Napkin love

I love this napkin! It seemed perfect for decorating shuttles, so I tried and I'm very happy with the results! I have some extra napkins, so if you'd like one for blinging your own shuttles, please let me know. I'll probably mail them out Tuesday.

For those of you who requested one of the other napkins, please let me know if you'd like one of these and I'll be happy to mail the two together. Since school is out, I only make it into town when necessary. I'm very much a homebody, and I have to force myself to get in the car and go somewhere!

Sometimes I prefer the pattern placement on the back to what I did on the front. Good thing I can look at both sides! ; )

I found a pink shuttle in my stash, so I decorated it with the bright pink paper from the last napkin. It really looks red here. I think granddaughter Eva will be getting three shuttles for her birthday!

I finished another Spinning Wheel glass mat this morning. This one is in HDT from Anika, Easter in August. I have plans for the rest of the skein... a new project!

From a talented young lady...

Yes, dear friends, I am one of the lucky recipients of a hand-crafted shuttle and a skein of hand-dyed thread from Anika at Tatting it Up! I haven't had much time for tatting in the last couple of weeks, but I did find time to wind this beautiful thread and fill the shuttle. Now I need to choose the perfect pattern. Thank you, Anika!

On the home front...

my youngest daughter, Joanne, is learning how to use her new sewing machine. First, she made this little sample quilt to see how everything goes together... not bad for a first try!

On Monday, we turned the dining room into sewing central so that Joanne could cut fabric for a quilt top. We settled on the disappearing 9 patch pattern, because it seems very simple. We were going to use my new AccuQuilt Go!, but we decided it would be faster to just use the rotary cutter and ruler. I wanted to make sure Joanne really understood how to use the rotary cutter, so I "let" her cut out a quilt top for me, too!

Tuesday was spent at my sister's house, so we didn't get anything done, but yesterday...

we rearranged the living room furniture and set up another sewing station! We each sewed strips together for our quilt tops. Joanne accomplished more than I did. She'd ask a question that got me curious, and I'd go searching for answers on the Internet. Luckily, I live here and can sew whenever I get the urge! ; )

Before we cleaned up for the day, Joanne pressed her strips and made some preliminary choices for arranging the strips into blocks.

If she remains this organized throughout the project, she will never have the craft disarray problem that I have!

I hope she sends me pictures when her quilt top is complete!

Cottage Border... completed!

Here it is! I think it turned out great! The hanky was a gift from Anika at Tatting it Up.

The thread is Fincrochet No. 30, Tint.1110. I do like the thread, however it was full of little slubs. I was easily able to close rings, but the little slubs make some of the knots look a little bigger. I'm sure the blind man on the galloping horse will never notice!

The pattern is "Cottage Border" from A Pattern Book of Tatting by Mary Konior.

I really wanted to try Frivole's idea of attaching the edging to a crocheted edge, but I couldn't figure out how to put it all together. I think my brain just wasn't in gear this past week. What I really need is a tutorial with pictures, Frivole! (hint, hint, wink!) I'm sure that just a few hints would reset my brain so that I could figure it all out!

I replaced my dingy yellow ironing board cover last week. I think the blue and white is much better for photography purposes, even if the ironing board cover pattern does show through the hanky! ; )

I like it!

When I received this lovely hanky from Anika, I knew exactly which thread and edging I wanted to use! I had tatted a sample for the hanky from Michelle, and I liked it, but not for that hanky.

The pattern is "Cottage Border" from A Pattern Book of Tatting by Mary Konior. The thread is Fincrochet No. 30. I hope I have enough!