nuntium tricesimum quartum (34th post) still spoiled part II

Even as a small child, I loved getting things in the mail.

Finally the gardenia is blooming!

Saturday, to my great surprise, was this treat from Fox!

Look at the beautiful tatting from Fox!

Such pretty threads and findings.  I have the perfect project for that variegated thread- as if Fox heard me discussing this with my husband and my visiting friend.  Nothing I had in the house was right but now, thanks to Fox, I'm set.

One of my colleagues is having a baby so I thought I would try some booties and found one in my Anne Orr book.  It seemed okay but now I'm wondering.  What you see here represents three days of work and I'm still not done.

There's a place where one is supposed to "put in a bit of the medallion" and I can only see it as being ugly.  I'm no designer but I might have to give it a try for this.

Never fear, I will continue the Quatrain, it just seemed like a good break point.

Latin for today:  esne fons quem audio? = Is that a fountain I hear? Click here to listen (and you can hear my patio fountain too).

nuntium tricesimum tertium (33rd post) Four done!

I had a friend visit for a week - which was wonderful!  We spent a lot of time just relaxing which for me also meant tatting.  So... tada!

Four rows done.

That means only 18 left to go!


Latin for today:  non iam calidum est.  frigescet.  = It's not hot anymore.  It's getting cooler.  Click here to listen. 

nuntium tricesimum secundum (32nd post) flea market

Last Saturday we had a neighborhood flea market and for $20 anyone could have a spot for a table.  My younger daughter makes earrings so I suggested we give it a try.  After a while, I thought maybe I could have some tatting out there too.

It promised to be 92 and humid so we loaded up water, umbrellas and our gear.

My daughter sold earrings like hot cakes and that was very fun.  She was so excited and it was a thrill as a mom to watch her doing all the "business".

I put out the angel bookmarks, thinking if I sold any, I could make more for my thank yous.  (Yes, I still haven't sent my thank yous to my students, pig that I am.)
I also put out some cards that I whipped up Thursday.  I used to make these and sell them to my colleagues.  I bet everyone who tats has done a few of these.

I sold a few sets and that was nice. But what was really fun was that I met a young woman who was very interested in learning to tat and she lives in my neighborhood.  I'm going to try to teach her one evening when the weather changes (it will change, right?). Then hopefully we'll have another member of Twin Cities Tatters!
When I took the picture today I was horrified to see that the top card of the set got a sunburn!  (It was really hot.)

Can you see the sunburn on the pink one?

Here's another Aunt Rose-E piece (she taught me to tat many years ago).

It's some kind of metallic thread, size 40, I would guess.  One of my daughters spotted it and now it's disappeared into one of their rooms!

And when I was cleaning out the closet two weeks ago, I found this piece that I was working on 15+ years ago.  My intent was to make placemats (ha!) but I hate hiding ends so much, this was as far as I got.  I wonder if there's a split ring way to make the motifs.

This plant was a cutting from one of my student's gardens!

The Quatrain proceeds.  I've finished three rows and 2 so I'm up to 23 motifs.  I think I'll do a picture again in a week.

Latin for today:  abhinc septem dies = seven days from now.  click here to hear:

nuntium tricesimum primum (31st post) still spoiled!

On Friday, my daughter and I met with Happy Bluebird for 2 hours.  It was so fun!  Cindy is so generous and talented.  She found the self-threading and chenille needles.  And then she made the most amazing little needle cases for my daughter and me!

It's so hot and humid here that when I took the camera outside to take a picture it fogged up and wouldn't clear up. 

When my daughter and I got home on Friday, there was a package from Teresa with three Workbaskets.

In one of them was this lovely little motif in the January 1988 issue.

It just seemed perfect for the needle case so here's how it looks in Lizbeth Cotton Candy size 80.

motif #11

teeny tiny motif #11- that's a dime...

I can't figure out how to attach it yet, maybe with clear thread?

Latin for today:  quomodo sciam?  = How should I know?

nuntium tricesimum (30th post) I'm a thief!

I am.  I'm a thief.  I've stolen a brilliant idea from Happy Bluebird.  I rarely have my own ideas but love what others do.  Two months ago when we met Cindy had a wonderful necklace with an image in glass outlined with metal.  We thought about putting a little tatting in there instead and how lovely that would be.
So yesterday I was at Michael's (boo hiss), wandering around.  You must understand that I am a kamikaze shopper for the most part, I know what I want, I go in and get it and then leave.  But yesterday I was wandering and found all the pieces for Bluebird's idea, easy and ready to put together in a flash.
Earlier this week when through Rose-E's tatting, I found this lovely little butterfly and gave it a try.
And before I knew it, it was like "You put chocolate in my peanut butter!"
See:

Motif #9

They're sweet, little and easy.  The whole thing is about 1.5" square.  Now just for a chain and each girl will have their own special-ordered necklace.  I get to make mine next.  These are size 80 or 70, one in Lizbeth Carribean and the other threads are Aunt Rose-E threads so old and relatively nameless.

