My First Tatting Demo!

I joined the Prairie Mill Lacemakers Guild and today was my first tatting demo! We were at Genoa's Pioneer Days demonstrating both bobbin lace and tatting. The weather was absolutely fantastic! I think the high today was only 70 degrees and not a cloud in a brilliant blue sky. There were four ladies there today making bobbin lace; Judy, Kate, Maryann, and Millie. I have quite a new respect for all bobbin lacers. It truly takes well rehearsed skills and patience to create the beautiful lace that I saw today. There were bookmarks and edgings that were beyond exquisite.

The picture above is from today of Marleen and I all dressed up in our Pioneer get-ups! We were the two tatters there today. Well actually Marleen started out with bobbin lace and then transitioned onto her shuttles! Marleen was working on an edging that will go around a cameo pin. I started a medium-sized doily that is tatted in a lavender and brown. *Pictures to come* :D

Back at school tomorrow. My poor sister has a pretty bad cold and my dad has allergies so we are laying pretty low tonight. Wishing you all blessing for the upcoming week!
Allison

School is IN!

Well, I had my first day of college on Monday. I'm surprised at how well it went. I am taking 5 classes this semester; 2 are on the easy side and the other three are quite in depth. My mom insisted on taking 'First Day' pictures so the picture at left is me getting into my car about to head off to the wild-blue-yonder of COLLEGE! Anyway, since school is in I hardly have time to tat anymore, but I am working on a square, antique doily. I'm for sure going to Genoa's Pioneer Days to demo tatting with a lace-makers guild that I just joined. I was google-ing doilies so I could have something to work on and ran across this website: Antiquepatternlibrary.com

There are a TON of older tatting books/patterns. The pattern I used is titled he Priscilla Tatting Book, Selections of Useful Articles from The Modern Priscilla, with Beautiful Designs Never Before Published by Jessie M. DeWitt. It's pretty cool to look at all the old patterns. There were a lot of bonnets that look really cool.

Well, I don't have much to report other then school starting.

Needle Tatting

More adventures in the realm of needle tatting!

I got the bug again to give needle tatting a try and it went surprisingly well. I followed instructions from MaryJane Butter's Stitching Room book. The instructions finally make sense!! This book is so cool. There are all kinds of farmgirl sewing and needle crafts projects in this book and I can't wait to make one of her aprons. This book is also special to me because this is where I first saw tatting and fell in love with it. As I looked through the book it was the tatting that really stuck out to me. I asked my mom about it and 'lo-and-behold' she had a gal at work that did tatting and was going to take a class. So that is how it all got started way back in November of 2008. I'm nearing my 1-year tatting anniversary!! How fun!

So as for the needle tatting excursion itself, I think I did pretty well. The reason that the first 3 rings are 'bumpy' is because the needle I was using was too big. So after I realized that I switched to a smaller one the rings and chains that followed looked much cleaner. I'll try some other patterns later.
Alrighty, off to start another day on the farm and I think I'll go and sit in our Adirondack chairs in the front lawn and enjoy the company of my beloved family.
Love,
Allison

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!

The judges have collaborated and the ribbons awarded. *Drum roll please* Allison Henze places FOURTH in the Tatted Hankie Edging category! YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!

As you can tell, our family went to the fair last night. It was cool when the sun went down and boy did we have a nice time. First we went straight to the Exhibition hall where the tatted pieces were and to my surprise I placed! There were around 10 or so tatted entries total which is quite a step up from the TWO last year. They almost dropped the category, but all the gals from my tatting classes pulled together and contributed quite a bit.



My dear friend Sarah showed a lovely doily that placed fourth in the 'Any tatted piece' category. CONGRATULATIONS SARAH!! I just love the colors that she chose!

My black 'Arches' doily didn't place but looked real pretty in the display case.

I even ran into my tatting teacher there! Marleen was looking at our pieces too and was very proud of us. As a teacher she couldn't show any of her creations but she said that she was glad to see so many entries. I forgot to tell you all; at our last tatting class Marleen brought up the option to help demonstrate at a local event called 'Pioneer Days' in Genoa, IL (which is just southeast of here). I am quite excited because I may be demonstrating! I'm gonna get all the details so that is something new that I'll keep you all updated on!

After that my family headed over to the pony tent where my friend and co-worker Danielle is keeping her miniature horses for the week. The picture is of Dani and I with her mini Opie. I'll be headed out there tomorrow to hang out all day and watch the fireworks on Friday, spend the night, and watch her show on Saturday. Next we all walked around the livestock barns and ate ice cream. Our favorites this year were a bunch of Clydesdale's. There were 6 or so down a row of stalls. What gentle giants! There noses were so big and they were all so itchy! So all in all not a bad night. Blessings for the weekend everyone!

