MEET THE (Improved Tatting) PRESS

TUTORIAL coming soon...

Tatting Press Winner!

I would like to thank everyone again for signing up for my

FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY!

It was SO much fun for me and 

I SO appreciate all the nice comments!

I put everyone's name in a bowl and drew

KIMBERLY!!!

Kimberly liked the green option best, so I will make her press 

and get it in the mail to her as quickly as kids allow!

I have made some improvements to the press I posted

and had hoped to have the "updated" version ready

to post today, but I'm in the end of the school year crunch

and found myself between a Field Day Rock 

and a band concert hard place.  

I'm pretty excited so I will finish it up and post it SOON

 along with a 

TUTORIAL 

for anyone who would like to make one!

WHO KNOWS, I may go wild and make a few as well!

I seem to be in a fabric frenzy lately and my shuttles

are feeling sorely neglected as a result.

Thanks for playing along and congratulations Kimberly!

Here Kitty, Kitty!

Here's a PEEK of something I am working on for Baby Doll.

It is FRESH from the hoop.

Pencil marks ABOUND and I see I missed a stem...

It is just the beginning of a little project

which will involve a bit of sewing and serging,

a little more embroidery,

as well as some GRATUITOUS TATTING...

but then, is it ever REALLY necessary to justify tatting?

GRACIOUS NO!

The design is part of a 

Laura Wheeler embroidery transfer from 1939, 

posted by my blogging friend, Martha, at Q is for Quilter.

Instead of satin stitching the centers of the flowers, 

I decided to use lazy daisy stitches and some French knots 

because I thought it made the flowers look more like this one

 which I photographed several years ago.

 

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has entered my 

FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY!  

I've got to say it is even more exciting hosting a giveaway

 than signing up for one!  

And thank you for all the nice comments about the Tatting Press.  

I hope whoever gets it will enjoy it.  

There's still PLENTY of time to sign up for the giveaway, 

so if you are interested just leave a comment on the 

TATTING PRESS POST.

A Pressing Matter and a GIVEAWAY!

I like to carry my tatting with me EVERYWHERE.

I dislike the tatting that I take with me EVERYWHERE ending up in a CLUMP of tangled thread and shuttles, causing me to spend more time UNTANGLING on the go than TATTING on the go.

This became a PRESSING matter for me so I created a 

TATTING PRESS.

Now my work stays neat, 

even when life gets messy...

If you would like to try a tatting press, leave a comment ON THIS POST telling me which fabric/ribbon combination you like (brown, pink or green).  It will measure about 4.5 inches in diameter and (hopefully) will have two shuttle pockets.  No worries if you don't (currently) tat.  I think the press may be useful for other crafts as well.  You can let me know about that!  

I will draw one name on May 21st and get the press to you ASAP!  Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you so I can get your mailing information (my email is under About Me).  

This is my first giveaway.  

HOPEFULLY I have covered all the bases!

Oh, and good luck!

Tatting Day Giveaway from Wendy

Before I was so rudely interrupted by THE BUG, I received this LOVELY coaster tatted by Wendy at Umi & Tsuru.  I won her Tatting Day giveaway, in which she offered to tat this fascinating pattern from Mary Konior's Tatting With Visual Patterns in the color of the winner's choice.  I chose purple and I LOVE the piece she tatted!

I have Tatting with Visual Patterns and have looked at this coaster pattern before but was too intimidated to try it because once you get the flowers and first ring around them completed, you are on your own.  The rest of the rounds are randomly tatted and joined, so no two coasters would be exactly alike.  That would be quite a leap for symmetry loving me!  Therefore I was very excited to win Wendy's generous giveaway.  The coaster is SO pretty and will SO never have a glass sitting on it!  

Thank you Wendy!

Mother's Day is FOR THE BIRDS!

I've had a nice Mother's Day.  My oldest is on her way home from a weekend band trip but remembered to text me a wish for a happy day.  Groovy Girl colored a flattering portrait of me which has me thinking of cutting bangs and Baby Doll is being her sweet self, hugging my leg in the grocery and saying rather loudly, "I LOVE YOU!".  What more could I ask than that?  Oh, and everyone seems healthy - WONDERFUL!!!

So why is Mother's Day for the birds?  Because my son gave me this bird feeder and has been watching it with me for appearances of our feathered friends.  It has been our weekend activity together and I am enjoying it very much.

We have a pair of cardinals who seem to like the grub we are serving up.

I had some fun with these photos, using gradient filters in Photoshop like What Katie Does.  I like the effect, but need some more practice.

Happy Mother's Day!

My Sick Thoughts

It's been an ick week around here, so I have nothing to share other than my sick thoughts.  Last Wednesday my son came home from school ill with a nasty stomach virus.  He wasn't doing well in the evening so DH took him to the ER.  The doctors and nurses got him back on his feet and sent him home at 2:00 am the next morning.  DH got an hour of sleep before I became ill and a few hours later he had the pleasure of sharing my first trip to the ER with me.

I had recently bought She and Him, Volume 2 and had been enjoying listening to it.  While ill, these are the songs which ran through my brain in an unending loop.  I was afraid it had been ruined for me, but have found that I still like it, and that is saying something.  To me, it sounds like summer.

I am afraid to hope that we are through with this nasty bug.  Out of six, there are only two, Groovy Girl and Baby Doll, who have not had the pleasure...  No one else had to go to the ER (thankfully), and the recovery is speedy, but I'd rather we called it a day with this thing, so I have proclaimed myself Queen of Disinfectant and until my reign of terror is through, I may be a bit spotty in Blogland.

Just wanted to pop in to share my sick thoughts...

She & Him - In The Sun from Merge Records on Vimeo.