Change in the World

Heather The Tarnished Tatter has tagged me. Now normally I am not crazy about these things but this one could be fun. Here are the rules.


1. go to your documents/pictures.


2. go to your 5th file.


3. go to your 5th picture.


4. blog about it.


5. tag 5 people …...


Okay so here it goes. I am going to my pictures and the fifth file is labeled Christmas 2008 and the fifth picture is.....

This is a plaque that was given to me by a special neighbour who I helped for 6 months. There cat was borderline kidney failure so I would go to there house every two to three nights and give there cat an IV treatment. They where amazed that I would do something so kind and not accept payment and I told them that I wanted to see people be nice and caring to each other and the way to help get that going was to set the example. The words on the plaque are a quote from Gandhi who amazed me with how he tried to change things for the better in the world, but did it in a meek and mild way and by setting an example. I truly believe these words that if we want change it has to begin with ourselves because we can only control ourselves and hopefully others will follow our example and make the change in there lives. If others do not change at least you can feel good about yourself and what you are doing and that is what is important.

I am not going to tag anyone but instead leave it open to anyone who would like to participate to tag themselves and have some fun with it.

Life Is Full Of Bumps And Bruises

Well I am working on Robert's heirloom doily/runner. It is the Pattern called the Grid from Tatting Patterns and Designs by Gun Blomqvist and Elwy Persson. It is tatted in YarnPlayers Fern HDT size 80. As you can tell I have not made a lot of progress since my last post but with good reason. Since Gregg and I have been decorating our bedroom a lot of odd jobs where put on hold and I have been trying to get them caught up. In the middle of this I had two falls and I managed to cause a hairline fracture in my foot. I am now hobbling around in an air-cast and although this gives me time for tatting, with the pain I am in I just do not feel like concentrating on it. Hopefully this week will be better and I will be in a tatting mood as I would hate to see all the time go to waste.

Laura Update

I am pleased to let everyone know that Laura is home from the hospital and her recovery is progressing well. She has received fantastic news and that is that the biopsies that they took show NO cancer. Laura would like to thank everyone for there prayers and positive thoughts which have helped and continue to help her as she deals with her health issues. It is wonderful news to celebrate.

How Is Laura Doing?

Just a quick note to let everyone know, who knows Laura Blanton. Her surgery went well yesterday and she is resting well and hoping to come home from the hospital tomorrow. She would like to thank everyone for there prayers and positive thoughts. Your support means a lot to her.

The Start of Roberts' Heirloom Piece

Well we have finally finished the work of redecorating our master bedroom. I must say it looks very rich now that it is decorated in Royal purple, cream, gold. When we get all the artwork in place I will have to post some pictures to give you all an idea of how you can paint your walls a very dark colour and still have a room that looks very elegant. The best part was the bedspread we got for the bed was on sale for $212.00 when it regularly costs $720.00.

This is the start of the Heirloom tatted piece I am making for my son Robert. It is the Pattern called the Grid from Tatting Patterns and Designs by Gun Blomqvist and Elwy Persson. It is tatted in YarnPlayers Fern HDT size 80. If you have not had the opportunity to tat with some of YarnPlayers HDT yet I would highly recommend that you treat yourself to some as I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. It adds a whole new flavour to your tatting. I am making one small change in the pattern and that is I am rotating the center of the motif one picot as I like the way it lines up better. Let me know what you think if you are familiar with the pattern. I would be interested in your feedback.

Matching Dolies and Heirlooms

This cute little Party-Time doily is a match to the larger one I made and posted about a little while a go. It is the second in a set of doilies I am making for our front sitting room furniture. It is made following the pattern, Party-Time Doilies from the book Traditional Tatting Patterns edited by Rita Weiss. The thread is YarnPlayer's Tourmaline HDT size 80 which is my all time favorite thread.

Now I am going to take a break from the doilies and set to work on a heirloom project. I made the following heirloom doily for my daughter a while a go.

At that time I promised my son I would make a heirloom piece for him. Well he has picked his pattern and when I showed him today that I had started it he got excited and now he can't wait to see what the finished project is going to look like because I am taking a small pattern and adapting it into a large piece of tatting. It is going to be tatted in YarnPlayers' HDT Fern in size 80. It is really nice to have children that appreciate the tatting that I do. I know that they value it as much as I do. Well time to tat. 

