Perfect!

I finished my edging last night, and it is the perfect length!

My plan is to lay the tatting on top of the fabric. I know that the edging blends in with the fabric, but that's the look I want for this piece. I want a detail that isn't obvious. I want my friends to look at my purse and admire it, and then suddenly discover that there is tatting.

I have enough fabric to make another purse, and I think I'll make that one with a solid color so that the tatting is a bit more obvious.

All in all, I'm very pleased with what I've done so far. Now, where did I put those zippers?

I'm lovin' it!

I'll take any little bit of tatting time I can get, especially when the results are as pretty as this!

As expected, school was a lot of fun today! Kids gave me hugs and told me how much they missed school. Remember, I work in an elementary school. Daughter Carol said the high school kids were not nearly as excited to be back!

Busy day!

Today was catch-up day... laundry, cooking, talking on the phone. : )

I did find time to do a very little bit of tatting. I'm very pleased with the way Yarnplayer's "Knitty Gritty" looks in this edging.

I also did a little cleaning in my sewing room. I worked a little on four origami bags that I intended to give as Christmas presents... maybe next year!

It's back to school tomorrow. It will be a fun day! All of the kids will want to talk about their vacations and what they received for Christmas. I hope I have some energy left for tatting tomorrow night!

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

When Dave and I were visiting Mom in L.A. (Lower Alabama), we visited one of my favorite stores, Richtex Fabrics. I love to look for tassels and fabric, tapestry and upholstery fabric to be precise.

Mom found this pretty remnant and shared it with me. I took the smaller piece, and I have enough for two small purses. Looking through my threads, I found that Yarnplayer's "Knitty Gritty" is the perfect match for the fabric.

I love tatting with hand-dyed thread, and I hate to waste any of it. So I decided to test-tat the pattern that I think I want to use as an embellishment. Isn't it pretty?

It's edging No. 509 from Tatting: Second Edition, Designs From Victorian Lace Craft edited by Jules & Kaethe Kliot.

I think I need to shorten the chain between the motifs for my purposes. If I have time to play tomorrow, I may give it a try.

Knitty Gritty Daffodil

I haven't been blogging much lately. I've just been too busy! I've had to make choices... do I blog, or do I tat? Guess what wins?

Didn't this turn out great? It's the Daffodil Doily from Learn to Tat by Janette Baker in size 20 Knitty Gritty from Yarnplayer (Marilee Rockley). I love this color combination! I followed my own corrections, and I think the doily turned out beautifully! I may play with the outside edging another time. The doily lies perfectly flat until the last round is tatted. I have some ideas for changing the edging slightly so that the doily doesn't require as much blocking.

I've been inspired by Bev and Marty to tat another Iris Niebach doily. Iris's designs are challenging, fun, and beautiful! Right now I'm working on Beatrice... I know... I've already made a few of these. What can I say? I love the pattern! I'm using Lizbeth Spring Green from Handy Hands. My replacement thread arrived Monday. I'm so glad Barbara was able to get the thread manufactured to her specifications. The new batch is fabulous! It has a beautiful sheen, nice hand, is very smooth, and most importantly, it is tats up very nicely. I know I'm only on my first ball, but if all the other colors I have are as nice as this one, I think anyone would be pleased with it.