When we travel I try to document myself tatting at different locations. I admit I didn’t tat much on our Wyoming vacation, but I did think to pull it out at a few places. My husband surprised me by taking a video this time. We are at Norris Geyser Basin pretty early in the morning. The museum located on the site is not even open yet. It is also chilly, which makes it hard to see the pools and geysers. The steam is much thicker than normal but you can still hear the heated water. Because of the cloud cover, the fog, and the steam, you can’t tell which pool we are standing by – I think it is Emerald Pool. I hope this comes out.
Advice from a Hot Spring “Let your talents spring forth, Keep new ideas bubbling, Be warm and welcoming, Have deep reservoirs, Let off a little steam!” YourTrueNature.com
Wow! I hadn’t realized just how long it has been since I last posted! July has been extremely busy. Things just worked out to take place in July, one thing right after another. Obviously the long weekend of the 4th of July, then a family vacation to St. Louis, Missouri, then a concert, then a vacation with my husband to Wyoming. It has been fun but has taken up much of my time and energy.
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Every year we try to take a vacation with our daughters and their families. This year we went to St. Louis, Missouri, and had a few extras as well – our niece and one of our daughter’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law. All good! Everyone got along and had a great time. All 13 of us.
One of the first things we did was visit the Gateway Arch. I’d been to it before but never went to the top. This time we all went up.
Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
There is construction going on around it and under it. Believe it or not, the Museum of Western Expansion is underground, right below the Arch. Right now much of the museum is off limits due to the construction, though there are some exhibits in the old courthouse close by. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the courthouse this trip.
View from the top of the Gateway Arch.
This is what we saw from one side of the viewing area at the top of the arch, which is 630 feet, or 192 meters, high. From the other side of the Arch, you see the Mississippi River. You go up in little enclosures that sit five people each and it takes several minutes. You don’t want to have a problem with tight or high places!
Items found in Gateway Arch gift store.
Check out what I found in the Arch gift shop! They have toys, books, and other items that relate to the western expansion of North America. I guess they consider tatting an old craft practiced during the western movement. How cool is it to find tatting like this in the gift shop?
There is a lot available to do in St. Louis so we had to narrow down what we wanted to do. Prior to our trip, we had a lot of people tell us what a great place the City Museum is, so we chose to go there after the Arch. We all totally agree this is a great place! No, it’s a totally awesome place! You can be there all day and not see or experience the whole thing. I recommend it to anyone going to St. Louis. If you go, take along head lights (flash lights that you can wear around your head) and knee pads. This place is loaded with things to experience – slides, caves, climbs, and other things too many to mention.
City Museum in St. Louis from the parking lot.
It was hot the day we visited, but it was a Saturday so it was open until midnight. We spent most of the afternoon there, then went out for supper and (most of us) went back until closing. You get wrist bands as your entry tickets which allow you to go in and out all day.
The roof of the City Museum in St. Louis.
This is a small portion of the roof of the museum. My husband is the highest person in that wire structure. It doesn’t go anywhere, it’s just a place to climb. The grandkids had a blast here! The parents had to stick with their kids. There are a lot of slides in the building, some spiraling through the dark, and it’s hard to know where or even which floor they end on. The caves are dark and may be scary to younger children but have amazing things hidden in them. There are trees and other things to climb all over the place. If you go, plan to spend a lot of time!
My goodies from our St. Louis vacation
I did pick up a few things from the Arch gift shop (yes, the tatting book, I didn’t have it yet) and the City Museum gift shop. I didn’t get much tatting done, but I didn’t expect to. The two buttons were all done on the drive there or back. Yes, there was time on the long drive there and back to have done more, but it didn’t happen.
This was a wonderful vacation. I am exceedingly pleased that it worked out so well and that everyone got along as well as they did. Well enough that we are already talking about where and what we want to do next year.
“Take vacations. Go as many places as you can. You can always make money. You can’t always make memories.” positivelifetips.com
Today, July 4, we celebrate our Indepence Day here in America. Fireworks have been heard for several days already. Tonight there will many fireworks displays, both professional and amateur. We’re planning on celebrating at our daughter’s with her family. Let the kids and neighbors do all the work, we’ll sit back and enjoy the show.
I had mentioned on Flag Day that I might make a set of red-white-and-blue earrings to wear on the 4th but might change my mind.
I changed my mind. I made butterflies instead.
Red, White, and Blue Butterflies
This is the butterfly I talked about a week ago with a few adjustments. The head is the most notable change. It’s easier to tat and looks better.
Tatted Butterfly ready to fly
While handling one it I discovered these butterflies don’t just have to lie flat, they can hold up their wings.
Ready to fly!
No glue or starch was used to hold the wings like this. I left them overnight like this and the wings never drooped.
Ready to fly away!
They were hard to photograph, though. They look much better in person!