New Tatters

Well yesterday was the last day of tatting lessons for my three students and I am proud to say there are three new tatters in the world today.I had a lot of fun teaching these ladies the basics of tatting and it reminded me on more than one occasion what it was like when I learned to tat. According to the exit questionnaires my students where pleased with the lessons and the instructor and would recommend the lessons to their friends. It was so much fun to be able to show them the double stitch and see the look on their faces when they realized they had gotten the flip. Although they where not 100% confident in themselves and there new found knowledge they can do it. Now it is just a matter of practice. Congratulations ladies.

International Tatting Day

Oh what could be better than International Tatting Day. I think I like it better than Christmas. What a wonderful thing to have an excuse to spend a day tatting and eating chocolate. This years challenge is to see how many kinds of chocolate I can eat in one day. The only problem is it is a bit tricky not getting chocolate on your tatting. That would never do or I would have to eat my tatting, can't waste good chocolate. Maybe for next year I will invent chocolate thread. What a way to end the day, by eating one's tatting.

The Joy of Tatting

It is amazing the growth that tatting has has gone through over the years. When you think of how tatting started out as trim and doilies it has sure evolved into an art form that I think has more uses than was ever thought of just 50 years ago. Just take a look at some fellow tatters blogs. We have people creating jewelry, 3 dimension objects like a ginger bread house or chess set, Christmas ornaments just to name a few. Unlike the threads of old we have threads with amazing shades of colour and unique Hand Dyed Threads which blend colours in an amazing way, making sure that the item you are tatting is truly one of a kind. With the wonderful invention of the Internet we now have access to online classes with tatters from around the world and new tatting methods spread across the world in a matter of hours instead of weeks or months. We are also able to share our tatting with an audience that we would not have had access to 20 years ago. Is tatting a dying art? NO WAY it is a growing art and I am very happy to be a tatter at this time when it is progressing so fast. So pick up your shuttles or needles and take part of the tatting revolution. We are growing and we are having a blast. Well I am at least.

All is Well

A special thank you to all who sent prayers and best wishes for Robert as he was going for heart surgery. With great relief and a glad heart I am happy to announce that Robert had his surgery today and it was a success. It amazes me that you can have heart surgery in the morning and by the afternoon feel fine with no pain. I am truly grateful.

Thoughts and Prayers

To everyone who follows my blog I would really appreciate it if you could include my son Robert in your thoughts and your prayers Monday as he under goes heart surgery.I will be sure to let everyone know how he is doing as soon as I am able. Thank you.

My Favorite HDT

I finally managed to get a piece of tatting completed. I have realized that I just cannot put a piece of tatting aside to work on another project. I am the type of person that needs to finish one project before starting another or it drives me crazy. Here is my latest project, a doily, the pattern comes from Traditional Tatting Patterns by Rita Weiss and is called Party Time Doily. It is tatted in Marilee's (YarnPlayers) Tourmaline HDT size 80. This colourway of HDT is my favorite of Marilee's. This is what the thread looks like when it arrives in the skein form. ( Note your skeins will be thinner. These ones are extra big as it was a large order )

This is how it looks when it has been tatted into a doily. Isn't it beautiful.

Here is the new home for the doily. I think it looks perfect under the antique cranberry glass lamp. What a fitting home for a piece of fine lace and it is just that much more special knowing that I was the one who made it. Yes I am proud.

Orchids, Orchids Everywhere

Well I must begin by saying that Gregg and I are big orchid fans among other things. Yesterday was the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada annual Orchid Show.

The funny thing about orchids is that the foliage is usually boring and in some cases down right ugly but they produce flowers whose beauty defies description.

There are two special parts to the show the sale of orchids of every description and displays of orchids whose beauty takes your breath away.

Imagine walking into a room with over 100,000 orchids in bloom ranging in size from 1/4 of an inch to 5 feet tall.

There where so many different types of orchids and they where in every colour

RED

YELLOW

ORANGE

PURPLE

GREEN

PINK

WHITE

I was so taken by the wonderful sights that I took about 100 photographs if you would like to see them the link is here. It made me think it was summer for a couple of hours which was very nice but when we left and the cold wind hit our faces the reality of winter came rushing back.

3 New Tatters

Well today was the big day. It was the first class for my three new tatting students. I present each student with a written history of tatting and a sheet of short forms that are used in patterns. After giving them a brief oral history on tatting and a discussion on types of shuttles and thread we made our way to the dreaded double stitch. I always love the reaction from students when they finally get the flip and realize what it is. It always gives them such a feeling of accomplishment. All three students succeeded and were sent home to practice making chains until next week. It is going to be a lot of fun teaching this group.

