A Well-Kept Secret?

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned my frustration with continually breaking needle threaders.  I'm not sure how many I've destroyed, but it was getting frustrating to think I had to keep spare threaders on hand - as if sewing in ends on my tatting wasn't already the worst of tasks.

Fox mentioned using Calyx-eye needles (per a tip from Jane E.) or trying Chenille needles with a longer eye. Well!  I set out to find those calyx-eye needles, and found they have them at JoAnns.  Only they didn't specifically say "calyx-eye", so my oh-so-specific brain was having a bit of a time finding them.  They are simply referred to as "self-threading" needles, and I found them in both the quilting tools and the general sewing tools.

I can tell these will be a definite improvement over using those flimsy needle threaders!  With all the sewing I do, I can't believe I never paid attention and noticed these. 

Just pop that thread into the top of the needle, and ta da!  Ready to sew in those ends.

Is this a well-kept secret, or am I the only one that didn't realize this option existed?  The secret is out on this one now - I had to share my enthusiasm for this alternative to those blasted needle threaders!  The companies that make needle threaders will probably go out of business without me.

Oh, and I found the chenille needles too - on the other side of the store with the embroidery floss.  I believe those long eyes will work well with my bifocals too :)

Great tip - thank you Fox!

It's Wednesday . . .

I really thought I could get a dragon done by today.  Wine Wednesday.  I have the wine, and a beautiful evening to sit and enjoy it.

Last week it was mentioned that maybe I would use a "wine" color thread to tat my dragon.  Ha!  That gave me a chuckle, and when I went digging in my thread for the perfect color, I found a beautiful variegated Lizbeth.  I started thinking about what I would name the dragon, etc., etc., and looked up the name of the thread color.  Guess what color Lizbeth #131 is?  VINEYARD HARVEST.  Totally unintentional!  But totally funny, if you ask me!

So, I got to work on this dragon. I thought I would name this one Zinfandel, since it's one of my favorite wines.  I got this far only starting over once:

Not too bad, I thought.  I only have a little glue on the neck.  Oops. Not sure what I did, but one of the threads I had already cut somehow became un-hidden, and of course now the thread was too short to re-hide.  Zinfandel was beginning to get a little feisty, but I was ready to start on the wings. (And by the way, I'm still trying to find those self-threading calyx-eye tapestry needles Fox mentioned.) 

On with a wing.  Well.  I was moving right along, and then attached something wrong.  Then I did the chain so it curved the wrong direction.  And then I attached a ring to the wrong place.  It wasn't going so well.  I started to do more retro-tatting than tatting.  More picking than I care to admit.  The dragon has been renamed several times - "Oops" or "Retro" were becoming more appropriate than a good Zinfandel. 

And then, just when I thought I was on a roll, I realized the chains were going the wrong direction again. 

Aaaarrrgghh.  I only had one glass.  Really.  I believe I shall start this wing over.  And reconsider the name of my dragon.  Any suggestions?

Not a Fairy Tale . . .

Once upon a time, four tatters met at a Chinese restaurant for lunch.  Two of these tatters know eachother after getting together every month as the Twin Cities Tatters.  And one of those tatters is lucky enough to have a daughter that tats.  Now, the fourth tatter traveled a looonng way to meet up with the Twin Cities Tatters. 

Well, I guess the fourth tatter really had other reasons to travel such a long way, but it was a good start to the story.

It was a pleasure to meet Diane, the Lace-Lovin' Librarian today as she & her husband rolled into town for a visit with her daughters.  She agreed to meet Michelle of Tela-Magistrae and I for lunch.  Michelle brought her daughter also (who is, by the way, a great new recruit to the Twin Cities Tatters.)  And Diane is now officially an honorary member of the Twin Cities Tatters.

Here we are - proof that this is not a fairy tale story!

Michelle, Cindy & Diane

In true tatter fashion, we shared show & tell, ideas, techniques and tools.  Honestly, it is so much fun to meet other tatting bloggers in person! (I'm sure the restaurant proprietors wondered if we would ever leave . . . )

Diane brought this - all that way - for me.  What fun to get such goodies! 

An All-American Diane-made shuttle (woo hoo!) with matching thread and patriotic beads, and a Diane-made scissors fob - all in a great little tatting pouch. As if she didn't have enough to remember traveling to visit her daughters & grandies!

And, Michelle brought some of her Aunt Rose goodies to share. I certainly came home with more than I left with.

What a fabulous day!

Now, I think I should tat.

Guess . . .

. . . what I did this morning?

and with those, some peaches,

and the remainder of my rhubarb, 

I will be doing some of this:

AND . . .

I've started this:

I believe it's going to be a productive weekend.

Wine Wednesday!

As planned, I'm back with a finished doily and a glass of wine for Wine Wednesday! Woo Hoo!  It's done.  It's almost embarrassing that it took me so long to finish this - good thing I blogged about it or it might not be done yet.  I really like this small doily and its bit of color, and I always seem to enjoy Mary Konior patterns. I will count this doily as Motif #21 of my 2nd 25-Motif Challenge. 

Motif #21

Mary Konior Flowerpiece from Tatting With Visual Patterns

Ecru and Mountain Breeze Lizbeth Size 20

I got home from work today and got those last ends woven in.  I used my Best Press to give it a little starch before I pinned it to my blocking piece of foam core.  I decided to take it outside and get pictures of it before it's completely dry so I don't totally miss Wine Wednesday again :) 

It's hot here today - about 86 degrees and sunny.  My deck provides me with a nice place to sit after work and enjoy a little breeze and some shade.  It's my favorite spot to sit and relax, and enjoy the birds and flowers and the sound of Little League bats cracking the ball at the little park next door.  Very relaxing.

I am used to sewing and crocheting, which produce a finished project much faster than tatting, so it frustrates me that tatting is so slow going.  I very much enjoy tatting though - I think it's much prettier than crochet.  And even though I love to connect with other tatters and have a tatting group to share with, I like the fact that tatting is a unique craft that not many people do.  It's not a "fad".  It's a true art that takes skill, determination and concentration!  I always tend to like unique stuff - I'm so NOT a conformist :)  I'm just slow!

I continue to destroy my needle threaders.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Or maybe it just happens when I'm using larger threads - like size 20.  Sheesh!  I think I've been through several now, and need to stock up again.  See?  I pulled the threading wire right out of it.  Again.

OK, it's Wine Wednesday, not Whine Wednesday! My wine today is from a local winery.  (Yes!  We have wineries in the midwest!)  I usually enjoy red wine, and this is a Temperanillo from Spain that our local winery distributes.  The wines that they actually make on-site are made from grapes grown in Minnesota (can you believe it?) that were developed at the University of Minnesota, mixed with grapes from California.  This particular wine was on sale and within my budget :)

I think my next project will be a dragon - I've been wanting to try one!  I think Michelle has talked me into it with her pretty Anne Bruvold dragons.  Think I can finish one by NEXT Wednesday?