Hangin' off the edge!

My blue doily has grown to the point where it hangs off the edge of my computer! This round was the most difficult for me for one reason only... each of those little flower motifs cupped terribly. Thank goodness for Best Press and a little shot of steam! If I had noticed the cupping while I was tatting, I think I would have increased the stitch count from 3 to 5 on the short chain either side of the flower.

Still, I can't complain. All worked out well, and the good news is... I only have two rounds left! Time to wind the shuttles!

Quilted!

My friend Carol finished quilting my quilt! I'm so excited! I was told it would take two to three weeks, and Carol finished it in eight days. Now, that's what I call service!

I picked it up last week, and I've had a tough time deciding which fabric to use for the binding... the blue paisley backing, the subtle yellow, or the pink and green swirled design.

So, every night I have unfolded and fondled my beautiful quilt trying to decide which fabric to use. Finally, I asked Dave for his opinion, and he chose...

my favorite fabric in the quilt! I made my binding last night. Now I have to make some space in my sewing room so that I can attach it. I've made many things over the years, but this is the first quilt I've made for me! I can hardly wait to see it finished. I promise I'll share pictures!

Out of sync

Apparently I shouldn't try to blog, fix rotated pictures, talk to my daughter, and cook dinner at the same time! I was just re-reading my earlier blog post, and I realized that three of my pictures were missing. I must have neglected to click on something...

A few weeks back, I won a drawing from Clyde the Mad Tatter. Clyde and I share a love of HDT (hand-dyed thread). I have long admired his tatting, and I was thrilled to win this beautiful doily!

I've been showing it off to my friends, Clyde. They're all impressed with your beautiful tatting! Thank you so much! This is a doily I will cherish forever!

Lelia and I met at the Downers Grove Lace Day. She is so sweet, and she takes on so much to promote all sorts of fiber arts! She even took the time to tat this beautiful little heart for me. Thank you, Lelia! Your friendship and thoughtfulness mean so much to me. I hope to see you in Peotone on Sunday!

Another tatter I greatly admire is Frivole. Have you watched her videos? Her movements are so smooth and fast, and everything she tats is beautiful! Recently Frivole posted pics of some adorable pin cushions she made. I was so surprised when I opened the mail last week and found this little beauty, along with a bit of Frivole's beautiful tatting and a lovely bee charm. Thank you, Frivole! Your thoughtful gift made my day!

Now I ask you... am I the luckiest girl around, or what? I think I'll take some time to tat tonight. : )

To blog, or not to blog...

That is the question! If I take time to blog, I have less time to tat. If I don't take time to blog, I lose touch with all my blog buddies. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I'll soon be ready for retirement. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE my job! However, there are days when I just want to stay home and tat, knit, crochet, sew, quilt, read... my list goes on and on!

Since I haven't been blogging much, I have accomplished a lot! Just look...

I finished a Lily-sized shrug (girls 7/8)...

and I started an Eva-sized shrug (girls 9/10).

I made a little progress with Corinne's doily, which I really like...

and I finished a little over half of the next round on my blue doily. Some day I'll figure out why some of my pictures rotated, and I'll find out how to fix the problem! : )

I also received some wonderful surprises in the mail!

JennyPennyPoppy sent me a blue Kanzashi flower. I love it, and some day I will make one... or two... or three... Thank you, Jeanette!

I received a lovely thank you note from Jane along with this beautiful cross. Believe it or not, I was just thinking of purchasing a frame at Hobby Lobby specifically for framing a cross! I think the frame I had my eye on will be perfect for this beautiful piece. Thank you so much, Jane!

Oops! Here's another picture that won't rotate... grrr! Kelly sent me a beautifully tatted piece in my favorite color... blue! She also sent me a piece of fabric so that I can decorate a shuttle. I was totally surprised! Thank you, Kelly!

I guess I really have accomplished a lot in the past week... so, again... to blog, or not to blog? What do you think?

WIP no longer!

As you may have guessed from my blog name, I love lace! So, when I saw this design, I just knew I had to make it. What is it?

An adorable little shrug from Berniolies Designs! This is the lady who designed the shrug that I made for daughter Joanne's wedding last year. This one is Ella-sized (3T). Ella is really into Minnie Mouse (in pink) right now. Her sister loves blue, and her cousin loves pink. Guess what I'll be working on next? : )

Corinne's game

Corinne posted a challenge or game the other day. Tat this motif in colors of your choice and post the picture. Last night, I decided to play the game while Dave and I watched a movie. I used size 20 Lizbeth, colors #628 and #684. It was a very easy piece to tat, and I really like the color combination I chose. Thanks for the bit of fun, Corinne!

For me, one of the joys of tatting is using beautiful shuttles. My all-time favorites are my wood post shuttles, but I do enjoy working with these little beauties from La Cossette. She has a mocha paisley shuttle in her shop that I adore, but I've gone a little crazy with my spending this summer, and it's time to stop spending and start using what I have! Sometimes being a tatting shuttle addict can be so burdensome. ; )

At last!

I've finally found some time to tat!

The beginning of this school year has been unusually busy. My schedule changed three or four times, and I've had to adjust my yearly library/computer goals because of the number of times classes will meet. Just about the time I thought I had everything straight in my mind (and my plan book), our building principal would apologetically tell me that she needed to make another change. It looks like everything's on track now, so hopefully I'll be able to develop a routine that allows more tatting time!

I picked up my shuttles and my blue doily yesterday, and I was able to complete another round today... only three more to go!

I'm really enjoying having a large project to work on. There's something very relaxing about finishing a section of each round in between other activities. However, I am feeling a very strong urge to tat snowflakes!

I'm going to try and be good and finish this doily before starting another project. Or maybe I should finish one of the three hankies I'm working on, or the beaded bag, or the star afghan, or... oh, dear! It looks like I've bitten off more than I can chew again! : )