The final strip

I finished the final strip for my wall hanging today. The next step is to sew the strips together. That probably won't happen until after the weekend.

Today, I took the plunge and cleaned out my closet. It's not finished. I need Dave's help in getting down the items on the top shelf, and we need to go through his clothes. Still, going through my things was a major accomplishment, and the closet is much cleaner!

One more strip

 

I finished the next strip for my wall hanging today. There are two more strips that I hope to finish tomorrow.

Today, Dave took me to a quilt shop in Morris, IL, about an hour west of us. I didn't need a thing, but I did find a few fabrics that called to me. 

We're expecting hot and humid conditions tomorrow, so I don't expect to be outside much. I do have to get a few things done in preparation for a family wedding this weekend. Luckily, they don't require going out into the heat!

Two rows

 

Today I sewed two strips of quilt blocks together for my wall hanging. I have three more strips to complete, and then I can sew the strips together.

I'm eager to see how this turns out!

Braid: Four Ring, no decorative picots

 

Today I tatted another Braid: Four Rings from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. This one was tatted without the decorative picots. Again, the thread is size 20 Hakelgarn, hand-dyed thread from LadyShuttleMaker, "Patriotic".

I finally finished the final quilt block for my wall hanging project.

I just finished it a few minutes ago. Tomorrow I will decide on the layout and begin sewing the blocks together. By the end of the week, I should have a new wall hanging!

Braid: Four Rings

 

Another day seemed to get away from me, but I did manage to finish another bookmark in size 20 Hakelgarn, "Patriotic", from LadyShuttleMaker.

The pattern is Braid: Four Rings from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. Let's see what tomorrow brings!

Not as planned

Yesterday did not go as I had planned it. I did not touch my sewing machine, so my quilt block did not get made. It probably won't get made today, either. It's a good thing I'm not on a deadline!

I did finally finish my bookmark this morning. The pattern is Braid: Three Rings on page 28 of Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti.

The thread is size 20 Hakelgarn "Patriotic", hand-dyed by LadyShuttleMaker. I have a 50 yd. skein of this thread, so I know I will be able to tat at least four bookmarks, possibly 5, from this color way.

Today will be a busy one. Mom has a doctor appointment this morning. I have a retired teachers' lunch at noon, a graduation party from 5-9 p.m., and a jewelry party from 5-9. Depending on how my day goes, I may have to opt out of one or both of the parties. Life seems to get very busy once school is out for the summer!

One done, one to go!

 

I didn't spend much time crafting today, but I did manage to finish one more quilt block.

I only need one more for my project, and I plan on finishing that tomorrow morning. After that, I will decide on the layout, and then I can begin joining blocks.

I did start another bookmark today, but I didn't get very far.

So, what did I do with my day? I did a lot of walking and enjoying the beautiful weather. I bought a gently used sewing machine so that I can give sewing lessons to local kids. 

The best part of the day was preparing dinner with my brother. David tried a new recipe for ribs, and I made roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions. Dinner was delicious!

Robin Perfetti

 

I love Robin Perfetti's designs. I also love hand-dyed thread. So, I've decided that I'm going to increase my bookmark stash using Robin's designs in Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks and some of my hand-dyed threads.

This is Braid: One Ring from page 24 of Robin's book. The hand-dyed thread is one that was left on a Tatsy shuttle that I pulled out of one of my shuttle storage drawers. The tag is long gone, so I have no idea of the color name or who dyed it.

This one is Braid: Two Rings from page 26 of the book. If I had just a little more thread, I would have tatted at least one more pattern repeat. 

All in all, it was a pretty good tatting day!

Unfinished forever...

It's true. I started tatting the final round of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026 this morning. It took me about an hour and a half to complete one pattern repeat... not a problem. I knew that as I moved on I would get faster.

However, something looked off. I counted to see how many pattern repeats I had left... 23... and a half! How could that be? Four rows back, I missed tatting a ring and chain.

This doily is for daughter Joanne, so I contacted her on FaceTime to show her what has happening. She likes it just the way it is, so I'm just stopping here. Right now it's 24" in diameter.

I love this doily, so I will probably tat it again. I will pay much closer attention to how many repeats are on each round. It's too bad the final round can't be worked into this properly, because it is really beautiful. Next time!

After my doily disaster, I decided to work on a quilt block. This truly is a scrappy quilt block. I used up bits and pieces from previous blocks. It's not my favorite, but it will do.

The quilting pattern looks kind of funky on the back, but the look on the back is always a surprise to me.

I did try starting a tatted bookmark today. As I finished the second ring, I realized that I had missed a section of the first ring. I cut the thread and decided that tatting will have to wait for tomorrow!

Celebrating Alison

 

This weekend we celebrated my oldest daughter Alison, who turns 50 tomorrow. I can't believe I'm old enough to have a 50 year old daughter!

After a big lunch at home, we visited Mistie Hill Winery, about 40 minutes from our home. There was a beautiful breeze, and the temperature was just right for sitting outside and enjoying each other's company.

Alison's one request for her birthday was to spend time around the fire pit. It was the perfect night to sit by a fire.