Lavender and Jelly Beans

Weird title, huh? Well those are the names of the threads of my latest projects. I finished a medium doily called the "Daffodil Doily" from the Learn to Tat book. Mine is not quite like the picture. *sighs* Ahhh well, it's probably because I used a size 20 thread and the directions call for something a little bigger. I love reverse rings, so I was a little disappointed that mine doesn't look as nice as the picture in the book.









I got kind of creative with the second picture here. My family and I use Young Living's essential oils. We use them for medicinal purposes and other things like cleaners or just to smell nice. I just love 'em! There are oils for everything from indigestion to bug bites. And the best part is that they smell great and there are NO side effects! I have some small bottles that I carry with me always; Lavender for cuts and scrapes, Peppermint for an upset tummy, and a blend of oils called Joy for a perfume. Check out the Young Living website!


Now for the jelly beans! I'm thinking of making this little project into a one-of-a-kind watch band. You can find inexpensive watches at thrift stores, so I think I'll look around and see if I can find a style that would look nice with the pattern and colors. And if all else fails it will be a superb bookmark! The pattern uses split rings and I really like it.

So that's all. I haven't been tatting a whole lot lately but I have some ideas for my next piece...here is a sneak peak!

I went out to a local observatory with my dad last night and we had such a good time! We saw some binary stars, the Ring Nebula, a fuzzy Andromeda galaxy, and we even looked at the moon through their large telescope. Right now in the Midwest we are at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. So something fun to do is to sit out late at night, when the breezes are cool and the moon hasn't come up yet, and look to the North and East and see if you can't spot a shooting star!
My family and I are off to the fair tonight so I'll let you know how my pieces did! Have a great week everyone!
Much Love,
Allison

Back at it...

Well, I head back to work tomorrow (on my mom's birthday, of all days) after being off for a whole week. I honestly don't know where the time goes! I have been working on two projects at the moment 1) a medium sized lavender doily and 2) the 'South Africa' pattern from InTatters. The second piece is either going to be a bracelet or a bookmark. I haven't decided yet; probably a bracelet, though. : )

Today my mom and I dropped off a couple of financial things at Kishwaukee College to finalize my attendance there! I am so excited! I have been getting all of my books that I ordered online in the mail and that is so fun! Christmas in July! I really can't wait for school to start in the fall. I am so ready; a couple of days ago I was very nervous, but today mom and I walked around the campus, looking at all of the classrooms that I'll be in, and now I can't wait! God has been so merciful through all of this college-sorting-out-time. It can be really hectic for some; I have friends that are going to school out of state and I don't know how they are gonna do it. I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE MY FARM OR FAMILY! So I am very blessed to be able to attend a college that is so close by.

So back to work tomorrow and a Happy birthday to by beloved Mother!
~Allison

P.S. just in case you wanted to see what else I did today with my sister, check out the video that we made! Enjoy!

Tatting Photo Shoot!

I was sitting at my kitchen table this morning and had an idea...I need a creative way to showcase my latest tatting creations. The lighting was really nice; it was around 7:00am so there was almost a freshness in it. As I looked around for ideas and glanced to my left to see our china cabinet and BINGO!!

There are some really lovely stories about this china set. It's my great-aunt Dorothy's Arzberg china. Her husband, Edward, was serving over seas during World War II and had it shipped in a wooden crate to her while he was away. It's been in our family ever since. My mom took care of 'Aunt Dodie' up until she was settled in a home. It was there that she passed away at 96, but she gave her china to us. There is something to the white, simplicity of it that I absolutely love. My family and I use it for special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and when we have guests over. I'll have to ask my mom if I could inherit it someday, but for now I'll just enjoy it and cover it in tatted pieces!!!

We got our computer back and I'm surprised how much I've 'Detoxed' from it! I usually check all my social websites, like facebook, multiple times a day and now I hardly check them but once a day! I love the fact that while our computer was in the shop my sister and I found different ways to occupy our time; we read out-loud to each other. My sister, Lea, is 15 and quite an amazing girl. She was written a 4-part novel series so we read the third edition out loud in our hammock. The weather was beautiful and it was so nice to spend the time with her and not be inside staring at a monitor. Lea and I are four years apart, but totally inseparable and I think we can both accredit that to being homeschooled. Lea has been and always will be my best friend. Love you sister!



I finished my 'Arches' doily on Monday of last week and I starched it and sent if off with a friend to be shown at the Boone County Fair. The fair starts on August 11th and I can't wait! Our family always makes a night of it so we go and walk around the livestock barns, run into friends, eat funnel cakes, and look at the exhibits. There are quite a few tatted entries this year, and most of them are being entered by people I know so this year will be extra special!