Light and Lacy in Yellow

In spite of the long list of post-Tat Days projects, I couldn't resist joining in Jon's Tat Along to make the Norma Benporath Lace Mat.

My rationalization? It is perfect in-car tatting for after-school dismissal. Yesterday I had planned to start round two, but got caught up in an utterly diverting chat and didn't tat a double stitch.

Jon's post from September 12, The Lace Mat, gives great historical details about this pattern, but I will try to sum up (so that I can remember in the coming years).

On March 16, 1938, The Queenslander newspaper published this pattern under the headline "Tatting for Busy People" giving Norma Benporath a proper byline.  (Yay!)

The National Library of Australia (NLA) granted Jon permission to rewrite the patterns it has archived to preserve the designs and make them accessible to current tatters.

Jon included a few handy notes for folks eager to start the Tat Along. I was curious about bullet number three in particular:

Here is what my round one looked like before I flattened it out with a quick shot of steam. (After first pinning the lace to my ironing board, or course.)

Thank you Jon for being so wise as to include this note. I would surely have abandoned the work had you not advised me to not panic. ツ

Later this afternoon I will begin round two for Tatting Tea Tuesday. Imagine me with a travel cuppa of chocco-strawberry decaf with a splash of chocolate soy milk. NPR playing on the car radio. Happily tatting along. The sunny yellow thread juxtaposed with the soggy, grey skies.

That is how I plan to banish the rain and continue dreaming of Indian summer.

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Tat Days, Episode 2

The One With Swag and Shameless Name-dropping
This post focuses on cool stuff I received from even cooler people and the many tatting celebrities I had the pleasure to meet (and heckle or lure into hijinx).

When I got home, I emptied the contents of my "welcome" goodie bag (where I had also stored my purchases) and this is what was inside.

What you don't see is the gallon-sized zip-top baggie filled with all sorts of tatting treasure. Like a tiny fairy shuttle and a needle case and an emergency tatting survival kit, and a bookmark sleeve. Truly too much to mention it all. Double what you see and you have a good idea of my loot haul.

Can you believe there's more?

I was the blushing recipient of some incredible gifts. (Still blushing.)

These pretty beaded posies were a gift from Marie Smith who, rumor has it, made 100 to hand out. Was not able to confirm the rumor (I was too busy admiring the exquisiteness.) but I wore this proudly on my name tag.  Thank you, Marie!

The inimitable Erin Holloway made this brooch for me after I groveled at her feet the previous year, begging for a similar brooch to the one I had failed to win in the silent auction. You can see why! Isn't it gorgeous? Sometimes groveling (and being willing to match the winning silent auction donation) pays off.  To say I will cherish this always doesn't even begin to express my joy. Thank you, Erin!

Truly, I felt like the Belle of the Ball wandering around Tat Days with these two knockout accessories.

No amount of thanks can match Louine Teague's thoughtfulness in creating this tea wallet.  I was, and still am, so touched that she made this in honor of Tatting Tea Tuesday. See the teapot closure? This beauty will come with me everywhere.  Thank you, Louine!

In addition to the multiple beads, threads and other goodies showered upon me by my Tat Days roomie, CrazyMom, I was the gleeful recipient of this stunning bookmark tatted in Gina Brummet's Tequila Sunrise (one of Tatskool's superb HDTs) and a lovely forest green. Thank you, CrazyMom!

CrazyMom also gifted Sprout with a Spiderman Pez, which he couldn't wait to open. It took him all of 15 seconds to load it and start gobbling candy. A special Spiderman Pez tooth-brushing session promptly followed.

This item was the first one I received. It was a gift from my tatting guild mate, friend and carpool buddy.  She made it after hearing that my county fair entries did not garner any ribbon love this year. It meant so much to know that she was inspired by my tatting and thought it was ribbon worthy.  I wore this proudly and with a whole lot of gratitude.

Anita also gifted The Sprout which made him very, very happy. It was one of those cotton cloths that are compressed into a tiny, tiny package so they will "grow" when you open them.  Of course, Sprout spirited it away before I could take a photo. Thank you, Anita!

