Category: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Can you believe Thanksgiving day has passed? It came and went so fast! We still have one Thanksgiving family gathering today, but I’ve put away my fall decorations and started on my Christmas decorating.

Table ready for family on Thanksgiving on wandasknottythoughts
Table ready for the family on Thanksgiving

This year we had a bit of rescheduling for some of the family get-togethers, so for Thanksgiving day we only had our daughters and their families and my mother over for lunch. We finalized the menu through texts a week ago. The meal was terrific, with minimal issues, as nothing burned and there was space for everyone at the table. We did add an extra table to the one in the picture so we could seat everyone, but no one was cramped. The weather in the afternoon was cool but sunny, so we ended up outside. Then we played a game before they all had to go home. There were a bunch of pictures taken!

I have been working on the edging for a Christmas table runner that I had been asked to do last year (!). She didn’t need it until this year, so I had plenty of time to get it done. Or so you’d think. I couldn’t make up my mind about the edging! I thought about it and tried several different things over the last several months, trying to come up with something I was happy about. I like the look of the edging I came up with, but I need to tweak it a bit more before I’ll be happy with the pattern.

Candy cane Christmas runner on wandasknottythoughts
Candy cane Christmas runner

The lady that requested the runner showed me another Christmas runner she had and her tree skirt so I had an idea of what type of fabric to use, and I still had a hard time choosing it. There were so many beautiful fabrics to choose from at Jo-Ann’s! And I needed to buy more than I usually do as she wanted a longer runner than I ordinarily make. The tatted edging also needed to be a bit wider than I have made in the past, another challenge.

In so many ways the tatting is the easy part. I rarely sew, which means it takes longer than I expect it to. And then I have to stitch the edging to the runner – on both ends! But the final result is worth it.

Now I’ll be working on perfecting that edging, as well as working on Christmas ornaments. I’ve had a hard time the last month or so not getting sidetracked from the edging by all the ideas I’ve had for other Christmas things. Now if I can just remember all those ideas!

About the September Angel pattern I have spoken about, there has been another delay. I had the whole thing written out but needed to make a correction. I printed it out to test tat it and noted the corrections that needed to be done. For an unknown reason, my computer shut down. When I went back to the pattern half of it was gone! Not sure what the glitch was, but thank goodness I have the printed version. Now I just need to re-write the parts that disappeared.

“The memories we make with our family is everything.” – Candace Cameron Bure.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2021 on wandasknottythoughts
Happy Thanksgiving!

It is Thanksgiving Day in the United States today. I wish all of you a wonderful day, filled with food and family.

I’m thankful for many, many things – the wonderful food that we have, all of my family, both near and far, and the multitude of physical things I have, like my house, car, and all of the threads and shuttles I have around my house.

I’m also thankful for all of you that read my blog and like my patterns. It makes me all warm and fuzzy feeling when I see all the visits to the blog and the interest that you have in my patterns. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7

Little trees

I am working on the ornaments that I put in Christmas cards to close family and friends. I also get side-tracked a lot.

I found a cute little tatted tree in a box I was looking through the other day and then saw another one in the Facebook group Tatters of Lace that was almost the same thing. While trying to empty a few shuttles I found one with green thread on it and thought that little tree would fit the bill to empty the shuttle. But of course, I couldn’t find where I had put the tree I had previously found OR the pattern on FB. So I did what I usually do and made one up myself. It is not quite the tree on FB, and I’m not sure just how close it is to the one I found and lost.

Little tatted trees on wandasknottythoughts
Little tatted trees

As I was cleaning and preparing the house for our Thanksgiving guests I had a thought about the tree pattern. Wouldn’t it be cute in fall colors as earrings?

Little tatted tree earrings on wandasknottythoughts
Little tatted tree earrings

I thought they came out well. I could have tried matching up the variegations a bit to make the match a bit better, but I was in a hurry to get them done.

Fall tatted tree earrings on wandasknottythoughts
Fall tatted tree earrings

And I didn’t get them done in time to wear. Not for our Thursday dinner, nor for the other dinner we had Saturday. I did get them done by the end of the weekend and wore them Sunday around the house.

I wore them around the house on Sunday because we didn’t go anywhere at all. We had planned on taking our daughter and grandkids home that day but we had blizzard-like conditions, with several inches of snow blowing sideways, cold temperatures, and extremely bad driving conditions.

