So, I’ve been busy in the last year. It started over 15 months ago in 2018 when I was asked to tatting teach at the 2019 IOLI Convention. This is something that I relish, not only for the fact that I get to go to the convention but mostly because it gives me a reason to get ‘the creative juices flowing’. Patti Duff, the local arrangements coordinator for the convention and I put our heads together and came up with a plan for the two classes. One would be a series of 4 different projects, a new one each of the four days of classes. It was titled ‘Modern Tatting for Modern Tatters’. Classes included: 1. Karen’s Keltic Tatting–I’ve never seen anyone else design Celtic designs like mine– my approach is very simple; 2. 3-D Split Ring Tatted Boxes; 3. Mignonnette Pouch; 4. Greek Key Design utilizing 2 methods in Split Ring Tatting.

Class Number Two was based upon a ‘Cornucopia’ design that I ‘dusted-off’ from an old workshop I taught it at in 2003. I called the class “A Bounty of Tatted Delights” for several reasons: 1. a cornucopia represents ‘bounty’; 2. the host state of Washington is the leading producer of many fruits and vegetables. The cornucopia was unique in that it utilized ‘Interlocking Ring’ and ‘Interlocking Chains’ to give it a dimensional effect (hopefully) reminiscent of a basket.

In addition to the cornucopia, the class included the ‘Spokane Beauty Apple’ series in Split Ring Tatting. The convention was held in Spokane, WA and there really is a Spokane Beauty Apple variety. Using this design series I was able to introduce a new technical level to Split Ring Tatting by manipulating multiple colors of thread. I call the technique ‘Painting with Thread in Tatting’.  

In addition to the Spokane Beauty Apple, we also tatted a three-dimensional ‘grape’ or ‘cherry’ as well as a three-dimensional ‘hop cone’. All to celebrate Washington state’s rich agricultural offerings. (I’m not sure where my photo of the grape is….)  

PS. I’m a fan of hoppy and dark beers.

Watch for the Walla Walla Sweet (Tatted) Onion in Painting with Thread Technique. The Walla Walla Sweet Lacers were the co-hosts (along with the Shuttlebirds Tatting Guild) of the convention. I’m still typing out the pattern–each ring has it’s own pattern!

Well, since it’s International Tatting Day, I will celebrate it by announcing that I have a new tatting book published. It’s number 8 in my ‘Fun with Split Ring Tatting’ series. It’s titled “Illusions of 3-D in Split Ring Tatting”. You’ll either ‘love’ or ‘hate’ the designs. I had a lot of fun creating these. I love the way color and geometry can trick your eye into seeing something flat as being three-dimensional.
Right now they are only available on Amazon….

Yep! I just realized that my last web post here on The ShuttleSmith website was in 2017!  Yikes! 

I have been busy with The ShuttleSmith projects in the last year, you just haven’t seen any of it here.

I have been occasionally posting to my TheShuttleSmith Facebook page, probably because it’s a bit easier to do so and because I had lost the address/password to my website at work when I had to get a new computer.  Actually it was two new computers because they (my employer) said my computer(s) were compromised with a virus.  They pointed to my attempts to go to Georgia Seitz’s pages, which when I try to go there comes up as blocked by the companies software.  I told them ‘yes, I had tried to go to that website’ but that I didn’t understand why it was blocked.  Anybody have this same issue with Georgia Seitz’s website????  But I digress….It was due to this blockage and thus suspected virus alarm that my employer gave me a new computer…which in turn wiped out all my bookmarks and stored passwords…which is why I couldn’t get into my WordPress software to create blog posts as easily.

What I’ve been doing in 2018 synopsis (tatting related):

I have been working on book number 8 in my ‘Fun with Split Ring Tatting’ series.  It seems to me that these books are what keep the spark in my tatting world.  I just love every step of the creative process.  I originally titled this book ‘Mathematical Designs in SRT’ but now that I am about 90% done with it, I think it will be called ‘3-D Illusions in SRT’.  It will be one of those books that you will either fall in love with the uniqueness of the designs or totally hate…but I’m going to publish it anyway.  More about this book and designs in upcoming blog posts.

I have been working with a very talented tatter (Diana Howe) to tat many of my designs into real thread because I just don’t have the time anymore to keep up with tatting everything in my books myself.  (Keep in mind that I work full-time.)  More about my relationship with Diana in upcoming blog posts.  I may also post about my unique full-time job.

Last year (2017) my time was totally devoted to moving (physically) from one house to another.  I didn’t even get around to getting a real vacation.  This year was different.

• My husband and I went to Grand Junction, Colorado for a ski trip in January.  We took the Amtrak train there and back.  The train offers me a whole day to relax and tat while traveling.
• I had two weeks to travel in July via motorcycle to/from Colorado.  Of course I had my tatting with me, even while traveling via motorcycle.  Don’t you just love how portable tatting is!?
• In September, I traveled (alone) to Georgia via motorcycle to teach at/attend the Palmetto Tatters Workshop.  I had two weeks to get there and back and camped along the way as much as possible.  I am especially happy when I can put several passions together (motorcycling, traveling/camping, & tatting).  More about my (fantastic!) trip to Palmetto in upcoming blog posts.
• In October, my husband & I traveled again by train to CO to relax and motorcycle in the area for one week. (We have motorcycles stashed there.)

