Tatting Give-Away Time

OK, folks, I promised you a give-away this month, so I'd better get going. No special occasion to celebrate, just my feeling that I've won enough times that it is my turn to pass it forward.

Here we have: "The Craft of Tatting" by Bessie Attenborough, a nice little book with lots of traditional pattens. (The book itself is in good condition, but has only part of the dust jacket remaining.)

"A Book of Edging" from Coats & Clark, a leaflet from 1982, also a bit worn.

A half-ring braid bracelet kit that somehow showed up extra after I taught that class at Palmetto last year. The kit includes a Sew-Mate shuttle.

A floral design wooden shuttle by Georgia.

Byzantine chain maille earrings by Jeff, known as Redeye on Etsy.

A tatted teapot with buttons by me.

A ball of vintage Star tatting thread.

A pill keeper good for storing beads, (or pills, I don't care:)

Maybe some more stuff I find later until the box is full.

To enter, simply leave a comment to this post. I will select the winner by some random method a week from today, on February 5th. So did I meet my deadline by posting in January, or miss it by drawing in February?

Pretty Shuttles

A little while back, I treated myself to some beautiful shuttles from La Cossette's Etsy shop. Quite a few tatters had been showing off theirs, and I decided to get some for myself. I liked these floral designs from previous sales better than the ones currently in the shop, but she was happy to take a special order and had them ready very soon. I miss the posts on the back a little, but these shuttles are a pleasure to tat with. The surface has just a little texture which is good for a firm grip, and I feel a bit elegant when my tools are nice.



Here are a few more pictures of the apple wood Pop-a-Bobbin shuttle I received from Sally. I already thought this shuttle was lovely, and then later I was really touched to find out that the wood was special, having come from a tree that belonged to her father.






At last, pretty shuttles for bobbin shuttle tatters!

Thank You, Tatting Fairy Godmother!

I have a mysterious anonymous benefactor (benefactress?) Not too long ago, I began to get intriguing messages through a third party asking about my likes and preferences. Next, this secret person sent gifts, commissions from Jane and Sally and a gift certificate from Marilee. I certainly feel blown away and very honored. Since this began too late for Santa Claus, I have dubbed this mysterious wonderful person my Tatting Fairy Godmother.

Look what I received:
An apple wood Pop-a-Bobbin shuttle. Isn't it pretty? It feels so nice in my hand. Presently it's dedicated to the TIAS project.

My choice of some Yarnplayer threads. I got an assortment of sizes and colors. One of these I think is the same thread as a much admired snowflake Miranda gave me.

One of Jane's new magnetic bookmarks. The butterfly on top is so colorful. I love it. These magnets really are strong for their size. I had the hardest time making this scan because the bookmark kept following the scanner bar, dragging everything else along behind it.

Thank you so much, Tatting Fairy Godmother, whoever you are.

A Trip to Washington

As always, time races on faster than I can blog about it. Right now, I'm engaged in some top secret tatting, so I will go back and fill in with some older events.

Last fall, we visited my sister in Maryland. That's just an easy Metro ride from Washington, DC. I was surprised to hear that DH had never toured the monuments, so we spent a long day's walk doing that. We got to a few that I had never been to either. I'm sure you all know what the Washington and Lincoln monuments look like already, so here are a couple others.



This is the World War II Memorial (well about half of it).



This is the Korean War Memorial. The statues are a bit eerie.



Surprise tatting content! After the monuments, we had time for a quick run through just a few parts of the Smithsonian American History Museum. In the "Miniature World of Faith Bradford" exhibit (a huge dollhouse of miniatures), I spotted this tiny tatted doily.

Belated Thank You to Diane

Jane's post today reminds me that I have been really remiss in failing to show the give-away I won from Diane, the Lace Loving Librarian. It arrived just as I was leaving town, and I meant to post once I got back, but got distracted by the real world.

Above is the best part, a really pretty shuttle she decorated herself. Isn't it nice? I really like pink, so this is just perfect.



Everything was inside this nice little satin-y pouch. Poor lighting conditions don't do the color justice.



Inside was the shuttle, some vintage size 80 thread, a sample of Sulky thread, an EZ-Bob for winding thread, and a charm clip. Such nice goodies!

I've been really lucky with the give-aways lately. Watch this space for a give-away of my own, probably in January.

Thanks again to Diane!

Merry Christmas to All!

In case you were wondering, yes, I did fall off the face of the earth. Or maybe it just feels that way.

Despite all the real world fiascos I won't bore you with, I did get in a little Christmas tatting. For the girls at work, I made Jane's Flurry Snowflake set in bangle bracelets. I forgot to take pictures of them, oops. I admired the pattern from the start, but did not realize how really clever the constuction was until I made some of them.

For some other friends, I made the teapot above. It didn't start out as a Christmas pattern, but the Christmas colors adapted rather well, I think. There were several versions, but I forgot to take pictures of them too, except this one. Organization has not been my strong point lately, and I was in a big hurry to get them in the mail. Some should reach their destinations by Christmas, and others will arrive late, I am sure. The pattern is destined for an upcoming issue of Tatting Times.

I wish everyone peace of mind, hope for the future, comfort of friends and family.

NC State Fair

Life hurries on faster than I can blog about it. Anyway, last month, I was able to visit the North Carolina State Fair. First priority was to have a visit with my friend Anitra, who has had a tatting display there for many years, and was named Female Craftsman of the Year in 2007.


Her booth was in a building called Village of Yesteryear, which was full of different crafts, with many ongoing demos. There was another lace maker there. As I walked by, I heard someone ask her how long it took her to learn to make lace. Her reply was that she was still learning. What a nice thought. I know I am still learning.

On to Exhibits... I thought there was supposed to be some tatting in the Arts & Crafts Building, but I never found it. So on to the 4-H Exhibition building. (In NC, tatting is considered a Home Furnishing.) This tatted mat won both the lace blue ribbon and a special judge's award, so good for her!


Here is a framed motif by Arlene.

I think I've seen this piece on someone's blog, but unfortunately, can't remember where.

I also saw this collection of heart motifs. Also there was a clothing(?) item with tatted trim, not pictured, camera battery dying.

I wonder if there was more tatting there that I may have missed. I had made a quick circuit around the room and then got all wrapped up in the quilt display, where a lady was telling about each quilt. Next thing I knew, my cell phone was ringing. DH was bored and ready to go home. Sigh... Oh well, I had a good time while it lasted.