HBT's Christmas in July

I belong to the e-mail group "Here Be Tatters" and recently the list mom, Sue, organized a Christmas in July exchange (with secret partners) for any member that wanted to participate. We weren't allowed to open our packages until today and the wait was grueling for me!!

This was so much fun! I wanted to post some pictures of the things my secret sender (Betsy Evans) sent to me, and give an official thanks for all the wonderful items.

First of all, it came in this COOL little case, with a sweet little tatted cat on it, which I'm sure will come in handy for toting my tatting around - in fact, I've been planning on making up a "tatting kit" to keep in my car - and I think this little case will be great for that!

Then I opened up the case to find all the treasures inside. There were postcards so I got to see where Betsy lives - what a gorgeous area of the country it must be. A Whitman sampler of chocolate (I've eaten 3/4 of it already LOL) in a lovely tin which I will also keep for storage. A pattern for a tatted fan bookmark along with the fan tatted by Betsy in a teeny tiny thread.

It was pinned to the pattern with a coil-less safety pin to use with patterns that start with chains - how wonderful - I didn't even know there was such a thing! Also, a lovely bookmark of her own design in a plastic sleeve which I already placed in the book I am currently reading (I had some boring old piece of cardboard in it before - this is so much nicer). Blue Mill Hall seed beads which I will put to good use, as well as a sample of Lady Shuttlemaker's "Pensacola Beach" thread - YAY! There is also a beautiful embroidered thimble holder with plastic rings inside. Finally, TWO pairs of earrings in blue (my favorite color), one on metal rings and the other with little seed beads.

Thank you SO MUCH, Betsy. What a wonderful time I had exploring all the items and I will think of you each time I use something from the gifts!

Motif Twenty-Four

This is my own original pattern. I created it to be earrings to match my other cross pattern (motif twelve). I thought I would share the pattern here. I have spent the last who-knows-how-long remembering why I don't like to write down patterns. I cannot figure out how to explain things to make sure people can understand how to tat them!! *sigh*

I'm hoping most people will actually be able to tat it because of the picture. I'll put the written directions here, but please, please, please, if someone has some ideas of how to say something better or explain it more clearly, or if you find any errors while tatting it, mention it in the comments so the poor people trying to follow the pattern and make the cross can do so. I'm hopeless.

Mini-Cross by Elizabeth C. Zipay
(c) 2000

Two shuttles.
I use the method of "front-side/back side" tatting.
All joining picots on the chains are extremely small.
In size 20 thread, the cross is ~ 1 1/2" tall and 1 1/4" wide.

With shuttle #1
*R 3-2-2. RW
Ch 1. RW
R 2+(to last p of previous R)4-4-2. RW
Ch 1. RW
R 2+(to last p of previous R)2-3. RW*
Ch 2-2. Do no reverse work.

With shuttle #2, R1-1-1-1. Do not reverse work.
With shuttle #1, Continue ch 2-2. RW

Repeat from * to *.

Ch 2+(to opposite p of previous Ch)
2+(to next p of shuttle #2 R)2-2.RW

Repeat from * to *.

Ch 2+(to opposite p of previous Ch)
2+(to next p of shuttle #2 R)4-5-4.RW

Repeat from * to *.

Ch 4+(opposite p of previous Ch)
5+(opposite p of precious Ch)
4+(to next p of shuttle #2 R)
2+(to opposite p on third Ch tatted)2.

Attach to first ring. Finish off.

In Memory...

The grandmother that taught me tatting passed away on July 7th. She was 95 years old. She had not tatted for a number of years, after breaking one of her wrists, but she still loved to talk about it, remember how much she loved to do it, watch me do it and look at the work I was doing. She always said to me, "people pay you HOW MUCH for TATTING?!"

Here is a link to her obituary: My Grandma

She was such a sweet, wonderful lady. My husband always said, "she is such the typical grandma!" - she had the gift of hospitality, always wanting to make sure you had what you wanted or needed and she loved to have guests to wait on and fawn over. Her whole house was geared for entertaining - from the basement to the garage (both were complete with bars and plenty of seating and used for parties numerous times). She taught me crocheting as well as tatting and loved to play all kinds of games with us kids as well. My grandparents took us on bus trips all over the east coast - Disney, World's Fairs and lots of other interesting places. She loved to go to Atlantic city (and she was darn lucky there too - no wonder she liked it). When we got older, we played pinochle or penny games with both my grandparents - almost every weekend. And after I was married and had kids and lived far away, hers was still always the house that we stayed at when we came home for a visit.

I will surely miss her, but find hope and take comfort in the promise that we will be together again some day. I will be sure to bring some shuttles.