I’ve given up trying to give every blog post a title…so today it just has a date.

This is what I’ve been working on.  The photos show the piece in progress.

The bottom photo shows how I rolled up the completed tatting to more easily work the last section.  I used a safety pin (one of the things I always have in my tatting bag that goes everywhere with me!) to pin between the tatting (never piercing the actual thread work). 

The top photo shows the piece tatted but still sporting ‘ends’ that need to be finished.  You will note that there are two thread ends, not four, for each section/motif to finish.  That is because I always start Continuous Thread Method (CTM)—but not always with both starting shuttles wound continuously with all the thread I need for the whole project.  You see, I am innately lazy & frugal.  I many times choose the color of thread for a project by what is still left on my shuttles from a previous project.  I have little time to actually tat and thus don’t want to waste the time I can be physically tatting (as in creating the lace) by spending it winding shuttles.  So IF I’m lucky I will have two shuttles of matching thread leftover with various amounts of thread on them that I use—but they are NOT continuous.

My Continuous Thread Method Strategy #1

I unwind at least a half-a-yard to one-yard of thread from one shuttle.  I tie this thread end (overhand knot) to a thread end on a totally different shuttle (leftovers from yet another project—preferably in a different color).  Wind the thread end onto the ‘other-thread shuttle’.  You will now have two shuttles wound continuous.

Tat the project until you run out of thread on the ‘temporary shuttle’.  Then do a Thread Replacement Strategy technique to swap out the depleted temporary shuttle with the other thread/shuttle you have ready for the project.  The reason I choose a different color of thread on the second/temporary shuttle is so that you can visually see and thus gauge how much thread you have left to use before you need to do a ‘Thread Replacement Strategy’

This piece is one of many pieces that I have designed for the August 2015 IOLI Convention class that I am teaching titled Quilt-Inspired Fun with Split Ring Tatting.  In that class I will be also be teaching a ‘side-class’ on Thread Replacement Strategies and Strategies for Dealing with Thread Ends (Starting & Ending).  More about all of that in future blog posts!!!!

Here is Number 8 pattern from Anne Orr’s Book #14.

To get the pattern in PDF form:

Click on:  Ann Orr Historical Split Ring Tatting Patterns

Then choose:  The ShuttleSmith Illustrated Historical SRT Patterns

Scroll down until you find the one you are interested in. 

Then click:  Click here to open illustrated PDF Pattern

ENJOY THIS INCREDIBLE PATTERN!!!!

My wonderful husband helped me clean up my website a little bit.

He also enabled ‘COMMENTS’  so that they work!!!!

What I learned:

Comments do not show up on the front page of the website.

To leave a comment you have to click on the title of the blog post.  Then the comments box shows.

My husband suggested that I learn about ‘categories’ on my website.   I’d rather be tatting or creating tatting patterns!!!!

I am sooo excited about the upcoming IOLI Convention in 2015 for several reasons:

1.   It is in my ‘backyard’:   I live in Nebraska and the convention is being hosted by the Doris Southard Lace Guild in Iowa City, Iowa.  The actuall address is Coralville, but Coralville is a suburb of Iowa City

2.  I’m teaching–It gives me the excuse to work up design ideas into a book and class format.  I loove  the design/tatting work!

3.  Theme is “Lace on the Prairie”

The theme of the convention is “Lace on the Prairie”. I, being a Nebraska farmer’s daughter, embody that idea completely. I grew up ‘on the prairie’ and learned tatting from my maternal grandmother. Later I found out that my paternal grandmother AND grandfather also tatted. Tatting was truly a ‘prairie lace’ in that it didn’t require

I can’t figure out why ‘COMMENTS’ are not enabled.

If anyone has an idea, please email me at:   k.bovard@yahoo.com  !!!!

I’m a TATTER, not a Website Developer!!!!

‘Discussion’ is checked under ‘Screen Options’.  That’s as far as I can go in my knowledge.

A week and a half ago, I was at The Tatting Corner Tatting Workshop and snapped a couple of photos while there.   This photo is of the wall of the shop that houses the all the thread choices of one kind of thread–LizBeth by Handy Hands.  I thought I knew that there were ALOT of choices in color and size but when I saw ALL the choices in one spot I was amazed!

LizBeth thread is made in 5 different sizes:  3, 10, 20, 40 & 80

There are 96 solid colors and 83 multi (variegated) color in 4 of the sizes (all but Size 3) for a total of 189 color—-only 90 colors in Size 3

189 x 4 =  756

756 + 90 =  846

Thus there are 846 color/size thread choices in this one thread source!!!! 

Can you imagine keeping that kind of inventory?!?!?

I love going to tatting workshops!   You learn soooooo much.  Actually I haven’t been able to go to many tatting workshops in the last few years because I had kids still at home and needed to be there (mostly to protect the house from teenagers).  So going to The Tatting Corner Tatting Workshop in Indiana was quite a treat.

