Tatting Time at my house!

Well, my wonderful readers (do I deserve readers when my blog is so neglected?)  this is a post that I was working on in late May. Quite a few things have happened since then (which I will hopefully post soon)
 

Cynthia!  My traveling buddy! 

 In my last post, I discussed not getting to go to Finger Lakes. 😢😢😢   I did get a very special "Tatting Time"!!   Cynthia -- my traveling companion -- who was "robbed" of her Finger Lakes trip when the doctor cancelled my participation -- came to my house and stayed a couple of days.  We had our very own Tat and Chat from morning till late late at night!  It was so much fun!  I am so grateful for her friendship.   


I love the questions when you go to the hospital....One of my favorites is "Have you fallen recently?  Well--I am a KLUTZ...I have been all my life--my nickname in fourth grade was TripIt.  One of the worst fights I ever heard my parents have was my father not wavering from his faith and upbringing saying "Baptists don't dance" and my mother wanting to find a way to teach me where my hands and feet were by having me take dance lessons.  So now, can I add my complete lack of rhythm to my lack of instruction in dance?   Well, I wish I had a video of the fall I took in front of Cynthia the last morning of her visit. I was hurrying into the kitchen and stepped on a plastic lid that had fallen out of the cabinet.  The lid decided to act as poor hoverboard and my body proceeded to skid across the floor.I'm not sure how things can just take seconds in real life, but in my mind I see a series of snapshots taken This one consisted of "oohhhh the arthritic big toes just smashed into the cabinets:  "knees bang into cabinets" "my tailbone just impacted with the floor'  "Wham! Hips hit the floor" "Shoulderblades slam into the tiles next" Then "Bump, bump. bump, bump, bump my head collides (I promise it bounced!) with the floor.  Oh well, so I walk like the rusty tin man for a few days.... So, at the end of April,  I answer yes to the hospital question and I am admitted with a "High Fall Risk" bracelet in neon yellow (definitely not my color!--I don't have anything to wear that will match it.....   Worse than that, they put the bed rails up -- I am trapped!  For fourteen days, I get to look at hospital walls instead of my home's.  Notice how I slipped my two week hospital stay into our blog conversation?


This time I "did it to myself"...I had a night when I didn't sleep... went to bed at 5a.m.   Around 9:30 I had a reflus attack, and aspirated.  I called my husband to come get me, I thought (incorrectly) that if I got to the ER quick enough they could suction my lungs out....no... they hung the usual antibiotics.  This was followed by different drugs, different doctors, pushing my fluids one day and dehydrating me the next....  My lactic acid levels were too high and they couldn't get them for days....
1)detrimental or deadly   2) 14 days (not my usual 5 ) and I came home with home health checking on me  

I need to have my every other year endoscopy/upper GI.  The dr. refused to do it at the usual surgery center(s) here or in Tulsa, but is doing it in an operating room--fully equiped and fully staffed.  (He said to do less would be insane with my lungs in their condition.  Will they take lab work from this stay in a "sister" hospital for my "pre-op"?  Turns out....yes!  But they are still requiring me to go to Tulsa for a pre-op visit.....argh .

A few Monday's ago, my dear friend Donna--who has so very generously driven me to to Tulsa every other week this year for my muscle release therapy appointments... and I arrived home to an unexpected package on my porch!

This post has been waiting months for pictures to be downloaded from one device to another.... I downloaded these few pictures.  I will try to update you on my "life' and find out about my package when I post next (hopefully soon!)

Lace Embrace 2017 part 3

I had the privilege of teaching a class this last year at Lace Embrace.  I taught my Bohemian Picot Play Bracelet.  This five strand bracelet was designed to teach a different picot technique on each strand.

This is a fun little pattern, very little stress involved--if you can tat a chain, you can make this bracelet!  If at any time, you say...".my brain can't learn anymore today! "   Instead of tatting the next row with a newly learned technique--tat a duplicate of one of the rows that you have already done--you can tat all five rows using the technique taught on the first row!  There are no ends to work in (a
big plus for me!)

I sold kits for the bracelet--they had 4.5 yards of 5 different colors of Lizbeth size 3 threads and some picot gauges made out of plastic needlepoint canvas.  The kits also contained bracelet jewelry findings with split rings attached, floss threaders, safety pins, and coordinating beads.  I never realized how much work putting together a kit for a class took.    To all those teachers, who have sold kits for the classes that I have taken---THANK YOU!  

Cynthia and I should be traveling from Ohio today, headed for the Finger Lakes Tatting Convention in New York tonight.  Should be....because once again I have had to "flake out" on her and leave her with the choice of traveling alone (with no one to split the bills) or not go.  I am sorry Cynthia!!!I also apologize to those who took the Bohemian Picot Play Bracelet class at Finger Lakes.  I hope you were transferred into another class that you will enjoy.

My dr. this time when I asked about the trip said (exact wording) "I think it would be detrimental to your health, if not deadly."  That deadly got my attention.  It has made me re-evaluate a lot of things in my life.

SNEAK PEEK!!!!

I am supposed to teach my Twisted Heart Ornament for Tatting Corner' "Been There Done That" special weekend this July.  For more information about this exciting Tatting Corner event CLICK HERE   I am looking forward to that trip immensely).  a) a few more months to get healthier b) warmer weather  c) the trip will not be as far  d) My husband is taking me and will know when to get me medical attention (I tend to not realize how bad I've gotten until it is too late.)

 Back to the Bohemian Picot Play Bracelet!   CLICK HERE

Here are pictures of the bracelet.....I could not get the pattern and pictures to transfer onto my blog--but the download button above works.

