Motifs #3 & #4

Motif #3 - Madonna & Child, pattern by Mark Myers (aka Tat-Man).  I made it with Lizbeth thread in size 40 in #652 - blue, #630 - peach light, and #601 - white.  The finished size is approximately 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".  The colors look a little darker than the actual thread because I had sprayed them with stiffener before I took the photo and it wasn't dry yet.

Motif #4 - Easy Tatted Cross bookmark.  I made 2 of these with the same color thread.  Sort of a 'his and hers' set. They were also made with Lizbeth thread in size 40 in #114 Sea Shells.  It's a super simple pattern and is easily tatted by needle or shuttle.  I made this one using a shuttle. The finished size is approximately 4" x 5 1/2".

Both of the motifs were made as gifts for 2 friends for Christmas. I have one gift left to make and hopefully I can get it done in time. 

Motif #2

I have finished my second motif towards the 25-motif challenge.  Two down, 23 more to go.  I made Kira's Star.  I used size 20 Lizbeth thread in white.  It still needs to be starched and blocked.
 
Yesterday a friend and I participated in a living history event at Dudley Farm.  We sat on the back porch. My friend was making a penny rug and I was tatting a collar for my bodice.  I was surprised at how many people knew what I was doing and were actually interested in it.  They all commented on how it's a lost art.  I very proudly said that it's slowly making a come back.

This afternoon there was a tatting meeting at the Fabric Art Shop in Lake City.  This was to be a meeting of the 1st and 2nd shuttle tatting classes and the two classes were going to merge into one group with the hope of forming a monthly tatting club.  I brought some of the items I had shuttle tatted since my class ended in October.  Based on the items I brought and what I said, the owner of the store asked me if I would be interested in taking over the tatting classes.  As of January, I will be a tatting teacher!  I'm really excited about it.  Thankfully it's only a beginner's class because I still have a lot of advanced techniques to learn.

The New Aerlite Tatting Shuttle

The original Aero shuttle was made in England.  Unfortunately, in 1979, there was a fire and the factory was destroyed including the mold for the shuttle.  Other brands attempted to recreate the Aero shuttle design but they were not like the original. The closest to the original was the Aero which was made in Germany.

I have one of the Aero shuttles that has "Made in Germany" on it but the end of the shuttle that holds the bobbin for winding is a tad too long, doesn't really fit the bobbin, and it pokes my hand while I'm tatting.  Although I like the idea of removable bobbins, I don't really like the German Aero shuttle. 

Barbara Foster of Handy Hands worked with tatters who still had the original Aero shuttle and has reproduced it.


Today I went to Hobby Lobby and they had one of the new Aerlite shuttles. I was very hesitant about getting it since it was in the same style as the German Aero I have.  After a few minutes of debating, I decided to get one and give it a try.  I am so glad I did.  It is wonderful.  The bobbin end is shorter than the German Aero and does not hit my hand. The only other shuttle I like as much is the Clover shuttle.

Motif #1

This is my first motif for the 25 Motif Challenge. The pattern is the Quantiesque Snowflake by Jon Youseff. It's a free pattern on her website. I needle tatted it with size 40 Lizbeth thread in white.

Learned New Technique

I am really excited. I learned how to tat using the Reverse Riego method. It has really improved my shuttle tatting skills. I'm currently working on a Tat-A-Long from a blog that is written in Polish. Thankfully she posts photos and has them diagrammed. I'm a few rounds behind but hope to get caught up soon.

It's Been a Long Time

My goodness, it's been a long time since I posted anything.  Last year and into this year, I had some computer issues.  The 10 year old computer was so-o-o-o slow, I didn't even want to turn it on. This past spring I got a laptop and DSL.  It was like moving into the modern world.  I've been spending time trying to get all my files off disk and onto the laptop.

Last summer I helped to co-found a craft group at church.  There were only 2 of us and we were a bit too ambitious.  We were hoping more people would join us.  We spent the next 4 months frantically making items for the craft fair.  Some people did donate a few items but they didn't come to the biweekly meetings.  The craft fair did pretty good.  We made $950 for the church's capital campaign fund.

We've been making stuff for this year's craft fair but it's going to be our last craft fair.  We were hoping more people would join us but after 1 1/2 years, it's still the 2 of us.  We're going to continue the ministry and meet twice a month but we're going to work on our own items.

I took a class in shuttle tatting this past September.  It took me awhile but I got the hang of it. I still have a lot to learn. This evening I learned a new way to make the basic stitch which is so much easier than the way I was taught in class. The technique is called Reversed Riego.  I'm really excited about this new technique. 

I've also gotten back into living history.  I can't do the overnights at the Civil War battle reenactments so I'm involved with a historical home that's part of the State Park system.  This time it's 1875 so I had to make a new outfit. Thankfully I don't need a bustle.  1875 can be in the Early Bustle period or in the Natural Form period. We decided to go Natural Form. 

The skirt is flat in the front with the gathers in the back.  The blouse is fitted and has a peplum attached.  The peplum is a short overskirt or ruffle attached at the waistline in the back of a jacket, blouse, or dress.  The pattern I used was very proportional.  Thankfully my friend Rita helped me alter the bodice.

I've been printing out some of the vintage periodicals, especially those on tatting.  I need to tat period appropriate patterns at events.  I want to add some tatting as a collar on my bodice and it's really hard to decide which pattern to use because I don't know how large I should make it.  There are several patterns I like.  I think I'm going to go with a smaller collar.  I can work on it while I'm at events.