Zinfandel Obedience

Finally!  Once I got one wing tamed, the other one fell right into place!  A little obedience training goes a long way :)
Introducing my first dragon, Zinfandel.:

He is the 22nd motif of my 2nd 25-Motif Challenge, in size 20 Lizbeth Vineyard Harvest. (Or she?  No, must be a he with all the obedience training he needed.)  In any case, I missed Wine Wednesday, so "Thankfully Thursday" rolled in :)

It seems as though once I accomplish a pattern, it all becomes so clear.  All I need to do is pay very close attention to the pattern, and do exactly as it says.  (Duh.)  Somehow I always end up trying to turn, reverse work, switch shuttles, etc. when I don't really have to. (Who is it that needs the obedience training?)

Finishing this dragon feels like an accomplishment - and gives me more confidence to keep trying new patterns.  But the perfectionist in me wants to make another dragon so I can do it right the first time!

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.