Tatting, Beading and Needlework

Motif # 6

2011-11-16T16:07:00.004-06:00

My Motif # 6 is from Judi Banashek's book "Advanced Tatting Patterns". I used white Lizbeth Size 20 thread. Judi is the founder of our Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs tatting group. She is a wonderful teacher and I learned so much from her. A few years ago she moved to Waxahachie, TX to be close to her daughters. Good news! Terry McGuffin gave me permission to post her pattern for the Windmill Snowflake. As soon as I locate it I'll try to figure out a way to post it here.

Motif # 5

2011-11-10T13:34:00.005-06:00

Ta, da, here is Motif # 5. It is the windmill snowflake by Terry McGuffin from the tatted round robin website www.tattings.com which was hosted by Maus aka Etha Schuette. You can still access most of the website through the wayback machine. I think I used DMC Cebelia Size 20 thread. It was one of those UFO's that finally got finished which means I have two of my shuttle back. Yeah!

Annja's Earrings

2011-11-09T16:51:00.003-06:00

Today is my colleague and walking buddy Annja's birthday. Last weekend I beaded these netted earrings. Then I brick stitched around the hoop and picked up the tip of the netted pieces in one round. I was going for a Native American flair because Annja is proud of her Cherokee heritage. She loved them.

Still tatting and beading

2011-11-07T17:13:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! I have been working two people's jobs for 2 1/2 months until last week. I have been so exhausted but still try to tat and bead at least on the weekends. I did very well in both the county and state fairs. It was so much fun to participate. As soon as I get a chance to scan I will show you some pictures of what I have been up to.

Motif # 4

2011-09-06T15:34:00.006-05:00

I have been very busy finishing up my fair entries. I entered 11 items in the Canadian County Fair, nine of which received 1st place and two received 2nd place. I was very pleased.

In just four days I will drop off my fair entries at the Oklahoma State Fair. I am still in the process of finishing two items.

The edging is # 8902 from the Tatter's Treasure Chest. It will go onto the cuff of the denim shirt I am decorating with tatting. I used white Lizbeth Size 20 thread. This is a really fun pattern and I already started the edging for the other cuff.

Motif # 3

2011-07-18T15:55:00.006-05:00

I rediscovered the few balls of Opera thread I have in my Size 20 stash. It is a softer thread and just as much fun to tat with as the Altin Basak. I made this rose cross designed by Lily Qualls Morales with a few alterations to make it in one round.

I didn't have a pattern per se for Motif # 2. I used 5 ds between joins or picots for the chains and 2 ds between joins or picots for the rings. I think 6 ds would also work for the chains.

I won!

2011-07-12T11:56:00.005-05:00

A while ago I was the winner of Krystledawne's blogaversary give away. I can count the number of times I won anything in my entire life, in other words it is very seldom. Imagine my big surprise when I opened my mail and found these lovely tatted earrings, necklace and ring. Thank you so much Krystle for your overwhelming generosity! I truly love the jewelry and the shaded color. I have had lots of compliments already. The reason the picture is not that good is because I put the items on the scanner. I couldn't figure out a way to get the ring in the right position and still get the lid to close most of the way.

Motif # 2

2011-06-17T16:26:00.005-05:00

Have you noticed that some patterns are nice and easy to work and some seem like such a struggle, where you have to retro tat over and over? Well this little bookmark is in the first category, nice and easy. It was such a joy to tat! I persume it is a variation of an antique edging pattern called "Basket Edge". I used Altin Basak 50 variegated on the shuttle and shaded green for the chains. This thread seems to be a size all of its own, somewhere between a Size 20 and 30. I would call it a Size 25. I love tatting with this Turkish thread and am so glad to have a nice stash of it.

Motif # 1

2011-06-03T12:53:00.006-05:00

I have decided to do another 25 motif challenge since I had so much fun both times. This bookmark is my motif # 1 the third time around. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread called Carousel and I did front side/back side tatting. I figured out that when I am working the directional ring if I put the shuttle through the loop before I close the ring it looks just like the opposite ring. This pattern was provided by Jane from South Africa who rewrote a pattern from an Anna Burda magazine. You can find it on Jane Eborall's blog. It's the March 11, 2009 entry.

Motif # 25

2011-05-31T17:09:00.005-05:00

I finished the 25 motif challenge for the second time! I have truly enjoyed participating and would like to go for another 25.

