I am tatting!

I've had a couple of frustrating days, but I am managing a little tatting. I was stupid, or senile, last night and took this morning's meds instead of last night's meds. Boy, have I been a mess today. (More than usual.) I got my first installment of Jane's "Tat It And See" done today. I think this will be fun. I have also started my doily with Marilee's "Rhubarb Crisp" hand dyed thread. I have agonized over this pattern decision and finally decided to retat the friendship doily that Elizabeth, J.B. and I did last year. It is a simple pattern, but I think it will show off the thread beautifully. When I get the center done, I will post a progress picture. It won't be near as intricate and delicate as Clyde's, but I think the thread will be a nice presentation. Thanks very much to Clyde for advising and assisting me in picking out a pattern. Tatting with hand dyed thread is such a special pleasure and I don't want to waste an inch!

Laura's doily better picture

J.B.'s doily looked so pretty on the dark background, I decided to shoot mine again. I like the results.

Also, I have gotten a friend interested in tatting again. She did basic tatting years ago, but now wants to go further. Yea!!!

J.B.'s doily finished!

Here is a picture of J.B.'s tatted friendship doily finished! Isn't it pretty? I have also made a collage of the three doilies. Picase put two pictures of mine in there to even it out. I think it is so interesting that three people can start out with the same pattern with such varied results. Of course, the fact that we passed them around two times helps with that too!

Laura's tatted friendship doily finished!

Here is my tatted friendship doily - finished! I love the way it has turned out and I am so thankful to J.B. and Elizabeth for their friendship and for asking me to participate in this friendship doily. I am glad this one is finished, but hope to do another one some day.

As soon as I get a picture of J.B.'s finished, I will include it here with mine and Elizabeth's.

Thanks again tatting friends!

Collage of tatted friendship doilies

I thought this was a good way to see the friendship doilies so far. Of course, since I only had six pictures, it repeated some of them. More tatting and more pictures please!

Laura's doily after 5th round

This is the first time my friendship doily has come back around to me. Elizabeth said it looked like a flower garden and she is right! It reminds me of my grandmother's flowers when I was a little girl. I am to do the 6th round and send to J.B. for the 7th round. Isn't it lovely? I am so pleased with the colors they have chosen and the tatting they have done!
I did the first 2 rows. Elizabeth did the 3rd and 5th rows and J.B. did the 4th row. Now, to choose the colors for the 6th row!

J.B's doily with the 5th round tatted by me

Another round finished! This is J.B.'s doily. She did the first two rounds being the pink and white flowers with the green rings and chains surrounding them. (Two rounds.) I did the yellow rings with blue chains. (Round three.) Elizabeth tatted the rose colored rings with variegated blue/pink chains. (Round four.) I have just tatted the ecru rings with purple chains. (Round five.) I will have to give my husband credit for picking the colors for this round and I think he did a wonderful job! Now, it goes back to J.B. for the sixth round and to Elizabeth for the seventh round.

What fun choosing colors four each doily and waiting for the next one to come in the mail and see what the other two have done!

Thank you J.B. and Elizabeth for taking me under your wings and letting me be a part of this.

Tatted Motif #4 of 25

Here is the center of my first friendship doily ready to go! I am so excited about this. It is No. 34 in the DMC Book of Charted Tatting designs by Kirstine Nikolajsen and Inge Lise Nikolajsen. I tatted it in DMC Cebelia #20. If the colors don't show well, the center is creamy yellow and the two others are purple. The ring around the flowers is a creamy white. It reminds me of doilies that my grandmother crocheted when I was younger. She loved to make the flowers in different colors surrounded by white or ecru. I think she would like this. I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out. I have always had trouble with picot size and keeping them even. Thanks to my friend Elizabeth in South Alabama, I think I have that problem solved. She uses a seamstress' tape that you cut to the size you want, peel the back off and stick it on your finger to measure the picots. If only I had known about this years ago. It is great, even if it took me a while to get it positioned in the right place and get used to it. I will probably never work without it again!

I will be posting pictures of the progress of my doily as it goes around. I'm not sure if the other participants will want theirs posted as yet, but I think they will. I hope there are some of you who would enjoy seeing them from start to finish. It will be fun to see how we all interpret the pattern and what colors we choose for each others doilies.