Tatting Tea Tuesday — Never Enough Thyme

Whew! Freshly returned from Tat Days, I am itchin' to show you all the new things I learned. Sadly, I spent more time chattin' than tattin' and don't have a whole lot to show.

My mission today is to share a "secret" that I have been keeping. *drum.roll*

Thyme Leaf

My first design! It is a thyme leaf, but really you could use it for roses or any other leafy purpose. It looks wonderful tatted in Lizbeth #138 Leafy Greens (above). It also looks great tatted in solid colors.

It can be tatted with or without split rings, in one or two rounds and with or without beads.

For those who prefer not to tat split rings, tat the two inside clover elements separately, joining the second to the first according to the diagram. Then tat the second row separately. (Three sets of ends to hide.) 

If hiding all those ends makes you feel a little faint, it can also be tatted all in one pass.

Why the secrecy? Tat Days attendees were given this pattern as a freebie in their welcome packets. It was imperative that they all get one, you see...

"The game is afoot."

A tatting game was unleashed upon Tat Days, called Tathogen. It spreads like a virus because it is a virus game. This wicked little microbe eats your precious thread, unless you tat a cure.

The first morning of Tat Days I was overjoyed to find that a few early birds had already tatted their cure and were wearing thyme leaves on their ID badges. As I mingled, I handed out little cards that read "You've just caught necrotizing filitis. Please report to the quarantine area for treatment."

Oh boy! It didn't take long before folks were refusing those cards! They would say, "Oh, I don't want that!"

Nobody wanted to put their thread at risk. (Hee, hee.)

At the end of the conference, one tatter told me that she didn't like my games. They were too risky!

I'm guessing she enjoyed the element of danger. I appreciated her good-natured humor. It is more fun when folks play along!

Careful, it's catching
The pattern may have been a bit ambitious to complete during the hectic two-day schedule. But that's okay. Now you can tat yourself a cure to protect your thread!

Because you never know when the next Tathogen outbreak may strike.  ツ

Photos from Tat Days, part 1

Waving Hi from Tat Days! What a marvelous, tat-in adventure it has been so far. Warm, southern-style welcomes, adding faces and names to dozens of online friends, incredible classes, shopping and more.

Photos are added. It is good to be home (*hugs.home.network*)

Georgia posing with Ciarrán.

Perhaps the most surprising thing was that I didn't fall down in a dead feint at meeting Georgia Seitz. In fact, when I introduced myself she gave me the biggest hug. Thank you, Georgia, for being even more wonderful in person than you are online.

If you click on the image to enlarge it and zoom in on Georgia's ID badge, you will see her thyme leaf warding off insidious microbes. It is not the clearest photo. The leaf is tatted in Lizbeth 40 #136 Autumn Spice and I thought it looked so pretty!

She got that leaf as a gift from me, since she was so busy during the conference. Couldn't leave Georgia's threads unprotected, no!

Tatters chatting in the lobby.

By my estimation, 75 lacers attended Tat Days.

Everyone I met is more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. Truly. Everyone.

First impressions

Southern hospitality rocks! What a luxury to find real feather pillows and a down comforter on the bed. The waitress at our first restaurant, a place called Ribeyes, went out of her way to suggest local attractions for The Sprout and never once let on that we talked funny.

The steaks and burgers were so tasty at Ribeyes that we ate there twice. It was always hoppin'-busy and the clientele raved to us about how much they loved the food.

The second night the same waitress greeted us warmly and said, "You came back!" Then she asked The Sprout if he saw the Zedonk at the zoo. As busy as that woman was both times, I was surprised she remembered us at all. That's hospitality, eh?

But back to Tat Days! So many tatters' faces that were familiar to me from photos are now personalized with conversations, shared classes and meals, games, activities and chats.

Martha Ess shows Krystledawne's mom Karieann (left) and me (right) how to tat her broomstick tatted bookmark.

