This is my latest ‘impulse buy’ from Ebay.  I also study, make, and teach Teneriffe/Sol/Nanduti Lace.  This kit was sold under the name of Polka Spider Web Lace but it creates Teneriffe/Sol Lace.  I have two books by the same title and this was the kit to create the lace.

In Teneriffe Lace, individual motifs are created and then sewn together to make a bigger piece.

The brown, round things are the ‘forms’ upon which the lace was made.  How the forms were ‘laced up’  allowed you to either make round (the big circle) or square motifs (seen on the little form).  The cool part about having the books and now the forms is that there are patterns to follow to create pieces easily–no math involved.

The other interesting thing about owning these forms is that they came with Teneriffe Lace piece completed and motifs in progress.  I learned that two motifs can be completed at the same time…one on the front of the form and one on the back at the same time.  When both pieces are completed (stitched) the lacing threads are cut, allowing the lace motif to disingage from the form and be a free-standing piece of lace.  The lacing threads are the darker threads seen on the edges of the big, round form.  The small form uses white lacing threads to form the base for the square motif.

The pattern can be found on my homepage menu under “Free Patterns”

I have published another historical, Anne Orr Split Ring Tatting Pattern that I have illustrated in modern form.

See it in my website pages under:  Anne Orr Historical Split Ring Tatting Patterns

Then click on:  The ShuttleSmith Illustrated Historical SRT Patterns

The pattern is in PDF format.

Enjoy.

Just outside of Taccoa, GA where Tat Days was held was Taccoa Falls, located on a college campus. I walked the short path (photo 1) to view the Falls, which were quite impressive.

As I was leaving Taccoa Falls entrance, I passed Wanda Tripp and Randy Houtz entering and we waved at each other.  A short time later we remet at a marvelous little place called Tallulah Falls Gorge Overlook in Georgia.  There was a gift shop selling unique soft drinks in an old cooler that I just had to try–Cheerwine and Dr. Enuf.  This unique stop also featured boiled peanuts, a gorge overlook (on the lower level) and a BBQ restaurant on the upper level (also a gorge overlook).

As Wanda, Randy and I were chatting on the lower level gorge overlook, the kid (in this picture below) hung the sign he is holding down from the upper level overlook, advertising the restaurant.  We thought it was sooo funny and decided to reward this kid’s ingenuity in marketing by patronizing the restaurant.  We were NOT disappointed.  As we entered he gave us samples of muscatine (grapes?) that he had just picked alongside the roadside.  They were good and quite a treat.

We had “BBQ Sundae’s”—Pulled pork at the bottom, a layer of purple beans, and then coleslaw.   It was delicious!!!!  Pictured in the food picture is the unique softdrinks (‘Pop’ in my lingo) that we drank.  I’ve never seen these sold anywhere else.

The chef (seen talking to Randy Houtz in the picture below) said that the BBQ Sundae was how his Cherokee-heritage family ate BBQ.

The view from the restaurant was just georgeous.  There was a ‘big ditch’ behind us that was impossible to photograph to do the depth of the gorge justice.  The three of us must have spent at least 2 hours talking, enjoying the conversation (tatting of course), the view, and the weather (which was perfect).

The only other pictures that I have of my trip home was of my stop in Hannibal, Missouri.  This is the Mississippi River town made famous by Mark Twain.  Downtown Hannibal was a fun stop.  I only went into two shops but both were very unique.

In this post you will see all the pictures I snapped at Palmetto Tat Days 2014 in Taccoa, GA held a week and a half ago.

IT WAS A GREEEAAAATTTT TIME!!!!!

I started my trip to Tat Days in Taccoa, Georgia on Saturday, August 30th from Omaha, Nebraska.  I had bought concert tickets (something I rarely do!) to see Journey but the concert was on Sunday and didn’t want to wait two days to leave on my adventure…so I sold the tickets.

This trip actually appealed to multiple facets of my life that I enjoy:

1. To travel on my motorcycle which allows me to think and pray.  I spend the first half of the trip letting go of the details of my life at home.  Then I spend the trip on my way home, contemplating what I need to do (mentally and physically) to go forward appropriately in my life.
2. Taking secondary roads (not interstate highways) and seeing ‘real’ America
3. Camping via motorcycle–the challenge of being comfortable and finding unique places to stop
4. Eating in local restaurants–finding new/different foods.  I really enjoy eating breakfasts in small town cafes on/near main streets.
5. Talking to new people (I really am my father’s daughter!).
6. Riding (that how motorcyclists travel) curvy/twisty roads
7. Going to Tat Days Tatting Conference.
8. Seeing old tatting friends from the past.
9. Meeting new tatting friends.
10. Getting re-energized in my love for tatting
11. Selling my tatting books.
12. Selling my leather and copper-enamelled tatting shuttles—seeing how well-received they were.

So I travelled on my motorcycle.  I had two luggage cases, one on each side, at the back.  On the seat I strapped down two water-resistant bags that held my camping gear.  One bag had my tent and a ground-cover to put under the tent.  The second bag held my bedding which includes a blow-up air mattress, a down-filled sleeping bag and a fleece sleeping bag.  This way, I am ready for either hot or cold sleeping conditions.  I should point out that I sleep VEEERRRY comfortably in my tent.

As I mentioned before, my MO is to ziz-zag my way to my destination, taking secondary (not interstate) roads.  Along the way I found and became a ‘Country Store’ Junkie!  I discovered some very quaint, old-time stores in the middle of nowhere–usually where 2 roads intersected.  Many of these stores sold gas, basic groceries, snacks, and sometime simple meals.  I didn’t mind paying higher prices for gas for my motorcycle to use as an excuse to stop at them and explore.

Just outside this same general store was a tobacco barn–a unique sight for a Nebraska Farm Girl.

One of the highlights for me as a motorcyclist (especially being from Nebraska–land of straight roads!) was traveling in the mountains and riding on curvy/twisty roads.  I spent alot of time in Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, and northern Georgia enjoying the roads and exquisite scenery.  I went to the ‘motorcyclist’s mecca’–a road called “The Dragon’s Tail”.  It’s a  very unique road that boasts having 318 curves in 11 miles.  What you do is stop at a certain vista point and get off and interact with other motorcyclist, then ‘ride the dragon’ to the other end at a place called Deal’s Gap and get off and interact again with motorcyclists, looking a other’s motorcycles, eating, and buying t-shirt souvenirs.  At Deal’s Gap is the infamous ‘Tree of Shame” where motorcyclists who crashed on The Dragon’s Tail (happens alot!) hang broken parts of their motorcycles on it.

Next post will include Tat Days photos and memories.

I’m back (a little early) from Tat Days in Taccoa, GA.  I actually went to work today because I hate to waste vacation days.  I use my vacation days to get away from Omaha.

I had a great trip for the most part.  I spent 5 days traveling on my motorcycle to get to Taccoa, GA, camping every night along the way.   Yes, I did get rained on (mostly at night) and there was one day that the temperature was hot.

I spent the time going seeing everything I wanted to see which included some very scenic roads in Tennessee and North Carolina.  I had one minor mechanical problem with my motorcycle but an ‘angel’ came by and fabricated a solution to my problem.

I went directly home and should have gotten to Omaha on Tuesday but was caught in a major storm in NW Missouri, 100 miles from home.  I was smart enough to get a motel room and waited out the storm till the next morning.

I will post pictures of my trip and of Tat Days very soon—when I have the  pictures with me and the time to post them.

As always the Palmetto Tatters hosted a superb Tat Days happening.   If you get a chance to go….DO IT!!!!  I guarantee you will not be disappointed.  It is tatting overload….and you will love every minute of it!

I am realizing that i have a problem with ‘Comments’ on this Blog site.  I am getting some spam-type comments right now.  Luckily my comments are set up to be moderated and thus the junk ones are not showing up automatically on my blog page.  Please be patient with me as I strive to figure this stuff out.  It basically means that I have to approach my computer-genius husband about this problem.  (Hopefully he will read this reference to him and be inclined to help me when I do throw this problem at him.)

I’m going to be gone for two weeks on my motorcycle/tatting journey to/from Palmetto Tat Days.

I have recently decided that I AM going to Palmetto Tat Days this coming Sept 5-6th!!

Me and my beloved Moto Guzzi motorcycle will be  zig-zagging our way through the secondary roads of America heading to Toccoa, Georgia.

I am busy prepping my motorcycle & camping gear for the journey.

I am also creating more Glass-Enameled Copper Tatting Shuttles.   The enameled shuttles were actually the impetus/excuse to make the trip.

I invited my husband along to make the trip with me, but he declined….so its just me.

I plan to take a week to get there and a week to get home.  My MO is to take secondary highways (no interstates!) and to camp (tent-out) as many nights as I can.  I ‘feel’ safe(r) when traveling secondary highways and going through smaller towns.  I’m fairly careful when traveling but do feel a hightened sense of insecurity when around big cities and interstate highways–they ‘creep’ me out—everything is so impersonal.

I leave Saturday and am planning to be in Toccoa, Georgia on Thursday.  Google maps says the distance should be 1075 miles but the way I travel, it will be more.  Who knows what I will see and the people I will get to talk to on my way there and back!!!!  I’m a slight Extrovert (according to Myers-Briggs Test).  I really am ‘my father’s daughter’ in that I love to talk to people.  My favorite thing is to eat in local diners, sitting at the counter.  Eventually the ‘old guys’ will start up a conversation with me and I learn stuff.

“Enamel? You mean you painted this with Nail polish? Bathroom paint? Resin?”

“No. I painted it with fire.”

The simplest definition of Copper ENAMELING is: The fusion of glass powders onto a base of copper metal.

The base metal has a higher melting point than the glass enamel so that the glass will fuse to the metal surface before the metal gets to the temperature in which it will melt.

The product of Copper Enameling is GLASS on a base of metal.

It is a way to decorate a metal base product (in my case tatting shuttles) with colors & patterns. The end product is more ‘Glass’ than ‘Metal’. It actually ‘tinks/sounds’ like glass…..and the glass surface will break if the shuttle is dropped to a hard surface!

The major manufacturer of enamel powders (Thompson Enamels) offer 169 different colors of enamel. There are two main categories of enamels: opaque and transparent as well as other types such as metallic and opalescent.

Combine all those colors & types with various ways to ‘decorate’ or to customize the surface and you will find that the technique of enameling offers infinite possibilities.

However, the caveat of that statement is also that enameling often offers unexpected results. Some of these results can be ‘good’ surprises and occasionally there can be ‘bad’ results. In 60+ shuttles that I have made, only one was a true and utter disaster.

The enamel powder (finely ground glass with pigments and minerals) is applied to the metal base (copper usually–as it is cheapest–why use precious/expensive metals such as gold or pure silver when you are going to cover the surface with glass?) by various ways such as sprinkling, painting. The the enamel poweder is ‘fused’ (you can read ‘melted’) by heating the metal and enamel powder unit to 1450 degrees Fahrenheit (red hot!) with either a torch or in a kiln. I use a handheld torch with MAP gas. This is why it is termed “Painting with Fire”. I can use the 169 colors to mix and match the powders together to create individual works of art.

There is a large element of unpredictability involved. The different colors of enamels each have their own physical characteristics as they are ‘fired’ to fuse/melt to the metal. Enameling is an artform of which it is said: “Success may come early to the beginner, but then the enamelist spends a lifetime learning the intricacies”. I have found this sooooo true! I achieved almost instant success in learning to enamel, but I have had some results that I didn’t expect and weren’t what I had hoped for. I have found that enameling is a truly addicting artform….there are so many variations to try: color combinations, many surface embellishing techniques. Each piece of enamel art becomes it’s own experiment. However, the process is forgiving in that the artist can build the piece in layers through multiple firings, adding, correcting, and modifying the work.

The ShuttleSmith Glass-Enameled Copper Tatting Shuttles are decorated on one side with glass-enamel that is colorful (what is photographed/depicted in photos). The backside is ‘finished’ with a layer of semi-opaque glass enamel. The picture below is the backside of 5 randomly chosen shuttles to show the finish work. Unfortunately, they are not as ‘pretty’ as I would like them to me due to the process that the piece undergoes in the enameling process. But the shuttle backsides are covered and smooth–they will not oxidize (tarnish).

Backside of 5 randomly chosen shuttles