Judging is tomorrow (today)

I am composing this on Monday, but not publishing until Tuesday, after the judging. I doubt any of my readers (all 3 of you) are State Fair judges, but just in case. 

First, here's my Heritage Craft entry. It's a tatted reticule (style of purse) that's basically a bag with a drawstring. It's adapted from a vintage doily pattern. I used size 10 Lizbeth no. 182-spice cake.

I lucet braided the drawstring in dark brown crochet cotton and used the same thread for the single chain crochet to make the drawstring loops for the lining. The lining is satin (from a pillow case that died), and then, because I didn't feel like doing a French seam, I lined the lining with a sturdy poly-suede. I sewed the crochet chain between the layers of lining in loops. The drawstring is what's holding the outer tatting and the lining together.

Here's the only tatting category entry; Nonthreaded Needlework, Framed. It's Debbie Arnold's spiral heart pattern in Lizbeth white and metallic gold. I got the frame at a thrift shop.

For the first time, I entered the Art Trading Card category. Luckily, my partner had the sheet. Otherwise, I'd have had to buy a pack of 30 or a 100 sheets. I used a mixture of collage and tatting.

I used the same spiral heart for the Ornament category. I add the beads (both the white and the faceted) to the pattern and bent the hanger hook from an i-pin, after threading more beads on it.

In Mixed Media Jewelry, I entered this brooch. It's a 1941 pattern, Carnation Boutonniere in New Things Happen to Tatting, Book 159 (The Spool Cotton Company, 1941) found on Internet Archive. Inspired by Carolyn (one of our Tri-Tatters), I also used beads and added a button to the center.

I took my car to be inspected early Saturday, but alas, it would not pass without some work being done. And the part needed was not on site so they had to order it. They estimated it would take about 2 hours for it arrive. It took just over an hour, but then they had to squeeze my job in between other jobs and all told, I was there about 3 hours. So I decided to get lunch and run an errand. 

I went home to attach the tags to all my entries and didn't leave until about 3 pm. I didn't check the NC State Football schedule. I arrived just before tip off. AKA lots of traffic and detours. I also got to sit through a light cycle as I watched 24 police cars, with lights and sirens, 1 roadside assistance vehicle, and a motorcycle cop go through the intersection. 

Still got done dropping off my entries (all 5!) and home in good time. 

Had gaming on Sunday, that's why I didn't just wait until Sunday to deliver my entries. Our GM is no longer living in this area so we rely on technology. Which was not cooperating. But we still got through the expected encounter, plus. We nerfed the 1st encounter thanks to identifying what we were fighting and having an effective counter to their strongest (and most time consuming to counter) attack. Then someone had the right spell to counter their strongest defense and that's all she wrote.

So we had another encounter, although we had to handwave the last foe due to timing. It just the one and we were in good enough shape to take it out, with a minimum of consumables used and without any of use being too seriously hurt (player with the healer is really good).

I have also started a pattern that I am going to submit to teach at the next Tat Days. I thought it might be too similar to one of Karey Solomon's but I checked with her and she said it isn't.

Shhh, it's a secret

 Okay, not really a secret. But I try not to post my finished State Fair entries until after the judging, so you won't see them until next week. 

However, I do have 3/5 done. I would like a display card for 2 of them, but other than that the ornament and the mixed media jewelry pieces are done. The heritage craft one is done and it turned out to be multicraft (tatting, sewing, lucet braiding, and I even crocheted a chain). 

My frame piece is mostly done. I've finished the tatting, but I still need to frame it. I cleaned the glass yesterday. I also need to get back fabric and cut it to size.

My last entry is about half done (2 of the 4 art trading cards). But it also needs a sleeve, and I plan to get that on Saturday (the same day I turn them in). 

Saturday, we had our local tatters meeting. 5 of us in all made it, including one person who is learning. One of our members (who sadly hasn't been able to attend meetings recently), had gotten someone's destash of craft supplies. There was 1 good-sized box of needlepoint kits (including a couple purses), plus 6 boxes (think boot boxes) of other supplies, including one that had 3 c. 1967 student knitting manuals. I think the original owner taught knitting. They were also very organized as all the boxes were labeled. 

Turns out that one of the balls of size 10 was the perfect color to make the drawstring for my reticule. I could have used the ecru I had on hand, but this was perfect. Nothing to buy, I just used what I had already plus that one ball of gifted thread.

