Nametags

I saw some beautiful nametags decorated with tatting when I was at the Hector Tat Days this year. I was tiring of my shawl pattern and the doily that I've been working on, so I decided to try my hand at making a nametag. I have one of those plastic sleeves on a jaw clip that I can slide this into. The pattern for the edging is "Betty" by Rosemarie Peel. The thread is Lizbeth #129.

No posts for at least the next week, I'll be teaching at Good News Camp. There is no computer access at all at our campgrounds, and it may be way to hot to be tatting (high 90's are predicted for all week)!

Lace Escape IV--part 4

Sunday morning, Maggie taught me some new techniques. The first was a "dizzy picot." Mark Myers (Tat-man) explains this technique http://www.tat-man.net/tatterville/howtotat/DP/DP.html . Maggie and I were laughing and talking about different things, when she said that she wished she could see butterflies illustrating new techniques--well Maggie, here is my Dizzy Picot Butterfly!

The next technique that we worked on was Maltese Rings. Martha Ess has a good explanation of how to do these at http://my.att.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=87&subpageid=30108&ck= . One of the ladies asked what we were doing and I pointed to the samples of Maltese Rings, and laughed that it had "outie" and "innie" picots. Maggie immediately said that my future Maltese Ring Butterfly was to be named "The Belly-Button Butterfly."

Words cannot explain how much fun I had with these ladies. I really broadened my tatting techniques and skills. The retreat center was lovely and peaceful, and the company was fantastic. Now to save my pennies so that I can attend Lace Escape V!

Lace Escape IV--part 3

Saturday afternoon, Maggie and I worked on putting beads in joins. This is her original bookmark pattern, which I did at the retreat in purples (Lizbeth129). Here also are two that I did later at home in Lizbeth 620--I left out the beads in the joins on these.

Saturday afternoon I started this snowflake. The pattern is by Pam Palmer. This was the first project that I did the beading "myself"--I decided where the beads were to go, and had to count them up and load them correctly, etc. I finished it right before time to go to bed that evening.

Lace Escape IV--part 2

Later Saturday morning, as practice for adding beads to picots, Maggie shared with me her original pattern for making these flower pins. Maggie generously let me use her beads, which enabled me to make this multi-colored bead flower. I loved this pattern. It is a great way for emptying bobbins (I use the metal Boye shuttles, which it seems, most of the tatting world hates.) Anyway, I went "flower pin" crazy when I got home.

Lace Escape IV--part 1

Friday night at the Lace Escape IV put on by the Lace Guild of Greater Kansas City, Maggie Brown taught me how to put a bead inside of a ring. I was able to finish the first candy cane that night. Since it was a learning project, I didn't worry about finishing the ends (cane on the far right). I've done the other two candy canes since then, adding a hanging loop in the tenth chain. One candy cane has red beads inside of white rings, and white beads inside of red rings, the other candy cane has matching rings and beads. The candy canes are done in Flora thread, the pattern is by Pam Palmer. *If you do this pattern, make your picots as small as possible! Jennifer Williams has the technique for adding a bead to the center of a ring, on Jane Eborall's pattern pages, http://www.e.n.e.btinternet.co.uk/BeadRing.pdf .

Early Saturday morning, Maggie taught me how to make a "Double Long Beaded Picot." This technique is also on Jane Eborall's pattern pages, http://www.e.n.e.biternet.co.uk/BeadsMulti.pdf . These were so neat looking, that when I got home, I made a bunch of them and decorated a t-shirt with them!

"Hospital Doily"

The day I left for Christian Youth in Action, I received my T.A.T. program "Apprentice Pin" I was so excited! I completed the work for the program several years ago, but never mailed it in until this spring. I've learned a lot by completing the work for the program, as well as by seeing the notes made by those who evaluated my work. As soon as I have the money I will apply for the Artisan phase of the program.

The two weeks of CYIA flew by, and the following week, my father had a complete knee replacement. This is my "hospital" doily that I worked on during my father's stay in the hospital. It is the pattern "Nora" by Iris Niebach and is done in Lizbeth color 122. My father is now doing remarkably well, although he suffered miserably from the affects of the anesthesia for a few days.

June 25-27, I got to attend the Lace Guild of Greater Kansas City's Lace Escape IV. I had a blast!!!! The ladies had worked very hard to make it a very special and memorable weekend. I really appreciated the way the ladies made me feel welcome. I did tatting all weekend long, but was tempted to join in the beginner Bobbin Lace and beginner Romanian Point Lace Class. My tatting teacher was Maggie Brown. She introduced me to many techniques that I hadn't tried before....and I'm now pretty proficient at tatting with beads, a skill I was lacking. She shared not only her knowledge, but her bead stash, jewelry making supplies, and some original patterns. I'll have pictures to show of my work in later blogs. I'd love to spend more time with these ladies in the future!

Last week was VBS....I made balloon animals every night to be given away the next day to those who learned their memory verses. I also taught the Bible classes for the lower elementary and upper elementary classes.