Celtic Motifs--Emptying Bobbins

Just like the title says...that's what I've been doing this week--I've been emptying bobbins, and I'm far from finished.  I have three major things that I usually have done with thread on bobbins:   a) make butterflies and snails on paperclips to give away to people who comment on my tatting when I'm out in public, b) make beaded butterflies (it needs slightly less thread) for the same reason, c) make flowers to decorate stationary.   I hate to waste thread...If I have ten inches of thread, I make a flower!  This time I had some almost full bobbins so I made some larger motifs before I started the butterflies, snails, and flowers.  I'm not sure which is the front or the back on these  celtic motifs, I think they look great both directions, and I didn't work them frontside/backside... so they'll hang on my little tree any-which way!  The square one, I think, I bought off of a Russian site a while back (correct me if I'm wrong please).  The circle motif came from 
http://free-tatting.com/?p=38

Senior Graduation Gifts

My Dear Husband just finished his thirty-first year of teaching higher math and computers at the local high school.  He interned there the year before he was hired--and that year saw the very first graduating class.

As we will celebrate our thirtieth wedding anniversary in a few weeks, I ought to know by now, that he will wait until the week or week before graduation to ask me for tatted gifts for all of his "special" graduating seniors.  Bless his heart, he was true to form this year...but at least he knew exactly what he wanted.

He requested figure #58 from Patti Duff's Mini-Tat's book made into a small bookmark.  The bookmarks were made out of Lizbeth size 20, color 671--Christmas Red.  The crosses were an inch and a half long, the bare cord was three inches, and the tassel was an inch and a half long.  After a week and a half of tatting my fingers to the bone, they are all ready for graduation tonight.

Finger Lakes 2013 Part 4

Unfortunately, Karey Solomon's Lodi Star has joined my ever growing UFO drawer... (that's UnFinished Objects for my novice readers out there.)  I did not want to quit blogging about Finger Lakes until I had mentioned some of the wonderful people who make this weekend possible, and who made this weekend wonderful.

Karey Solomon does everything but stand on her head (and maybe she did that while I wasn't looking) to make this weekend a success....she teaches, sells, cooks, cleans and organizes and the list goes on... I don't know how the seminar would go on without her and would hate to find out!

But she did not do it alone!! She had many helpers in the kitchen who managed to feed everyone (working around some very restrictive diets and allergies) and providing delicious and delightful dishes.  She also had helpers who helped with registration and the auction and raffle and many other thankless jobs.  I wish I could thank them all by name.

BettyReeser

Hand Painted Pendant by Betty Reeser

Last year the person who gave me my secret angel gift was Betty Reeser.  She gave me a beautiful hand painted ceramic pendant and told me I could put tatting around the edges of it.  I did, and brought it back to show her this year.  She also donated enough thread last year (which Karey hand-dyed) for everyone to have a hank in their goodie-bag last year.  A challenge was issued to make something and bring it back this year. My doily was one of the more "traditional" designs entered...there were 3D snowflakes, scarves and other things entered....all of the entries were beautiful!!!

My doily made with the Betty/Karey 2012 for 2013 Challenge Thread

This year I made friends at the Friday night pot-luck dinner with Monica Braxton, and Leanne Boyd.  Leanne was the first person when I got home to look me up on facebook!  What a surprise when I drew Monica's name and I was her secret angel!  She surprised me later by gifting me with some of her own hand-dyed-thread!  She has a new Etsy shop NAGStudio where she is selling her thread and her own design of hand made wooden shuttles--my friend Cynthia has two and loves them.  Now what will I make with this beautiful thread in my favorite colors?

Monica Braxton

Monica's gift of HDT

  


 The lady who drew my name this year as my secret angel was Kathy Berndt.  Kathy was from Lake Luzerne, New York.   She gave me the absolute cutest little 4 1/2 inch tall Adirondack chair, ball of Lizbeth thread and a clover shuttle.  The chair now sits on my craft table.  To it, I have secured a tiny pincushion and it has become home to the beaded knot-picker that we received in the needle books that were in our goodie bags this year.

Kathy Berndt

Little Adirondack Chair/Beaded Knot Picker

 
















By the way *she didn't even come to Finger Lakes, so here is a special thank you in print to *Kathy Hodge, who made the *needle books, *bookmarks and *knot-pickers that were in  our goodie-bags.


Thank you to all who made this weekend possible--Cynthia Stevenson, my dear Oklahoma friend who allows me to tag along on this forever long car trip each year... to everyone at Finger Lakes who helps put on the Seminar, and to all of you wonderful tatters who bring your nimble, talented fingers and smiling faces each year back into my life.  Thank you for this year, and I look forward to next year............. now what to do with our challenge thread for next year!

Finger Lakes 2013 Part 3

I have enjoyed Ginny Weather's 12 Ornaments of Christmas (Books 1 & and 2).  I have worked from her designs when making ornaments for all those who receive tatted items from me at Christmas time.  She is a gracious lady who shares her talents with those around her very patiently and willingly.  This fun doily pattern she shared with us at Finger Lakes came complete with cute little jewelry findings.  She had several different kinds...some circles--some flat, copper, gold, mine were square, silver and 3-D.  She explained that her pattern could be adapted to smaller findings by adapting the size of the rings and chains in the pattern.  Ginny even went a step farther by emailing us after class--photos of the doily in different stages of progress, to help us as we completed our work.  What a sweet lady!

My doily is done in Lizbeth, size 20.  The color is # 120- Caribbean.  It is not blocked yet.  I plan on framing it, eventually.