Karrieann turned out to be sitting right next to me in my first Friday class. Crazy Mom was a few seats away. Pre-class conviviality turned many unfamiliar faces into new tatting friends.

CrazyMom, how did I manage to spend so much time with you and NOT get a photo of you?!? 
(Methinks you are crazy like a fox.)  I'm so envious that you took Nina's bead class! So many great classes and not enough hours in two days to take them all.

Photo kindly shared by HJ Hess (center)
John (left), me (center front) and Karriean (right)

Krystledawne, more proof that I met your marvelous mom!

Squeeee! Martha Ess taught my first class -- a broomstick tatted bookmark. This was the class I was most eager to take and it turned out to be the biggest challenge. *mumbles* (...still haven't completed it...) But I will!  It is such a brilliant pattern! FAB! Cross your fingers that I finish it tonight.

Crafty Tatting 2 class with Georgia Seitz and Bernie Cosell (another VA tatter) was so much fun! We learned how to make pop-up inserts on which to affix tatted motifs and these 3D paper holiday trees we then could decorate with tatting. Crafty goodness!

Bernie taught me Maltese Rings. It was so easy once I got over my mental block. Thanks, Bernie! Now I can tackle those teapots in Martha's "T is for Tatting" book that I have been longing to tat.

Wally posing with Ciarrán after class.

I took two classes on Saturday with Wally Sosa and oh my! Both Wally and her techniques are delightful. I danced out of her classroom on twinkle toes thinking of ways to add Schwarino Flying Rings and Rolled Picots to my projects.

It is so difficult not to break into peels of gleeful squeals over every tiny detail. I am trying to maintain a modicum of composure, but you all must realize that I was such a wide-eyed, first-timer!

I marveled at seeing more than one or two tatters in the same room, interacting and learning together. I was amazed at the silent auction items, the Mary Konior display (more on that later) and the display of tatted works people brought just to show and tell.

I was humbled by the gorgeous tatting people wore on their bodies and the laces flying off their shuttles.

Meeting Riet Surtel-Smeulders was such a treat! Riet was so sweet to share bars of Belgian chocolate with The Sprout (I got one too). YUM!

But the most humbling thing was how many people approached me and said how they knew me. Hegla, bless her heart, even described me as FAMOUS (What?) and like family.  But every sentiment and gesture touched my heart deeply.

'Cause you all don't realize how special it was for me to meet and spend time with all of YOU! The pleasure was entirely mine. I can't wait until I get to see you all again to make more Tat Days magic.

So -- anon, when I can share photos and tales of a leprechaun reunion, high jinks, a lep of unusual size (that Ciarrán quippingly called Gigantor) and the lovely Miss Scarlet!

Gone Tattin'

Image source: http://www.airplane-blog.com

Going dark, y'all. Time to pack up the laptop for travel. In 12 hours I will be in Cornelia, GA, settling in to a hotel and preparing to take in my first Tat Days conference in nearby Toccoa, GA.

This is gonna be good!

Gettin' Back to Bee?

Having heard of quilting, spelling and even JuJu bees, I have often wondered if the day would ever come when tatting would get a bee of its own.

A bee is essentially a gathering, to make an otherwise unwieldy task or project more manageable.

Wikipedia explains 'bee' this way:

"...a gathering of peers to accomplish a task or to hold a competition. Especially in the past, the tasks were often major jobs, such as clearing a field of timber or raising a barn, that would be difficult to carry out alone. It was often both a social and utilitarian event. Jobs like corn husking or sewing, could be done as a group to allow socialization during an otherwise tedious chore. Such bees often included refreshments and entertainment provided by the group."

Of course it is immediately plain why bees aren't common in tatting. Typically there haven't been enough of us living in close proximity to gather.

Tatters are the control group, the experts, the epitome of the "think global, craft local" movement.

Are Tats Days the new Bees?

Consider the Palmetto Tatting Guild, the Fringe Element Tatters, the Finger Lakes or Shuttlebirds tatting guilds. They each have enough members to organize an annual Tat Days conference.

