Cluny Eye Candy

This is Elisa's pattern tatted by Mimi Dillman in one of my size 20 Rubi hand dyed tatting threads, "Berry Surprise". Mimi gave me permission to share it with you all, for which I am thankful since I don't have any tatting of my own to share.
If you click on Elisa's name it will take you to this pattern and you can see other examples of Elisa's beautiful work with clunies.

Just in case you didn't know, Mimi (world renown Queen of Clunies) will be teaching her class on beginner clunies at Shuttlebirds in April this year. She is an excellent teacher, in fact she taught me how to make clunies. So if you want to learn this fun and awesome technique may I suggest you sign up for Shuttlebirds in April? Her class alone is well worth the trip! Mark your calendars because you can register for classes on Jan 10th (only a few more days) and class sizes are limited!

....oh and have I mentioned that "Yours Truly" will also be teaching classes this year? "Branching Encapsulation" and a "Multi shuttle tatting" project. So you can come see what a big dork I am in person....LOL!

New thread, new hat...and LOTS of pictures.

I've got lots to share today. First of all I have been kind of quiet because I am putting in an average of 14 to 16 hours a day on my tatting book. I am obsessed. I have finally gotten into the groove of things...especially the diagramming software which has been kicking my butt for months. I think I finally have a handle on it and now I can start kicking it's butt! I am missing my pottery BIG time but I can't stop this momentum so best get it done while I am full steam ahead.

I purchased a fairly large order of "Rubi 5" size 20 thread from Paraguay. My naughty kitty promptly claimed this ball and ran around the house with it before I could catch him, hence the bit of cat hair.


It comes in stunning colors. I tatted up one of my cluny patterns with it to give it a test drive. It's a little softer than Flora which is one of my favorite tatting threads but is so very expensive. It is not as soft as DMC pearl. About right in the middle...but that's just my opinion. It is colorfast. When I blocked it there was no bleeding at all. I didn't have any problem with stretching either, no unraveling and no breaking. I used a pretty rigorous pattern to test it on and overall I am very pleased with it. I will be putting up a few balls for sale in my Etsy shop early next week.


This cluny butterfly pattern is definately showing up in the book. It's entitled "Cluny Love", and in my most humble opinion it's a clever little pattern.
Just in case it isn't obvious to you, (because it took my husband a full five minutes to see it), there is a flower in the middle of the wings.

Here is the next installment of my crocheted hats. I used the giant tatsy shuttle to tat the little/big motif, I may yet add a couple more. I made this hat with my baby sister in mind. I hope she likes it!


And finally we are having terrific Fall weather here and I was lucky enough to capture this Rainbow in my backyard.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend...you know what I'll be doing...

Happy Memorial Day, a TATTING video, and a Free Cluny Pattern

It looks like it is going to be a wonderful weekend. The weather is gorgeous after quite a cold snap, my husband is finally home for a short time from military duties and I think I will take a break from all my work.
Perhaps a picnic?
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
I designed this cluny pattern specifically to share with the online tatting class (link located on the right side of this page) on Tuesday May 29th.
It would be wonderful to see as many of you there as possible.
If you can not make it, do not worry, click here for tatting pattern
If you know clunies it is a very simple and quick tat.


I have already given away several of these bookmarks.

I made a tatting video a few days ago. It is not an instructional video. I made it for all the non-tatters out there to show them just a smidgeon of what can be made with tatting and hopefully peak some interest in this craft. It may start out a little slow but it definately picks up and it's under three minutes in length so it isn't too painful to sit through.

Applying what I learned

I finished this butterfly last night. I used all the techniques I learned over the weekend in this design with the exception of the split chain. Each wing was tatted with no interruptions. It may look simple but it is in fact the most technical piece of lace I have ever designed. Although not perfected my cluny leaves are getting better. You haven't lived until you've had to undo a cluny.
I forgot to add in my earlier post that I literally brought a shoe box full of ceramic shuttles to the convention (five months worth of work fit in a shoe box). I did not go to the convention primarily to sell my shuttles but I did sell just enough to break even on the trip. That was a real blessing.