Tat Days 2017 - Florida Chain Gang

The theme for this year's Palmetto's Tat Days was Tat-a-Con and they were going to have a costume parade at the banquet. A friend and I decided that Con must be short for Convict and made out costumes accordingly.  My friend made the convict hats and came up with the ball and chain.  There's a ball of tatting thread in a plastic thread holder and I tatted a chain for the handle.

It was a big hit and we won first place. That night and the next day, everyone was making jail/convict jokes whenever they saw us.

We carried the theme through when we got back to Florida and picked up my dog. We joked that we broke him out of the big house (dog boarding). We even put one of the convict hats on his head. In the photo he's showing his appreciation for the jail break.

Off the Shuttles: Tat Days Projects

I went to the Palmetto Tatter's Guild Tat Days in Toccoa, Georgia.  I took the following classes: Josephine Chain Square Motif (the first photo below), Simple Festive Earrings (halfway done), Snowflake Star, Iceflake with Gem, Eternity Angel (the bottom photo), and Master the Mignonette. The Thursday night class was the Tatted Spaceship (the second photo).  Friday morning's early bird class was the Fleur de Lis. I finished the fleur de lis but I'm not happy with it so I'm not posting a photo.

New techniques for me this year were the daisy picot, inward facing picots, and the mignonette.

I'm excited that I finished 3 projects this year.  I would have finished the Iceflake but I made an error at the beginning of the 2nd row and didn't notice it until I was all the way around. I was not going to try and untat all of that. I'll just start another one.

Off the Sewing Machine: Tote Bag

The photo is a bit blurry but you get the idea. The handles are purchased webbing and it has ribbons to pull to close it. It is unlined and 100% cotton. It was easy to make and I finished it in a few hours.

Off the Embroidery Machine

I haven't been lazy. I just didn't post the photos and details.

I made 12 burp cloths and a special bib for a baby shower for a friend's daughter. Her theme was bumble bee. The embroidery designs came from the Embroidery Library.

Crazy Quilt Journal Project - Block 4

30 days seem to race by very quickly.  It's the beginning of the month and the next thing I know it's the end of the month.  

As usual, the block isn't completely done. There is more I could add but ideas are just not coming to mind.  

I'm a bit disappointed with the transfer pencil I used for the center embroidery.  It didn't transfer as clean as I had expected and there's a light red shadow under my stitches.

Crazy Quilt Journal Project - Block 3

Block 3 is as complete as it's going to be for now.  I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the purple or green areas yet so I will move on.  

I hand dyed the applique that's sewn on the red fabric.

Crazy Quilt Journal Project - Block 2

Here is February's block.  I had it finished in time but didn't get it posted in time.  Changing cell phones doesn't help. 

I'll probably add more to this block at a later date when I decide what it is I want to add to it.

I found some gathered lace with button centers in the scrapbook section of Hobby Lobby.  I like how the placement looks like a terrier's face.

Crazy Quilt Journal Project - Block 1

Here's my first crazy quilt block for this year.  All the fabrics are 100% cotton on a muslin base.  The blocks are 11" square unfinished but will end up being 9"-10" finished. 

I'm using these blocks as my practice pieces.  With cotton, I can draw the designs on the fabric which I can't do on the velvets, satins, and brocades of the 2014 CQ project which still needs to be finished.

Off the Shuttles: More Ice Drops

I've been busy making more ice drops. They're real easy to make.  I think the white thread makes the glass gems stand out more than the colored thread.