Video day

 

I went down a rabbit hole of watching sewing and quilting videos on YouTube today. As a result, I finished off three more quilt blocks. However, there was no tatting. I feel like my day is incomplete!

Unexpected

We had some unexpected guests today. Daughter Andrea and family stopped by on their way home from Kentucky. It was a short visit, but oh so sweet!

I also had a phone call from my college roommate. Eileen and I have known each other since our senior year in high school. We were roommates in college for two years. I took a year off after sophomore year. Eileen left after junior year and married her husband Tom. Our friendship has been one of those where we might not talk for months, but we pick up where we left off. I couldn't ask for a better friend.

I missed Tollway Tatters, but I did manage to finish two more quilt blocks. I now have ten of the 24 blue blocks finished.

I've chosen my color for round 16 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026, size 20 Lizbeth # 646 Purple Iris Lt. 

I'm itching to try some new patterns, so I may get started on another project. We'll see how the week goes!

Round 15

 

I've very pleased that I finished round 15 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 today. I took a quick peek at round 16, and it looks like another round that will be easy to memorize.

Back in the 1980s, I was fascinated with Georgia Bonesteel and her lap quilting method. There was only one station that aired the show, and it was not a local station. The video and sound quality were not fantastic because of the poor reception. 

I was thinking about that show this morning, and today I watched the whole first season on YouTube (Lap Quilting with Georgia Bonesteel) while tatting and working on quilt blocks. It's been a great day!

3/4

 

I'm a little more than 3/4 of the way around Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. I plan on finishing round 15 tomorrow.

Two more quilt blocks are ready to go. One thing good about spending so much time hand stitching is that I've been able to really think about ways to make this process easier. I feel committed to finishing this one the way I started it so that everything is consistent, but I'm eager to try out some of the ideas that have been going through my head. I'll be a little smarter next time and practice on small pieces that can be table toppers. I am having fun!

I made it!

 

I was able to get to the halfway point of round 15 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. That was the main thing I wanted to accomplish today, so I'm feeling pretty good.

I also finished one more quilt block. The quilt blocks are taking a little longer than I thought they would, mainly because I've been distracted by other things. Still, I'm not in a rush. After all, I am retired!

Almost halfway!

 

Last night I started round 15 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 in size 20 Lizbeth #633 Purple Dk. I only tatted a couple of rings and chains, but it was enough to get me started. I really just picked this up and tatted in between things I was doing around the house, so I was very pleased with my progress!

Round 14

 

The house is still pretty clean thanks to getting ready for Easter, so my chores were minimal today. That left me plenty of time for tatting.

Round 14 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 is in size 20 Lizbeth #640 Antique Violet Med. Daughter Joanne loves the way this one looks, so this one will be for her.

Now I have to decide which color to use next!

Family fun

 

We had a wonderful family gathering for Easter. Not everyone was able to be here, but we still had a great time.

I fell a little short of my goal today, which was to get 3/4 of round 14 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 finished. I have one pattern repeat to go. My hope is to complete this round by Wednesday.

Two of the blue bound blocks for my patriotic quilt are finished. I was only going to try and finish one per day, but I figured two is better than one!

Productive day

I'm very pleased with what I accomplished today.

I passed the halfway mark of round 14 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. It's an easy round, but it sure is taking me a long time!

My biggest accomplishment of the day was finishing the yellow and purple wall quilt to cover our bathroom window. The wall you are looking at is the old exterior of our house, with the bathroom window facing west. We built a room addition last summer, and that wall is now the east wall of our new room.

We didn't want to close up the bathroom window. It would have meant redoing one wall in our bathroom, which was not in our budget. Dave built the quilt rack for me last week, so it was time to finish the quilt.

I tried several techniques that were new to me. The quilt doesn't look bad from a distance, but there are lots of mistakes that could drive me crazy. Let's just say that I'm not overly fond of this creation. When I find a way that works for me, this quilt will be replaced. I'll take off the loops for hanging, and it can be used as a baby quilt.

