trying to make a no-sew polar fleece blanket, but the fabric she had chosen for one side wasn't working. Instead of knotting the two layers together, I suggested sewing them right sides together, turning it right side out and top stitching. She liked the idea, and we were able to finish the blanket in a little over an hour.

I put my feet up for a few minutes, and then the UPS man arrived with Christmas presents. I'm determined to wrap presents as I get them this year. I'm no good at spending hours wrapping. I get grouchy. My back hurts. It's just not a pretty picture! So, I wrapped the four presents that arrived in just a few minutes, and I am happy.

Right around the time I finished, daughter Carol arrived for a visit. Then it was time to start dinner. My only regret is that I haven't tatted an Ice Drop yet. I'll have to see if I can get one done before I head off to bed!

Rewrite

I spent a good part of the day rewriting my Ice Drop Tutorial with the help of my granddaughter Eva. I've had several requests for more information and better pictures. Hopefully, this version does the trick. Would you do me a favor and let me know if the link takes you to the updated tutorial?

This is the Ice Drop I tatted for the tutorial. I'm so glad my friend Denise requested red and white ornaments for the library Christmas tree. Seeing all the variations in red and white made me want some of my own!

Another Christmas tree has been added to my forest! I'm up to ten!

Ready for quilting

I had a busy day today!

Dave found our very old tree skirt yesterday. I've been meaning to replace it for years. My daughters always loved it, but it is very faded, and the backing is falling apart. I haven't been able to find one I like in the right size, so I decided to make one today.

Aren't these Santas cute?

The reverse side is candy canes. I like the idea of a reversible tree skirt. I can change my mind, and that's always a plus!

It looks kind of boring to me right now, so I plan on doing some hand quilting. It will be fine for now, and when I want to do something little different, I can just pick up the tree skirt and do a little quilting!

I finished another pin loom tree today! Granddaughter Eva chose the colors for this one. I have nine finished. I planned on having twenty for Christmas in the Village, but I'm not sure I can meet that goal. Maybe I can have a dozen. I can be happy with that.

Since the first tree skirt went together so well, I decided to make another one this afternoon. I'm using up pieces of batting left over from other projects. The cotton fabric isn't as smooth on this tree skirt, but I think it will look fine once it's quilted.

The back is tiny little holly leaves. If I have time, I think I'll make another tomorrow. Dave put two Christmas trees upstairs, and I think they need tree skirts. I have plenty of Christmas fabric, so I might as well keep going!

Dave insisted on having a second little tree on top of the entertainment center. It was missing something, so I decided to crochet a star tree topper. I found a free ornament pattern online. I crocheted two, sewed them together, and had my tree topper!

 I was afraid it might be too large, but Dave liked it, so it's fine with me!

My day wouldn't be complete without an Ice Drop. I've gone back to the basic pattern, because I can finish them much more quickly. I have so many more Ice Drop combinations I want to try. I just need more time!
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Monday, Monday

I did my best to get back on track with crafting today.

Today was a two Ice Drop day.

I've gone back to the basic pattern as I can complete them much more quickly.

I also finished another Christmas tree this morning. I've added a little star button to the top. Isn't it cute?

From slow to stop

That's right... there has been no tatting in this house since Friday... no tatting, no sewing, no weaving, nothing... zip, zero, zilch! Why? We've been decorating for Christmas!

My nutcrackers are all standing at attention, guarding the Christmas tree.

I love m little tabletop tree! There's much less disruption to my living room arrangement than when we had a big tree. My little tree skirt is in terrible condition. I haven't been able to find a small one that I like, so I see a tree skirt in my sewing future! In them meantime, a cloth napkin is the only decoration under the tree.

When Eva, Aidan, and I were cleaning over the past couple of weeks, I minimized the collection of pretty pieces in and on my curio cabinet. I felt much more inspired to decorate.

Not all of my nutcrackers fit on the windowsill, so these five guard the entertainment center! The Santa was a gift from my mom. He holds a pickle. We always hide a pickle in the Christmas tree. The person who finds the pickle first gets to hand out the presents. Dave bought the tallest nutcracker and the popcorn shop (which can be turned on for lights and animation) to add to this year's decorations. When it comes to decorating for Christmas, Dave wants an overabundance of everything. I sometimes have to tell him no!