This lovely Celtic cross is one of Jane Eborall's patterns. I used Size 20 Flora thread.

Rosette

2011-05-25T16:51:00.007-05:00

This rosette is a design by Jon Yusoff. You can find the free pattern on her blog: http://tatsaway-patterns.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Jon for sharing yet another beautiful design. I used Altin Basak Size 50 thread that works up between a Size 20 and 30. It is a very nice thread to tat with and comes in many lovely colors. This is my motif # 24 the second time around.

Mothers Day

2011-05-13T12:24:00.005-05:00

Today I had an e-mail from my mom that she received her Mothers Day card including her surprise. She was really happy with it. I believe the pattern is from a Bead and Button Magazine. The designer is Lisa Kan. It was incredibly easy and fun to follow the instructions for this netted piece. The fire polished rounds are very shiny and added just the right amount of bling.

I have to confess that with all those time consuming hobbies I have let the house slide more and more. But I found this awesome website that helps me break down cleaning and decluttering jobs into 15 minute increments. How wonderful is that? www.flylady.net I still have time to work on my hobbies and take care of the house in the evenings.

Cross Bookmark

2011-05-02T12:32:00.004-05:00

My friend and Weight Watchers compadre invited me for Easter dinner. I wanted to give her this cross bookmark as a hostess gift but was only halfway done with it. I showed it to her anyway to see what she thought of it. She was thrilled. The thread is Lizbeth Size 20 and the color is called Springtime. The pattern is from Tatted Bookmarks Needle & Shuttle edited by Barbara Foster. It is one of my favorite tatting books. I have tatted at least half of the projects if not more. This is my motif # 23 the second time around.

Bracelet

2011-04-12T13:10:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I wore black and white and for the first time my new beaded bracelet. It took me a while to find all the "ingredients"at different bead stores. I used beads in Size 11 black, silver lined crystal and gunmetal, Size 15 silver lined crystal, and clear and black 3 mm fire polished beads. The pattern is designed by Hatsumi Oshitani and is available at http://www.beadandbutton.com

as a free project. Her bracelet is a cuff, and this is my variation of her design. It is done in St. Petersburg chain, which is a really fun beading stitch.

Celtic Snowflake

2011-04-11T15:00:00.006-05:00

Here is my homework for the online class of the Celtic snowflake called Celeste. Sparrow Kelly designed this little beauty. I think she did a great job. The only thing I did differently from the pattern is that every other spoke I alternated weaving the second chain from the end under instead of over. I love the color combination. The thread is DMC Cebelia Size 20 white and light blue. It is my motif # 22 the second time around. You can find the pattern here:

http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2011/sparrowkellyceleste.pdf

Beaded Bag

2011-03-30T11:36:00.010-06:00

This beaded amulet bag was a birthday present for my supervisor. She loves to play the piano in her spare time and is teaching her granddaughter. It was definitely a learning experience for me. I learned to bead a bag in the round with two different sides in tubular peyote stitch and I learned to make a spiral chain. I am rather pleased with the end result and so is she. I used # 11 Delica beads for the bag and white # 11 seed beads and black # 13 Charlottes for the strap. I thought the red dagger beads finished the fringe off nicely.

PS: I revised my last post regarding the butterfly pattern.

Bib

2011-03-29T09:06:00.007-06:00

First of all, thank you all so much for leaving me such great comments! I believe the pattern for the unusual butterfly was in the first book published by the Ring of Tatters. It said the pattern was published in autumn 1996, I wonder if that was in the Ring of Tatters newsletters?

I just got this baby bib finished last night and today is the baby shower! I grew up on Mickey Mouse and gang, that's why they are my favorite Disney characters. The tatted edging is very simple. I used two shuttles and just switched them whenever I needed to. The thread is a variegated Altin Basak 50 which works up between a Size 20 and 30. This is my motif # 21 the second time around.

Butterfly with Cluny Petals

2011-03-28T13:53:00.004-06:00

Thank you all for leaving me such nice comments on my tatting! As a matter of fact, I saw a robin in the yard this weekend that looked exactly as my tatted one. Spring has definitely come to Oklahoma City, even with the latest cold front moving through.

This little beauty is called Jean's Butterfly and is a design by Jean Tallet. I used one of my favorite colorways of Lizbeth Size 20 thread. I think it is called spring garden. You can definitely tell that it's been a while since I made Cluny petals. Some look pretty pathetic. This is my motif # 20 the second time around.