I'm not expecting to get any crafting done tomorrow. We have family coming for Easter, and visiting with family is far more important than crafting!

Quilt day

Today I was determined to finish the squares with red binding.

I succeeded! It took me all day to finish the last four blocks. I seem to have slowed down with my hand stitching.

This will probably not be the final layout, but this is the look I want. Now I need to finish the 24 blocks bound in blue to go around the outside. Once those are finished, I will decide on the final layout.

I'll be going at a much slower pace now. If I finish one block each day, I will be happy. Obviously, I did not meet my goal of finishing Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 by Easter. My goal now is to finish by the time school is out, which is achievable. 

Tonight, while we watch t.v., I'll be back to tatting!

Shopping day

It's been a while since Mom and I have met up with daughter Carol for shopping and lunch, so we seized the opportunity to get together today.

After picking up Carol, we headed over to Hobby Lobby. Mom found these adorable gnomes that we will put in the garden when the weather gets a bit nicer.

Mom loves Highland cows, and she just couldn't resist this little guy.

After shopping, we went to Olive Garden for lunch. We then headed home for some much needed rest. Shopping can be exhausting!

Tatting was on hold today. I did manage to finish one quilt block before we went out and another when we got home. It's been a long day, and I'm tired. I wonder what I will accomplish tomorrow?

International Tatting Day

 

Happy International Tatting Day! I had hoped to get more tatting done than I did, but with all the errands and chores of the day, I guess I'll just have to be happy with what I did achieve. Tomorrow is another day!

Sick days

Oops! I wrote this post last night and forgot to publish it!

It's a good thing I posted early on Sunday. I never got around to posting in the evening, because I got sick mid-afternoon.

Before giving up for the day, I managed to finish four more quilt blocks.

Yesterday, all crafting was out of the question.

Today, I had enough energy to finish two more quilt blocks. Tomorrow, I should be able to focus on tatting. That's a must! After all, no tatter wants to miss International Tatting Day!

Getting old or forgetful?

I'm going with forgetful, because most days I really don't feel old! Forgetful? Definitely! I know I opened up my computer last night and checked my email. However, once again, I forgot my blog post!

We had another great turnout for Tollway Tatters. I believe we had nine people. Even though round 14 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 is very simple, I only managed to tat 1/4 of the round during the two hours I was able to be in on the meeting. 

I found a new solitaire game to play, Q-less. There are 12 dice, and the idea is to use all 12 to form words a minimum of 3 letters long. It took me three tries to come up with this combination.

We don't really play many games, but I do enjoy solitaire games, and this one doesn't take up much space!

I only finished two quilt blocks yesterday. My eyes got tired, so I stopped crafting early.

Today is granddaughter Sophia's 13th birthday. I can't believe she's a teenager already! Happy birthday, Sophia!

Minimal progress

Two rings and one section of chain were all I managed to tat today. 

I almost forgot that there was an FFA (Future Farmers of America) breakfast this morning. The kids sponsored a mental health awareness week, and the breakfast was a big part of their project. So rather than sitting at home and tatting, I attended the breakfast of biscuits and gravy. It was delicious!

Between watching t.v. last night and listening to an audio book this afternoon, I managed to finish three more quilt blocks. I now have ten finished, so I feel like I'm on a roll!

Tomorrow morning we have our monthly Tollway Tatters meeting via Zoom. Since round 14 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 is so simple, I expect get a lot of tatting done!

Round 13

 

Today I finished round 13 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. The thread is size 20 Lizbeth #663 Bright Turquoise Dk.

For round 14, I've decided to go back to Lizbeth #640 Antique Violet Med. I really like the contrast between the bright and dull colors.

I only finished one quilt block today. Tomorrow will be a busy day, but then we will be on spring break. I know I need to get some housework done, but I'm hoping that there will plenty of time for crafting in the next week!