I had hoped to have the pattern ready to share today, but, alas! I don’t. I do have the pattern written down, just not typed up or diagramed out. Maybe next week.
Wishing you all a happy and safe Independence Day!
I recently heard about a new Clover shuttle: the Clover bobbin shuttle. I saw a demonstration of it on YouTube (Georgia Seitz Online Advanced Class). This piqued my interest! My normal shuttle is a Clover as I like the size, feel, and shape of them. To have the same thing but with a bobbin? I was intrigued.
Goodies from Tatting Corner
I bought one of the shuttles and some thread from The Tatting Corner. This was my first purchase from there, which I was very happy with. You can see that I was so excited about the shuttle that I didn’t get a picture of my order before I had opened the shuttle package.
Using the new shuttle surpassed my expectations. Though it is slightly taller than a regular Clover it still feels good in my hand. It didn’t take long for me to get used to using it. The bobbin is different than those used with Aero shuttles and the two types are not interchangeable. Other than forgetting that it does not have a post using the bobbin is nice. The length of the Clover bobbin shuttle is just a little longer than the regular Clovers. This has not caused any trouble for me.
I have several Aero shuttles that I use, but I’ve never gotten comfortable enough with them to enjoy tatting with them all the time. I’m sure enough about the new Clovers that I’m ready to order more.
Notice the threads in my order are all size 80. I have a small (LOL) project that I’m doing in size 80 but wasn’t sure of the shade so had to buy several colors. Such a horrible problem to have!
If you hadn’t already heard, Craft Corner, home of Tatting Corner, is having its grand opening July 1. If you’re in the area stop in. I wish I could! They have a Facebook page to see what’s going on with them, too. (This is not an affiliate link, I get nothing in return for mentioning them. I was just happy with my experience with them.)
“A fool and his money…will soon find his house taken over by his wife’s ever-growing thread stash.” quote found on Craftree
The other day while tatting aroundbuttonsagain (surprise!) I tried something different that didn’t work. I looked at this button from several angles trying to determine if I should cut off the tatting or if there was something else I could try. Turning it up and down, over and sideways, another idea presented itself.
Blue accidental button butterfly
The button is about 1/2 inch across with two holes. It’s always interesting to tat onto a two hole button; the joins have to be thought out a bit so there isn’t too much thread going through each hole. I hadn’t thought far enough ahead to not over crowd the first hole when the idea of a butterfly popped up.
Hmm, not too bad. The head didn’t come out too great and attaching it to the two holes was not quite right, but it did look like a butterfly. A little more thought and another try.
White tatted button butterfly
This one came out a bit better. I think the head needs a little work yet, but the joins to the button look much better.
Two tatted button butterflies
The button on the white butterfly is just a touch bigger than the button for the blue butterfly. That must be why the blue looks narrower than the white. I like the shape of the blue better. Other than the head – which still needs work – I’m pretty happy with this butterfly.
These butterflies are small but complicated, using two shuttles with a lot of switching back and forth between them. The blue is 2 1/4 inch across by 1 1/8 inch high. The white is 2 1/4 inch across by 1 1/4 inch high.
I wonder what this would look like in two colors?
“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” Nathaniel Hawthorne www.brainyquote.com
Today is Flag Day in the United States. This day commemorates the adoption of the Stars and Stripes by Congress as the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. It has been a beautiful day to fly the flag, at least the way we have it at our house. There has been minimal wind today letting it display its colors nicely. On a flagpole, it would be a bit harder to make out the stars and stripes as it hangs a bit limply without enough breeze to unfurl.
It’s hot today, letting us know that summer has arrived indifferent to the calendar. In fact, the last few days have been hot though much, much windier than today. With wheat harvest is in full swing the reduced wind is much appreciated. All that wind carries a lot of wheat dust with it.
Flag Day bookmark
In honor of the day I tatted a red, white, and blue bookmark. The picture gives the impression the bookmark is made with split rings but it is just rings and chains. I did make the second picot of each ring very small so it would look as much the same as the opposite side as possible. Originally this was going to have some kind of tail though it looks good without one.
Flag Day bookmark made in red, white, and blue
This bookmark was tatted with Lizbeth size 20 threads #654 Navy Blue, #671 Christmas Red, and #601 White. I need to keep them handy, Independence Day is only a few weeks away. I’m thinking of making a pair of patriotic earrings for the occasion.
I have several tatting projects I want to be working on, but for some reason, I’m having a hard time spending my time on them. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to or am not tatting, I’m just doing other things. Easy things, like tatting around buttons. These take little thought, mostly it’s “does the thread color compliment the button color?” They are easy to carry and easy to make. Add a pin on the back or maybe sew them to one end of a ribbon and, wah-lah! a fun little gift.