It's a bird

2011-03-25T13:35:00.004-06:00

I finished tatting the Robin, a new pattern by Jane Eborall. Her patterns are very well thought out and easy to follow and they are free. Jane is so very generous with her designs. The patterns on her webpage could fill quite a few books. Thank you Jane for sharing them with us! I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread. This is my motif # 19 the second time around.

Stork

2011-03-21T11:24:00.005-06:00

Saturday was our monthly meeting of the Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs Tatting Group. We had one new tatter and the lady who had taught us twilling the weekend before joined us to continue on her shuttle tatting quest. They both did very well. We had such a great time tatting and chatting. I finished the stork with his bundle, yet another great design by Jane Eborall. All thread used is Lizbeth Size 20 thread. It must have become my favorite thread for tatting. One of my tatting buddies gave me the idea to use this motif for a framed birth announcement picture. This is my motif # 18 the second time around.

Twilling & Tatting on Paperclips

2011-03-17T15:49:00.007-06:00

Here is a picture of the twilling I did last Saturday. We let each person who

tries out tatting pick out a paperclip with tatting on it. It's a good reward don't you think?

Butterfly

2011-03-14T15:31:00.011-06:00

This little butterfly I made from Jane Eborall's beaded butterfly bookmark pattern without the beads just to see how he would turn out. I have to admit he looks a little plain. I love the colorway of this Lizbeth Size 20 thread. It is my motif # 17.

Last Saturday two tatting friends of mine and I taught five ladies how to tat. Two of us drove two hours one way. It turned out to be a very rewarding day. Besides tatting, there was also a group for twilling, crochet and knitting. People were free to move from group to group so everybody had fun. After lunch we had a try at twilling, which is a double knot embroidery stitch used for outlines. I think this stitch would make a nice seam embellishment on a crazy quilt block.

Tiny Cross

2011-03-04T11:15:00.007-06:00

Last fall two of my tatting buddies and I drove to Bartlesville, OK for the annual Lace Embrace which is put on by the Lacemakers Guild of Oklahoma. That was the third year in a row we went. We always have such a great time taking part in tatting courses, listening to the lace related talks and visiting with other tatters and lacemakers. We also took part in the class about decorating fabric covered buttons with Teneriffe lace, which is a needle lace. The best part are the tatting olympics with the disciplines of speed tatting and synchronized tatting. And then there is the shopping, because there are always lace vendors present. I bought two colors of Venus Size 40 thread. To try out the thread I made this tiny cross from Patty Duff's book "Mini Tats". I added some Size 15 beads. I have to admit that closing those tiny rings was quite a challenge because the thread has such a tight twist. I think it turned out quite well. It is my motif # 16 the second time around.

Tatted Shuttle

2011-03-03T16:51:00.007-06:00

Last weekend I visited with my friends in Dallas, TX. I gave Kathy the flowery bookmark and she loved it. She had never seen tatting before. I also let her pick out a pair of tatted earrings which she wore right away. It's great when tatting is so appreciated.

This is a little tatted shuttle, yet another pattern by Anne Bruvold. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread in medium and light seafoam green. This is my motif # 15 the second time around.

Alligator

2011-02-25T09:48:00.006-06:00

This alligator is a bookmark designed by Diana Stevens. You can find the pattern in her book "Animal Bookmarks, A Tatted Zoo". It's a great book! I want to make every single one of them. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread in medium and light leave green. One of my tatting buddies told me if you lay him on the dashboard in your car he'll be your navigator. So you see, he can be very helpful. You can also have him help with finding the best way to your destination on the map. He is my motif # 14 the second time around.

Two Color Snowflake

2011-02-24T17:24:00.004-06:00

I noticed that I have tatted a lot of Anne Bruvold's patterns. Here is her two color snowflake. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread in variegated and white. I like the way the chains curve around. Maybe instead of linking to the individual patterns I should just post the link to her English patterns page: http://nuperelle.net/EngPatterns.htm

Have fun tatting! This is my motif # 13 the second time around.