I Am Tatting, Honest

Those who follow my blog have probably been thinking that I have not been doing a lot of tatting lately and there is one thing that is really missing from my blog and that is doilies. Well I have been doing a lot of tatting and in fact it has been a doily it is just that for a change instead of showing progress pictures, this time I decided I would wait till it was done before I posted about it and for the first time in my tatting life I have a work in progress that I keep having to put aside to do other projects for. Now this may be normal for most other tatters but for me it is causing great stress. I like to finish one project before starting another and I thought it was bad enough when I had to put aside the doily the first time, at which point I told myself I would get right back to it and finish it, but this is the third time. To make matters worse I am one third of the way done the last row and have had to stop this time to make a baby bonnet and booties. Not a project that will really wait. Well for my own sanity I have decided to change how I am looking at the situation and just think that after doing the baby items I am going to make a large doily really fast.

Tatmom's Cross

This is my favorite cross pattern and one I am always happy to tat for special people as a token of my caring in there hour of need.

This is Rebecca's Colossians 2:14 Cross (she is also known as Tatmom). I always find that the gift of this cross offers some hope to those who receive it and that someone has taken the time to make something so special by hand means a lot. Thank you Rebecca for sharing this pattern with the tatting community. I am sure it has brought a lot of hope into many lives.

It's Christmas Time Again

For the past two years a special friend of mine has given to me for my gift the money to purchase two of David Reed Smith's hand made shuttles. It is an exciting gift in many ways as you get to pick the size of the shuttle. What wood it is made from. If you want a hook or pick or neither. Then there is the wait for the shuttles to arrive. Each day the mail-lady comes to the door you wonder to yourself is this the day i get to see my new babies. They arrive wrapped with tender care and there they are all shiny and bright just waiting for you to wind some thread on them so they can work there magic. If you have never used a David Reed Smith shuttle I would highly recommend one. Not only are they beautiful to look at but they are a dream to tat with. Light as air, they float through your hands producing the finest of lace. Now the moment you have been waiting for the two shuttles.




The lighter of the two is made from Birds Eye Maple and the second is made from a wood called Pommele Sapele and it glows with highlights of gold. The pictures give you an idea of how they look but there is nothing like seeing them in person. I recommend that you visit his website to see what he makes if you can take the temptation. Well it's off to initiate my new shuttles. Happy tatting.

Better In 3's

I find great joy in tatting and even greater joy in gifting tatting to those who truly appreciate the time and effort that goes into a piece of tatting and the beauty of the finished piece. That brings me to this posting. What could possibly be nicer than Jon Yusoff's "Quantiesque" Snowflake?

Give up?

I think three of them is nicer.

This pattern is getting addictive and I really like the way it looks using Marilee's (YarnPlayers) HDT Fern size 50. The really fun part is that these three snowflakes are on there way to a regular viewer of this blog who loves tatting but who has none and has never been gifted any. Now you all just have to sit by your mailboxes and wait if this description fits you. Good luck.

"Quantiesque" Snowflake

Well I am spending the Christmas holidays fighting pneumonia and a sinus infection so I am not getting a lot accomplished but I did manage to tat this delightful snowflake. My latest adventure with HDT is Jon Yusoff's "Quantiesque" Snowflake tatted in Marilee's (YarnPlayer's) Fern HDT size 50. I love this snowflake for a couple of reasons, the Celtic knot twisting between rows 1 and 2 and I love how the picots line up to present themselves as accents to the rings and the way the chains in the middle of the snowflake look like a flower. If you have not tried tatting this snowflake yet I would highly recommend it. Although it may look complicated Jon has provided excellent directions and they are very easy to follow so do not be afraid to try it.

Celtic Snowflakes and a Gift

Well I am finally at home and Gregg's Dad is well on his way to recovering from his surgery. It is so nice to finally be home, but now the rush is on for Christmas.
I finally have a chance to post some of the tatting I have been doing and let you know about a present I received.

This is a spinning wheel coaster that Laura (Tattycat) tatted for me and sent as a nice surprise in the mail. It is made of Fern HDT by YarnPlayer. There is something special about receiving a gift of tatting especially when you know how much work went into it.

These are a bunch of Celtic Snowflakes that I tatted using Ruth Perry's design. One is done in Apple Blossom HDT, size 50 and the other ones are made with opera size 20 in red. Well on to tatting more gifts.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Unfortunately I am unable to post pictures as I am temporarily located at my partners Dad's house where I am looking after him for a couple of weeks as he recuperates from knee replacement surgery. I am Keeping busy in the tatting world tatting Ruth Perry's Celtic Snowflake in Apple Blossom HDT. It makes nice bright snowflakes for the Christmas tree. I am now trying to decide what colour to tat the remaining snowflakes I need to make and it is a toss up between burgundy and variegated yellow. What do you think?