One last gift came from the irrepressible Hegla, who I believe secretly doubles as one of Santa's Helpers. There were bead jars, a frame that showcases tatting from both sides, a pretty notebook and four LEGO-esque building kits for the Sprout. Plus more bead-sharing and a yard of Coronation cord. Thank you, Hegla!

It's hard to be humble when you're surrounded by such a wealth of tatting riches, in talent, generosity and largesse. Sharren Morgan expressed it so much better than I ever could in her post We Had a Blast (from the Past).  I cannot thank everyone enough for all the effort put into the numerous and mind-boggling gifts we received at Tat Days.

Recounting all the goodies makes me feel like a kid on Christmas morning. It is a good feeling.

After an intermission we'll dive into Shameless Name Dropping. Go refresh your drink, grab a snack or do what you need to do. I will wait.  ツ

---

This paragon of tatting has so many fine talents, auctioneering being but one, she deserves her very own name-brand chocolate. White chocolate, of course.

Georgia Seitz

This clever gent permitted me to tease "da udder brudder" through text messaging for the better part of a day. File under "Look Ma, a Shuttle Brother!"

Randy Houtz

Let the record show that Randy was spotted dancing a jig when he thought no one was looking. Here Randy is plying his shuttle during a class.



Lastly, an article written about The Shuttle Brothers called "Men Who Tat"

Marilee, the Yarnplayer, and Sue Anna (of Tollway Tatters fame) traveled from the Prairie State to join the frivolité. Both were sheer delights to be around: charming, funny, insightful and in possession of secret stashes of HDT. What more could an Unrepentant Thread Junkie hope for? I was in heaven for so many reasons.

Marilee and Sue Anna

Ah, Nina Libin.  I am in such awe of her design talent and her patient teaching style that I flock to her classes. But this year I was treated to being in classes with her as a student as well as a teacher. She is incredible. Amazing. I accomplish things in her classes I never thought I could.

Go take a class from this wonderful woman. I hear she may be teaching in the Fingerlakes region of NY in Spring 2013. 

Nina Libin

I was surprised by this next celebrity tatter because I had been chatting in the reception area with her for several minutes before realizing to whom I was speaking.

Her name tag read "Sue F"  (or maybe Sue K?) and it wasn't until she had a flash of recollection about the name "IsDihara" that we figured out we "knew" each other online.

I recall Susan said something vaguely resembling, "Oh, I know! You're the tatter who wrote me, asking for permission to use my pattern combined with some other one, a fleur de lis or something."

And I said something like, "Oh my God, you're Susan Fuller?!? THE Susan Fuller who designed Heart's Desire? That's one of my favorite heart patterns."

And before you could say 'Bob's your uncle' we were talking a blue streak. Tat Days is the BEST!!!

IsDihara, Hegla, CrazyMom and Susan Fuller

Sadly (thankfully?), that is all the photos I have for today, but hopefully the long trek to the bottom of the post hasn't been too grueling.  Go stretch your legs, flex your tatting muscles and meet me back here in a day or so for Tat Days, Episode 3.

Thank you for reading!

Back from Tat Days, Part 1

Freshly returned from Tat Days 2012, I couldn't wait to share details of my great adventure. 

But before I buckle down with my own offerings, I simply MUST point you over to Tat-licious blog to see two FAB photos from Tat Days -- taken by the disarmingly cute and lovable Livie -- who I will forever forward call "Livi-licious." 

Tat-ilicious: Guess who has returned? ... Capricious Miss Jane!

Where to begin?

This year instead of flying, a fellow tatter and I drove 9 hours to attend Tat Days. What could have been a long, grueling road trip was anything but. Can you believe we nattered on for 9 straight hours without even turning on the radio?

Close up of Cherry Blossom Quilt 1

This is just one small section of one of the cherry blossom-themed quilts created for the fund-raising scholarship auction.

Seventeen tatters were granted scholarships to attend Tat Days this year thanks to generous contributions from people like you. I was one of those 17 and I thank you from bottom of my heart.

This is a full view of the same quilt. What an astounding effort of artistic beauty.

A second quilted work of art was offered up for auction showcasing a single branch. The blossoms are light and delicate, just like real cherry blossoms.

