Tollway Tatters

We had a great Tollway Tatters meeting this morning! We shared our projects, talked about tatting terminology, and even talked about other crafts. 

After lunch, I finished Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It's funny, but I never knew of these books when I was a child. I wasn't even aware of them while studying to be a teacher and librarian. My first exposure was with the television series starring Michael Landon.

Recently, Dave and I watched the first season of the new Little House series on Netflix. Yes, I've been inspired to read the books. It will be interesting to see if the television series stays true to the books.

Today's tatting is "Thérèse" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. The thread is size 20 Hakelgarn, hand-dyed "Harvest Moon" from LadyShuttleMaker. I didn't think I had enough thread for another pattern repeat, so it's a bit shorter than I'd like. As it turns out, I really think I could have made it a little longer. Oh, well. Someone will like it!

Lots of fun!

 

I had great expectations for the day. First, I wanted to finish sewing the next two sets of strips today. It took longer than I expected, but I did finish by lunchtime.

Next on my list was to finish "Hills and Valleys" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. Again, it took longer than I expected. Still, I have another bookmark for my stash!

I had so much fun making fairy wands the other day that I ordered two more kits. They arrived right before dinner time, and I put them together after we cleaned up. I think they make a cute display, and I have an easy gift if I need one. 

Tomorrow... more fun!

Ornamental

 

This is the pattern I messed up the other day. It looks so much better in tatting thread! The pattern is "Ornamental" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. The thread is size 20 Hakelgarn, hand-dyed "Harvest Moon" from LadyShuttleMaker.

I have the next set of blocks ready for joining. While sewing the binding on the last block, I managed to break a piece on my sewing machine. I called my not-so-local quilt shop (it's about an hour away) to find out when I could get it serviced. Dave and I will be taking my machine in tomorrow morning. I'm hoping they can replace the broken piece and tune my machine while we wait.

Since I only had one block to finish, I pulled out a back-up machine that I had planned to give grandson Nick. He asked me several months ago if I would teach him to sew. Naturally, I said yes. I immediately started searching for a machine for him. I found a used Bernina that fit the bill. Luckily, it came with a walking foot. So, I finished binding the last block this morning. The bonus is that I'm confident that I'm giving Nick a machine that runs smoothly and will hold up for years to come!

Crescent

 

Today's project was "Crescent" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. 

Joanne and family decided to stay an extra day, so we had fun shopping, grilling, and playing America-Opoly. Joanne won her first ever Monopoly game!

Too busy

I was too busy enjoying time with family on the 4th to post about my crafting activities. I was able to accomplish quite a bit while visiting.

I finished "Lattice" for Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti yesterday morning.

"Lattice Variation" was finished this morning. Both are in size 20 Hakelgarn, hand-dyed "Shades of Gray" from LadyShuttleMaker.

I also finished the third strip of Joanne's patriotic quilt. I will not finish the quilt before they leave tomorrow morning, so I'm working at an easier pace. 

We plan to take the kids book shopping this afternoon, so crafting is probably done for the day. However, we are going book shopping!

Vineyard

 

Today's bookmark is "Vineyard" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. This one took quite a while to tat, but it certainly was worth the time invested!

My stack of rail fence blocks is growing. I only have six left to finish. After that, I will trim all of my blocks and decide how I want to border them. 

Daughter Joanne and family arrive tomorrow. We talk almost every day, but since they live a two day drive away, we don't get to see them very often. I can hardly wait!

Wildflowers

 

My big accomplishment today was to tat "Wildflowers" from FourDozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. The thread is size 20 Hakelgarn, hand-dyed "Granny Delicious" from LadyShuttleMaker.

I also managed to quilt six more blocks for my next pot holder quilt today. Crafting will probably slow down for the next week. Daughter Joanne and family will arrive on Friday for a week long visit, and I'm sure spending time with family will be my priority!

Inversion

 

I love this bookmark! The pattern is "Inversion" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. I had to follow the instructions step-by-step, but it was well worth it for me. The thread is size 20 Hakelgarn, hand-dyed "Granny Delicious" from LadyShuttleMaker. I'm really glad I've decided to use my hand-dyed threads. What took me so long?

I now have four rail fence blocks quilted. I had hoped to finish six today, but I ran out of steam. I don't have a deadline, so there's really no rush.