My Grandma Jones's drop leaf table now holds three chests that hold tatting shuttles. I'm getting closer to finding and organizing all of my shuttles. When that day comes, I'll do a re-count and post pictures for all those who are interested.

Can you see the tree on top of the clock? My sister-in-law gave it to me for Christmas the first year Dave and I were married. The joke is that when we take the decorations down, I frequently forget about the tree on top of the clock. I usually don't notice until way after everything is put away, so it stays up all year!

Dave thinks that Christmas trees should have ball ornaments only, so the tree in the sun room is decorated to his liking. Eva and Aidan did most of the work for him this year. It does look pretty at night!

I was so pleased to have inherited my mom's hutch. Dave and I looked for one for several years, but none were as pretty as my mom's. I don't remember when Mom got it, but I have always loved it! The plates have always held a place of honor on the hutch, and if someone else in the family ever wants this beautiful piece of furniture, the plates go with it!

I love the angels on top. Dave has put lights up there for years. This year we decided to add a touch of greenery.

Do you see the candle on the kitchen wall to the left? My Grandpa Green made that. It used to have a big red bow, but it was getting pretty sad looking, so I removed it. I suppose I should put another one on to dress it up.

So, are we done? No! We set up two trees in the dormers upstairs today. They still need to be decorated, and they need tree skirts. The Christmas villages need to be set up in the sun room, and we need to find where we stored our Santas. We haven't started on decorating the kitchen yet. I'm not sure what Dave has in mind for this year, but it's sure to be cheerful!

Everyone will be here for Christmas this year, so Dave and I have also started reorganizing and cleaning the upstairs. We finished one of the two bedrooms today. The study area is a disaster, so that will take a while. The good thing about all of this is that I've been ruthless in getting rid of things that someone might be able to use. If it's in good condition and something that someone can truly use, we're taking it to the Salvation Army. The reality is, most of what we've saved has outlived its usefulness, so it's headed for the trash bin.

I think I'm really going to enjoy this Christmas!

Slow tatting day

It was a slow tatting day with only one Ice Drop completed, but I was very productive in other ways.

I worked on little Christmas trees for Christmas in the Village, which is only two weeks away. I really shouldn't take pictures when it's dark outside. The colors just don't show up. This one is two layers of a forest green with sparkly purple in the middle. I want to do a little more embellishing, but I haven't completely figured out how to bring my ideas to life!

I worked some on Christmas stockings. I need to piece fabric for the back of the stockings, and then I'll decide if I have time to hand quilt the stockings or if I'll do a quick job with the sewing machine. Maybe I'll do a combination of both!

I really meant to sort through some of my craft stash yesterday, but I was having so much fun working in my clean space that I sort of forgot!

As it should be

Thanks to grandchildren Eva and Aidan and daughter Carol, my sewing room now looks as it should.

The glider used to be my mom's. I've had it for years, and it is a great place to sit and do handwork. However, I've had stuff piled on it for so long that it just looked like an object took up space. The afghan on the glider was crocheted by daughter Andrea. I love it! Dave built the sewing cabinet for me years ago after visiting Nancy Zieman's showroom in Beaver Dam, WI. The little sewing table is a reproduction piece for my Singer Featherweight. Now that the room is cleared, I can start using it!

Dave created this sewing area/bookcase years ago. Yes, I have way too many books, and I really need to go through them.

My weaving corner is waiting for me! The rug was made by daughter Carol, who refuses to be drawn to the dark side (crafting). I believe she made three rugs, one for daughter Andrea, one for a friend's wedding, and one for me. I don't believe she's touched anything craft since! The loom was a gift from my mom. Weaving has become a very relaxing activity for me!

Since my sewing space was ready, I decided to get started on Christmas stockings for daughter Joanne's three little ones. Yes, even my kitchen is clean and organized!

The Christmas decorating has begun! I love my arrangement of chests. Yes, they are filled with shuttles! Easy access is important, you know!

The angels on my hutch are all gifts, one from daughter Andrea, the others from my Soup Club friends. The little Christmas trees are my newest craft project. They're not finished. They still need to be embellished with cinnamon sticks and stars. I'll be taking these to Christmas in the Village. I've been teaching Eva and Aidan pin loom weaving, so that they can earn money to attend their youth group retreat in January. I promised them that they could have all the money from the Christmas trees to help fund their trip. They seemed very excited to learn something new and have the opportunity to earn some cash!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The house is clean. The food is ready. The guests will arrive soon. From our house to yours...