Working on more tatted buttons
While at my daughter’s a few weeks ago I took thread and buttons to tat with in the evenings or quiet times. One afternoon while working on one my grandson asked me about them; how long did it take to make one, was it hard? Can I have one? How could I say no to that? He admired the one with the red button. I just had to put a safety pin on the back before giving it to him. He proudly wore it on his T-shirt when we went out that evening and on the T-shirt he wore to school the next morning.
Granddaughter’s tatted birthday button
I was visiting my daughter to help celebrate my granddaughter’s birthday. She had already opened her birthday gifts when she saw that her brother had a tatted button. Of course, she wanted one, too. She is very much into pinks and purples and I happened to have just the button and thread to make the perfect one for her. She was quite pleased with it.
Everyone, where I work, is supposed to wear their ID badge out where it can be seen. The office furnishes badge reels to make this easy. I decorated mine with a tatted doodad, which has been known to draw a few eyes. Recently, when a friend of mine at work celebrated her birthday, I mentioned I would make her a badge reel decoration if she would like one. She enthusiastically said yes. Her color of choice was purple.
My badge reel not-quite-button
I used a button for hers instead of a doodad. I didn’t have beads that would work with the thread so I added a bigger bead to the center for a bit more bling. I thought I had it all worked out by taking glue to work with me to attach it to her badge reel. I was wrong. The glue I took didn’t hold at all. She knew of someone that had glue that might work.
Birthday badge reel tatted button
The glue worked. It also added a little extra bling to the tatting as well. You can see the original thread color on the button while the outside is all dark and glittery. Yes, this is what it looked like after it dried. My friend was very happy with the result.
I wish I had remembered to take a picture of it before it was glued down. Not that it doesn’t look okay now, but a before and after picture would have been nice. I didn’t get pictures of the buttons with my grandchildren, either. As many pictures as I take you’d think I’d remember to do this. The import thing is that all the recipients are happy with their buttons.
It makes me happy when I can make others happy. Isn’t the point of giving gifts to bring happiness to others?
“We all get so caught up in the moment of what we’re doing every day, it’s hard to hit that reset button and get pulled away from all that and see life from a different perspective.” Tony Stewart brainyquote.com
A member of Craftree.com was lucky enough to pick up a few tatting items from a friend, one of which was a Lael Morgan tatting shuttle. The shuttles were made in the 1970s and are not very common. I do not have one.
Lael Morgan shuttle
It was mentioned in the comments that Lael Morgan had a website, which I visited. I found that she is an author. Not surprising for a person who had a patent for a tatting shuttle she had written a book on tatting. Lace-Lovin’ Diane wrote about it on her blog a few years ago.
Tatting book by Lael Morgan
But that wasn’t the only book she wrote. She wrote at least nine other books as well. There was only the one that was about tatting, the others were much different. There is even one on earthquake survival. A lot of the books are about Alaska or people from or living in Alaska. Including “Good Time Girls.”
Non-fiction book by Lael Morgan
My husband traveled to Alaska last year and brought home this book. I didn’t realize the author knew anything about tatting until the conversation on Craftree. I haven’t read it yet, it’s been borrowed by my brother-in-law. I will definitely be reading through it when it comes back home. I want to find out if there is any mention of tatting in it.
Have you read any of Lael Morgan’s books? Do you have one of her shuttles?
“Historically, Alaska is a place that has attracted those fed up with conventionality.” Bill O’Reilly brainyquote.com
Memorial Day, an Amerian national holiday that is celebrated the last Monday of the month of May. On this day we honor those who have given their lives in defense of our country. Over the years it has come to be a day that all graves are decorated and those who served in the military are marked with flags.
Decorated graves on Memorial Day
Sunday we visited local family graves, ones that don’t take hours to get to It was a beautiful day for a drive. There was almost no wind, which in Kansas is very rare. The sky had puffy white clouds that cleared off in the evening. The sunset was amazing.
Park Memorial
On Monday morning, all over the country, there are ceremonies conducted at cemeteries and other locations to honor fallen veterans. I planned on going to a local observance but misunderstood what time it was. I did make it to another one just as they got started. Patriotic songs were sung, prayers were said, an uplifting message was given, and a roll call of veterans that died in the last year was read. Local Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts assisted with the ceremony, helping to raise the flag (to half-staff) and set flowers for each name on the roll-call. The VFW Auxillary (Veterans of Foreign Wars) helped with the honor guard along with local members of the military. It was incredibly moving.
Later in the afternoon, we had family and friends over for supper. It was a great end to a lovely weekend.
“Memorial Day isn’t just about honoring veterans, it’s honoring those who lost their lives. Veterans had the fortune of coming home. for us, that’s a reminder of when we come home we still have a responsibility to serve. It’s a continuation of service that honors our country and those who fell defending it.” Pete Hegseth www.brainyquote.com/quotes
