Generally speaking, if a "newbee" comes to tat with our group, there are enough extra threads, shuttles, needles, books and ideas to share.  However if someone is starting out on their own, the way many of us did "back in the day,"  a listing of supplies to have on hand is certainly in order.  Of course a person will need some sort of idea what project to undertake.

Patterns:
A simple motif is usually the best early goal because these usually involve the fewest techniques and can be accomplished in a few hours.  Many of the early publications offered medallions, edgings and doilies as projects.  Finding an older copy of "Workbasket" magazine or "Old Tyme Needlework" magazine in a thrift shop can be just the information sought.  Searches on the internet for websites such as   Be Stitched    or    D S 9 Designs  or simply launching a google search for free tatting patterns opens a world of simple designs to start with.  Each will suggest the supplies the tatter will need to carry out that design.
Necessary supplies include:

Thread:  
We recommend that a person start with something inexpensive and of at least a size 10 crochet cotton.  Even an older  ball of KnitCroSheen or SpeedCroSheen will work.  These of course are crochet cotton threads but they are large enough that the novice can see the knots they are trying to make.  Other choices that are readily available locally in craft stores are  DMC Perle Cotton in size 5 (largest size usually available).  More modern threads intended specifically for tatting have had the fibers singed so that the fuzzy lil hairs have been burned off and the threads are more slick for sliding the stitches along the core threads or needle.  These are available at outlets like those listed above, at   Handy Hands   or  Tatting Corner  on the web.  Occasionally, Omega threads can be found at craft outlets as well.

Needles or Shuttle:
These are the basic tools of the craft.  Here in Black Mountain, tatting shuttles are available at the local fabric store Carolina Foam and Fabric, as well as at craft outlets like JoAnn's, A. C. Moore, Michaels, Hobby Lobby.  Again in our area there is a craft outlet known as Earth Guild that carries a few threads, needles and shuttles.  Shuttles come in several configurations of metal, plastic and wood.  Some are flat, some come with bobbins and others have center posts around which the thread is wound.  At first get one that is inexpensive.  You can spend a lot of money on hand-crafted wooden shuttles, but the cheep plastic ones work just as well.  Shuttles are available in various sizes from mini, standard, medium (for beading) to larger shuttles suitable for very large projects.
Needles come in a variety of sizes and need to be matched to the size thread the tatter is using.  Needle tatting techniques are somewhat different from the techniques used in shuttle tatting, but are excellent for persons with arthritis in their hands or persons who cannot quite master the "flip" in shuttle tatting.  The end result is just as beautiful!

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I have been spending the past several days' spare time working on more designs.  These began as existing patterns, were adapted to bring the final product into something more like what I wanted, and finally, I began with bare thread on one or 2 shuttles to create the piece of lace that I was really interested in.

This is quite a process.  I have taken Sharon Briggs' on-line tatting class 3 or more times and benefited from it immensely!  I'm not sure if she is offering the "Design-Tat" class again in the near future, but it is well worth the time if it is offered again.  Sharon puts a great deal of effort into understanding the basics of tatting first and then into adapting those basics so that the tatter can design their own motifs and edgings (and more) without a lot of prior experience in design or intense effort.  She even discusses the use of simple software to record the pattern.  Writing the pattern or diagramming it is often the most serious challenge to the designer.  There is a link to the blog that provided most of the images and techniques she advocated that was a related link off Sharon's Tatted Lace page . 

This motif is from Julia Sanders' reprint of the Priscilla tatting book #2.  Just looking at it, it's clear that the resulting motif could be described as awkward.  Obviously, I am not too happy with it, but hope to create something that looks a bit like a piece of wrapped hard candy by the time I am through.

More information on that soon

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 There's no doubt that Karey Solomon has a great idea using buttons as the center of tatted motifs!

 Having seen the decorative buttons  at our fabric store, I went back to take a second look.  There were buttons with as many as 6, 9 or 16 holes.  Ideas were beginning to creep in.  So I bought a few to try the technique.   The first one used a craft button with 4 rather large holes.  The look wasn't too bad:  The Button is about 3/4 inches in diameter so I used size 10 Flora.  The colors aren't the best, but this is a prototype, not a finished piece at all.

 I had been working on embellishments for the Tat Days Quilt that uses the theme "Tatting, Tea and Toffee" and had already completed this teapot from Martha Ess's book "Tea is for Tatting."  The book is available through Handy Hands, Tatting Corner or just about any reliable tatting outlet.  (While Martha's Website has gone away, (courtesy of AT & T ISP changes), her blog is still there.  Here's where you can find it.

The center got me thinking:  Button?     Why not?    Button!!

And here's what I came up with:

My revision using a button center                                              Martha's original teapot design        

       

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I've been working on items for the Tat Days Quilt for auction in September.  Sometimes when we tat a lot, or have deadlines, we look for shortcuts that will help fill part of the motif or design.  I'm sure that's part of the reason Karey Solomon wrote her publication entitled "Tatting with Buttons."  One of the patterns in the book is this one called "Buttonwood" :

It's clear that she has chosen several buttons, the smaller ones being decorative, while the central button is rather plain, although made of wood.  Earlier this year, I was making a purchase at our local fabric store, Carolina Foam & Fabric in Black Mountain.  (If they had a website, I'd happily direct you to it, but they don't.  I love to shop there anyway.)  There I saw a display:

    

Lots of 2-hole buttons, yes, but more importantly, some decorative ones with 4 holes or more.  There was also a display of buttons that were layers of these buttons.  They were most interesting:

Especially the one in the upper right-hand corner.  It not only had 2 center holes for attaching to fabric, but it has 6 "petals" that tatting could be attached to with relative ease.  My mind began to race and I bought one.  Yes only one - then.

I'll post finished product when I have something to my liking, but for now, suffice it to say that these buttons have real possibilities!

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So...  the weather must have been pretty bad all over the country the past few days.  I hadn't been to Pinterest in a while and decided to take a look since I was saving some links there for future use.  There were hundreds of new pins!  I was amazed at the number and the variety of them!  Certainly there were some lovely tatting patterns and examples, but many other items from pinners I follow, as well as gardening blogs, animal sites, feeds with promotional tips and technical material and more!  Of course this gives me a lot of information to work with regarding my other avocations and I'm always glad for that.

Inspiration is sometimes hard to come by for blogging.  Yes, it's about me, our tatting group, Our Fair Town and more, but even so inspiration can come with certain difficulty.  These visuals and information links are very helpful

Now I can expect an increase in the numbers of [good] pins when the weather is bad  < Wikked Evil Grin >

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We'll be meeting at the Lakeview Center at the corner of Laurel Circle Drive and Rhododendron Ave tomorrow!

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As I look out my window today, it's snowing.  It's snowing those little flakes that tend to accumulate and there's no wind.  My suspicion is that we will see up to 3 inches overnight, maybe more and then the temperature will drop.  It's currently 22 on our weather station.  

We will not meet in bad weather.  Basically if the school bus's don't run, we won't meet.  Sometimes it can be worse in the morning than in the afternoon and if the roads clear after school has been called off, it is up to the individual to decide.  

I love tatting, but in my opinion it is not worth a vehicle or worse.  And snow isn't the only weather hazard we have.  Heavy rains can make streets impassable too.  So as a group, we should use our own best judgement when it comes to braving the elements.  If you feel it is not safe to go out, please stay home.

I'll post weather policy for the group on the website  www.thethreadbears.com  as well as here. 

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