But my favorite of the three primary quilt offerings was this one.

Graceful branches offset by blocks of Japanese art prints. It was breathtaking.

Last but not least is this table runner with a beautiful blossoming branch and a swarm of tatted butterflies. le sigh

Well, this is a good place to pause while I prepare more for you to feast your eyes upon. Stay tuned for Tat Days, part 2.

Motif 17 - Dragon Tails

Remember earlier this summer when I posted about Flying Minor Norwegian Massacre?  Poor Toothless had gotten gnashed to bits by a VBD  (Very Bad Dog).

I had promised a repair/re-tinkering, but realized that it might be faster to make a whole new dragon. Since I could only find three of the the previously-wound four shuttles, I had tabled this project until after Tat Days 2012.

Fast forward to three days before departing for Tat Days.  That is when I decided to tat The Sprout a replacement Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon as a love present while I am away.


Rest easy iridescent dragon fans, As Toothless Turns (into a Hideous Zippleback) will still happen, after I locate the elusive fourth shuttle.

Motif 17 - Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon #2

Note:  Threads used for this dragon are Lizbeth^® 40 #164 Blue River Glades and Lizbeth^® 40 #167 Jungle Greens.

Here is the progress after the first sit-down:

The interlocking rings are a technique of CORRECTION - Wally Sosa's, who lives in Puerto Rico when she is not traveling. (Jane from South Africa made a lovely necklace/choker using this technique and that is where I first saw it.)  Thank you Jane from South Africa for the correction!

I love how the interlocking rings give the impression of scales.  And it also looks like X's and O's.  (Hugs and Kisses) Second sit-down (same day) resulted in tail number two.

Hideous Zipplebacks are sly, but feisty creatures, as I found out first hand while tatting head number one. He nearly bit my hand off as I tried to close the ring that forms his snout.

An Altoids Smalls tin in the photo below helps to show size.  This gutsy lil' guy is smaller (and a whole lot more spirited) than his predecessor.  The snout of head number one came undone while I was closing the final snout ring of head number two. 

Snout repairs would have to wait until after the wings (So there, snarly wyr!) and his neck scales still need to be added.

VOILA!  Wings are done, neck scales and snout repairs have been completed.This two-headed thread threat  (hee, hee, a pun) was quite a handful. But how magnificent the outcome!

Hideous Zippleback's wingspan is 3.5 x 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) wide as well as 3.5 x 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) long from nose to tail. Thank you, Wally Sosa, and Anne Bruvold, for sharing these marvelous creations with us!

Not sure yet what The Sprout will name him, but feel free to make suggestions in the comments.

See you again after Tat Days, if I don't see you there!

Prepping for Tat Days

This past week I have seen two other bloggers post about prepping for Tat Days.  They just so happen to be teachers.

Don't be confused, I am not a Tat Days teacher. Even gleeful students (hee, hee, like me!) have some prepping to do: any pre-class homework assignments or technique reviews, emptying shuttles for our classes, winding the newly emptied shuttles (stringing beads), etc.

This year I have chosen to take three (3) classes in Beanile Lace, so I need a minimum of 3 sets of shuttles suitable for beadwork. Off to my shuttle storage containers ISO beading shuttles.

Lo! What did I find?  Last year's unfinished Winter Solstice earrings.  Got those finished up.

This photo was taken from my kitchen table to make use of morning light. In contrast with the pale wood the beads look dark, almost black.  Click on the image for a larger view and you can see they are a gorgeous, deep green.

Here they are photographed under an Ott Lite.  While the shiny, metallic threads, sparkly beads and silk cloth confused the camera's auto-focus, look at the lovely "true" green.

I just love how these turned out. Can't wait for more Beanile Lace projects!

Hope to see YOU next week at Tat Days! 

Is Tatting Making a Comeback?

Do you believe everything you read in print?

Maybe or maybe not, but the printed word does seem to be more credible or valid at first glance. And the media (and occasional newsletter or blog) seems to be putting a comeback spin on their typical tatting coverage.

Just today I saw a nice photo from an Australian newspaper about a para cyclist gentleman tatter.  (Thank you, Cas in Australia, for sharing the story on the Here_Be_Tatters Yahoo Group list!)