Flowery Bookmark

2011-02-23T11:02:00.007-06:00

Last Saturday I met with the Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs Tatting Group. One of my tatting friends gave me a copy of Jane Eborall's flowery bookmark pattern. When I got home I picked out this lovely variegated Lizbeth Size 20 thread named sherbet delight. I thought the medium leave green goes well with it. I really like this pattern. There are split rings, self closing mock rings and special joins to keep things interesting. I still need to block it before I give it to my friend for a hostess gift. This is my motif # 12 the second time around. Jane Eborall has a very extensive free pattern page. Thank you Jane for sharing your lovely patterns with all of us! Here is the URL for the pattern: http://www.e.n.e.btinternet.co.uk/Flowerbookmark.pdf

Heart

2011-02-22T15:11:00.006-06:00

This is another pattern by Anne Bruvold. She calls it the Christmas Heart. I used red Lizbeth Size 20 thread. This little heart is perfect for making your own greeting card. This is my motif # 11 the second time around. You can find the pattern here: http://www.nuperelle.net/motiver/JulehjerterEng.pdf

TIAS

2011-02-21T12:36:00.009-06:00

I really enjoyed taking part in the latest Tat it and See (TIAS) by Jane Eborall. For the longest time I guessed that it is a salamander. What a surprise when it turned out to be an airplane! I think it is really cute. I used pale pink and old turquoise Lizbeth Size 20 thread and turquoise Size 11 seed beads. Thank you Jane for 10 days of tatting fun! You can find the pattern here: http://tatitandsee.blogspot.com/

This is my motif # 10 the second time around.

Tardis Bookmark

2011-02-17T12:27:00.005-06:00

This is the Tardis bookmark, a design by Anne Bruvold. I had a lot of fun tatting it with this lovely shaded blue Lizbeth Size 20 thread. This bookmark is a good practice piece for split rings. And there is even a split chain to hone your skill. Thank you Anne! This is my motif # 9 the second time around. Here is the URL for the free pattern: http://www.nuperelle.net/motiver/Tardis_eng.pdf

Cross bookmark

2011-02-17T11:15:00.004-06:00

This is the Pearl Cross by Dianna Stevens. You can find it in her book "Tatterly's Delight". I didn't add any beads to it, I just love it the way it is. It is such a nice little pattern. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread, variegated on the shuttle and white for the ball thread. This is my motif # 8 the second time around.

Dianna's website has been down for a few years now but you can still access it through the web archive. Here is the link for the pattern: http://web.archive.org/web/20080615054318/www.domesticarts.com/Patterns/pearlcross.html

Lace Insert

2011-02-16T10:46:00.006-06:00

I have a blouse where the v-neck is so big that I decided I had to tat a lace insert for it. And this is the result. I used a Star Size 70 thread and the pattern is by Teri Dusenbury. Teri has an extensive pattern library that she very generously shares with all of us. Thank you Teri, I love your patterns! I still have to sew it to the blouse. This is my motif # 7 the second time around.

And here is the URL for Teri's patterns: http://teritatbitdusenbury.wordpress.com/tatbit-patterns

Dragonwing Doily

2011-02-15T12:27:00.007-06:00

I had so much fun tatting the seahorse dragon that I decided to give the dragonwing doily a try. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread. I can't remember the name of the color, I would call it coral. This will be my motif # 6 the second time around.

Here is the link to Anne Bruvold's pattern: http://nuperelle.net/brikker/DragonWingDoily.pdf

Thank you Anne for the lovely patterns!

Seahorse Dragon

2011-02-15T11:47:00.006-06:00

I tatted this little seahorse dragon and enjoyed every minute of it. It is such a cute pattern. I used Lizbeth Size 20 thread and I believe the color is called seafoam. The pattern is by Anne Bruvold and is available here: http://nuperelle.net/drager/monstre/seahorsedragon.pdf

What a little cutie!

This is my motif # 5 the second time around.

Another bookmark

2011-02-15T10:54:00.005-06:00

Here is another bookmark I recently finished. The pattern is the free monthly pattern for December 2010 by Nancy Tracy. Here is the link for her free patterns:

www.be-stitched.com/tattingpatterns.asp

There is also a link to sign up to receive the free monthly pattern. If you haven't already done that you might want to do it. It's a real treat to get a free pattern by e-mail once a month. Thank you Nancy!

There were oodles and gobbles of threads to be sewed in. If I should make another, I will definitely split ring from one motif to the next. I made some adjustments to the green border and really like the end result. The thread used is vintage Size 30 Coats. This is my motif # 4 the second time around.

Finally Some Tatting

2011-02-11T14:38:00.007-06:00

The scanner is finally working again, happy days! Now I can show you all the things I have tatted that I haven't already given away for gifts.

