So Many Shuttles

 

I’ve decided I need to stop making quilt tops until I actually finish quilting the tops that are done.  And since it’s not nearly as fun to buy batting as it is to buy fabric, I haven’t done it yet.  AND, my Viking dealer is apparently no longer in business, since there was a ‘for lease’ sign in the empty window when I went by.  So I don’t know where I’m going to get the dual feed walking foot that I need to finish my quilts.  Very frustrating.  So it’s at a bit of a standstill right now. 

In the meantime, I’ve gotten on this tatting kick.  I’m working on the needle tatting, but also would like to learn to shuttle tat.  None of the stores here sell shuttles, so I’ve been looking at the Handy Hands Tatting catalog.  I’m just looking to start out with one of the cheap beginner plastic ones, but there’s still so many choices.  There’s different lengths, some with bobbins, some with double bobbins, and they all have different names.  There’s a tatsy, pelc, clover, boye, aero, and sew mate.  It’s quite confusing.  Anyone who shuttle tats, what’s a good one for a beginner, and what are all the differences for? 

On a semi-related note, I bought my first knitting needles today and some yarn.  I’m going to try to teach myself from a book before I give in and go to a class.  I’ll try to put up some pictures of the disaster practice I work on.  I like putting up pictures like that because it’s fun for me to look back and see the progress I’ve made, or the lack of.  Plus, when I put up pictures, it motivates me a little more to actually follow through and complete a project.    

So that’s what I’m working on.  Happy 4th of July weekend to everyone.

Tatting Round 2

So continuing on in my lessons like a good baby tatter, I can add a butterfly and a flower to my collection…

I guess you tie a little knot to close them.  The book was a little hazy on this.  I didn’t tie a knot it the first flower and it just fell apart.  So I tied knots in the second one and the butterfly and cut the ends short on the flower.  Is this a no-no?  I’m not sure. 

Then I also practiced making a chain…

This is as long as I got before I ran out of thread.  I think my picots are starting to get a little more uniform.  Not completely, by any means, but I think better than the first time around.  I still have to work on my attaching strings (I’m sure there’s a special word for them but I don’t know what it is), they’re all over the place.

I’ve met some really nice tatters online since posting my first attempt the other day.  I had no idea so many people did this.  And their websites have some incredible tatting pieces of work.  Clyde is one I’ve met, among many others. He has this beautiful sunburst doily that I’d love to make someday. Probably 10 years in the future, but someday.  I think I have to learn shuttle tatting before I do something like that.  I want to say thank you to all the tatters I’ve met so far.  Hopefully they’ll keep me motivated.    

 

Tatting Adventures

About a month ago, I bought this booklet…

The booklet had the needles included, and I bought some really pretty variegated thread.  I think it’s always more fun to learn something when you have pretty supplies.  The plan was to learn how to do it while I was sitting in jury duty.  Anyone who’s been to jury duty knows there’s a lot of sitting.  BUT, because of these…

I couldn’t actually take them to jury duty because the court system sees them as potentially deadly weapons  I knew the needles were sort of essential to needle tatting, so it was a no-go.  I did finally sit down this weekend and start learning. 

So the first things you learn in the book is how to put the stitch on the needle, and how to make picots, which are the loops.  Then you learn how to pull it off the needle and make a ring.  On my first try, this is what I got…

Wow!  That wasn’t so hard.  So I tried it again for more practice with the other color thread, and this is what I got…

Hmmm…that doesn’t seem right.  So I went back to the instructions and read, “If a ring does not form and the stitches look like a half moon, you did not start correctly…Start over.”  Well, okay, so I got cocky too soon.  But I moved on to the next thing anyway, which was joining two rings, and I got these…

  

Now there’s 3 patterns I’m supposed to practice until I get good before I go on to the next skill.  So this is the practice I got in of the first pattern…

The stitches aren’t hard, but it takes practice to get the picots (loops) all the same size, and the lengths of thread between rings equally long.  As a beginner, I’m starting with a big needle and a bigger thread.  As i get better, I can go down in size on both, and the tatting becomes more delicate and fine. 

But it’s a neat thing to do and learn.  I’ll put up more pictures as I practice more and get better.  My Mom was there with me and started playing around with it to, as my Aunt watched.  I told them all to expect tatted gifts for Christmas. 

 

Adorable Apron Pattern

We had a great weekend this past weekend.  It was our 4th of July celebration weekend, and my Aunt and Uncle came into town.  We had a fish fry Saturday night at my parents house with a whole bunch of family.  Family dinners are one of my favorite activities. 