This morning we went out to breakfast, which was delicious. Alison and Andrea both headed for home right after breakfast. Dave and I went shopping for a few things we needed and then went home. This afternoon we each worked on a little cleanup from the weekend activities, which really didn't take long.

Tomorrow we should be back to normal. Let's hope for lots of tatting and quilting time!

Round 19

 

I finally finished round 19 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. Only one round to go!

We are celebrating daughter Alison's 50th birthday this weekend. We won't have the whole family, but we will have enough to make it a true celebration!

Lucky me!

 

Mom finished this beautiful Eternity Shawl that she made just for me! It's 7' long and 30" wide. She finished it a few days ago, but I didn't get around to blocking it until today. My brother David helped me. He's pretty good with blocking pins!

I did make some progress on Renulek's Spring Doily 2026, but I'm so close to finishing round 19 that I decided to wait until I finish the round before posting another picture. I'm hoping that happens tomorrow!

Round 19 progress

 

I have finished 3/4 of round 19 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. I'm hoping to finish this round before the weekend.

Tomorrow will be a tough day for tatting. It's the last day of school, which is good. However. daughter Carol was given notice that all of the Drama Club props and paraphernalia need to be moved by noon Thursday so that some major work can be done at the elementary school and Hamann Center. A crew of 13 worked on Saturday and made a major dent in the work that needed to be done. Today Carol, Dave, my brother, and one of the students managed to clear out a storage room. My brother and I will be going to help her out tomorrow morning. There are two rooms and a closet left to clear out. I know she's hoping it can all be finished tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Another quilt day

 

I was feeling really lazy today, but I did manage to finish two quilt blocks.

I was working on a disappearing nine patch block, but it was way too big for the quilt I'm working on.

So, I took two of the four sections and created these two blocks.

I have an idea for the remaining two blocks, which I will try sometime in the next couple of days.

School is winding down. I'll be in for lunch supervision Tuesday and Wednesday, and then I'll be off for the summer. We have family coming to visit this weekend, I guess I'd better spend some time getting the house ready for company!

Halfway

 

I reached the halfway point of round 19 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. I'm very pleased!

Just one

I really meant to accomplish more today, but I only managed to make one quilt block.

 At least it's pretty!

Taking a break

 

I took a break from crafting today. Instead, I baked a loaf of Cheddar Herb bread, played games, and read. It was a nice change of pace!

Alternating tasks

 

Today I alternated between tatting and hand sewing. By doing this I was actually able to tat more pattern repeats than I did the day before, and my hands did not get tired.

It takes me 15 to 20 minutes to hand stitch one side  of these quilt blocks, and about the same amount of time to tat a pattern repeat on the doily.

I won't be able to do this tomorrow, because I don't have another quilt block ready. Maybe I'll alternate piecing with tatting tomorrow. Whatever I choose to do, I'm sure I'll have fun!

1/4 round 19

 

I'm just past the 1/4 mark on round 19 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. I know I won't finish before school is out next Wednesday, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to finish before daughter Joanne visits this summer. 

I think I need to spread my tatting time out. Tatting for an hour and a half straight seems to be a bit too much. If I break my tatting time down into shorter increments, I think I'll be able to accomplish more in a day. I'll give it a try tomorrow!

Five repeats

 

I tatted for about an hour and a half this morning and managed to complete five pattern repeats on round 19 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. The pattern for this round was easy to memorize, so I guess I just need to have a little more time for tatting.

After school, I finished a block that I started yesterday. I kind of like the lopsided look!

I really like the way the quilting looks on the back!

Slow start

 

I'm off to a slow start with round 19 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. Still, three pattern repeats is better than no pattern repeats!

Round 18

 

Yay! I finished round 18 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026! I used size 20 Lizbeth #622 Pink Med. Which color should I use next?

I had another nice sized piece left over from my nine patch block. This block seems kind of pale to me. Maybe I should have used something darker in the block. It will be okay. After all, every block is an experiment.

I'm trying to imagine what the back of this quilt will look like once it's put together. It should be interesting!

Nine more

Yesterday was high school graduation, and today the girls in our family went plant shopping. We had lots of fun, but it did interfere with crafting time.

I have nine pattern repeats left to do on round 18 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. I think I should be able to finish this round tomorrow.

Blue has always been my favorite color, so putting together this nine patch block was right up my alley.

The quilting patters are still intriguing me. I haven't had to think much about what I want to do with each block.

I wasn't very careful about how much fabric I used for the nine patch, so I had some nice sized pieces left over. Why not make them into another block?

I don't think I've repeated any quilting designs. So, I'll just keep on going!

Less than 1/4

 

It looks like I have less than 1/4 of the way left to tat on round 18 of Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. I definitely will finish this round this weekend.

I made a mistake with this block. It's 10" square instead of 9.5".

The quilting sure looks cool.

I also made this one 10" square. I guess that means I have two quilts in progress.

I like the quilting on this one, too. I'm having fun looking at different patchwork designs. I'm also enjoying choosing how to quilt each block!