This old rose bookmark is a design by Shirley Burger. She was so kind and mailed the pattern to me. It was so much fun to tat. I only made one mistake but my excuse is that I was really sick tatting away at the doctor's office waiting to see the doctor. I used Haekelgarn Size 20, which isn't offered in colors anymore. Too bad because it is an awesome thread. It's a six cord and makes all your knots look the same. I believe this is my motif # 3 the second time around.

Christmas Presents

2011-01-14T13:29:00.012-06:00

Happy New Year! The last of the beaded Christmas presents I sent to Germany finally arrived! Now I can let you see them. The pink necklace went to my mom who already owns the matching bracelet. The pattern is called Dancing Dangles by Mary DiMatteo published in the April 2008 Bead and Button Magazine. The St. Petersburg Chain stitch is really fun and versatile.

Next up are my sister's earrings. They are the paisley earrings from one of the last few Beadwork magazines. These were really fun to make because I love to peyote stitch and use crystals.

This is the bracelet I sent to my aunt who is also my godmother. The pattern is from a Bead and Button magazine. As you can see I make good use of my two beading magazine subscriptions. Unfortunately I forgot to scan the green bracelet that I sent to my sister in St. Petersburg Chain stitch. I got in a hurry and mailed it before I thought of it.

I have also been tatting but I still need to scan them and some of them have already been given away as Christmas gifts.

It's been a very long time!

2010-11-02T12:31:00.010-06:00

I can't believe how much time has elaspsed since my last post! I have been tatting, beading, bobbin lacing and cross stitching. Both the county and state fairs have come and gone. My fair entries did very well and I received my very first comment from a judge!

I have been working on my bobbin lace lessons. Each bookmark is the result of a lesson. The peach and light green contains several different spiders, the white and blue was a lesson in half stitch ground, and the gold and black was a lesson in whole stitch ground. I chose gold and black because it reminded me of bats. It's a good way to use up some of my perle cotton # 5.

Party Pictures

2010-07-29T15:22:00.008-05:00

I finally get a chance to post a couple of pictures from the party. It really was a nice affair. In the top picture you can see the happy recipient holding up his bookmark. It is the Clover Bookmark by Kelly Luljak tatted with Lizbeth Size 20 thread. Here is the link: http://members.iglou.com/mantia/crafts/bookmark.html . This is my motif # 3. Thank you Kelly for the lovely pattern.

In the next picture you can see my colleague Alex on the left, one of our graduating residents in the center and me on the right. We shall miss them!

More Bookmarks

2010-07-12T12:57:00.004-05:00

This is Jon's overlapping chains bookmark. I made it in contrasting colors because I wanted to really show off the overlapping chains. Here is the link: http://tatsaway-patterns.blogspot.com/2008/08bookmark-with-overlapping-chains.html The thread is Size 30 Star Gem. As always it was a pleasure to work one of Jon's patterns. They are so well thought out. Thank you Jon for sharing! This was one of the bookmarks I gave away at the Graduation Party and has gone with it's new owner to Boston. This is my motif # 2 the second time around.

Graduation Party

2010-07-02T09:56:00.012-05:00

Hard to believe the Graduation Party was almost three weeks ago. It was a nice affair. Everybody got dressed up and we had great food and drink, speeches and dancing. This year we had three graduates and each one loved their tatted bookmark! The bookmark is a pattern by Kersti Anaer. I love this pattern. The thread is Lizbeth Size 20. I put the variegated color on the Shuttle and used the solid color as the ball thread. This will be my Motif # 1 for the second time around.

Bookmarks

2010-06-07T17:03:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year again where I need to have bookmarks ready to give away. We have three Neurology Residents finishing their training with us. It has already become a tradition that I give each a tatted bookmark at the Graduation Party, which is this coming Saturday. We also have two faculty leaving our department. I already gave one away before I had a chance to scan it. The recipient was very happy to receive it.

Where has the time gone?