Carolyn brought 2 new books she bought. The bookmark book by Robin Perfetti is gorgeous. I'm going to have to get it at some point. Gretchen showed off this pretty wreath ornament she made. She said it's a free pattern online, and I'm going to have to find it.

Oh, and here's my year in thread ornament. I have some threads to add to it but this is mostly it.

Oh and on the way home from the meeting, I saw 2 deer grazing on the size of the ~8 lane highway. Luckily, they decided to stay on the shoulder.

Has it really been 2 weeks?

 Events:

I volunteered at a charity golf tournament. And I saw a heron.

 

Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina.

I finished tatting the carnation.

Another of my aunts died (this morning). 

I tatted an ornament for competition. 

Went to Greensboro to celebrate my Dad's birthday (belatedly). 

I volunteered to be a pirate on Talk Like a Pirate Day at the Emergency Preparedness Event (to attract attention and hand out cards with a link on emergency planning website). That's professional make up by the way, marred by wearing glasses as I ate lunch.

Progress and Plans

 Tri-Tatters met today. Only 4 of us made it, but we had some visitors stop by. I made progress on the carnation boutonniere.

 

carnation boutonniere in progress

I got my Covid and flu vaccines on Wednesday. 12 hours later my body reacted, "We've been invaded!" I went to bed with a fever. By the time I woke up, the fever was broken, but I was exhausted. I took off from work (yay, sick days) and slept for 6-7 hours (with a break in the middle to think about lunch). I skipped gaming because I was still not up to par. 

Tatting Progress and Other Matters

 I finally finished my lattice edging (except for clean up). And as I held it up, preparing to pin it to my bag before sewing it down, I learned I had made a moebius edging. I had somehow twisted it while joining the end to beginning. I had top open 2 rings, retrotat one completely, retrotat a chain (but only a few ds long), and partially retrotat the next to last ring. But I redid the join I messed up and now it's on to clean up and sewing. 

Lattice edging, needing clean up

I started the carnation brooch, but I can't remember if I meant to put beads on the rings or not. I estimate I have more the 300 beads, but that's for 3 rounds of chains. I loaded the beads last year, I think but didn't get started tatting until, well, this weekend.

Carnation boutonniere started

I made a couple more art trading cards. I used collage and mixed media (aka tatting) and used some cardstock as a base. 

art trading card

 I started drinking diet drinks when Coke had a vanilla Coca-cola. However, while I loved the flavor, it was too sweet, while the diet version dialed down the sweetness to my preference. When they stopped making diet Vanilla Coke, I turned to other diet drinks because my tastebuds had shifted and most sodas were too sweet. Mostly I drink Cheerwine Zero when I can get it. When I run out of my stash (I have to bootleg from a couple counties over because our local bottler doesn't carry the 16 or 20 oz bottles), I usually turn to diet Dr. Pepper. Except, I have observed that the diet Dr. Pepper really sparks my appetite. I feel like I'm starving. And it's just that one. Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke, Diet Mountain Dew, etc do not do this to me. 

F, one of my friends from high school is back in the area visiting family. We try to meet up at least once and we had lunch together on Saturday. Due to some very odd traffic, I was half an hour late, but we sat and talked for 3 hours. 

I was supposed to go see my parents, but there was a festival taking over the downtown area, including the train station parking lot. My dad decided he didn't want to fight with that traffic, so we postponed. I wrote Mom a letter instead.

I need to think about what I'm entering at the fair this year. I often use my Palmetto Tat Day projects, but I'm not sure about doing that this year.

 

A week after Tat Days

 As usual, Tat Days was a blast. My class Thursday night went pretty well (multiple people finished their version of Solar Flare). I repeated that I didn't care if they didn't do it the exact way I did, the pattern is flexible and as long as they were happy with it, then it's a success. 

But one tatter gave me such a compliment. She finished her Solar Flare on a jump ring, and said she's going to use it as the snowflake in her Christmas cards this year. 

Ridgecrest was nice but very confusing. We had a map of the conference center and we had maps of the individual buildings, but we didn't have maps showing us how buildings connected. For example, you could walk entirely around the dining building from the building with Tat Days to get to the building with our rooms, or you could go through a door at a dead end hall, go up half a flight of stairs, and be on the 2nd floor of the rooms. 

 

The scenery and weather were gorgeous. Saturday morning I even saw my breath (after the extreme heat this past summer, that was a blessing). 

For the first time, the webmistress of SomethingUnderTheBed was able to attend. I think she was a little surprised by her popularity. 

