Sulky Blendables #4028 ~ Storm Clouds

The name Storm Clouds really suits this thread! I had a hard time keeping going on this one. The color just wasn't interesting to me. Maybe if it had been named dolphin...

The shuttle is one of my newest from La Cossette, and I love it! The name of the shuttle is Grape. Perhaps La Cossette should be the one to name Sulky colors. She always seems to get it right!

This is the last week of school. Today was the last full day with students. Tomorrow is Teacher Institute day, when we wrap up all of our end-of-the-year chores. Thursday is report card day, and then I'll be free to tat to my heart's content! I'm also planning on spending some time with my bobbin lace and quilting this summer. Mom is coming up to visit in June. Other than that, we have no special plans for the summer, and that suits me just fine!

King Tut #913 ~ Jewel of the Nile

I'm discovering that I have many more abandoned projects than I realized! This shuttle was loaded with Jewel of the Nile, so that's what I used for my next set of Stumpy motifs. The motifs look a little wonky, so I guess I should have blocked them. I will before I send them off to Chris and Erin Hinton to be shuttle-fied.

The pink Clover shuttle is another one blinged by me with fabric from Ann. My, I really was daring when I combined pink and red for two shuttles!

The hardest part of working with the quilting thread is retro-tatting. I have been very successful undoing chains, but I've only succeeded in opening one ring. The tips of the shuttles are totally useless  for thread this fine. Luckily, I have a pin vise from Grizzly Mountain Arts. I put a tapestry needle in the pin vise, and it's perfect for undoing knots. I'm sure that with practice, I'll be able to conquer those rings any day now!

Check it out!

Wickedtats is having a mid-year giveaway! There's a beautiful pair of spangled bobbins and a shuttle blinged with Origami paper. Entries will be accepted until June 16, and the drawing will be on June 17.

Sulky Blendables #4027 ~ Silver Slate

In between laundry loads, I managed to tat another set of Stumpy motifs, this time in Silver Slate. I was not impressed with this color on the spool, or as I was tatting. But once the motif was finished, I decided that I like it! The shuttle is another one that I blinged with fabric from Ann. Little gifts can mean so much!

As a result of today's tatting, I now have another group of motifs to send off to Chris and Erin Hinton at The Shuttle Shop!

Sulky Blendables #4026 ~ Earth Pastels

Earth Pastels? The color name doesn't really work for me, but it sure is pretty. My friend Nancy would love this because it combines peach and green, her two favorite colors. Maybe I suggest to Sulky that they rename the thread "Nancy's Favorite Colors." Of course, that wouldn't make sense to anyone but Nancy and me, so I guess the color name should remain Earth Pastels.

The shuttle is another one that I blinged with fabric from Ann. I hesitated using pink and red together, because that was always a big no-no when I was growing up. My red-headed friends never wore pink, although pastel plaids, especially with pink, were wildly popular when I was in high school. As you can see, I was daring, and I really like the results!

Sulky Blendables #4025 ~ Hydrangea

Oh, how I love this color! It really does remind me of hydrangeas. The shuttle is one that I decorated with fabric that Ann sent to me along with my fabulous tatting press... everyone should have a tatting press!

Tatting with this thread reminded me of a package of napkins I purchased last year just for blinging shuttles. I never did bling the shuttles last year, but yesterday after school...

the blinging bug hit! I really intended for these to be examples of simple elegance just like La Cossette's shuttles. However, I don't have her flair for pattern placement, and like a crow, I'm drawn to glittery objects. The glitter nail polish was right there in my basket of supplies, and before I knew it... BLING!

Sulky Blendables #4024 ~ Heather

Yes, I'm still tatting Stumpy motifs for The Shuttle Shop! This color way, Heather, is especially pretty, but I don't think it shows up very well in the picture. Daughter Alison has told me that she'll send me a link for how to set up a little light studio so that I can take better pictures. We'll see if it helps my photography skills. : )

The shuttle was decorated by Cindy at A Happy Bluebird, and I believe it is my first shuttle decorated with a napkin. I love it!