2010-05-14T16:06:00.004-05:00

I just noticed that the last time I blogged (is that a word?) was over two months ago. Where has the time gone? I have been busily finishing several UFO's because all of my shuttles were tied up! I still have to scan them before I can show them here. The weekend of May 1 and 2 our Lace Guild had a Venetian Needle Lace Workshop. We were working on a little sampler the first day and a half. In the afternoon of the second day we actually started working on our little project. Compared to tatting, needle lace is even more time consuming and slow. But it sure is pretty. I went to Hobby Lobby last evening and noticed that they have some new colors of Lizbeth thread. I bought a ball of the color Vineyard which looks scrumptious. I might have to use two of those freed up shuttles to tat some earrings! Last month one of our beloved Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs passed away. Several of us went to the funeral in the morning and then went tatting in the afternoon in her honor. We shall miss her!

More Bookmarks

2010-03-01T15:58:00.004-06:00

I finished two bookmarks this weekend. Both of them are made with Star Gem Size 30 thread. The heart is a pattern from Cathy Bryant's book "Tatting". I added the little ring at the bottom to give it a more pronounced heart shape. The lavender and green variegated bookmark is a free pattern by Jon Yusoff called Chinese Coin Bookmark that you can find on her blog. I had a lot of fun tatting it. Thank you Jon for sharing your beautiful patterns! These are my motifs #24 and #25. Hard to believe I finished the challenge already, ahead of schedule. It has been so much fun participating that I definitely want to do another 25 motif challenge!

Valentine's Lace Exchange

2010-02-23T16:46:00.005-06:00

I hope everybody had a nice Valentine's Day! We had a Lace Guild Meeting followed by Valentine's lace exchange. I tatted the Scalloped Heart from the book Tat's Amore by Martha Ess with vintage Size 30 Star 6-cord thread. That is really nice thread for tatting! I put it into a glass heart with some Ferrero Rocher chocolates. We drew numbers and the lady who received it was pleased. I still have to scan the heart I received. This is my motif # 23.

Fuchsia Earrings

2010-02-08T11:55:00.003-06:00

Here is a pair of fuchsia earrings I beaded during the last ice/snowstorm. It's nice to have an unexpected day off from work and be creative. The pattern is from the about.com website. Here is the link: http://beadwork.about.com/library/weekly/aa082597.htm

Christmas Ornament

2010-01-26T10:18:00.005-06:00

Finally a picture of some beading! I worked my fingers to the bone beading three of these ornaments for my colleagues in aqua, purple and pink. They loved their Christmas gifts!

As soon as I saw this ornament by Lora Groszkiewicz in the October 2009 Bead and Button Magazine I knew I had to give it a try. I used over 160 Swarovski crystals, Size 11 Japanese cylinder beads and Size 15 seed beads. The stitches used are netting, peyote stitch and fringe. Pretty isn't it?

Tatted Necklace

2009-12-02T12:10:00.009-06:00

I must say I enjoy tatting jewelry most of all. I started this necklace over two years ago. I tatted "Triad" from Mary Konior's book Tatting Patterns with beads and then I kind of got stuck because I wasn't sure if I liked the edging which I had adapted from Phyllis Klosterman's booklet "Tatting Designs -Edging Collection". So....after two years I finally pulled it back out of the UFO bag and took it to Kingfisher, OK with me for the Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs tatting meeting. I worked on it throughout the whole meeting and the remainder of the weekend and finished it Monday. The following day I decided to tat up some matching earrings and this is what the final product looks like. I rather like it. What do you think?

This will be my motif # 22. I almost forgot, the thread is Size 20 Haekelgarn which is a really nice thread to tat with. The beads are a big disappointment. I bought them at Walmart. They came in a pack: a mix of Size 10 seed beads and short bugle beads and the colors were gold, silver, pink and brown, which you can't tell anymore because the paint rubbed off while tatting! The 3 mm beads came in a bead pack from Dollar Tree. They have held up well. I want to attach a charm, pendant or teardrop bead onto the free picot in the center, not sure yet which.

Hearts for Tracy

2009-11-11T16:55:00.008-06:00

Amazing how time just gets away from you! I have been tatting and bobbin lacing but still have to scan or take pictures of all the things I have made. Last Friday I finally discovered the Hearts for Tracy patterns on Heather Johnston's tatting blog and sat down over the weekend and tatted two of them. The red shaded heart is Lizbeth Size 20 thread with gold Size 11 seed beads. For the pink heart I used Gem Size 30 thread. These will be my motif # 21. I hope they get to Heather before she sees her friend Tracy in the hospital. I forgot all about today being a federal holiday. Happy Veterans Day!