While there, one of the things that I learned 1. Made my heart skip a beat and then 2. gave me a sick feeling in my stomach for awhile.  What was this, you may ask????  Well,  as I was showing a group of tatters at the workshop my ‘Quilt-Inspired Split Ring Tatting’ designs, somone said “Oh, there is a new book just out on that”.  I learned that the concept for a series of new tatting designs that I have been formulating for over and year and have been physically designing furiously for the last several months had JUST BEEN PUBLISHED!!!  By this I mean that Handy Hands had just published a 16 oage booklet that featured 4-5 different “Quilt” designs in tatting designed by a tatter named Billie Heisler.  This publication was quite the hit at the workshop.  From what I could hear, there were 4 copies to be had, and they were all in hot demand.  I quickly contemplated my designs/books fate…..and decided that no matter what the other book designs looked like, ‘my’ designs were ‘my’ designs and that I had come up with them and had the right to publish them too since I had come up with them totally on my own.  I did get a chance to take a peek at the ‘other’ quilt-tatting book and realized that my approach to combining quilting and tatting was different!  YEAH!!!!  I am soooooo glad about that my work is so different.  I would hate to have people think that I copied/plaguerized  another person’s work.

I have about 4-5 different approaches to tatting designs and techniques of working that are inspired by quilt patterns!!!    In upcoming blog posts, I will attempt to introduce these variations to you.

Right now I am busy creating illustrated patterns for my “Patchwork Series”.  I am also tatting up a few of them, so that they are ready for viewing on the IOLI website in the coming new year.

My timeline for my Quilt-Inspired Tatting Book is because I will be teaching a course/class on it at the 2015 IOLI Convention in Iowa City, Iowa–in August.   So my goal is to have the book(s) ready/published by then.  I have to mentions book(s)–plural, because is looks like I may have enough material to fill 3 books at this time.  I have been having soo much fun studying quilt historical  blocks and then designing them into tatting–split ring tatting to be precise.

I will fill you in more on my Quilt-Inspired Tatting Book as I go along.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of spending two days in Tatting Paradise, this time in Indiana.

It was worth the two 9-hour (600+ miles one-way) days of driving (in a car–yuck!) that was needed to get there and back.  On the positive side, my tatting buddy and book editor, Jennifer Bartling, went with me and thus the drive seemed short since we talked the whole way there and back.  It was great to spend such quality time with a lovely friend.

The Two Days of Tatting Paradise was at The Tatting Corner shop in Greenfield, IN, just 25 miles east of Indianapolis, IN.  Although I learned that this tatting workshop had been going on for 14 years, this was the first time that I had heard about it.  I had ‘found’ The Tatting Corner a couple of years ago when I was trying to find colors of Size 20 Anchor Cordonnet.  This thread used to be available 20+ years ago but isn’t imported into the US for quite some time.  Someone told me that Jennifer Titus,  the owner of the shop carried it and since then  I have spent a small fortune on this wonderful thread.  I can use a ball from my old stash of thread with the new threads and they match in size, no matter what colors I use!  I officially met (face-to-face)  Jennifer and her husband Jerry at  Palmetto Tat Days in GA in September and it was there that I learned about her Tatting Workshop.  Since motorcycling was out of the question (too darn cold in November!) as a mode of transportation to the workshop and flying was too expensive, I decided to drive.  Since I was driving I invited my tatting friend, Jennifer Bartling along.  I usually hate ‘driving’ but having Jennifer as ‘shotgun’ made the 9 hour drive each way seem like a blink of the eye—we talked the whole way there and back!  It was sooo nice to catch up with her and the local lacemaking world that she is still a major part of.

I got to meet Kaye Judt, a tatting designer/book author & publisher.  In conversing with her, I learned that she used to own/operate and shop called The Heirloom Corner years ago which specialized in smocking and other heirloom sewing techniques.   When my kids were tiny (20+ years ago–darn, I’m giving away my age that way!)  I used to order patterns, fabric and supplies from her to sew and smock special clothes for my babies/toddlers.  Kaye was teaching three very darling projects:  a Strawberry vine edging, a strawberry basket, and the most beautiful red cardinal, designed very well to show wonderful detail.

Marilee Rockley was also a teacher and had a table full of her lovely hand-dyed threads.  I took a couple of pictures of her threads as I thought it made an artistic photo.

More pictures and comments about the tatting workshop in next blog post!

I have just made up my mind that I AM GOING to the Tatting Corner Tatting Workshop in the Indianapolis, IN area.  The weather looks like it should behave itself and allow for OK driving conditions.  My good tatting friend, Jennifer Bartling has agreed to accompany me, so that will be fun!  The workshop is next Thursday, November 6 thru 8th.  So we will leave on Wednesday for the 9+ hour drive.

Looks to be a good time.  Last time I talked to Jennifer Titus (yesterday) she said it looks there will be 50 tatters there.  Woo hoo!  Now were talking a good time!

Check it out at:  www.tattingcorner.com

I forgot that had these shuttles.  I almost missed out on finding them a ‘home’ for the fall season.

If you are interested in purchasing them, email me and state your intention.  I will send you a PayPal invoice.  Postage is free to the US.

Email:  k.bovard@yahoo.com

I also have two ‘summer’ leaf shuttles: