Question in yellow....answer as you wish!

I like blogging. I think it’s because I can put thoughts and photos out there and people with like interests can comment.

Doesn’t work that way so much with the organ music sectors of my life. There’s a few places I visit regular on the internet. I’ve enjoyed some videos. Not just on Youtube, but on the AGO website. I like reading about these busy folks:

Morwenna

Michael’s music. 

Katherine Crozier.

I especially like talking and listening to organists in my area. I’ve been here 2 years now. (Egads!) I’ve met quite a few. I hope to meet more. Now that I’ve finished a couple of big projects at the house, I’ll be getting out more in the area to document what organs are here.

I know some of you will have strong feelings about the next question. Those who comment here will likely be published. Those who tell me privately I may just publish in a post or two. Consider yourself warned. I will ask permission of course, but beware.

Question:

Start a new page on this blog showing what organs I’ve discovered here?

OR

Start a new blog and merge the organ stuff from this blog onto the organ blog?

I’ll be making a decision this summer. It’ll likely take me that long to amass the raw material for posts. Or find the camera and learn how to use it better!

Slow but sure

I picked up tatting again as my kids grew older. I found myself with “dead time” while they stretched their wings in sports and music and tech activities. Not being one to sit still, I started to revive my love of thread and lace. What I had learned as a teen came back quickly, there’s more information available now with the internet, and I even found a small band of folks at the Lace Museum in Sunnyvale. The projects and patterns I tat during these times are often repetitive and not very exciting. Satisfying to be sure, just not as complicated as what many designers are putting out there for us.

I try to remember to tuck a shuttle with some bright colored thread into my bag. If people are curious, I can tat them a butterfly while explain tatting. This leads to the Mary Poppins effect with kids. They will eye my small bag with a curious look. You can almost hear them thinking, “what else is in that bag?”

Yesterday, I finished another stripe of the flag.

rework of flag pattern from Workbook

 Because I don’t tat fast, it may be finished by Fair time, or may not. I really find the fabric effect of the pattern very satisfying. Now to find the red thread and load the shuttles again.

apron appliques

Ever have one of those weeks where you get distracted and just enjoy life? It’s been a good week. I’ve finished a couple of pieces that will be sewn onto my apron. First, from Handy Hands website: http://www.hhtatting.com/free-lace-fan-quilt.cfm Thank you for sharing this with us!

edging for fan quilt square courtesy of Handy Hands

pansy

Then, a redo of a pattern I have attempted before. The first time was a disaster. I really like pansy and violet flowers, so I attempted it a second time. It was better, but nothin’ to write home about. After another year of working on techniques, I finally mastered the basics enough to do a better job.  The pattern is from a Priscilla book on the Antique Library page Georgia maintains:  here look on page 18. I encourage you to look for a great tutorial made by Marilee Rockley craftsy.com class and study Sarah Danks rewrite that she shared with the OnLine tatting class: Sarah Danks rewrite Of course after I worked on the flower a day or so, I looked at the cat and said aloud, “I have to diagram this or I will lose my sanity.” I’m no artist, so you’ll have to wait until I can get one made on the computer to see what I came up with.

Now to sew these on the apron and pack the bag for the morning class and afternoon demonstration tomorrow.

Grateful

Ever have one of those days when things keep happening that make you feel grateful for living?

Yesterday was one of those days. I’m still smiling!

The final OnLine class of the year was a great class! I have several really good ideas to run with over the summer. I spent the afternoon yesterday working on an idea based on a Sinfonia by Bach. In between spurts with the piano, score, and shuttle, I started on some Cherry blossoms. Georgia needs them for a fund raiser. I like the pattern. I decided to leave these with picots uncut and ends attached. Hopefully, that will make it easier for her to use them.

Cherry Blossom by Jane Eborall

Off to sit in on the design class and try out more new ideas.

Teaching the earring pattern

Today is the day. I am the guest teacher for Georgia’s Monday On-going Online class (scroll down to the correct date). I’ll be sharing my earring pattern worked around a finding from a bead shop. (see pattern page of this blog) I’ve been looking forward to getting this pattern out there to other tatters. I see so many possibilities and I won’t have enough of me to try them all. Please, join in the fun!

bookmark in progress and Maria's finished

Today is my second session on the squares bookmark.The pattern is now listed on the patterns page (see tab at top of blog).  The name of squares bookmark seems to be sticking with this one. Here's Maria's version of Monica Hahn's Bible Bookmark from Christmas Angels and Other Tatting Patterns and the variation I came up with:

Thank you for sharing with us, Maria!!!!!

And now here's a photo to help illustrated the path I use to work the inside rings with chains:

squares bookmark in progress to illustrate the path

If you're looking at the PDF posted on Georgia's class site: http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2012/melsqbkmkpattern.pdf the end of the yellow chain next to the all-blue cloverleaf is the start point (the yellow dot in the diagram on page 1). I have stopped work after completing the first large ring in the 4th square. I'll work several more sides of the square, finish off a square to turn around and then work back up the side to end next to the first cloverleaf (the green dot in the diagram on page 3). Then it'll be time for the edging.

If you have any questions, please email me! Thank you for visiting.

Catching up

I’m a couple of days late with this. Sorry. I’ve had a virus for a few days and have felt like doing……nothing! So, I did……nothing! Those of you that know me well realize that doing nothing is not in my nature. But, all I did was sleep, read, and watch tv. I didn’t tat, didn’t do chores, didn’t keep up with the computer stuff, didn't even sing yesterday. Honest. I’m so far behind…….