I finished adding the fourth strip to my new wall hanging. I only have one strip left to add!

Asymmetry

 

Today's bookmark is "Asymmetry" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. This one took me all morning, about four hours. I feel like I get slower every time I pick up my shuttles!

This afternoon I worked on quilting five more blocks. I have five more to go, and then I will start working on my rail fence blocks. I have an idea for joining these blocks, which I will try out with some fabric left over from other projects. If my idea works, I'll be sure to share it!

Fern

As I thought, I really didn't have time for crafting yesterday. I thought I would have a lot more time today, but I didn't accomplish much!

I washed a couple of loads of laundry, took my daily walk, and went grocery shopping with Mom. This afternoon, I sat down with my tatting.

This is "Fern" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. I'm still using LadyShuttleMaker's Autumn Medley. 

I hope to get some quilting time in tomorrow, and I'd like to tat another bookmark. We will see what tomorrow brings!

Traditional Clovers

 

Our day started out sunny, but we knew that rain was coming. So, I started my day with quilting five squares for my new pot holder quilt. We never did get thunderstorms, but I wasn't taking any chances. I never use my sewing machine during a thunderstorm.

After working on my quilt blocks, I worked on another bookmark. This is Traditional Clovers from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. I'm still using Autumn Medley by LadyShuttleMaker.

This afternoon I added another strip to my pot holder wall hanging. I have two rows to go.

Tomorrow, Dave and I have some shopping to do in the morning. Mom and I have haircuts in the afternoon. I'm guessing that means there won't be much time for crafting!

Frills

Today marks 19 years of blogging! I can hardly believe it. I started my blog on my 55th birthday, and today I turned 74.

I've never been one to keep a journal, so when I was encouraged by Sherry Pence aka LadyShuttleMaker to start a blog, I was hesitant. There have been some years when I've posted frequently, and some when I didn't post much at all.

I enjoy having people leave comments about my posts, but my main reason for maintaining my blog was to keep myself inspired to create and to keep a record of my works. I wish that I had posted more during the lean years!

I only worked on one project today, "Frills" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. The thread is size 20 Hakelgarn, hand-dyed by LadyShuttleMaker, and the color is Autumn Medley.

It's been a while since I've tatted this pattern, and I thought I could fit one more pattern repeat and still have it fit the bookmark sleeve. However, I didn't want to take a chance and have part of the bookmark sticking out. I should have taken the chance!

Braid: Five Rings

 

Today was kind of a lazy day. I played around a little with quilt blocks, but nothing worth showing. This afternoon I decided to finish another bookmark, Braid: Five Rings form Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. 

I don't think I have enough "Patriotic" left for the next bookmark in Robin's book, so I'll see how much I can tat of Mary Konior's "Curds & Whey" from Tatting with Visual Patterns. Crafting will probably be on hold with a family wedding this weekend. That's okay. I'm looking forward to a change of pace!

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!

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!

Focus on tatting

 

After spending time with Linda yesterday, I decided to focus on tatting today. First thing this morning, I worked on my latest bookmark, "Wildflowers" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. I'm using size 20 Lizbeth #112 Carousel.

The rest of the day I worked on Renulek's Spring Doily 2025. Round 2 is in size 20 Lizbeth #677 Lime Green Med. I haven't decided which color I want to use for round 3. I have colors chosen for the doily, but I think I might look at my threads again and choose something different from what I have set aside. I think I may have too many choices!

Asymmetry

 

I finished my Asymmetry bookmark from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. I really enjoyed tatting this one. I did notice that I managed to twist the last chain, but not until after I'd buried the ends. Somehow I think it will be okay.

I finished another Drapey Cowl this afternoon. I didn't think I'd like like the color combination, but now that it's finished I really like it.

My scrappy afghan is now 17" long. I haven't decided yet how long I'll make it. I guess I should measure the width and go from there.

The weekend is looking really busy, so I'm not sure how much I'll get done, but I'll be sure to post my accomplishments!

Ready to turn

I managed to get a little tatting time in this morning, and I'm ready to make the turn on the end. I think I could have tatted quite a bit this morning, but I let myself get distracted looking at tatting patterns. I really need to maintain focus!

My scrap afghan is growing. I crocheted a bit before going to bed last night, and then again this afternoon. It's getting long enough that my lap is getting warm. I guess I'm hoping for some chilly weather so that I can continue working on it!