Oklahoma State Fair Entries

2009-10-08T09:47:00.006-05:00

I was able to display my Oklahoma State Fair entries at work and take a picture. I received some nice comments from coworkers and physicians. I entered two beaded items in the beadwork contest, the necklace with earrings in the class jewelry and the bracelet and earrings in jewelry, other. I am very pleased with having received 2nd place on both because there was a lot of competition. The little tatted pendant bag is hiding behind the ornament with the tatted drape. It received third place in the class beaded bags/purses. I still can't believe the bobbin lace bookmark received first place. It's Lesson 2 in the Bobbin Lace Manual. The hairpin lace fan received first place. The Romanian point lace heart received third place and my dragons picture received second place. In the meantime I tatted a pair of pink baby booties but I still need to take a picture before I can show it here.

Hmmm Brains!

2009-09-30T15:11:00.006-05:00

At work we had a Neurosurgery Resident with our Department for three months. He is such a sweet guy, that we will miss him. For his last day with us, my colleague Alex brought cupcakes and I made him a brain button. I used Size 20 Lizbeth in pink, the grey was Flora and the green was Manuela. Once I saw the pattern on Martha Ess' website I knew I had to tat it. Thank you Martha for the great pattern! This is my motif # 20.

County Fair Entries

2009-09-17T15:20:00.004-05:00

This morning I received the pictures my colleague Alex had taken of my County Fair entries. I had permission to display them at work for a few days. I received many nice comments from the people who saw them. The tatted glass ornaments are from Dianna Stevens' lovely book "Victorian Tatted Christmas". The two snowflakes on the left are from the book 24 Snowflakes in Tatting by Lene Bjorn. I can't remember where I got the pattern of the third snowflake, maybe the Big Book of Tatting. The hairpin lace and tatting fan was a picture I had saved from the internet a while back and I cannot remember who posted it. It turned out well with the Size 20 Lizbeth thread. The owl bookmark is another pattern from Dianna Stevens from her book Animal Bookmarks A Tatted Zoo. For the handmade greeting card I used two creative flowers from Helma Siepman's book and the little rose is from a Victorian crafts magazine. The tatted items are my motifs 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19.

For those of you who have been wondering if I will ever show you any beading, there is the beaded frosted flower necklace and matching earrings which are a pattern by Kerrie Slade published in February/March 2009 Beadwork magazine. And there is the beaded light blue glass ornament which is a pattern by Robin Cowart. The pattern was published in the December 2008/January 2009 Beadwork magazine.

Oklahoma State Fair

2009-09-15T14:19:00.002-05:00

I turned my Oklahoma State Fair entries in on Saturday. I am planning on going to the fair on opening day after work, which is Thursday, to see if and how they placed. Once the fair is over I'll scan everything and post pictures. That should boost my motif count quite a bit.

Canadian County Fair 2009

2009-09-08T12:44:00.005-05:00

It has been a long time since my last post! For two weeks after returning from our vacation in Germany I was tatting my fingers to the bone to get my Canadian County Fair entries ready. It was definitely worth it. I received four 1st place, two 2nd place and one 4th place. I entered the dragon picture in the category Tatting. I am sure you all recognize the dragons as Anne Bruvold's patterns.

Back from Vacation

2009-08-18T15:21:00.002-05:00

Hi there,

We spent 2 1/2 weeks in Germany on vacation. The reason was my mom's 70th birthday party. We had great food and nice visits with family and friends. We also took the train to the German Alps to visit with more family. While there we went hiking in the mountains. The time went by way too fast!

Finally Some Earrings for Myself

2009-07-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

Here is one of the pairs of earrings I had tatted for myself. The thread is Size 30 hand dyed cordonnet thread from Marilee Rockley, aka Yarnplayer. It is the most wonderful thread to tat with. It is called Rhubarb Pie. The beads are pink Size 11. The pattern is by Elizabeth Zipay who tats beautiful jewelry.

Never Enough Earrings

2009-07-06T11:09:00.000-05:00

Hi there! I hope everybody had a great Independence Day! It was so nice to be off for three days in a row. I needed to rest and tat. A friend of mine asked me for color specific earrings and here they are. The pattern for the yellow pair is from the split ring bookmark that Jane Eborall's friend sent to her. One of the 25 motif challenge participants, Krystle Dawn, made earrings from it and I just love the way they turned out. So I had to have a go at them. The blue ones are the same pattern by Marilee as the ones in a previous post. I used Flora Size 20 thread for both pairs. They are my motifs # 11 and 12.