Then, for a break, I made a few little crosses (Cross Hope from snowflake77 from intatters) with fun split rings.

Coats and Clark's tatting crochet, size 70, color 18-A and it cost $.15.
Motif #10

Now I think I'm ready to go back to Frivole's Quatrain.

Latin for today: siste, fur! = Stop, thief!  (You never know when this will come in handy!)
Click here to listen.

nuntium undetricesimum (29th post) someone came to visit

Look who showed up today!

I wonder if there's a certain sister somewhere who will claim her?

In my Aunt Rose-E things, I found this hanky *I* made many years ago.  It was for a friend who was getting married.  But why do I still have it, I wonder?

You might notice the Quatrain progress bar on the right, it's fun but I realized last night that unless I do two motifs, the percentage doesn't change.  : )

And today's dose of Aunt Rose-E is this white linen hanky with white edging.

Latin for today: defessissima sum ergo cubitum ibo = I'm really tired so I'm going to bed. Click here to listen:

nuntium duodetricesimum (28th post) 2 steps forward, 2 steps back

It's tough to cut off 1.5 hours of work.

But that's how it goes when you attach in the wrong place and then do the next motif too and only realize the bad attachment at the end of the second motif!

So I took a break and made a little choker for someone with a lovely neck.  (Motif #8).  I just sort of made this up with a few starts and stops.  I used a metallic thread from JoAnn's called Kreiznik and the revies is: "It itches".

On the other hand, I taught older daughter to do split rings yesterday and she picked it right up!  It took me 32 years to learn it... 

Here's a fun hankie from Aunt Rose-E:

Latin for today:  tempestates canem terrent = Thunderstorms scare the dog.  Click to hear -

nuntium vicesimum septimum (27th post) papilio = butterfly

I thought I'd give one of Rose-E's butterflies a try so here's number 7 in the motif challenge.  You'll notice I didn't do a hanky too.  tee hee.

I'm still going strong on the Quatrain and have finished motif 17.  That means only 137 to go.  Does anyone know a progress "gadget" with Blogger that I can put on here to show my progress?  That would be fun.

Here is another motif that Aunt Rose-E liked to attach to hankies.

I always liked this one but this hanky is silk and all four corners have the tatting. I think it's my all-time favorite.  Does anyone have a brilliant idea for displaying it?

And everything she did was in size 80.

Latin for today:  nunc cartis cum familia mihi ludendum est. = Now I must play cards with my family.

nuntium vicesimum sextum (26th post) Where I continue to be spoiled!

I continue to be ridiculously spoiled.  I had the chance to get together with THREE tatters yesterday but before I get to that....

I have finished 13 motifs for the Quatrain which means only 141 left to go!

So, thanks to the goodness of Diane's husband, two of her daughters and grandchildren, Happy Bluebird and I got to meet with the Lace-lovin' Librarian herself!  We had so much fun!  Diane and Cindy are so generous look at all the goodies they brought (hence the title of the post).

One of the beautiful 4th of July shuttles, the turtle shuttle, red, white and blue beads, a great scissor fob and thread too!  (and the cool bag)

Oh my goodness, homemade strawberry jam!

 We chatted for three hours and my elder daughter, who learned to tat last summer, came too so we were four tatters!  My daughter took a picture so here we are...

Me, Cindy and Diane

It's been great having my husband home and but before he got here, I was able to clean out the "blue room closet".  Yarn and thread and more.  When she passed away, I couldn't go through my great Aunt Rose-E's things but just put them in the drawers.  But after reading Gina's blog and the story of Carol Moser,  I would like to dole out some of Rose-e's works just so other tatters can see what she did.  She loved making handkerchiefs so here are four. She would cut off the corner and replace them with tatting.

 And this one, which Diane said must be done with sewing thread, she cut off all four corners and replaced.

I'll do more of Aunt Rose-E in future posts.  She was a fabulous model and god-mother.

 I made this dragon in April so I'm going to count it toward my 25-motif challenge as motif #6.

motif #6

And lastly, my daughter and I decided to try to decorate some shuttles that my dear sister found at an antiques show last weekend.  Here's my attempt.

And here's what my daughter did:

Well, someone has to make dinner so that'll be me.  (I love cooking)  Pasta with Thai peanut sauce, cucumber salad and bruschetta - yum.

I love summer!

Latin for today:  aestas Minnesotanensis optima est! = Minnesota summer is the best!







(How do you like that signature?  Happy Bluebird gave me the info for that!!)