I still have a shop on Etsy.com where I sell my books and enameled tatting shuttles (shop name: TheShuttleSmith).  I will be spending more time in the near future updating my Etsy shop, probably with more/new shuttles & all my books.  More about my Etsy listings in upcoming blog posts.  You will probably see postings about how I create my enameled shuttles too.

I just recently was given a huge stash of vintage enamel supplies to use in my enameled tatting shuttle production business.  I just got them organized so that I can use them.  I am looking forward to experimenting and using them in the very near future.  Enameling gives me a different creative outlet to experiment with using ‘color’ and ‘enameling techniques’.  So look for upcoming blog posts on new enameled tatting shuttles and enameling techniques. You will probably see postings about how I create my enameled shuttles too.

I have been asked to teach 2 tatting classes (plus one short Teneriffe Lace class) at the upcoming 2019 IOLI Convention in Spokane, Washington.  So I spent some time this summer working with Patti Duff, the Convention Tatting Teacher Coordinator to design two unique tatting classes:

• Class #1 is titled ‘Modern Tatting for Modern Tatters‘ and will introduce 4 very different class projects in the four days of classes. 
• Class #2 is titled ‘A Bounty of Tatted Delights’.  This class will focus on how the host state of the Convention (Washington) is the producer of many fruits & vegetables.  Thus a whole new book of tatted designs is in the design/planning stages to be published in time for this convention.
• More about my these classes/designs in upcoming blog posts

I’m nicely settled into my new home in Iowa.  Other than mowing the fairly big lawn of a small acreage, the house hasn’t taken up too much of my free time.

So that is what I have been up to so far in 2018. 

It has been a heck of a year!  In the beginning of 2017 I freaked out when I got my property tax valuations for my home in Omaha, Nebraska.  The initial estimation would have almost quadrupled my property valuation and thus taxes.  I had been thinking for some time that it may be time to move anyway.  I had remarried 4 years ago and my wonderful husband agreed to move into my house so that my kids (college-age) could mentally and physically move out of their childhood home (that I kept after the divorce that was forced upon me over 10 years ago).  I felt that the old house had served its purpose and that it was time for Jerry and I to move on to a home of our own, together.  The property tax valuation was the ‘kick-in-the-butt’ to do this.  I went to Jerry and told him that I felt I could no longer afford to live in my/our old home.  He immediately went shopping for a house for us and within 5 days we had bought a small acreage in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska where I have lived for almost 35 years.  March was the start of my house moving hell and heaven.  The house I moved from was fairly big and had a lot of storage space (that I had crammed full of ‘stuff’).  I spent every waking hour from then on cleaning out every closet, drawer, storage area in my house.  I had 5 garbage cans of trash out for pickup every week, I took numerous carloads of stuff to the local mission for donation, had a church youth group take a half U-Haul full of my stuff, and still filled a big dumpster with junk!  After the cleaing out was done and I had most of the stuff I wanted to keep to the new house, I started the cleaning and painting of the old house.  All this while I was mowing and maintaining two large lawns (over a half acre each).  I spent a lot of time transplanting some of my beloved perennial plants to the new house too.  Husband was busy getting us settled into the new home with various projects.   I left the major furniture in the old home to ‘stage’ it for showing while I tried to sell it FSBO (For Sale By Owner) to no success.  It was a miserable summer working on all this matter.  I finally gave up the FSBO thing and turned it over to a realtor and it is still for sale.  My wonderful husband has been incredibly supportive of me financially to allow me to take the time to find a buyer for my home.  In October, I had all the furniture moved into my new home in time for a big party the 28th.  Since then we have been enjoying the peace and quiet of our new home in Iowa.

Jerry & I love our new home together and have enjoyed picking out a few new items for ‘our’ home.  The new house still has lots of storage (both a blessing and a bane).  I have a big room to use as my fiber art and enameling studio.  I just got back to enameling about a month ago and created about 20 new glass enameled tatting shuttles that are in my Etsy shop:  www.Etsy.com/shop/TheShuttleSmith.   The house is twice as far away from our work but takes us the same amount of time to travel…the Omaha traffic was getting worse.  Plus, we are just outside city limits and on the edge of the Loess Hills region which has loads of wonderful twisty, curvy roads for motorcycling (my other passion!).

So, I now no longer am “The ShuttleSmith from Omaha, NE”.  I am now an Iowegian.   I need to work on updating a lot of things with my new address:  my website, vehicle registrations, bank accounts, driver’s license, etc.