A New Family Member

Well just when you think your family is complete and things are going along smoothly life likes to surprise you and change things up a bit. Our home can sound as if you are in the middle of a jungle when the birds decide they want to let us know they have voices.I thought our bird room was full but Gregg has managed to squeeze in one more cage and we are now the proud parents of a Rainbow Lory.

As you can see she is a very colourful bird and she is different for us in that she is not a seed eater she eats nectar. She has a funny looking tongue that sticks out past her beak with a little brush on the end to collect pollen. She is a very busy bird and is enjoying her cage full of toys. Her name is Tiki.

Tis The Season

I remember reading a few months ago some tatting members posts that said they did not gift their tatting as it was not appreciated. Now I can understand how awful it would feel to gift a piece of tatting to someone and for them to not appreciate it. I mean what a waste of time and effort and there are a lot of people who would be more than happy to receive a piece of tatting as a gift. Luckily for me I have 8 people on my gift list who are only to happy to receive a piece of tatting for a Christmas gift. They all appreciate the time and effort that goes into making there gift and they treasure them each year. I enjoy making there gifts as it means more to me than just going out to the mall and purchasing something and it gives me a chance to share a bit of me. The bonus this year is that with the way the economy is, homemade gifts are going to be a lot more common.

In case you were wondering this years gift is Ruth Perry's Celtic Snowflake which I know everyone will love.

The Seasons are Changeing

We have a special maple tree in our backyard that is very pretty. It is a Celtic Maple and the leaves are changing colour and are falling off. It is a very rare tree and I have not seen one anywhere else. Here is a picture of the leaves as they fall from the tree.

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On to a completely different topic. With all the talk of acid rain, pollution and global warming I think we are in for some big changes. One thing that is going to change that I do not think people have thought of is that the colour of snowflakes is going to change. As it passes through the sky it is going to pick up pollution and I think it is going to look something like this.

Of course the Celtic part is just wishful thinking and I must thank Ruth Perry for that and the colour inspiration is Marilee's (YarnPlayer) Knitty Gritty size 30. Actually snow might not be so bad if it was this pretty

Hand Dyed Thread Heaven

Anyone who follows my blog knows that I am addicted to Hand Dyed Thread. I firmly believe that it is impossible to have to much HDT and I get excited every-time I come up with a reason to order more. It is so much fun to open the mail when it arrives and marvel at how the thread shines and how the colour jumps from the thread, there is nothing like it.

Now imagine how happy I was when I decided that I was going to make a set of doilies for 3 antique lamps that we have and that I was going to make them out of Marilee's (YarnPlayer) HDT, Tourmaline. I placed an order for 12 skeins and this is how they arrived.

Now these are not your regular skeins. These ones each contain 200 yards of wonderful Tourmaline HDT. Well I think I now have enough HDT to keep me busy for a while although I am sure a new reason to purchase more HDT is just around the corner. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HDT heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celtic Snowflake

Here is another great design by Ruth Perry. This one is for a Celtic Snowflake and it uses the same weaving pattern as the Celtic Maple Leaf.

It is my understanding that Ruth will be posting the directions for the Celtic Snowflake in the next couple of days and I would highly recommend that everyone give it a try. The directions are well explained and pretty easy to follow and what a pretty snowflake you have when you are finished. Happy Tatting.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all in Canada. It is that time of the year again when I like to set aside some time and ponder about what I am thankful for this past year. I find that if I think of all the positive things that have happened over the year they out weigh the negative and there are many things to be thankful for.

1. I am thankful for my two wonderful children who continue to make me proud by what they do.

2. I am thankful for a partner who is supportive and caring and fun to be around with.

3.I am thankful that I don't have to go to bed hungry at night as so many people in this world do.

4.I am thankful for the tatting community that shares ideas and patterns and are always happy to provide assistance when needed.

5. I am thankful for the friendships that I have made in the tatting community.

6. Most of all I am thankful for the small things in life which bring me joy like HDT, a new shuttle, blooming flowers, good food and a bottle of wine.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and take a few minutes to think about what you are thankful for.

