Can it be?

Yes. Sadly, I am out of pink shuttles. I can't find a single undecorated pink shuttle in my house. So, I had to settle for purple...

...to make my new shuttle and bag sets!

What do you think? Is it overkill?

I had so much fun making bags with matching shuttles for Jane and Sue Anna, that I went back to Hobby Lobby for more pink and brown fabric. Wouldn't you know... the fabric I used before wasn't there, but I did find these two fabrics, and I'm very pleased with the results. I even figured out some improvements for making the bags, like measuring carefully! : )

I ask you, dear readers... can a tatter have too many project bags or too many pretty shuttles?

Christmas in July

Aileen put together a Christmas in July exchange, and my goodies arrived this week!The guidelines were to send a package worth $5 and include something old, something new, something sparkly, something blue. Of course when I read something blue, I just had to join in the fun. Val sent me these goodies. Oh, boy! Am I ever going to have fun!

Thank you, Val!

Paying the piper his due...

I've spent this morning cleaning. I figured I had to catch up since I've been having so much fun this summer! What fun, you may ask...

Well, I've finished another round on my doily.

My progress has slowed down. I tatted for too long, and my arm protested mightily! Lesson learned... a little here, a little there, and I can accomplish so much more!

On Tuesday, Sue Anna called me and asked if I wanted to drive to Cincinnati with her to meet Jane. I thought... are you kidding me? Of course! I would love to! was my eager reply.

I wanted to do something special for these two special ladies, so I decided to make some Dorset bags, also known as origami pouches.

Lucky for me, I have some stash!

These fabrics are from a fat quarter pack I found at Hobby Lobby a while back. I'm not normally a pink person, but I do like pink and brown together!

Sue Anna picked me up at 6:00 Thursday morning, and we made it to Cincinnati around 10:30. Unfortunately, we forgot about the time change, so we were an hour later than Jane expected. I think she forgave us! ; )

We spent the afternoon at Panera Bread, enjoying each other's company. Although I only met Sue Anna in person in June, and this was my first time to meet Jane, it was is if we had known each other forever!

Jane showed us some of her beautiful tatting. It's so much prettier than any picture!

Sue Anna and I took lots of pictures and video clips with our iPhones. Jane showed us how she organizes patterns and photos on her iPad. We're such geeks! ...and I mean that in the nicest way!

Do you see that Pop-A-Bobbin shuttle by Sue Anna? She has quite a collection of them. I am sooooo envious! Well, I'm a little less envious now, because Sue Anna gave me one of hers. Lucky me! : )

We did have a lady come up to us and ask us what we were doing. I believe she said her aunt used to tat. We offered to give her a lesson, but she declined. It's very flattering to have someone come up and ask about tatting!

We asked some young ladies in a booth near us to take pictures, which they graciously did!

We had Jane home by 6, and we had the pleasure of meeting the very handsome Nick!

Sue Anna had me home by 9:30, and she was home before midnight. That just goes to show that there's a world full of fun to be had in one little day!

So you see, I really have been having too much fun, and it's time to pay the piper his due. Bedroom and bathroom are done... off to the kitchen!

And another two rounds...

funny... each round seems to take a little longer! ; )

And then it could be that I've been a little distracted...

putting together 9 patch squares for my quilt.

I wonder how I'll get anything accomplished when school starts four weeks from tomorrow. The summer is really flying by!

Meeting of the minds...

or at least the like-minded! Sue Anna, Marilee, and I met at an oasis on the Illinois toll road for a fun-filled day of tatting, chatting, and sharing. I think the photos say it all...

A table loaded with tatting supplies,

Marilee designing a new piece,

Sue Anna winding thread for a future project,

threads from Sue Anna and Marilee...

all in all, a wonderful day! Thank you Marilee and Sue Anna!

Two more rounds!

I really haven't felt motivated to do much with all this heat, but I did manage to complete two more rounds of my doily!

Sporadic Internet and cell phone service are driving me crazy. Can it be due to the heat? I guess time will tell.

More inspiration!

This time I was inspired by a facebook post by Barbara Payne. She had a lovely coaster, and I asked for the name of the pattern. Believe it or not, I have the book!

It's funny that sometimes patterns seem so difficult to me until I see what someone else has done. Why is that? I guess I have to see that someone other than the designer is able to follow the pattern!

This is the first doily pattern in Tatted Fashion by Teiko Fujito. If I'm counting correctly, I have ten rounds to go, so this one will take me a while to complete. The thread is size 50 Altin Basak, color #363. So far, so good! Thanks for the inspiration, Barbara!

I also had the urge to bling yesterday.

This time I decided to make a personalized shuttle for myself. Can you see the sparkly little "D" in the middle? Of course, I had to add a touch of blue!