For all who waited to the end...

Happy tax day tomorrow. I have a t-shirt that says" Procrastinators Unite, Tomorrow". And with tax day that would be so true- but I did them already!

So for all those who still have to do them, good luck!

Now that they are done I can concentrate on more important things like -tatting! LOL. :)-

(Picture is of Becki and a stray buck we called Bob. He must have been raised by someone and let go into the wild. He wondered into our property and stayed for three weeks until he left.)

ITD shorthand for .....

Sorry for confusion, but I can be kind of shorthand crazy( comes from texting). ITD was my shorthand for International Tatting Day. Hope this clears up any confusion. (Sorry Tatting Chic you are not missing out on anything!) :)
P.S. Happy Easter!

My tatting results from break and ITD.

Ok here is what I did during spring break- earrings! This lot is 'Encore' and 'Dove' done in 'Roses', 'Snowflake' and Lizbeth thread that is a variegated turquoise and blue. All earrings are a size 20 with the exception of the 'Snowflake' thread which is a 50.

This group (OK it's earring again-SURPRISE!) are all done in 'Peace' hdt by none other than Yarnplayer! The patterns used are from L to R 'Tatted Oval Earrings', "Quadrille' and 'Encore'. 'Dove' and 'Tatted Oval Earrings' are the only patterns not by Marilee.

Yes outside of getting Harriet and Ozzy( once know as Bob) tatting earrings (because you can NEVER have enough earrings) is about all I did. When it gets warmer I get my dye going and start to tie dye things, batik and work on my quilt again. Of course this will in between canning peaches, making corn relish, jams, jellies and tomatoes sauces and salsa! Oh yeah maybe I'll get some work in there too. LOL. :)-

Meet Harriet and Bob.

This is Harriet. A grey winged green English Budgie. She is about 9 months old.

This is Bob. A grey winged blue English Budgie. He is about 1yr 9 months old. (My husband calls him 'Ozzy'.

This is the 'happy' couple in their new cage. I can't say my husband was happy, but I missed Harry so much and I always planned on replacing him. My friend Janice and I went to a bird show in Racine, Wis. She came home with a Amazon named Fanny Mae that is about 2 months old. She was a really sweet parrot. (a little too rich for my blood at 700 $). I think the price of English Budgies was bad enough($35 for Bob and $25 for Harriet), but it is still cheaper than some I've priced. They are from a breeder my friend knows and trusts. Birds are safer from breeders than pet shops.

They are a little shy and it takes about 3 days for them to get use to their new home. I can't say my family is as enthused as I am. But I'm happy Bob and Harriet are here! :)

Happy International Tatting Day!

This the apron on my husband's recaneing project so you can see how big it is.

Another view(sorry for fuzzy pic)

Against a blue chair back ground.

Close up detail of embroidery.

I thought I'd share with you a piece of my family history that started the wonderful world of tatting for me. This was my Great Great Grandmother Alice Atkin Gary's skirt apron she tatted and embroidered herself.(Sorry it is stained and because it is over 100 yrs old I don't know how to remove the stains without hurting it.). My Great Grandmother gave this to me when I was 15 and told me it was tatted by my gggrandmother , Alice. My ggrandmother , Bertha, didn't know how to tat( she was a wonderful cook and taught me cooking and sewing.) but it sparked my curiosity in tatting.

My gggrandmother Alice was a remarkable women for her time and died in 1040's. She supported herself by giving music lessons(in a time period that women didn't work), because her husband was confined to wheelchair. She taught my ggrandfather how to play the mandolin and she herself played the piano and sang.( I know were the music genes come from!).

There was no one to 'show' me how to tat so I taught myself from a book on how to tat. For the first several tries I almost gave up(glad I didn't.). But I was the one who caved her own crochet hook so I could teach myself to crochet because I wanted to make a crocheted poncho(yea I'm THAT old). So with being tired of making knots I finally found someone who could show me that little 'flip' that causes the thread to flip on itself.(I didn't release the tension on my left hand.) WOW! how simple was that and like they say the rest is history! I have been tatting now for close to 40 years and I think of Alice and how something she made out of necessity sparked a desire in one of her posterity. Now it is my job to pass it on. I have taught my daughter and look forward to teach grandchildren when they come.

Thanks for sharing a piece of my history with me on this important day!(Oh, don't forget the chocolate-I know I won't!) :)