Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Dad and Akari!



















Iris Niebach "Cactus" - color photo-manipulated.

Koinor Butterfly and Rings Only Practice

While I've got the opportunity to use Mary Konior's book "Tatting Patterns" (because a very nice person let me use hers for a while), I'm trying out the small patterns. This one is a rings only butterfly. It's tiny little head is a knot hidden down there by it's wing, so I made the antenna extra long. Thread spaces are usually so difficult for me to make even. The way this butterfly is made, though, the thread spaces are less critical. Its not blocked in any way -- just set on my new scanner (the old one gave up the ghost after 13 years of trusty service). It looks pretty good, if I do say so m'self. Not only that, I think the colors might be more true to life than on the old scanner.
This is my sister's dark and light rainbow on a size 30 DMC Cebelia base. It measures 1 3/4 inches (4.5 cm) across at it's widest point, and even though it doesn't look square, measures the same at it's tallest point.

One Last State Fair Post

This is our little corner at the Fair. The Bonneville Tatters are fortunate enough to have a wall space where we demonstrate tatting during the State Fair. Wendy is the secretary of our guild. She brought a large square doily to work on. That empty chair is mine. I was working on a bit of brightly colored edging. We were giving away the bookmarks on the corner of the table -- each one has a little scrap tatting (butterflies, caterpillars, flowers) glued (please pass the smelling salts!) to the paper.
Having bragged on my own tatting, I thought you'd like to see all the other tatting at the Fair this year (if there was more than this, they hid it!):

Unfortunately, the Fair people lost the crystal globe off the little red and white tatted lighthouse (they didn't seem to be too concerned about it either!)

I thought these bobbin lace covered ornaments were worth showing off. They almost makes me want to learn to fuss with all those bobbins! Aren't they pretty?!

The best of show in the needle arts this year was a beautiful knitted tablecloth. Okay, I can see why it got the best of show.

All you tatters out there: Find out where your county, regional, state or whatever fairs are held. Find out if you can enter your tatting! Get it out there in front of the public. Show off then brag about it!

State Fair and me

Yes! I did enter stuff at the State Fair. We've got to keep those tatting categories that exist and see if we can expand them! I entered seven things in the Home Arts Department. I was going to enter my table cloth, but didn't get it finished. I'll show it to you one of these first days. :) I mostly entered the same stuff I put in the County Fair, so you've seen all the pictures, but the ribbons are a little different. Here are my entries. The only things I hadn't entered in the County are the Valentine hanging decoration, and the cockerel bookmark -- the state tatting section had categories just for "other holidays" and "bookmark". When I didn't finish the tablecloth, I made the Valentine ornament and the bookmark. They didn't take very long. Other than a white instead of blue on the angel and a red instead of sweepstakes on the quilting-thread Cornelia I got the same ribbons as at the County Fair. If you look at the picture you can see a green and white ornament with red beads. Isn't it pretty? I've blocked out her tag so you don't get to see her name, but she's got a spiffy blue ribbon to go with her ornament. I didn't take pictures of the other tatting (very self centered of me!), but I'll be tatting at the Fair again on Saturday so I think I'll take my camera and show you what everyone else entered. Personally, I think there's not enough! Everybody needs to enter so people stop thinking tatting is a "lost art" -- we need to show them we've found it!
Oh, yes, I very nearly forgot -- probably lack of oxygen from being so high up on my soapbox. I also entered stuff in the Creative Arts division. My jewelry did well. I got a first for my pendant and earring set, and a second on my earrings. I can hardly wait until we pick everything up so I can read all the judges remarks and find out how to improve my work.

Finally, I had a very nice surprise in the Creative Arts building. You might remember the Fine Arts judge at the County Fair said I should have entered my 23rd Psalm illuminated calligraphy in Creative Arts. Okay, I did so. I forgot I'd entered it (too many things to remember) until Bonnie pointed it out. Oh, nice! There it was hanging in the corner reserved for Best of Show. I got a "big ribbon"!

State Fair and Bonnie

You all know what a talented sister I have when it comes to dye -- I think there should be a category at the Fair for hand-dyed thread, but so such luck. Bonnie does lots of other things, and does them well.
She entered four things in the sewing categories: a sleeveless, drop waist, green dress, a baby cap, a vest, and a large bag. Bonnie got blue ribbons on the first three and a red on her bag. The vest wasn't displayed so that one could tell it was made of a pair of jeans, a bandanna and a bit of lace. The jeans are turned upside down and the legs become the front and back of the vest, with the bandanna acting as a yoke. The waistband of the jeans is the waistband of the vest and the button is still there -- of course the zipper is gone (it would zip the wrong way anyway). Her bag is another pair of jeans with the legs cut off, it's also fully lined. The judges left it unbuttoned and with the fly open!!

Bonnie crochets (left handed, amazing to me!) and entered a washcloth and matching hanging towel set, a really,really long scarf, and a baby afghan. Two blues and a white on that lot. I think the baby afghan is really pretty, but I guess it must be too plain for the judges. Plain is good for babies because when they do those things babies do, it can go into the washer and into the dryer and still look just like new.

As I mentioned, Bonnie dyes things. The judges liked her tie-dye on this rayon caftan-shirt and showed it with a pretty blue ribbon. Me too -- I got some thread the same colors!

State Fair and the Family!

Don't look for any tatting here! These are things that my nieces and Dad entered in the fair. I belong to a talented family -- yeah, I really, really do.