Then there are the Mad Tatters and Oklahoma Shuttle Bugs in Tennessee, Mobile Tatters in Alabama, and the Timp Tatters in Utah, among many other lace guilds that include tatters in their ranks.

And last but never least, the Danish Tatting Guild, the Ring of Tatters in the UK and the Tatting Guild of New South Wales in Australia just to name a few of the global guilds!

Might it be time for larger tatting groups to get their bee on?

Dare I dream of a trickle down effect to smaller groups should such an idea take root?


It certainly seems to me that a large project, such as the crazy quilt project Georgia Seitz and others organized as a 2010 Palmetto Tat Days fund-raiser, would be an ideal bee project.

While I'm ruminating on the subject, why aren't "sheep to shawl" competitions lumped into the bee category? They certainly fit the bill.

Should working bees, like the once popular barn-raising, corn-husking, cider pressing and quilting gatherings of yore, continue to keep company with other ghosts of our American heritage?

I leave you to gather your thoughts with this poem I found on the Internet. It is written for quilters but applies to tatters equally well. Substitute "quilting" with "tatting" and you'll see what I mean:

THE QUILTIN’ TIMES ARE A-CHANGING
by CindyThury Smith 1999

For our Great-Great Grandmothers,
 in quilting times past—
A frugal quilter had to scrimp, make every scrap last—
 Today wasting fabric is not such a crime—
Today what’s scarce is a quilter’s TIME.
Patterns used to travel with pioneers going west—
Now we swap and share instantly on the Internet—
Once templates were traced, fabric carefully scissored—
Now we slice multiple layers, we’re all Olfa wizards.

At one time a two fabric quilt was a sign of status—
Now Watercolor quilts have hundreds of prints comin’ at us—

Quilters used to gather at small local quilting bees—
Now we congregate at conferences, national teachers to see.

Like our Great-Great Grandmothers our lives are busy, we’re stressed—
But with the beauty of our quilts, we feel we are blessed—

As with Great-Great Grandmother, our quilting serves many goals—
To give warmth, grace our homes, and feed our souls.

Queen of Hearts Three Ways

My color study continues somewhat circuitously with Mary Konior's "Queen of Hearts."

Mary Konior's Queen of Hearts
All threads are size 40 Lizbeth
All three hearts are charming in their own right. And yet...

My July 27th post stated I wasn't sure how shoe-lace-tricking my way right-and-left-grand style through the rings affected the color flow.

Let's take a closer look.

Switching threads to alternate rings mixed things up in an intriguing way, but the effect got lost. You really have to scrutinize to see that every other ring is a solid orange.

Look again - variegated rings are surrounded by solid chains and vice verse. This is an appealing effect, but two solid colors are needed to really show it off. 

See how the stripes leap off the screen? The contrasting waves of color make this a winner.

Heart 3 surrounds colorful rings with solid chains. To me, the variegated rings add more visual interest than solid ones. (Not that there is anything wrong with solid ones.) The purple chains hug the graceful curves of the design and compliment the Fruit Fizz.

Does this create a stained glass effect?

Not quite, because the dark chains do not completely outline the bright rings. They Allemande Left around the rings instead.

Last but not least is Heart 2. Tatted with Fruit Fizz on two continuously-wound shuttles and tatted according to pattern specs. It might not be as flashy as the previous two, but it is so pretty!

If the color distracts from the design (some would say yes, some would say no), I would still choose to tat this again and again.

For folks who like to know:

	Shuttle 1	Shuttle 2
Heart 1	#139 Fruit Fizz	#696 Autumn Orange medium
Heart 2	#139 Fruit Fizz	#139 Fruit Fizz
Heart 3	#139 Fruit Fizz	#633 Purple Dark
Heart 4	#696 Autumn Orange medium	#633 Purple Dark

My three-way analysis turned into a four-way analysis. And in answering my first questions I came up with a few more. But look at all that I learned (and you too) from this little experiment with color.