We were able to take the family back home on Monday with minimal road issues. We did have to take another day of vacation, but it was a better choice than trying to go through the weather on Sunday.  On the way out the roads were still ice covered in areas, making driving a bit problematic still. The roads were much better coming home later in the day.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. Now it’s time to get ready for Christmas.

Are you ready yet?

“Holidays – any holiday – are such a great opportunity to focus on bringing the family together.” Lidia Bastianich                                                                                         https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/lidia_bastianich

 

Gifts

Paperclip bookmark gift on wandasknottythoughts
Paperclip bookmark gift

One of my aunts just had a birthday. She has enjoyed paperclip bookmarks I have previously given her and recently indicated she would like more.  What could be a better birthday gift?

She was quite happy with these. Unlike a couple of other paperclip bookmarks I have made before, the tatting on these will stay up-right on these most of the time.

My mother-in-law passed away several years ago. Recently my father-in-law started going through his possessions as he prepared to move out of the house. There were a lot of tatted items I had gifted her that he no longer had a place for. This collar is one of them.

Tatted collar in DMC ecru size 30 on wandasknottythoughts
Tatted collar

I’m not sure just how long ago I made this for her, maybe 15? 20 years ago? I know it is made in DMC Cebelia size 30 Ecru (I had a lot of this thread).  The pattern is in a book that I cannot locate at the moment so I can’t tell you exactly where it is. I have looked through the patterns listed on Craftree, where there are several that are very similar. The center edge does not match the patterns I located there.

She wore it several times I know.  I washed and pinned it out when I got it. I am trying to decide which shirt I should put this on. I definitely plan on wearing it.

I have been tatting a lot, just not posting. I have so many things I want to do I have a hard time staying with one project long enough to finish it. I am working on the ornament I put in Christmas cards. After much adjusting and tweaking, I have it figured out – I think!

Thanksgiving is this week – how time flies! My side of the family will be our get-together at our house. I have so much to do to get the house ready! I’d rather be tatting than cleaning house, but I don’t have a lot of choice on what I have to do.  I mean, we need the table to eat at.

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” William Arther Ward  https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/william_arthur_ward_676240?src=t_thanksgiving

Museum Stop

Did everyone have a happyThanksgiving? Ours was wonderful, spent with one of our daughters and her family. I didn’t even have to do any of the cooking! We’re very lucky that our daughter married a wonderful cook. We spent a couple of days there and then headed back to have Thanksgiving here with more of the family.
We took a slightly different route on the way home this time than usual because of an e-mail that I got from Isdihara. A few weeks ago she sent an message letting me know about a museum asking for tatters to do demonstrations in Holton, Kansas. I’m not exactly sure where she heard about it (it was in the Topeka Capital – Journal, a long way from the east coast). I told her I didn’t think we’d make it being it’s about three hours from home but I was glad of the information. But the timing was right: on the way home from Nebraska we were able to stop in. This time of year they’re usually closed except by appointment but they’re having open houses Saturdays through the 17th of December for a few hours celebrating “A Lacy Christmas.” We just happened to leave Nebraska on Saturday morning and were able to stop in about an hour before they closed.
This is the Roebke Memorial Museum, a block or so from downtown Holton, Kansas. Holton is a picturesque town, with quite a few old buildings and tree-lined streets. The original part of Boebke House itself was built in 1876 and added on as the family grew in numbers and prosperity. The displays are in each room are furnished in Victorian era style and changed periodically with items donated mostly from local people.
We were met as we walked in by Margaret Ute (pronounced ‘Oot‘), a lovely lady who gave us a personal tour of the house. Here Margaret is standing next to a Christmas tree decorated with crocheted ornaments done by one lady.
Following the theme “A Lacy Christmas” there was a lot of lace everywhere, as well as other textile exhibits. In case you are wondering around on your own there are easily read description plaques with information about the exhibits.
Check out this player piano! Okay, this picture mostly shows the tatting display, but the piano itself is beautiful! And it really works. And it looks very fine with that cloth with all that tatting on it 🙂 Margaret told me that when they found this cloth in the attic it was all brown. She soaked it several times and the stains started coming out. There were also some places where the tatting had come apart (maybe age-weakened thread?) and were repaired by Margaret’s mother.
I’m not sure you can read this, but there is a short explanation about the life-style of the Victorian age. It also talks about some of the items in the room, including the tatting.
Isn’t this blouse gorgeous? Can you imagine tatting this then carefully stitching it to the material? This would take an amazing amount of patience. But with such a beautiful result.
This is a child’s petticoat decorated with tatting.
I wish I had taken a better picture of these tatting shuttles. The one on the left was found in the house and the one on the right belonged to Margaret’s mother.

