And suddenly it's Friday!

I just didn't think to blog yesterday.

I was busy sewing face masks! I only finished a dozen, but I like to think that my small contribution will be helpful.

Today I focused on finishing my second Sanditon MKAL. I love the way it looks in a solid color!

Granddaughter Sophia received a sewing basket, plastic canvas, yarn needles, and scissors for her birthday. It's a grandma's duty to encourage fiber crafts! I was thrilled that Joanne sent me a picture of Sophia working with her supplies today. Maybe she'll be able to come visit this summer so that I can load her up with more craft supplies!

Wednesday?

I just looked at my phone, and I couldn't believe it's Wednesday already! Where does the time go?

I've been busy cutting fabric for face masks. My production isn't great, but if I'm helping even a little, I glad to do my part.

We had a pink moon last night. I've never heard of a pink moon before. It was still too light out for the pink to show well when I took this picture, but by the time it was dark enough clouds had rolled in. I could see a little bit of pink around the edges of the clouds, but I never did see the pink moon in all its glory.

Staying home has caused me to give in to the temptation of online shopping a little more than I normally do. I just couldn't help myself! I guess the only way to avoid buying things is to not go shopping. All of these are from Banyek on Etsy.

I've been playing some more with Lynne Urwin's Lilly's Star. We've been chatting back and forth about different ring configurations. It's really pretty fascinating!

I liked the purple variation so much, I decided to tat it again today. These aren't as quick to tat as my Doodle pattern, but I do love tatting them!

Another version

Lynne Urwin and I have been messaging each other about her Lilly's Star pattern, trying out new ideas. This is the latest version. It will be fun to see which one Lynne settles on!

I spent most of today cutting fabric and making double fold bias tape. My first attempt at making bias tape took me four hours. The second one took two hours. I have two more fabrics I'd like to make into bias tape, but I'm not sure I have the stamina for it!

Lilly's Star

Lynne Urwin asked me to test tat another pattern for her, and I was happy to help! This one is called Lilly's Star. Lynne and I have been messaging back and forth on this one all weekend. This is the first version. Lynne decided the rings were a little too squished together, so she did some tweaking.

I've been cutting it pretty close on my threads lately, not really leaving enough for the little flower motifs for Vicki Clarke. When I went to wind this shuttle with thread, I thought I'd give it a try rather than just taking the thread off. I finished the flower with nearly 6" of thread left!

This is the second version of Lilly's Star, with one less small ring. It helped that I used the correct size gem this time!

Update! I forgot to acknowledge my shuttle makers! The pierced wood shuttle is from Veronica of TattingShuttles on Etsy. The Ice Drop Addict shuttle and purple butterfly shuttle are from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design. The multi-colored flower shuttle is from Middy Clark of The Knotted Vine on Etsy. I love all of the talented shuttle makers I've "met" over the years!

Tattika

Tattika the tatting fairy is a year old! To celebrate, Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design offered tatting shuttles and these adorable tote bags. Mine arrived on April 1st, a perfect way to celebrate International Tatting Day!

I put my new shuttle to use today. I'm still enjoying tatting Ice Drops, especially my Doodle pattern. I'm nearly finished with my ball of Lizbeth #115, Springtime. I think I probably have enough for three more Ice Drops, so I'll keep trying different picot variations.

I finished another bookmark today, again using size 20 Lizbeth Springtime. The pattern is Autumn Bookmark from Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. The shuttle is by Veronica of TattingShuttles on Etsy. The pattern calls for a tail with a tassel, which I left off so that I could use a bookmark sleeve. Done in autumn colors, this bookmark reminds me of falling leaves. In Springtime, I just see a pretty bookmark!

Before and after

I know I posted that my sewing room was out of control, and I wasn't kidding!

When Dave and I were decorating for Christmas, everything got tossed into the sewing room.

The room is back in order now.

I've even started some sewing projects! Don't get too excited, though. A lot of what I took out of the sewing room is now in the sun room waiting to be sorted. I've tried to spend at least fifteen minutes a day going through things and I am getting organized, but it's a very slow process.

I managed to get my 10,000 steps in today, and I tatted an Ice Drop. It was a great day!

Happy International Tatting Day!

How did you celebrate? Did you eat chocolate? I have not eaten chocolate... yet!

I had the great honor to test tat Lynne Urwin's Star of Hope. Lynne will be posting this pattern on the Ice Drop Addicts page on Facebook.

I hope you all had a wonderful International Tatting Day!