Nicole, who's eight, entered her tie-dyed dress in the Creative Arts. She didn't make the dress, but did the fold and dye herself. She competes in the Junior category, which is up to age 14. She got a pretty red ribbon for her entry. She was disgusted that they never give the "big ribbons" to kids.

Allix entered her pottery in the Creative Arts section. Because she's 15 she has to compete with the adults. She got a first on her blue pinch pot vase (which looked purple under the lights at the Fair!), a second on both her coil/pinch pot and her sgraffito (at least I think that's what she called it) box. Her turtle pile sculpture, which got a first place in the County Fair, got a third place ribbon at the State Fair. All-in-all, she did really well.
Allix did get to compete in the junior section in the Home Arts, because that is up to age 17. She did this really nice cross-stitched bookmark. It's the first thing she's ever cross-stitched and she changed one of the books at the bottom so the spine read "Inkheart" which is what she happened to be reading at the time. She got a first place on it. Pretty impressive for a first piece!

Dad welds. He always welded, but before he retired it was for fixing and making useful things. When he retired, his welding became fanciful. Now he makes birds and dragons, and lizards and snakes (we don't mention the cat). This year he entered two pieces in Creative Arts, one in Over 18 Inches and one in Under 18 Inches. The Over 18 inches bird is about two feet tall and made of semi-truck parts, an old shovel, a piece of saw blade, washers, rebar, and ball bearings. He had some trouble with the paint sprayer, and this one was too big for the tiny brushes he uses on the little birds, so he left it. He got a second place ribbon on the big bird and a first place of the little bird, which is made of a spoon bowl, three spoon handles, little ball bearings and other odds and ends.

See? Aren't they a talented trio? Just say, "Yes!"

Learning a new Technique

Roll tatting seems to be all over the tatting blogs these days. That's means it's time to learn. I borrowed Mary Konior's book "Tatting Patterns" from a friend lucky enough to have it. One of her fragments patterns is called Almond. It's got roll tatting and bare threads. I started with a partially filled shuttle and it was going okay, until I ran out of thread. Drat. I wound on a bunch of thread and started again. Do you know it's very nearly impossible to unpick roll tatting (even if you cuss)? I had the ring partly open but broke the thread anyway. Okay. Start again. Ta-da! Not perfect, a little lumpy, but finished. Coincidentally, the thread worked out so both end rings are red and purple and the colors are on opposite sides. I thought that was really a nice touch. This is my sister's dark and light rainbow hand-dyed thread -- the Almond is small enough that it ended up being all dark rainbow! Makes it look like I very nearly know what I'm doing. Oh, and the magic threads worked a treat -- the ends just disappeared.
Thank you to all of the tatters who have gone before me and blazed the trail to roll tatting -- where I could see it. I learned a lot from them -- like the roll has to transfer just like the ds!

Ribbons from the Fair - part 16

One last entry -- this is my mini-doily. It's made with YLI machine quilting thread in a very subtle variegated blue/green/purple called "Alaskan Twilight". It measures just 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) across. I've posted this one before -- sometime in June. It was intended originally as an ornament cover -- but I took it traveling without the ornament and made too many repeats. It's Iris Niebach's "Beatrice" from Tatted Doilies. They have a category in the fair for "coasters" so I entered it there. It impressed someone because it also got a nice sweepstakes Big Ribbon.
The stuff that gets sweepstakes goes into the running for "Best of Show." You want to see what got best of show in the lace area? Of course you do! It's this beautiful piece of bobbin lace made in what looks like size zillion thread -- it's also framed by etched mirror with a clear center so the lace can show through. It's so covered with ribbons it's hard to see -- there's a blue, high blue, sweepstakes, judge's choice and best of show -- and the prize of a pottery casserole dish. Pretty nice, eh?
(Oh, that swirl on the tag is my doing -- I didn't think it was nice to show someone else's name without her permission -- even if I did show her work.)

Ribbons from the Fair - part 15

Back in early May I made this pendant (using ideas from Jon Yusoff) which I gave to my sister for her birthday. She never really nagged about matching earrings, but she did mention it ...oh... about forty-'leven times! There was a category for jewelry sets (two or more pieces and a pair of earrings counts as one piece) at the Fair. Good excuse to make those matching earrings. They are also made with the Oren Bayan multi-colored metallic thread and size 15 seed beads. They're supposed to look like leaves.

I don't know if the judges saw leaves, liked the color or exactly what -- but these got a sweepstakes ribbon. (wheeeee -- one of the Big Ribbons!) They're going to the State Fair, where they will compete against other multi-media jewelry, not with the tatting. It'll be interesting to see how they "fair" in that venue.

Ribbons from the Fair - part 14

Jubiloso* by Yarnplayer is an incredible pattern. It looks really complicated -- but it's rings and chains, and well within the beginner's grasp. It's the wonderful way she's put all those rings and chains together that makes this such a beautiful piece. I chose Lizbeth size 20 in Light and Medium Sea Green. This is what I worked on in the car while on vacation this July. No beads to fuss with, nothing so complicated I couldn't enjoy the scenery -- it was a pleasure to work on. My only beef with it is the dozen single motifs. Effective, very effective -- but all those thread ends! I used magic threads throughout, even going to far as to cut off part of one row and start over, because I'd forgotten to put them in. It turned out really well and just over 10 inches in diameter. It also got a high blue ribbon. I'm entering this one in the State Fair, too!

*Anyone interested in obtaining the pattern for Jubiloso should go to Yarnplayer's Etsy shop, and inquire of her if it still available for purchase.