There were three ladies doing demonstrations there that Saturday, one spinning, one weaving and one hand quilting. I will share more about that next week, along with a few more pictures of the beautiful items on display.
I highly recommend this museum if you are ever in the area.
This morning for Tatting Tea Tuesday I enjoyed a cup of Cinnamon Apple Spice tea while looking over pictures from Thanksgiving – a nice way to spend the morning.
If you would be interested in hearing what a Victorian era song sounds like go here.

Thanksgiving is here, and then comes Christmas

Yesterday, as I was getting home from work (late, late) I realized I had missed having tea with everyone for Tatting Tea Tuesday. It didn’t dawn on me until then that it was even Tuesday! I’m sorry I missed it! I hope every one had a nice cup of tea and enjoyed a little tatting.

Here in the States tomorrow is Thanksgiving, also commonly known as turkey day because the traditional main meal of the day is centered around a turkey, be it roasted, fried or smoked. I don’t want to forget the reason for this holiday, which is to remember all the things we have to be thankful for and give thanks for them. I’m very thankful for my wonderful family – the kids, the aunts and uncles, cousins, parents, and of course, my very loving husband. I’m thankful for the great friends that we have, many of them so close as to be like family themselves. Even though I’ve been known to complain about the long hours that we’ve had to work this year, I’m very thankful that I have a job during this time when many people don’t. And I’m very thankful for the Internet, that I can share my love of tatting with people no matter how far away from me they are and meet new friends that share that same passion. I have much to be thankful for!

After Thanksgiving comes Christmas, very close around the corner. Among other things, I’ve been working on snowflakes. I try to send one in each of my Christmas cards to close friends and family, and make it different every year. This year I’m working on these two. The finished multi-colored snowflake is made with a pattern I’ve posted about previously here . I’ll probably put it in a bangle for people I hand deliver cards to, but probably not for the ones I’ll mail, as I’m not sure it would mail nicely.

The white one is new this year, too. I very much like the looks of this one, and it’s pretty quick and easy to make. I’m trying it in the multi-colored thread as well. At least on this background it’s not showing up as well as I’d like. I’ve found that I love the look of this thread, but what background to use for pictures? The white one is made in DMC size 20, the others in Lizbeth Christmas Delight size 20. I’m counting the white snowflake as my third motif in my second round of the 25 Motif Challenge.

I got a nice surprise from my mother yesterday. She’s been doing a lot of cleaning, getting rid of things she doesn’t use or need any more. She found a stack of old Workbasket magazines that she gave to me for the tatting patterns! These are mostly from 1987 and 1988, with one from 1989. Isn’t she sweet to think of me? She was concerned I already had different patterns for some of the things in them – cross bookmark, hearts, etc. – until I explained to her that wasn’t a problem. Who wouldn’t want a variety of edgings, bookmarks, hearts, and the like?

I remember back in the day when the Workbasket was one place you could find tatting patterns. There weren’t nearly the amount of books available as there are now, and no Internet to find patterns on-line. Of course, the patterns are written in long hand, so can be somewhat hard to follow. But, hey, in those days I didn’t complain because this was all I knew, and who would I complain to? I didn’t know any other tatters! I did make a few notes here and there in my short hand – much closer to how a lot of patterns are written now! One more thing to be thankful for 🙂

Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

And now that everything is back to normal I can finally post a picture of the goodies I got from Lorena, Rose Chic Friends, for the drawing on her blog. She sent lots of beautiful things – mostly in pink! There was a painted ball ornament and a paper one, a cozy, a journal, a lovely clay rose bouquet, a clay flower lapel pin and beaded earings, two spatulas (with pink hearts!), a post-it pad, and two Thanksgiving decorations that I put on the table for supper – I made it home in time to use them! My daughters oohed and awed over my winnings. They both like pink. Thank you, Lorena, for drawing my name! You do beautiful work. I was unable to wear the pin or earings this weekend because I held the baby (a lot) and didn’t want to hurt him or me. But I know just what they’ll go with on Sunday to church!