Well, when it comes to tatting, WE are the experts. I am here to say that I BELIEVE. 

Georgia Seitz wrote in one of her 2011 BellaOnline Newsletter articles:

"I think this is a marvelous time to be a tatter. We have online so many vintage tatting publications to download for free that they alone should keep us tatting for decades.  And since the 1980's we have had a plethora of modern tatting designers publishing contemporary patterns."

This newspaper article from the Gadsden Times, January, 1981, discusses the resurgence of tatting:  Tatting Makes Comeback as Favorite Needle Art


This blog post from thread manufacturer DMC tackled the topic two days ago (Monday, August 20, 2012):

The DMC-Threads Blog:  Tatting is Making a Comeback!
[http://dmc-threads.com/learn-tat/]


Off the Grid News:  Tatting: An Old World Art
[http://www.offthegridnews.com/2012/08/10/tatting-an-old-world-art/]


The August 6, 2012 issue of MACLEAN’S (Canada’s National Magazine) has a good article on Tatting in their Fashion section (page 83).

Tatting tales: not just for grannies any more
[http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/07/26/tatting-tales-not-just-for-grannies-any-more/]


In January 2012, Downtown Life Magazine (Merced, CA) gave tatting a nice nod:

Craft in Cloth
[http://dmc-threads.com/learn-tat/]

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Crafty Tatting

This tutorial has me dreaming of watermark lace edgings on comfy cotton tees.

Watermark Tee Tutorial by Sweet Verbena

We're in back-to-school mode here at Silly Hat Central, buying school uniforms, a backpack, lunch gear etc.

Not a lot of tatting has been done, but I have demonstrated tatting at the county fair. Several block tatted animals, as well as my TIAS rooster (Norman), were given away to interested fair passersby.

That means more cute critters, earrings, small hearts, airplanes and the like must be made to replace the items I normally keep for displays. Fun tatting ahead!

Crochet and Tatting (Kukka) - around $40

Foreign Book Going Out of Print
A 2012 Japanese tatting book has recently gone out of print that may be of interest: Crochet and Tatting (Kukka) - cost is around $40.  SKU #T373

If you are a tatting book collector, you may wish to get one of these before they are gone!

Japanese text. Over 50 small tatted motifs and 50 small crochet motifs. Patterns include earrings, necklaces, rings, flowers and a small tatted butterfly. Patterns are diagrammed. 8 1/4" x 10 1/8". Paperback. 81 pages.

Barb Foster at Handy Hands.com says she has 10 copies on her shelf and when they are gone, they're gone. Newsletter subscribers can get free shipping on orders of $35 or more using their promotional code.

DS9Designs website also lists this item. Debbie Arnold says she has 2 copies on the shelf. From now through August 31st, shipping is FREE to USA customers for sales of $50 or more at DS9Designs.

Tatting Corner (Zig-Zag Corner - Tatting) also has copies of this book in stock.  As soon as I can confirm how many I will amend this section to reflect the latest numbers.

UPDATE:  Jennifer from Zig-Zag Corner, Home of the Tatting Corner, only has 1 copy left. Customers can get free shipping on orders of $100 (after coupons and promotional codes) or more. They offer a flat rate of $6.25 on all orders.

And also check your local sources.

Tatting Tea Tuesday
Today's tea is some delicious sun tea. Today I have enjoyed it both iced and warmed, with a splash of tart cherry juice for extra zing. It is pretty tasty.

This week I completed round one of the Frauberger motif in size 40 and started another in  size 20.  Instructions for a second round are included in the Frauberger PDF and I haven't yet decided which (or maybe one of each?) I will do.

Snowflake Sneak Peek
A snowflake design inspired by Snowflake Creator for iPhone/iPad is coming along well. Rounds one and two are complete and I am contemplating a round three.

I can't show you the whole thing because I promised the Piedmont Lace Guild of Virginia an original design to include in their upcoming fundraiser pattern booklet. Plus, savvy tatters counting stitches have on occasion been known to recreate items from my photos.

But I can show you the Snowflake Creator image that inspired the design:

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!