Karen Bovard Sayre,  TheShuttleSmith,  19001 Perry Road,  Council Bluffs, Iowa  51503,   Same phone number:  402-960-7370

SHUTTLEBIRDS WORKSHOP–PART 2

Just thought I’d post some of the pictures I had taken at The Shuttlebirds 2017 Tatting Workshop.

The first photo shows the materials and space we used to decorate the base shuttles for the Make-It-Take-It workshop of creating personal glass/enamel tatting shuttles. (See previous post for photos of the finished ART pieces.)

The second photo shows the space where/how I torch-fired the artwork into finished glass-coated tatting shuttles in flat/hoare-style.

I flew to the workshop so it was quite a challenge as to what to bring/how much I could bring.  I planned and purchased supplies for months before going.  There were a few items that the Shuttlebirds members brought for me to help with my space/luggage issues.  These included the cookies sheets, ceramic tiles and fire extinquisher.  I am happy to report that I did NOT need to use the fire extinquisher (I actually never have!).

The third photo shows my vendor table:  It includes the 7 books that I have authored/published including the debut of book number 7:  Snowflakes in Split Ring Tatting.  I had been working on the designs for this book for a while (ca. a year).  So when I found out that the theme for this workshop was ‘A Flurry of Flakes’ I decided that it was a ‘sign from God’ that I should try to attend.  So I used the workshop as a self-inflicted deadline to get my book done and published.  Also on my vendor table are some of my glass/enameled tatting shuttles and some homemade ‘thread holders’. I shall have to photograph my new book and my thread winders soon to show you all.

LIFE-STYLE CHANGE

Right now, my life is a bit in ‘limbo’ because I am moving–leaving my home of 31 years.  I got fed up with the high property taxes in Omaha, Nebraska and so my husband and I bought an acreage across the river in neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa.  I am no longer going to be a Nebraskan/Husker but will soon become a Iowegian/Hawkeye.  (I much prefer yellow to red!).  Right now my life is a mess!  I have just finished getting rid of and/or moving the majority of my stuff to the new house.  Now I am seriously trying to clean/paint/prep the old house to get it ready to sell.  At the same time we have some work to do at the new house.  I have 2 big lawns to move and work on the landscaping at the same time!  Half my ‘living stuff’ is at either house.  I am keeping my furniture at the old house to ‘stage it’ for selling.  Husband is living at the new house working on prepping it for our use.  We have new furniture on order.  So far he has had to install 2 separate garage door systems and tear out a closet in our master bedroom so that we can fit our (king-size) bed into it.  When I sell my old house I can move all the furniture and clothes into the new house and live there completely.  I have all of my studio stuff in boxes and am dying to get back to making enamel shuttles again.

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending The Shuttlebirds Tatting Workshop in WA/Idaho.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was testing out a workshop concept of ‘Make-It-Take-It’ enameled/glass/copper shuttles. The idea was that I created the base shuttles of one color. The workshop part was that tatters (or non-tatters—I will not discriminate) would decorate their shuttles themselves in various techniques that I provided and I would then torch-fire the piece to produce the final product.

I would like to report that the workshop was a resounding success. 29 beautiful shuttles were produced!

The following photos show the results.

Several people were ‘painters’ and used acrylic enamels to paint designs onto the shuttles.  Several shuttles were created using sifting techniques and stencils.  Two shuttles were created using a rubber stamp lacy design.

I’M SOOO EXCITED! I leaving tomorrow to go to Spokane, WA to the Shuttlebirds Tatting Workshop. I have been there once (probably 15+ years ago). Looking forward to seeing alot of old and new friends from that part of the country. I’m teaching, vending, and trying a totally new venture: Make-It-Take-It Enamel Shuttles. I have been creating the shuttles with various (somewhat innocuous) base colors. I am taking several colors of enamels with me and various ways to decorate… the shuttles further. Then tatters will use these materials to decorate their own shuttle. I will torch-fire the shuttle into a unique work of art. This is a pilot project for me….I have been prepping for months. The pre-sale response has been overwhelmingly good for me. Now I just hope this whole idea works and tatters get shuttles they are happy with. If it works like I hope it does, there should be some beautiful new shuttles produced. I’ll try to take pictures.

I just found this tatting shuttle in my stash. 

The bottom line is that I enjoy making them much more that I enjoy marketing/selling them!

This one is newly available for adoption ($25) in my Etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheShuttleSmith

The color is a deep, rich burgundy.  I had to hunt down this enamel…it is no longer commercially available.  It is a really rare enamel.  Reds are particularly expensive and a bit more tricky to use.

I’m thinking about Halloween & Fall with these shuttles.

Glass/Enamel Tatting Shuttles available for adoption for $25 each on my Etsy shop

www.etsy.com/shop/theshuttlesmith

Just thought I’d show some of the more unique Enameled Tatting Shuttles that I have made in the past.  All in different decorative styles.

If you want me to custom make one for you (you choose shape, colors, etc) let me know:  k.bovard@yahoo.com