1)    Picture of the squares bookmark finished:

Squares bookmark with edge

I need a catchy name for this.

2)    Write out my earring designs. That’s all I can say for now. I’ve promised a pair as a surprise for someone that reads this, so after they receive it, I’ll post a picture and the pattern. (I need a catchy name for this also.)

3)    Find the correct colors for my next project. That will entail a drive to Santa Clara, I think. Aw shucks……

More on all this later.

Pictures of bookmark in progress

I’m using this space to make class easier. If I were presenting in person, I would make this into a poster packet to display or pass around. As the session will be online, I need a place to post. No website yet (I know, I know….I’ll get it up soon.), so here is my pictures of how the bookmark looks in progress:

This is where you want to end up. Completed Split Ring T.

This is a photo of Split Ring A



This is a photo of Ring B

This is after Ring I

After Ring Q

After completing Ring S

Now with just one more Split Ring, you'll end up with a wonderful bookmark looking like the first picture up top.
Thanks for your patience and tat on!

2 more goats needed

Whew! What a day!! I had fun, but I’m whooped! I need to concentrate on the chores I’ve ignored over the past few days. The laundry has piled up and we’re low on milk and bread. So, what have I been doing?

Sharing the Hair Bun Holder pattern with the OnLine Tatting class. The pic and link is in the previous post. I really did enjoy the experience…..even though I was nervous and spent a lot of energy preparing. That meant that I had way more material than prepared than I used, but that’s OK. I’ve started a file for it all along with a pattern file and a designing ideas file. Speaking of, it’s time I spent some time on those design ideas. Maybe this afternoon.

If you have some time, I encourage you to help a venerable tatting designer reach a goal she set: 100 goats.

That’s right, goats. Jane E. has created for several years a “game” she calls TIAS (Tat It And See). This year’s pattern created a goat. She only needs 2 more pictures sent to her. So, if you didn’t join in but have an hour or two, tat a goat, scan or photograph it, and send it to her. Details with pattern on her blog: Tatting Patterns with the added ‘fun’ Factor http://tatitandsee.blogspot.com/ .

My tatting history or What I do while tatting

I learned to tat as a teen from an old book my Great-Aunt was throwing out. She had tried to teach me to knit and crochet. I learned the basics, but she wasn’t very encouraging after viewing my “finished” pieces….with good reason. Every time I set it down, I lost the little something that folks use to keep the tension the same. I was having the same problem with learning piano pieces, but there are no metronomes to use when knitting/crocheting. This book had 4 sections. Since my copy is missing the outer few pages, I’m not really sure of the title or even the publisher. Chadwick’s Red Heart and J & P Coats are listed in the materials section of the projects, so I’m assuming it was published by the company to help market their yarns and threads. The kid in me like the title of the tatting section “Watch my Shuttle Go” and the sound of the word tatted. Even though my brother was in the Navy at the time, I didn’t connect “tatted” with tattoos until much later in life. Anyway, Aunt Dorothy found an old shuttle in her stash and away I went. There wasn’t much available in my local area and I didn’t know of any other tatters. My musical career took off and college dominated my time. The tatting got stashed in a box and forgotten.

Fast forward about 25 years to a point in my life when I had plenty of time on my hands waiting and doing nothing. The why isn’t important to tatting, but I will say that it was my pleasure to be chief stage hand and taxi driver to a talented, geeky daughter. I also ended up in doctor’s waiting rooms for many hours. Tatting began to fill all those hours waiting and watching. It is portable, fun, and I was having a good deal better success than with knitting needles or crochet hooks. Besides, tatting a few DS to Bach solo Cello music is my idea of spending a delightful evening. The internet has made a great deal more available to tatters now. I've found several wonderful communities: inTatters , The Online Tatting Class , Lace Museum in Sunnyvale  , Lacis to name just a few.

Now that my nest is “empty” and I’m reacquainting myself with free time, I cannot just sit still. Fancy that! So, I tat while listening to books on tape, watching the tv, riding in the car, and even waiting in the line at the Post Office. More on where my tatted pieces end up on a different day in a different post. I forgot to add yesterday a picture of the bookmark I was working on at the Open House. It is from Learning to Tat by Janette Baker.

Bookmark from Tearn to Tat by Janette Baker

The Internet and my life

I’m not superstitious, but I decided not to put anything in this post (#13) that is directly tied to my current projects, so nothing on what my brain is hearing or seeing. I’d rather like to comment on how the Internet has changed my humble little life.

Despite my being accustomed to spending a fair amount of time along at the keyboard practicing (organ) music, I like human company. Could be why I never got all my practicing done in college! Tatting takes hours to finish a pattern, so again, lots of alone time. Could be why I always have a few projects in the works. With all that is available at the click of a mouse on the internet, I seem be even less diligent in my accomplishments. One can get lost in all this information. One can neglect the physical living space. One can ignore the people immediately available.

I’ve always been very comfortable with clutter and multitasking. As I grow older, it is becoming easier to keep focused. I find it easier to be aware of how the front looks, when I’ve seen that special friend, etc. I attribute that to the Internet and forcing me to discipline my time better. Judging by the funny looks I get from friends as I try to explain what I do all day, not many share my opinion on this point. But, I’m comfortable with being unique and how I spend my life.

Now, where did I put that file…….desktop?