I wanted to take at least some of Randy's classes, but you can never take all the classes you want to take. I bought his latest book and Anitra took all of his classes, so she can help me.

I wasn't entirely certain about Bev Corder's Art Trading Card class. I was definitely intrigued but I wasn't certain how my end result was going to be, and if I would be happy with it. By the end of class, I had finished 4 cards and was thinking about more. Here are my cards.

Flower Garden Art Trading Card

Leaf Art Trading Card

Art Object Trading Card

Essence of Art Trading Card

  I also like my Posies for Nina class (Karey Solomon) and I got a second kit so I can do it again. Then I'll probably make my own 'kits' to make some more in different colors. 

Posies for Nina pendant

 I need to tat Jane Eborall's This Way and That Way Snowflake again. I'm not happy with my block tatting. She was showing another way to do it and my lines of tatting are kind of uneven.

block tatted snowflake

On the other hand, I'm very happy with my flower(s) from Heidi Nakayama's class. They're going to be earrings. I have 2 flowers done, but they don't quite match (one is dark purple and the other is Elderberry Jam, an ombre purple). 

WIP earrings

 Sharren Morgan's Lattice Edging is pretty easy. She also provided variations and a couple corner treatments in her pattern. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I realized it was perfect to trim the tote bag we got. I'm almost done, but I've said that for 2 days. 

Lattice edging

Palmetto Tat Days 2024 tote

I bought 2 stickers and put them on my journal. I should take pictures of my goodie bag and my purchases.  

Tatting advice sticker

My Superpower sticker, on my journal

The drive wasn't very long, even with the detour to get Martha, but I had to stop and get a 5-hour energy drink. Luckily, I only drink them about 4 times a year (maybe only 2), so I'm not greatly concerned with their effects. When caffeinated drinks alone are not enough, and I'm driving some distance, then I partake. Luckily, they also taste nasty, so I'm not tempted.

Have you ever heard of Yaupon Holly? It's a holly native to the SE part of North America. It's also related to yerba mate and it's a caffeine source. I bought some tea from a company in Wilmington, North Carolina. I got a variety similar to black tea, and it's tasty. To me it tastes more herbal than traditional teas.

They had muscadine grapes in the store the other day. I couldn't resist, so I bought some. I shared them with my co-workers and finished them off myself. They're tasty, but a little messy.

 

Less than a week 'til Palmetto Tat Days

 I'm trying to prep. Still need to get directions, timing. I've almost finished my 5 teacher presents.

triangle bookmarks

fallen southern sugar maple, (look for the black figure, just over 5' tall)

looking up the tree trunk, seeing southern clam shell fungus

Southern clam shell fungus

looking down tree trunk, toward broken roots, southern clam shell fungus dot the trunk

Finally! Zipline photo

 First, story time.

There was a tatter in our group, an older lady. She learned tatting with us and it wasn't easy for her because her hands shook (I don't know why and she didn't confide in me). And she made a stole for her pastor. She tatted crosses, end to end, and then sewed this stole and sewed the crosses to it. We helped with some ideas but she did all the work. 

Once she was done, we encouraged her to enter it in competition at the fair. She was reluctant because she didn't feel her work was all that good, shaking hands, etc. She was awarded a well-deserved blue ribbon, in a competition that doesn't hand out ribbons if there are no entries worthy of a ribbon no matter how many entries there are. Her pastor was thrilled with the stole, as well. 

If you ever think, "Oh, I'm too old to start this" just remember her. 

As promised, me, on a zipline (photographer was on the ground)

I've been tatting pen clip bookthongs. I've using size 20 and size 40, and making some long enough for paperbacks and some for trade paperbacks (possibly long enough for hardbacks).

 

Debby came through. Flooding concerns but thanks to the lack of high winds in our area, we only lost a few trees. One was a Southern sugar maple at Mordecai Historic Park in Raleigh. 

fallen tree, looks like tree roots broke

southern clam shell mushrooms on the fallen; you can see the growth rings on the closest one

 It's funny. Mordecai is only about five minutes from the library where we used to meet, it's easier to get parking (no competing with the shopping center crowd) but fewer of our tatters make it to the meetings.

 Anitra and I bought of load of tatting supplies from FB marketplace. It arrived a couple weeks ago, but she's been too tired to look through it. We went through it after the Tri-Tatters meeting. It took us two hours to go through it, sort it, and to list the contents in a spreadsheet.

Box upon opening

After sorting everything and grouping like items together