Work before pleasure

My grandchildren and I have been working diligently to get the house ready for Thanksgiving. I wish they could be here more often. I really do enjoy having them around!

Because we've all been working so hard, there's been very little time for tatting. The kids have helped me get rid of a lot of clutter. Some things have been safely packed away for future use, while others have been donated to charity.

We may or may not attack my sewing room tomorrow. We'll have to see if any of us have the energy for that gigantic task!

Time flies!

I can't believe I haven't posted since Thursday! What have I been doing?

Well, on Friday Denise and I went shopping at Hobby Lobby. We bought Christmas decor and glass gems... because we both "needed" Christmas decor and glass gems! Of course when I arrived home, I had to find a place for everything. Luckily, I was able to finish my laundry before we went shopping.

Saturday kind of got away from me. I did my grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, and I think I actually remembered everything I needed (I left my list at home). Dave was busy all day long repairing a leaky toilet. I'm still cleaning and packing away seldom used items in preparation for decorating for the holidays. If I were a wealthy woman, I would hire someone to organize and clean my house so that I could keep on tatting!

So, with all that going on, tatting took a back seat. I started this Minty Fudge pattern Thursday night and finished it Friday night.

I started this Minty Fudge pattern Saturday morning and finished it early this morning. My goal is to have everything organized and cleaned by Tuesday evening so that I can justify spending all my free time enjoying my shuttles and thread!

Shades of blue

I do love all shades of blue! I know the beads and ribbon don't exactly match, but I do think they go well together.

With the completion of this Ice Drop, I have another treeful ready for Christmas in the Village! My grandson asked me how many I have. We didn't count, but I did show him the tins filled with Ice Drops all ready for the sale. Maybe we'll count them next week when he's visiting.

My newest shuttle arrived in the mail today! I do love the Pop-A-Bobbin shuttles, and this tulipwood is gorgeous! 

I love pearls!

Real pearls, fake pears, pearlescent buttons and beads... if it has anything to do with pearls, I love it!

They don't show up well in the picture, but these little pearlescent beads look perfect to me! My grandson chose the ribbon. Doesn't he have good taste? 😄

No tatting

I have no tatting to show today. I did some cleaning and reorganizing this morning, and then I drove up to pick up my grandchildren, Eva and Aidan, so that they can spend a couple of days with me. They're homeschooled, and I will have the chance to be a teacher again for a couple of days!

When I arrived home, I found that my newest shuttles from Emiko Suenaga arrived!

The backs are just as beautiful as the fronts!

Although, Emiko has an Etsy shop, these beauties are available exclusively from Tatting Corner.

There aren't many, so if you're interested, you'd better be pretty quick!

So, Michelle and Maureen wanted to see my new rugs. This is the living room rug, and yes, Maureen, it is blue! No other color would do!

Dave chose the sun room rug. The style doesn't really appeal to me, but it has blue in it, so I approved the purchase. 😉 I get my way in so many things, I figured Dave should get something he likes!
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Busy weekend

Boy, has it been busy!

My friend Denise will be a grandma soon. Her daughter's due date is December 2. Nicole lives in the Pacific Northwest. Denise held a baby shower anyway, and we all got to visit with Nicole via FaceTime. It was a great time with fabulous food and wonderful conversation!

After the baby shower, Dave and I went shopping for a new living room rug. The one we had was too small, and I wanted something brighter. It took us a long time to choose the right rug, and we also found one for the sun room. The rugs are now in place, and I've been busy getting the two rooms back together.

Despite all the activity, I managed to finish another Minty Fudge Ice Drop. Tomorrow looks like it will be another busy one, so it may again take me two days to finish an Ice Drop. I guess that's the way it goes!

New favorite

I do love blue and white! This one turned out just about perfect!

Playing with Minty Fudge

Today I played with my Minty Fudge pattern.

I chose a green ribbon to go with the gold beads, because our school colors are green and gold.

I'm not sure I chose the right ribbon for this one. The beads are a peacock blend of blues and greens. I may change the ribbon to blue.

This one was a no brainer. I love the bright yellow ribbon with the yellow beads!