This and that

 

Well, I have six blocks completed! To be fair, I had two finished before I decided to finish all the machine stitching at once. So, it looks like I will average two each day. At least that's my hope.

I finished another two pattern repeats on round 13 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. Next week is our spring break, so maybe I will make greater progress on both projects. Time will tell!

Better than nothing!

 

I only managed one pattern repeat today. With errands to run, lunch room duty, and a doctor's appointment, I really didn't have much time for crafting.

Since I was up early, I did manage to finish the machine portion of the binding on the blue blocks before starting my busy day. All of my blocks are ready for hand sewing!

More than half way

 

I definitely made it past the halfway mark on round 13 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. There's something very satisfying about getting past that halfway point.

I'm almost finished with the machine portion of binding the blue blocks. I only have four left, but they will have to wait. I ran out of energy!

Half way... almost!

 

I almost made it half way through round 13 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. This is a very simple round to tat, and I used it as a way to keep me from spending too much time at my sewing machine.

Yesterday, I spent way too much time at my sewing machine, so today I only worked on three blocks before taking a tatting break. Neither my hands nor my back got tired, so I was able to finish the machine portion of half of the blue bordered blocks. I think that's pretty good progress!

 

I'm off to a good start on round 13 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. For this round I chose size 20 Lizbeth #663 Bright Turquoise Dk.

I spent most of my time today sewing the front side of the binding on my diagonal blocks. It took all day, but I did finish all 24 blocks. Next up will be sewing the blue binding on the remaining 24 blocks. Then I will hand stitch the second side of the binding. I expect that to take at least a couple of weeks.

The weather was beautiful today. We sat in our new room with the sliding doors open and enjoyed the fresh air. All in all, it was a terrific day!

Round 12

 

I focused on completing round 12 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 today, and I really like the way it looks. I used size 20 Lizbeth #658 Ocean Turquoise Lt. 

My sister is visiting for the weekend, so I'm sure there will be plenty of crafting going on!

Streamlining

 

Now that I've decided how I'm going to finish my pot holder blocks, I've decided to streamline the process. First, I think I'll do all of the machine stitching of the binding. That way, I can sit and do the hand sewing while watching t.v. Once all of the blocks have binding attached, I will decide on the layout. I love the way the red binding looks around these blocks!

I really thought I had tatted more than two pattern repeats today. I did have to rewind both of my shuttles, so I guess that accounts for my tatting time. 

I had what I hope is my final visit with the chiropractor today. He said that if I feel any back or leg pain in a week, I should come back. I'm going to do my best to avoid any further problems!

Half way

 

My hands were too cold to tat yesterday, but I did do some catching up today. I'm now half way through round 12 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026.

I also managed to bind two of my patriotic blocks. I'm not especially happy with the way the first one turned out, but the second turned out much better. Since I've decided to hand stitch the second side of the binding, it took me about an hour and a half to complete each block. 

My plan is to bind all of the blocks before deciding on the final layout. I hope to get a bit faster as I continue with these. I am having fun!

Forgot to post

I did check my email last night, but I forgot to post my progress on Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. 

I now have 8 pattern repeats finished, which I think is pretty good progress!

Not much progress

It's not surprising that I didn't make much progress on Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. After all, it is play weekend!

There was a wall of recognition for veterans and those currently serving in the military. Both sides of the panels have posters recognizing these men and women.

Information was provided for Adopt A Soldier and Project Headspace.

45 raffle items were donated by community members, raising almost $2,000 for Adopt A Soldier.

The kids were really committed to doing their best. They were reviewing dances right up until the doors opened before each of the performances.

From what my daughter told me, Bandstand received mixed reviews on Broadway in 2017. I thought the play was very thought provoking, and I know others felt the same way.

I wonder how they'll top this one?

After spending so many hours at the school this weekend, I guess I have an excuse for getting so little tatting done!