for Phoebe

I finished my niece's hanky tonight. Looks like it needs a little pressing before I send it off to her! ;-)

I also finished putting the bag together.

I think they make a pretty pair. I sure hope Phoebe likes them!

Falling behind...

It seems I'm falling behind in everything! Yes, I have excuses, but who wants to hear excuses? Let's talk about fun stuff!

This weekend we drove to Minnesota to meet our newest granddaughter, Sophia. Isn't she a sweetie? She's wearing a sweater that her Great-grandma Green (my mom) knit for her. Mom was afraid it wouldn't fit for long, but Sophia will be wearing this one for a while. She's so tiny!

I received this book in the mail, and it is wonderful! The illustrations are well done, and it came with a tatted bookmark. I can't remember who posted about purchasing one motif, but I decided to purchase the whole book here. I'm glad I did!

I'm still working on my niece's hanky. It's going slowly, because I've restarted attaching the edging several times. Thanks to Frivole, I think I am finally getting it right!

Happy International Tatting Day!

Yes, I did get some tatting done today, quite a bit in fact. I only have ten pattern repeats left on the hanky edging... great progress for me!

My new Zoom Loom arrived today, and I really like it. Do you see the little notch at the bottom left? This may be the best part of the loom... no need for a starting knot! I misunderstood the description of the loom, and I thought there would be a slope on the outside. Not so! The slope is on the inside of the frame, and it does make it easier to manipulate the needle.

I'm using I Love This Cotton. If I stay inspired, there may be a baby throw made out of these little squares. Time will tell!

Sophia Jana

Our newest granddaughter was born last night at 7:58. Sophia Jana is 7 lb. 3 oz, and 20", with a full head of hair! We're so excited to have another baby in the family!

I'm making slow progress on the hanky edging. I think I could have finished at least two sides yesterday, but I let myself be distracted with baby updates, shopping for ribbon, lunch with daughter Carol, and a nagging headache.

I do love this edging! It's "Cottage Border" from  A Pattern Book of Tatting by Mary Konior. I'm using size 30 Anchor Mercer thread that I found on clearance from an Etsy shop. I do love this thread! It has a nice crisp feel, and it tats up beautifully!

Have you seen Schacht's new Zoom Loom? It's an updated version of the Weavette pin loom, made out of plastic, with sloping sizes. I do love my Weavette looms, but they are very hard to find. There are several sites offering these little cuties, but the shipping is $9.95... outrageous! I did find them with $3.95 shipping here. All of the web sites have indicated that they will be available for shipment in April. Some say late April, early May. Anyway, I "pre-ordered" mine, and I have already received a shipping confirmation order. I am very excited! I'll be sure to keep you posted with my thoughts about this new loom!

Pen Pals

When I was a kid, I always wanted a pen pal. Do you remember when you could sign up for a pen pal through Weekly Reader? I know I tried several times, but I never received a pen pal.

Fast forward 50 years, and now I have pen pals! I have wonderful pen pals around the world, and we all have a common love... beautiful lace!

My newest pen pal, Eva, sent me this beautifully embroidered cloth. I can't imagine how many hours it took to make. She also sent some post cards and a lovely letter. Thank you, Eva!

As I was working on my niece's wedding hanky, I realized something was wrong. When I looked carefully, I saw that I left out a 9 ds chain between each motif! I only used it between the first two motifs. I don't think it looks bad, but it's not what I want for my niece. I'll come back to it when I finish her hanky.

I've started the edging again (Cottage Border from A Pattern Book of Tatting by Mary Konior), and this time I'm not joining the edging as I go. Maybe that will keep me from making mistakes! ;-)

I finished the beaded bag after lunch today. It's now washed and on the blocking board. I'll finish the tasseled drawstring when the bag is dry.

I guess I'd better get back to the hank edging... time's a-wastin'!

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! ; )

Making progress

Yes, indeed, I am making progress in my sewing room. It's not nearly neat enough to photograph yet, but I am seeing a vast improvement! I had high hopes of finishing before my mom's visit, but she's arriving tomorrow, and there just isn't enough time to get everything done. Today I put a new ironing board cover on and discovered that my ironing board is in really bad shape! I wonder if it's from neglect or heavy use? I can now use my sewing machine again! That's not to say that I can find my sewing materials, just the machine. : )

I have managed to get a little tatting done, and I'm now a little over halfway finished with the Cottage Border. I'm really enjoying tatting this edging. Maybe I'll stop cleaning while Mom's here and spend my time tatting and chatting instead!

Hmmm... maybe I'd better take time to tidy up my tatting table before Mom arrives tomorrow morning!

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!