Lace Embrace 2017 part 2

My poor neglected blog!  I am almost embarrassed to post anything, it has been so long.  All my reasons, only sound like excuses....  I have---in the last 20 months, spent 36 days in the hospital, almost all for pneumonia.  My lungs, and heart have suffered because of it.  Instead of sitting at my craft table, with the computer in the corner where I can be online as I work--most days now are spent in the living room in the recliner where I can have my legs up almost as high as they are supposed to be.  My sleeping disorder, I think is worse--it seems I spend more time taking out the tatting that I was doing as I went to sleep--that I apparently tatted some on as I slept (never correctly!) than I do correctly tatting.  End of reasons and excuses.

Let me finish with the October (yikes!) Lace Embrace event.  I just love this event.  We work all year long in preparation for this.  We don't charge any admission, give free goodie bags, have vendors, contests, demos and classes and provide a $5 lunch for those who do not want to leave the event location for lunch.

I love goodie bags--don't you?  You get something for free!  What is inside is usually a surprise!  Yours may not be exactly like your neighbors!  This year, we had bags printed.  These were those lovely parachute fabric light backpack type bags.  They kept everything together so nicely!
 


How do you like the Snowman and Gingerbread painted breadclips on the right?   OK--here is a larger view (just because you asked for it! & because they were my project!)


After begging everyone I knew to save bread clips for me--I bought some acrylic paint and PAINTED!  I've said for years that I could follow a pattern, but could not create on my own....this was a lot of fun as I tried out different faces on these little bits of nothing.  I hope people have fun winding thread bits on them, or using them as a small shuttle.  Those four bobbins of thread are very similar to what I was taught was "buttonhole twist"--a very strong thread for making your handmade buttonholes.
 
  "Winter themed" patterns for all different types of lacemaking  as well as the patterns for any classes that were offered were included.

A real treasure (to me) are the OLD magazines!  Oh, I wish Workbasket was still in print--I loved it!   I do not crochet, but there are ladies at my church who appreciate when I share my goodie bag treasures with them.  (Plus, one of the old crochet magazines has at least one tatting pattern in them.)  The old magazines are the only really "snarky" comment that I have ever heard about Lace Embrace.  Years ago, someone wrote that our goodie bags were full  of things available at any garage sale.  (boohoo---somebody was having a bad day!)  :)  
Of course--you need a winter themed pencil or pen and notepad (I love the little 3 inch snowflake ruler--it is flexible--which makes it very handy at times!)
 
Let's discuss the picture on the right.  Sew Uptown was a new shop in Bartlesville OK.  This was their first year to be a vendor at Lace Embrace.  They donated enough needle books for all of our goodie bags!  Wasn't that sweet!  The tatting group that meets at Kingfisher OK made enough beaded zipper pulls for our goodie bags!  Several ladies from the our guild made the bobbin lace icicles!  Why the thimbles?  Every year we have a short presentation.  Over the past few years, we have had butterflies, pincushions, needles and this year we had a lovely talk about thimbles.  There is a lot I did not know about thimbles! 

Now over to the picture on the left.  I don't know who crocheted the snowflake coasters, but I do know that Sue folded all the origami blue little tied-with-ribbon things--and filled them all with delicious chocolate!  I just realized that I have double of everything in my photos--my husband also got a goodie bag!

Many shared their thimble collections for our "viewing pleasure."   

Bruce (on the right) our 2017 guild president sits with the theme contest entries and explains how to vote for your favorite. 

One of the civic organizations in Bartlesville had a contest, where they auctioned off wreaths.  This was our guild entry, which was on display for the day.  It brought a nice hefty sum the night of the auction!


On the right are Donna Rose and Dorothy.  They have their bobbin lace pillows set up, ready to demonstrate for anyone interested in learning that craft.

 Almost all day long, we have drawings for our raffle prizes.  Tickets are a quarter, and I have a strategy.  I look into the paper bag that where people drop their tickets.  Since I don't really care what I win--I just want to win something--I put my tickets in bags where there are very few tickets.  (Let's face it, if there was something I really, really wanted to win....I could put $100 worth of tickets in there and it would be won by someone else!)  This year, I won several times--each time lovely seed beads!!



I must show you my purchases!  I love having vendors at Lace Embrace!!!   More lovely silk thread (I talked about this in my last post) and English hackles from Kathy Kirchner's booth.  Plus my "trove of treasures" from Tatting Corner.  I have wanted Julie Patterson's books for so long!  Lisa at Tatting Corner is the only US distributor of them! http://www.tattingcorner.com/books-videos-1/index-6.html/?referrer=CNWR_30711492117529 I was able to get some more of that lovely "Penny 20" polyester thread and more clover bobbin shuttles (I think I'm actually beginning to "enjoy" those--not just "learning to like".)

Just a few more pictures..... My lace display.  The snowflake tree was a result of my sinus surgery several years ago.  By the time I had recuperated, there were 103 snowflakes on the tree.  There were no two of the same design.  One of the more interesting things (I think) on my display board was a small corner where I showed my "failures" and struggles.  I think that people need to know that everything doesn't come out perfect right away!

In the next post, I will post the pattern for the Bohemian Picot Play Bracelet that I taught at Lace Embrace 2017.  Would you like to read the Lacemaker's Guild of Oklahoma "Wrap-Up Newsletter" for Lace Embrace 2017?  Follow this link!   "Wrap - Up Newsletter!"


 

 A look at the crowd....well sort of?













 

 Personal

Lace

Displays

from

some

of

our

guild

members

 

 Last thing for this post---is my little commercial!