Another Bookmark

2009-06-17T15:54:00.000-05:00

Here is one more bookmark I tatted before I joined the 25 motif challenge. I just love the colors and the pattern. The thread is Altin Basak 50 and the pattern is by Sherry Pence. I liked the way she used the self closing mock ring for the onion ring, very clever!

More Earrings

2009-06-17T15:07:00.000-05:00

Here are the latest earrings I tatted with white Lizbeth thread Size 20 and gold metallic beads. The pattern is from Marilee Rockley, aka Yarnplayer. They hold their shape beautifully. Thank you Marilee for your lovely patterns! I believe they are motif # 10.

Bookmarks

2009-06-16T13:28:00.000-05:00

The Neurology Resident Graduation Party was a very nice affair. This picture is of the administrative staff aka the Motley Crue. I am the one on the left, next to me are Carole, Alisha and Connie. I am 5'4", this will give you an idea of how tall everybody else is. Alisha is wearing the black tatted necklace and earrings I had given her for her birthday.

The tatted bookmarks were my gifts to the Grads. For the blue and pink bookmark I used Altin Basak 50. The pattern is from Gina Brummet aka the Tatting Godess. The lavender bookmark is a variation of Kersti's Sabrina bookmark pattern for which I used Manuela Size 20 thread. For the very colorful bookmark on the right I used a variegated vintage Star Gem Size 30 thread for the tatting and white for the crocheted braid. The pattern is Ocean Surf by Kim Millar. I am not counting these towards the 25 motif challenge because I had already tatted them before I started the challenge. They looked even better after I blocked and starched them.

Party

2009-06-12T15:07:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is our annual Neurology Residents Graduation Party. We have three doctors who finished their neurology training through our residency program. It is always a very nice affair, with great food, fancy dresses or suits and dancing. My colleague Alisha got a new dress in light blue, medum blue and yellow and asked me if I could tat her a pair of earrings to go with it. I found a picture of these lovely earrings on Marilee's blog and knew these were the ones. Alisha loves them. She held them up next to the dress and they are a perfect match. I used DMC Cebelia Size 20, yellow seed beads Size 11 and blue dagger beads. I shall call them motif # 9.

Snowflake and Medallion

2009-06-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

Here is a fluffy purple snowflake from the book "24 Snowflakes in Tatting" by Lene Bjorn. That is a really nice little tatting book. It's easy to carry around with me and I love all the different techniques she uses for the snowflakes. The thread is a Star Gem Size 30.

The little blue and white medallion is from "A New Twist on Tatting" by Catherine Austin. It's one of the motifs in a collar. The thread is a Star Gem Size 30. I am thinking about putting it inside an acrylic coaster.

These two are my motifs 7 & 8. I forgot to mention in my last entry that the black necklace and matching earrings are motifs 5 & 6.

Jewelry

2009-06-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

Today is my colleague Alisha's birthday. She is the proud recipient of a tatted black necklace with matching earrings. I had so much fun tatting her gifts. The thread is Lizbeth Size 20 and the beads are silver lined crystal Size 11. The earring pattern is from free-tatting.com and the necklace idea is from Elizabeth Zipay.

Earrings

2009-06-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

Over the last two weekends I tatted some jewelry for upcoming birthdays which I can't show yet. I had such a great time tatting with beads. Tatting jewelry is definitely my favorite. Here are two pairs of earrings I did just for fun. The pattern for the blue pair is from freetatting.com. I used two shades of Altin Basak Size 50 thread. The pink pair is Elizabeth Zipay's which she generously shared on her blog. I used Oren Bayan Size 50 variegated pink. I am counting them as motifs 3 & 4.

Motifs # 1 & 2

2009-05-21T15:41:00.000-05:00

My mom received her belated Mother's Day card with Motifs # 1 & 2. No. 1 is a flower fragment from Mary Konior's book Tatting Patterns. No. 2 is the Letter H from the new book Tatting ABC's and 123's. The thread is Lizbeth Size 20. It is a very nice thread for tatting because it works up crisp.

I finally got a blog started!

2009-05-01T13:02:00.000-05:00

Yes! I finally got my very own blog! I am so excited. I have been wanting a blog since the 25 motif challenge started. I am an avid tatter. I am a proud member of the Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs, the Lace Guild of Oklahoma and IOLI. The last two years I entered tatting in both the County and State Fairs and received lots of ribbons.