Celtic Maple Leaf

One of the classes that was offered at the Fringe Element Tat Days last weekend was for a Celtic Maple Leaf designed and taught by Ruth Perry also known as Rozella Linden. The design is not to complicated and was a lot of fun to tat. The Celtic Knot part of the leaf has now been used in a snowflake which you can see here. This Celtic Maple Leaf is made with Sugar Maple Hand Dyed Thread from Marilee (Yarnplayer) size 20

Beautiful Flowers

I don't know about others but to me it is a feel good moment when I receive a thank you card for something I have done for someone.

What makes it even more special is when you receive one that looks like this.

Every thank you card is special but when it is a card that is hand made just for me it makes me feel real special. This card is a thank you card that I received from Linda Davies for test tatting her Starburst Doily. When I test tat patterns for other tatters I do not expect anything in exchange, I am just happy to help out but Linda sent this card along with a couple of goodies that made my day. The flower arrangement on the front of the card is exquisite and is surely a labour of love. Each flower is a work of art and together they make a treasure. This is one item of tatting that I will deffinately be framing. Thank You Linda!

A Great Tatting Day

The Fringe Element Tatting Days where a big success. I attended the Saturday events and had a wonderful time. It was so nice to get together with a bunch of tatters and be able to talk about what you are doing and everyone understands. I attended a workshop led by Ruth Perry and she taught us a Celtic maple leaf. I will show a picture when I make one with the HDT I am expecting from Marilee. (YarnPlayer) Ruth was a great teacher with lots of patience and an easy going manner that made everyone comfortable and confident in there tatting. Lots of other classes where offered and when we first arrived we received a wonderful goodie bag. The facilitators also where prepared and had chocolate available at every table. ( a must for tatting ) There where lots of vendors and raffles and an auction. All in all it was a wonderful day.

Followers and Tatting Days

I have added a new feature to my blog that keeps track of what they call followers. If you enjoy reading this blog please consider joining the list all you have to do is click on the link to the right. I would really find it interesting to find out who enjoys this blog.
The excitement is building. This weekend is the Fringe Elements Tatting Days. I cannot wait to get together with a lot of other tatters and learn some new techniques and be with people that understand tatting talk. It is always fun putting faces to some of the names that you see on the Internet. Ah yes, being around people that all they want to do is talk and do tatting. What a great way to spend a weekend.
I consider myself one of the lucky tatters in that I live close enough to a tatting conference that I am able to attend one. For those that do not live close enough I would highly recommend that you save your pennies and make the trip to a tatting conference as there is no experience like it and who knows with more people taking up the art of tatting I think we will see more conference locations in the future. Happy tatting everyone.

Remembering to Appreciate

It is funny how in the hustle and bustle of life we forget to appreciate things that go on around us until something happens to bring it to our attention. It is to bad that we need a reminder to be thankful for all the people who help us in our lives. The event that brought this to my attention was three weeks ago my partner broke his ankle and is not allowed to put weight on it for six weeks. This limits greatly the chores he can do around the house. We share the chores around the house and just take it for granted that we each do our share. My having to do extra has made me realize that we need to recognize each other for the jobs we do around the house and how they contribute to a happy home. We need to thank each other for the tasks that we each do that allow us more free time to enjoy the hobbies that we have.
We also need to be thankful for the thoughtful strangers who are part of our life each day.The ones that wave us to go ahead of them at a four way stop, or who let us go ahead of them at the cashier, hold a door open for us and greet us with a cheerful high in the morning. There are many things that happen in our lives each day that are made better by the small things that others do for us. Let's pay special attention to them today and make sure we thank them for special way they improve our day.

I Love Your Blog Award

I have received the I Love your Blog Award from Grizzly Mountain Arts. It is always a special honour to receive an award from a fellow blogger. To share the joy of receiving an award I am passing this award to:

How about orange...

YarnPlayer Arts

Laura's Tatting

Tattingchic

Lady ShuttleMaker

TatMan

These are the rules..

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog;

2. Link the person you received your award from;

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;

4. Put links of those blogs on yours; and

5. Leave a message on the blogs that you’ve nominated

Male Roles Versus Female Roles

This past week has proven to me once again that society has a long way to go before we can consider ourselves open minded and accepting. Last week my partner broke his ankle and required surgery to implant a steel plate and screws to hold it together. Needless to say I have spent a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms. Like other tatters I tried to use some of the time to tat and take my mind off of his surgery ect. While tatting I encountered three types of people 1) those who were impressed that there are still people around that know how to tat. Especially a male. 2) Those who thought tatting was nice, but that it was a weird thing for a male to do and 3) I was a weird male because I was tatting.
I find it funny how people judge what a male should do and not do. If I cook at home I am a wimp but if I cook a banquet for 1000 then I am a chef. If I know how to sew I am a wimp yet if I get very good at it I am one of the worlds top clothing designers. It is like this in many areas of life. Sometimes it would be nice if people would just think about these things before they judge what I am doing. It would be nice if both males and females could do whatever jobs or hobbies they wished and not be judged because of it. Yes I know I am wishing for a perfect world.

