Antique Edgings and a Doily...

A little bit of antiquing a while back found these...fairly basic edgings, for the most part, but I always get excited when I see some tatting.  The pink variegated edging is my favorite of the lot I think...

...and then I found this...

 

I thought this really a quite nice example of vintage tatting...really lovely!

In this next photo, a better "up close" look at the pattern...

It's all rings, nary a chain anywhere.

Most intriguing really,

and very, very lovely...

Here is the reverse, so that you can see how the linen centre is finished...simply folded over and crocheted round...but it seems to have held quite well...

All in all, a fun day...the doily was the only piece I brought home in the end.  I am just intrigued by some of the design elements in it and wanted to have it for future reference...and to share with all of you!

Playing with Rocks...

My Darling Daughter's and I have been playing with rocks this afternoon...

They started out like this...

The ones that I painted became these...

I used a base coat of sage green acrylic craft paint, then decorated them with metallic sharpies and did a top coat of clear acrylic sealer...

A nice addition to my herb pots, I think!

 

The girls did these...

Older Daughter's on the left, Rosie Posie's on the right...

A fun way to play and a fun way to decorate the garden!

First Stitches and Things...

I KNEW I still had this somewhere...even though I didn't pick it up again, this was something I treasured.  This is my first bit of tatting from probably close to 23 years ago, when I was about 15 and Grandma Stella tried to teach me to tat...

This is the shuttle and practice thread she sent me home with all those years ago...

Very messy, it looks to me like I only "got" half the stitch...I had trouble with this when I picked it up again 3 years ago as well, I actually dreamed of Grandma's hands tatting one night and then showing me the second half of the stitch and telling me it should look like a little boy's pair of pants the second night before I "got" it...  It was like she came back to show me...so I still claim that Grandma taught me to tat...because she did.

I have been thinking of her so much the past few days, since finding this.

Marathon Tat...

So...you all know I have been working on some crosses in my older daughter's school colors for end-of-the-year teacher gifts.  Well, little Rosie Posie has been asking which ones were for her teachers and I've been "I don't know"ing it away, unsuccessfully.  Not that I didn't want to, I just wasn't sure I could get it all done.  She was very insistent last night that her teachers should receive crosses too, and I agreed.  So looked through what I had on hand and found 5 of these Mark-My-Word crosses by Mary Konior.  Those seemed about right.  I thought that would be plenty...

Well, this morning when I dropped her off at school, I asked how many teachers.  There are 8, and I needed 3 more crosses...so I hurried home and got busy.  It was only 3.5 hours before the end-of-the-year party...I managed 2 more with having to make cards and eat lunch too...and found another bookmark (not a cross) to make the 8, it was the best I could do.  It felt like a marathon...but was worth it.  The crosses/bookmark's were all well received.  The program has been a treasure, my little one has learned so much!

Here are the two crosses I tatted this morning...

Size 20 Lizbeth in Sea Scape and Jelly Bean.

Here is the little bit about tatting I included in the cards...

just to explain the bookmarks a little bit...(mostly pulled, hurriedly, from Wikipedia)

I like people to understand something of what they have received when I do give my tatting.

Back to finishing existing projects now (I hope)...

Small Cross Waiting...

Not a lot of tatting happening these past two days, just a ring here and a chain there...but, I have nearly completed this 'small cross" design by Mary Konior. 

There is a missed join that had happened back whenever I initially started this, perhaps that is why I laid it down...but I elected to keep going when I noticed and simply made that the top arm, in order that it should look more intentional.  

Now, I just need to tie and sew in the ends and add a tail...oh and block it a bit.  Waiting for morning when I am less tired and less likely to skewer myself with the needle!

I'm afraid I've spend more time on this of late...

My pretty Rosie Posie received a new book from Grandma and was eager to try it out!  We have had fun playing with our craft supplies and creating princess accessories...sometimes these things are, indeed, necessary you know!

Whiled Away with Workbasket...

I probably should tat first and read blogs later...but, after a busy day that did not involve time to sit, I did the later first and Lace Lovin' Librarian's post today led me to another way of whiling away my tatting time...

She is currently looking for all of the issues of the Workbasket magazine that have tatted cross patterns in them.  I find this of particular interest because I am fairly certain that these are the majority of the cross patterns that my Grandmother had access to and therefore tatted.

I knew I had two patterns, and was able to pull those copies from my stack...one was one (that sounds silly) that Diane didn't yet have...

I KNOW Grandma tatted this one, as I have seen this cross tatted by her...

(aren't the old illustrations lovely!)

It is from this issue...

which I recently acquired at our local thrift store (I paid 1/2 the "sticker price" on one of their sale days).

A happy acquisition for me and I was pleased to be able to share it too...

This is my "stash" of Workbaskets from various sources, some from Grandma (she gave me her duplicates years ago, but Daddy hasn't found her collection at the farm ~ don't know what happened to them), some from an antique store, a few from a friend from Church, and a few from the thrift store...

Now, as to whiling away my tatting time...I can only say that Workbaskets are like potato chips...you can not devour look at just one!

The small pile in front are my duplicate copies...I need to figure out what to do with these, there are certainly some interesting patterns in there.  

I am thinking about a giveaway to include some of these workbaskets and a few other "goodies" for my Birthday next week, 

What do you think?

I have never done a giveaway before, but I have been the recipient of some lovely things...perhaps it's time!

Happy Mother's Day...

First of all, 

I want to wish each of you who are Mother's the happiest of Mother's Days!

My particular Mother's Day found me quite busy and without much time for sitting with my shuttles, but here is the small bit that I was able to finish today...

A pretty pair of hair clips in size 10 white something or other, rather fuzzy stuff but on a shuttle and needing to be used, and the remainder of the yellow that was on the shuttle left from yesterday's cross...I LOADED that shuttle apparently, couldn't even use it all up in the tail.

There is still a bit left.  The picture on the top left shows an itty bitty 3-D style center I did from the remaining white and then the rest of the yellow left on the shuttle.  I was thinking I would get time to try creating a sort of Daffodil style flower with the remaining thread...

But, well...I never got to sit again really (these happened during Church service...no one seems to mind if I tat or crochet, most frequently I work on a prayer shawl or cross...today it was just these...and honestly, I can't focus on what is being said if my hands have nothing to do).

The day as a whole was something like this:

A lovely breakfast, sweet gifts from the girls, got to talk to all of our Mom's on the phone, a very nice Church service, picnic lunch down on the river walk, touring and buying plants at 3 local nurseries, planting all of my beautiful new plants, and an incredible pork chop dinner made by my husband! 

I thought you all might like to see my pretty plants...

The top two here are my herb pots in the back yard.  I planted lemon verbena, pineapple sage, french thyme, chives, chocolate mint, and transplanted 3 small "volunteer" sage plants from my herb bed to fill the remaining pots.  I am rather excited about the lemon verbena and pineapple sage...they are new ones to me and I am intrigued by their possibilities for herbal teas and whatnot.

The bottom two photos are my pots on either side of the front door.  The large pot has a pink geranium, and 3 each of blue lobelia and a deep pink wave petunia.  The terracotta pots have rosemary, which I love and usually bring inside to decorate the stairs in the fall...it lasts through Christmas typically.  The white pots have another sage transplant from my herb bed in the back.

I am looking forward to seeing these plants grow and fill their pots over the next few weeks!

Hope all of you had equally nice days with your loved ones! 

Happy Mother's Day!!!