December meeting

That's Ana waving to you in the photo above! 
She's wearing her close-up glasses set consisting of her regular classes plus a pair of reading glasses, which give her several levels of magnification.

She was tatting earrings while I worked on a peace dove in white size 20 thread with size 11/0 seed beads. Pattern by Jane Eborall. I didn't finish it at the meeting, but below I've posted a picture of my finished dove.

I also brought along some metallic embroidery floss to show, and we discussed how it might work for tatting a teeny tiny shiny "aluminum" Christmas tree...maybe painted pink :)
Well, I love a challenge! My finished tree is shown below, from my own pattern "Layered Ring Christmas Tree" with added fringe "tinsel effect" using Corina Meyfeldt's fringe technique.

Handmade shuttles, cluny looms

 So much creativity in this group! Heather showed her beaded Christmas decorations. Barbara displayed some lovely handmade wooden shuttles from her collection, and then began tatting a maple leaf pattern by Tammy M. Rodgers.

 Sue Anna provided each of us with a plastic canvas "star" and showed us how to make it into a cluny loom. For the instructions at Georgia Seitz's Online Tatting Class: click here.

Sue Anna also showed her new loom for weaving dishcloths with selvages on all 4 sides. Without her demo, I would never have been able to understand how it could be done!

 .Ana brought her tatting supplies to the meeting in a beautiful new container. She worked on tatted earrings, and was wearing a beaded necklace that she had made featuring a lizard design; I think she said it was a gecko.

Our activity attracted the attention of a passerby who stopped to ask many questions and admire the work in progress.

Oh, and yes, we had Snickers bars and Barbara brought Brownie Brittle. Good times!

September meeting

Khomi tatted a star motif at our guild meeting.

Here's the star all done except for hiding the ends and blocking. The pattern is one of mine, and available as a free download: click here.

I worked on this Daisy Picot "Key" motif at the meeting. The pattern is part of my new online class on Craftsy, Next Steps In Shuttle Tatting. Click my affiliate link here to see the class preview, and an offer of 50% off.

Ana finished tatting the earrings that she was working on, and in doing so learned the valuable skills of adding a new thread and opening a closed ring! 

August meeting photos

Khomi admiring the "froggers" that Barbara decorated.
Barbara has definitely mastered split ring tatting!

A "frogger" is a needle used to undo mistakes..."rip it, rip it"! 

Sue Anna modeling a headband knit in a traditional arctic pattern made of qiviut yarn (from musk ox), a fiber 8 times warmer than wool.  

Qiviut yarn and a sensuously soft hand knit scarf from Alaska.

Sue Anna winding hand dyed thread onto a storage bobbin. Holding the skein open by putting it around a water bottle and the corner of the table is a clever way to keep the thread untangled!

Close-up of this effective winding method!

July meeting notes

There were 5 of us at the meeting, and we were having so much fun that I forgot to take pictures!
But, here's a photo of a book that we were looking at, "Viktorianisches Occhi" by Julia Haug. The book is written in German, with clear photos and new diagrams of patterns selected from the works of Mademoiselle Riego, first published in the years 1850 to 1886. Patterns include edgings, doilies, and collars, with several designs using Maltese rings and pearl tatting.

Khomi was working on a tatted star, one of my own free patterns:
Here's the link to the PDF 2-Way Star.

May meeting

A new tatter getting some instruction from Marilee

Crafters of many talents, Heather and Ana

Tatted button heart and more tatting in progress by Heather

Heather's tatted earrings in progress

Practicing double stitches, our new tatter, Tina, is doing very well!

So nice to get together with tatting friends and make a new tatting friend. Passersby even stopped by our table to see what we were doing. There was a discussion on thread sizes and types of tatting shuttles. Lots of fun at this meeting! The time passed very quickly.

January meeting notes

 During this meeting, Sue Anna finished a pair of colorful tatted earrings with beads all around the edge. In the photo above, she and Marilee are admiring her work while Barbara continues working on a project from a Mary Konior book.

 A close-up of Sue Anna's tatted earrings. They're so pretty!

 Barbara's bright red tatting in progress. The heart design is from Mary Konior's book, "Tatting With Visual Patterns". It's a wonderful book full of patterns and helpful design hints, a true tatting classic.

Diana wasn't tatting this time. Instead she was crocheting a cord that will be used to outline Romanian Point Lace. Looking forward to seeing more of her lace project! Sue Anna is holding a book by Jon Yusoff, "Tatting With Rings".

Next meeting January 19

The next meeting of The Greater Milwaukee Tatting Guild will be January 19. Time frame is 3 pm to 7 pm (but I won't be arriving until about 4 pm). Location is the Mayfair Mall food court (usually at the tables near the outside door excalators) 2500 North Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa, WI