I would think that a fish fry would have been a great place to get some pictures, but I forgot my camera.  My Mom swears she told me about the event, but when we didn’t show up when they thought we would, they called to make sure we were coming.  The conversation went something like this….

My Dad calls, “Hey Kiddo, we’re about to put the fish on.”

Me: “Okay….”. 

My Dad: “For the fish fry”. 

Me:  “Okay…” 

Dad: “You’re coming, right?” 

Me:  “We weren’t invited, and I didn’t know anything about it”. 

Dad talking to my Mom away from the phone: “She says she wasn’t invited and didn’t know about it”. 

My Mom in the background talking to my Dad:  “I did to invite her.  I know I did.  She knew about it.” 

Dad to me now:  “Okay, well you’re invited so get your husband, put your shoes on, and come over.” 

So that’s how it went and led up to me forgetting the camera for our last minute fish fry that supposedly Mom told me about but that I don’t remember.  The debate went on all night.  But the food was delicious, and the company was even better, so I’m glad I came.  Invited or not. 

Anyway, when I got there, my Aunt was wearing this adorable apron that I remembered my Mom making years and years ago, but hadn’t seen it in ages.  Isn’t it such a great vintage applique pattern?

I just fell in love with it.  I brought it home to make a template.  I think I’m going to do my own on something.  I might tweek it a bit.  Another apron perhaps.  Dishtowels might be cute.  What do you think?  Do you like it?  What would it look good on? 

 

Lasagna Idea

The other night I made these lasagna roll-ups, and they were really good.  And I thought they looked really pretty.  This top picture is before I baked them.  You can use whatever lasagna recipe that you like, I’d imagine.  Instead of laying everything flat in the pan, pour the sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Then you spread your filling on the lasagna noodle, and roll it up.  This recipe called for then cutting the roll-up in half crosswise to make the roll-up not so tall when you put it in the pan on it’s end.  I’d bet if your pan was deep enough you wouldn’t even have to half them.  I thought it was just a neat twist on an old stand-by and a lot of fun to make.  My husband and I have pretty specific tastes, but you could do a lot with this.  It would be really pretty if it were sprinkled with some parsley flakes or something green, I just didn’t have any.  Have fun with it, and let your kids help.  This is after they were baked.

  

Flea Finds Again

Looking through my pictures, I realized I never put up what I found at the flea market this month.  I couldn’t get great pictures of the whole item, but here’s some peeks.  I’ll try to do better with the pictures soon.  I never know what I can’t live without until I get to the flea market and see it.  But this month, I don’t know if the heat was getting to my creative vibe, or there just wasn’t that much good stuff, but I didn’t find nearly the things I normally do.  But I did find these two things I had to bring home.

  

Applique Overload

So I’m finally finished appliqueing the Washington Cherry Wreath quilt.  Actually, I finished the applique a couple of weeks ago, I’m just behind on putting up these pictures.  It was a big job.  I think I picked something a little challenging for my very first applique.  But, it’s done.  I appliqued for about 4-6 hours a day for about 3-4 days straight.  It was crazy.  I think I’ll take a break before I start a new applique.  :)  I used variegated green on the leaves and wreath, and really like the way it turned out with all the different shades of green.  Once I get it quilted, I’ll put up some finished pictures. 

Disney Favorite

I wanted to share a couple drawings I did a while back for my one of my scrapbooks.  It’s from Cinderella, of course.  That’s my favorite Disney movie. 

Thanks Mr. Postman

Yesterday I got 2 packages in the mail.  The first was this great lot of over 500 buttons to add to my collection.  Very pretty pink, green, and turquiose colors.

The second are these gorgeous tatted linen handkercheifs.  So pretty!!  I love my deliveries.  Thanks Mr. Postman!

a little pick-me-up

If the scrap bin is this colorful and fun, just imagine what the finished quilt is going to look like?  After I finished all the cutting last night, I haven’t had the heart to throw away the leftover bits, because my sewing table looks so much prettier with this bin on top.  These are all fabrics in the Two Young Street collection by Prints Charming, for Marcus Bros fabric.  I fell in love with the whole collection, and am using most of them, I think.  The fabric is sooo soft, too.  I can’t wait until it’s finished.

Going to the flea market today, I’ll let you know if I find anything.  Plus, the postman has been super busy at my address lately, so I’ll try to put up some pics of the great stuff he brought.  And maybe some pictures of some other things I’ve finished and started lately that I haven’t gotten around to putting up.

Have a great Saturday!!