Wild Ride!

Greetings!

It's been an interesting couple of months here. The short version is that: we moved in, my father passed away, and our daughter started school.

The house was unfinished when we arrived so I have been dealing with the developer. Ugh. Hard to get settled in and unpacked when you know they have to install a window in the basement and paint stuff (at a minimum).

I have found that tatting is very relaxing in the ICU at 3am. I have a string of simple earrings (Leila's flowers, no picots) that I made in the low light while taking my shift with my father. I wear a fitbit and a watch on my wrist; they are perfect for holding a large picot gauge when you have to get up in a hurry.

I looked forward to the end of summer break as, I suppose, many parents do. While I have not had the unlimited tatting time of my daydreams (just wait, once she's back in you can tat to your heart's content), I have found time to get something accomplished. Of course, I haven't tied anything off so I won't be showing them here for a bit. But, believe me, I have been tatting again.

I am looking forward to Interwoven Expressions, a sale and exhibition held annually in Chesterton, Indiana. I will be back there again this year! It is being held the second Saturday in November leaving me just enough time to recover from Halloween before I have my last presale push.  Funny how I always come up with new ideas right before a sale and really try to realize them in the short time left. I am resolved to stick to my plan and tat only what I need. Of course, I'm sure my resolve will fail but we don't need to dwell on that right now.

Hopefully I will have something to show you the next time I write. Until then, happy tatting!

Cheers,
Shuttle Flicka

New Home for Tatting!

I am back and it hasn't even been ages and ages!

We have moved house which means my tatting (and other goodies) can come back out of storage! It also means that instead of working in one corner of a room shared with the rest of the family, I can keep all of my things in a separate room and finally have my own space! It will also double as a guest room when needed, but there is plenty of room for both! I know, a lot of exclamation points, but this is a really big thing for me.

As I mentioned previously, I have only made earrings (okay, and a small cross) since February. The stash that had been growing in my workbox has been depleted by random sales. Funny thing about tatting at the local Dunkin' Donuts, I have a following there now.

I am still in the process of unpacking everything, which is making me want to do all kinds of things, like sew and knit and crochet. But I am determined that I will only make earrings for a while now. After a few more using Leila and Morimoto's patterns, I'll look for a new pattern. But before I do that, I have to find my pattern books, they're still packed away.

As an aside, I did make a small cross. I don't remember off-hand who wrote the pattern so I won't picture it here. My daughter had her first communion and she wore a wedding veil that both my sister and I had worn. We attached a tiara that her paternal grandmother had commissioned for her. On the day of her communion, I told her I had added something to symbolize that it was hers now too. I attached the small cross to the back of the veil in honor of her event.  She was touched and very proud of it. I was happy that she liked it. I know she enjoys it when I make something special for her and I think she felt the love I had tatted into it.

Now, I haven't tatted anything since we moved here in late June, but I know where my kit is if I need to tat a bit. I feel like I have to unpack everything else first to earn the reward. Silly me.

I'm off to unpack.

Happy tatting!

All Tied UP!

Well, it has been a long time since I posted on here. My apologies. It seems that something is always happening around here.

I have not stopped tatting though, and I have not stopped tatting in public. I spent last April 1st making small butterflies in a pub and giving them away to patrons and staff.

I have made items for a friend to wear to a steampunk convention.

I have made a few things as gifts for family and friends.

I have made items for sale at Interwoven Expressions, a market that I do in Indiana every November. The keychains are by Morimoto.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My resolution this year is to make at least one item every week. Tatting relaxes me, keeps me occupied, and by choosing small items, I can accomplish my goal without stress.

A slew of earrings is growing in my workbox.

This focus has helped me recently. You see, we are putting a lot of things in storage right now. I have boxed up and stored ninety percent of my tatting supplies. It wasn't easy to do, but I pulled out only the thread I plan on using for the next few months. It has been good in that I don't have other thread sitting in a bin calling to me to tat it; less distraction.

The earrings so far have been made from Lizbeth size 20 in various colors. The patterns are by Leila and Morimoto. I only have the Leila ones finished right now, the Morimoto are waiting on hardware.

I was also fortunate enough to have some of my tatting integrated into a quilt. As I have mentioned before, I am a member of the Nimble Thimbles at eh Irish-American Heritage Center in Chicago. During an art quilt challenge, I offered some pieces to embellish a morning glory themed quilt. I tatted caterpillars and green tendrils for the piece.

 

I was so happy to finally get my tatting on a quilt!!!!!

I'm sure much more happened in the intervening time, but I cannot summon it from the depths of the cavern in my head. Ah well...

I admit I did take a break from tatting to work on costumes for a convention. We went as the characters from Inside Out; I made the dresses and stenciled the sweater. It was quite a bit of work, but well worth it.

 Okay, that brings us up to speed. With any luck, I'll be posting again the next few years!

Tat tat for now!