Thank you to Mary Konior, God rest her soul, for designing this versatile and always lovely heart.

This will be my last post before leaving on Thursday morning (before the sun rises) to catch a plane to Toccoa, GA, for Tat Days. But I am taking my camera and laptop so I can (cross your fingers) deliver at least one live update from there.

Gotta start packing!

Tatting in Piecework, Sept./Oct. issue

My issue of Piecework magazine just arrived via post and I ran to the laptop to share my glee over the theme and the tatting.

This issue is dedicated to needlework in literature and I couldn't be happier. I am so glad I didn't miss this issue!

You all need to know that I don't get any compensation from Interweave Press. I just really like their mags.

As I turned the pages, however, I began to get worried that this issue might not include any tatting.

Outside of a random mention of the word "tat" (which was actually referencing knotting) in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, I do not know of any fiction books containing tatting references. Do you?

I shouldn't have been worried. You'll be happy to know that on page 44 there is a large cover photo of various lace handkerchiefs, the top two of which sport dainty tatted edgings. Hurray!

The Ladies of Missalonghi

According to the lovely article, Australian novelist Colleen McCullough (who wrote The Thorn Birds among others) includes tatting in her novel The Ladies of Missalonghi. My library loan has already been processed online. A copy awaits pick-up tomorrow. ツ

It gets better! The follow-up article is titled, "A Tray Cloth to Hemstitch" by Mary Polityka Bush. It shows Ms. Bush's' tray cloth edged with vintage tatted lace and includes a sidebar on how to miter a corner. The photo even includes a fine bone china teacup filled with a tempting brew.

This Tuesday (August 24) my tatting and tea will be in homage to the ladies of Missalonghi and those superb editorial souls at Piecework magazine for creating this marvelous issue. There will be tea and butterfly cakes. And I invite you all to join in the fun.

Just a day or two later I board a plane to Toccoa, GA to attend Tat Days. Hope to see you there!

P.S. Last fall I wrote an article for my lace guild's newsletter (Winter 2009 issue) on the origins of tatting. If you happen to click over to read it, please sign the guest book!

Oh, and how could I forget to mention the ad from LACIS? (See? My thoughts are scattered all higgilty-piggilty today.) They have brought back the plastic Boye shuttles in an impressive range of colors. These affordable shuttles ($3 each) hold more thread than the plastic Clovers, so I will be giving them a test run. Will you?

Holy Schemoley! Shuttle Search Solved

Sorry to all who came looking for a Tatting Tea Tuesday post last week. I had a doctor's appointment so I published the Zoo Flakes post instead.

Later that day I checked other TTT posts and saw that the sweltering heat in the US kept more than a few tatters indoors with their laces.

Wanda's post reminded me that I have this delicious Vanilla Rooibos tea just begging to be brewed. So today I am enjoying some iced Vanilla Rooibos and having a Tatting Tea Tuesday do-over.

But before I start tatting, I want to share some news.

♥ for Postie

Last Monday Postie brought a package from Lace Lovin' Librarian Diane.

Ciarrán got so excited he tore open the package and crawled out with the contents.

Holy Schemoley! She sent me one of her Diana Andra shuttles as a gift! See it here with my favorite rosewood shuttle? I have been on the look-out for the artisan of this model of shuttles for a number of years.

Here's the backstory: two weeks ago during one of my blog-crawls, I discovered this photo of Diane's. Eureka! Could it be?!?

LLL Diane shared where she bought hers and suggested I contact the artisan via Turn of the Century.

Unfortunately, Diana Andra had to stop making shuttles due to carpal tunnel syndrome. I shared this information with LLL Diane and she sent me one of her shuttles.

I am thrilled beyond description to be the recipient of such generosity and kindness. Thank you, Diane. I will treasure this shuttle forever!

Stop by again tomorrow for the tatting I meant to show you today. I've got to go try out the gorgeous new Diana Andra shuttle!

NEXT: Queen of Hearts Three Ways