This was the doily I was doing for the tatting Olympics but I am going to get a DNF ( did not finish ) on it as I am going to take a break from it and test tat a doily for Linda called Starburst. The doily that I was working on was Party Time Doily from Traditional Tatting Patterns edited by Rita Weiss and is being made with Tourmaline Hand Dyed Thread from Yarnplayer size 80. This is my favorite thread that she makes so far.

Well here is an aerial view of the Turtle Mosaic Sculpture to give you a better view of the detail that makes up the sculpture. The thousands of plants have grown and been trimmed and now form a solid pattern. I think you will agree that it is pretty amazing what you can do with plants.

A Gift of Tatting
My partner's dad who is in his 80's and his cousin who is 87 came to visit us this week. They came to see our gardens and the cousin wanted to see my tatting as she used to tat when she was a bit younger ( as she put it ). When I showed her my collection of tatting all she could do was gasp and say she had never seen anything so beautiful. She was used to the basic tatting done in larger size thread and could not believe how fine the thread I use is. I took the opportunity to show her some of the techniques like the split ring and double picot and she was just amazed, but the best part for me was the look on her face when I gave her a doily to take home with her and the way it made her face glow with happiness. She said to me no one appreciates the gift of tatting like someone who knows how to tat. I was glad to be able to make her day.

Test Tatting a Joy, Pleasure and Honour

I was asked two weeks ago to test tat a pattern for a fellow tatter and I must say that it has made me feel a few things joy, pleasure and honour. To be asked to test tat a pattern is a honour for me, as I know what a big thing it is to ask a fellow tatter to test tat a pattern. The designer has worked hard to develop a new pattern and now they are sending it out to a fellow tatter to test. To see if it makes sense, is interesting and/or challenging enough to interest other tatters and to see what the finished project looks like when made by a fellow tatter. ( This is kind of scary. I know as I have done it myself. ) It is a honour to be asked as you are being shown by the designer that they value your opinion as a tatter and also value your skills and tatting knowledge. It brings me joy in kind of a selfish way in knowing that I am the first person to tat this pattern besides this designer. It makes me feel special. Lastly and maybe most importantly it brings me great pleasure to know that I have helped out a fellow tatter and because of that I feel a little better about myself today and am just that much more grateful that I am a Tatter.

Mosaic Sculpture

Just for something completely different and something that you will not see anywhere else. My partner has spent the past month planting this giant mosaic sculpture ( 3D plant sculpture) You start off with a metal frame, cover it in landscape fabric, stuff with soil, poke holes in it and plant thousands and thousands of plants. This turtle measures 27 feet from the head to the tip of the tail and is 13 feet wide across the middle of the shell. To maintain this sculpture it needs to be trimmed by hand once a week till the winter at which time it is taken all apart till next year.

Tatting and Community

I don't know about all the other tatters in the world but I feel blessed to belong to a group who is not only carrying on a great tradition but also developing it into even a greater form of art. Before I found tatting on the Internet and specifically tatting groups I thought tatting consisted solely of rings, chains and picots. After finding tatting on the Internet I was introduced to a host of new tatting techniques such as split rings and chains, double rings, block tatting and a list of others. Not only was I introduced but fellow tatters where kind enough to post pictures and videos to show and explain how to accomplish these new ideas.

In this day and age of the me generation where people are only concerned about themselves or what they can get out of a situation, where there really is no sense of community or helping others I am happy to say that I belong to the tatting community which is nothing like this.

I find the tatting community to be a refreshing change from the every day life as here is a group that goes out of its way to make you feel welcome, showers you with praise about what you are able to do no matter what level of tatter you may be and is always there to answer any question you may have no matter how great or small. All members appreciate the effort you put into the piece of tatting you have accomplished and all members are there to support you when times are going rough.

Yes the tatting community holds a special place in my heart as it is always a place I can turn to for a little sunshine on a grey day. I challenge each member of the tatting community to not only share the art of tatting with others but to try and share a bit of the tatting community sunshine as well if possible. Just think of how much better the world would be.

Clyde

a proud member of the tatting community.