Another Minty Fudge

Yay! I managed to tat an Ice Drop today!

The morning was filled with errands, and this afternoon Denise stopped by. We had a nice visit and caught up on what each of us has been doing for the past week. We were very decadent and drank coffee topped with whipped cream!

Dave arrived home shortly after Denise left, and we did some more Christmas decorating. Our house is looking very bright and gaudy. I'm sure the grandchildren will love it!

Slow tatting day

It was a slow tatting day with only one Ice Drop completed, but I was very productive in other ways.

I worked on little Christmas trees for Christmas in the Village, which is only two weeks away. I really shouldn't take pictures when it's dark outside. The colors just don't show up. This one is two layers of a forest green with sparkly purple in the middle. I want to do a little more embellishing, but I haven't completely figured out how to bring my ideas to life!

I worked some on Christmas stockings. I need to piece fabric for the back of the stockings, and then I'll decide if I have time to hand quilt the stockings or if I'll do a quick job with the sewing machine. Maybe I'll do a combination of both!

I really meant to sort through some of my craft stash yesterday, but I was having so much fun working in my clean space that I sort of forgot!

Work before pleasure

My grandchildren and I have been working diligently to get the house ready for Thanksgiving. I wish they could be here more often. I really do enjoy having them around!

Because we've all been working so hard, there's been very little time for tatting. The kids have helped me get rid of a lot of clutter. Some things have been safely packed away for future use, while others have been donated to charity.

We may or may not attack my sewing room tomorrow. We'll have to see if any of us have the energy for that gigantic task!

Shades of blue

I do love all shades of blue! I know the beads and ribbon don't exactly match, but I do think they go well together.

With the completion of this Ice Drop, I have another treeful ready for Christmas in the Village! My grandson asked me how many I have. We didn't count, but I did show him the tins filled with Ice Drops all ready for the sale. Maybe we'll count them next week when he's visiting.

My newest shuttle arrived in the mail today! I do love the Pop-A-Bobbin shuttles, and this tulipwood is gorgeous! 

I love pearls!

Real pearls, fake pears, pearlescent buttons and beads... if it has anything to do with pearls, I love it!

They don't show up well in the picture, but these little pearlescent beads look perfect to me! My grandson chose the ribbon. Doesn't he have good taste? 😄

Busy weekend

Boy, has it been busy!

My friend Denise will be a grandma soon. Her daughter's due date is December 2. Nicole lives in the Pacific Northwest. Denise held a baby shower anyway, and we all got to visit with Nicole via FaceTime. It was a great time with fabulous food and wonderful conversation!

After the baby shower, Dave and I went shopping for a new living room rug. The one we had was too small, and I wanted something brighter. It took us a long time to choose the right rug, and we also found one for the sun room. The rugs are now in place, and I've been busy getting the two rooms back together.

Despite all the activity, I managed to finish another Minty Fudge Ice Drop. Tomorrow looks like it will be another busy one, so it may again take me two days to finish an Ice Drop. I guess that's the way it goes!

New favorite

I do love blue and white! This one turned out just about perfect!

Sewing day(s)

Yesterday I watched a video from Quilting in the Rain, and I was inspired to sew a tote bag! Of course I didn't have all the supplies I needed, so I made a trip to JoAnn Fabrics. Yes, I purchased more than I needed. My excuse is that I am easily inspired.

When I returned home, I unpacked my goodies and prepared my materials. I figured I could finish my tote bag in no time. After all, the video is less than 25 minutes. I was so wrong!

First of all, it took me longer to quilt my fabric than I anticipated. I may use pre quilted fabric next time, although that would reduce my fabric choices, and I do have quite a bit of fabric that would look nice in a tote bag.

My next hiccup was that I cut the material for the straps the wrong size. It took me a good 15 minutes to figure out what I'd done wrong. Once that was corrected, I decided I wanted pockets... not one pocket, multiple pockets. All was going well until I realized I had forgotten a step and need to completely take apart the pockets I had made. Sigh!

I finally got everything sorted out and...

My tote bag is finished! I think I want to add a closure of some sort, but I haven't decided what yet.

My pockets worked out well. There are actually 12 pockets in there. Six of them are loaded with little project bags for Palmetto Tat Days. I have plenty of room for my tatting notions, which are still in use, and there's plenty of room for my wallet, keys, and cell phone. I won't have to carry a purse! I think I may make some more of these totes now that I know what I am doing. 😊

So, guess what I did when sewing frustrated me?

If you guessed tatting an Ice Drop, you are correct! This is my Minty Fudge pattern tatted in size 20 Lizbeth #119, Jelly Bean. I do love this color!

If you'd like to try it, here's my Minty Fudge pattern:

Round 1:

•  Ring: 4-4-4-4, reverse work.
  
•  Chain: 6-6, reverse work.
  
•  Repeat for a total of 6 rings and 6 chains.
  
•  Join last chain to base of first ring with a lock join, reverse work.
  
  Round 2:
  

•  Ring: 6-6-6. Fold ring away from you, toward center of first round.
  
•  Chain: 8. Lock join to base of ring from first round.
  
•  Repeat for a total of 6 rings and 6 chains, joining rings as you go. Note: insert
  
•  glass gem before joining last ring to first ring.
  
  Round 3:
  

•  Chain: 16, reverse work.
  
•  Ring: Tat 6 picots separated by 1 ds + 6 picots separated by 1 ds, joining to picot
  
•  of round 1 chain, reverse work, slide bead(s) into place.
  
•  Chain: 16, reverse work. Lock join to base of ring in first round.
  
•  Continue in this manner for a total of 6 pattern repeats. Cut, tie, hide ends. 
  

Minty Fudge improved!

Thanks to suggestions from tatting friends, I no have a Minty Fudge Ice Drop that I love! Several people suggested beads at the top of the frilly rings, which I totally agreed with. The suggestion that had the biggest impact was from muskaan, who suggested longer chains.

Although I was not careful in snugging up my chains, I think all will agree that there is a vast improvement over my first version. Thank you all, dear tatting friends, and a special thanks to muskaan!

Minty Fudge

Hmmm... it seems like something is missing with this design. Anyone have any ideas?