Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Finding Treasures

If you read my last post you know that my 99 year old aunt passed away two weeks ago.  If you read to the end of the post you know that I found some plastic doilies that resemble tatting. Well, the found treasure list is growing!

First I would like to share what we are face every morning.

Every room starts like this,

One of the rooms had three boxes of moth balls in it and had been closed up for as long as I can remember.  The pictured room (let's call it the Bedding Room) has not officially been tackled, but I had to peak at the sewing and craft supplies that could be found without tripping over things.  Of course I am hoping to find some tatting shuttles - still hoping!!  I did find a few balls of size 100 tatting thread, so there is still hope!!   Here is the "Moth Ball" room about 3/4 done.  The bed was COVERED about two feet deep with clothes and the foot board could not be seen.  The pile on the left is mostly towels and wash cloths which we saved for another day.  The plastic shelving in the back was piled with clothes and shoes.  They now are holding some nick knacks, a few tote bags and some perfume gift sets.    Here is a picture of the bed as it is now.  The space between the bed and the wall was FULL of boxes.
Five years ago this house would have been a night mare for me to enter.  I have asthma that is highly reactive to anything that has a odor (good or bad) except skunk, but that is another story!!  I do believe I will be remembering to take my reusable shopping bags into stores in the future.  I think the "Moth Ball Room" had at least 1,000 plastic bags in it.

First up for found treasure was actually found yesterday on pantry and dining room day.  People, please clean out your pantries!!  You will not want your relatives throwing away canned goods that expired ten years or more before your passing!!  First, an update on the doily I needed to get the magnifying glass to examine more closely - It is not tatting.  The buffet contained a bag with eleven Workbasket Home and Needlecraft for Pleasure and Profit circa 1957 to 1958.  I will be making the tatting patterns.  We will see what happens from there.


I am having a hard time deciding which of the sewing treasures is my favorite.  Although this is definitely a find, I am NOT a seamstress so it does not impress me that much...  The table seems to be in remarkable shape.

My favorites from the "bedding room"
To the left is a Pelouze Hem gauge.  The back is marked with "Patent Pending".  The inventor filed for a patent of the gauge in early 1927 the patent was granted in 1929.  The hem gauge is at least 87 years old.

I anyone has ideas on the maker and date of this thimble I would be very grateful.  The design seems to be humming birds.  It is silver although I cannot find any marks on it, the thimble started out black before it was cleaned with silver polish and elbow grease.  Here are some more thimble I  found is the sewing/craft supplies -

The one in the middle appears to have a design consisting of black berries with leaves.  That leaves on sewing/craft related treasure however I have not taken pictures of it yet "sew" you will just have to wait!!  I will say that it is about eighteen inches tall.  Would someone care to guess what ir is.

Happy Tatting every one.











Thursday, May 19, 2016

What You May Find in a 99 Year Old's House

My 99 year old aunt jumped out of bed and into the arms of Jesus on Sunday.  My mom was with her.  At one point my aunt's O2 level dropped very low so the nurses increased her mixture.  My aunt said, "I guess He was not ready for me."  My mom replied, "The paint must not be dry."  I don't know how much time had passed, but some time later my aunt ripped off the oxygen mask, kicked off her blankets and took her last breath.  My mom said, "The paint must be dry."

I have heard many stories of Christians who have commented about seeing Jesus just before leaving their mortal body behind.  I have heard many stories of purely joyful expressions appearing on Christian's faces before they enter eternity.  Conversely when I hear of non-believers passing away I frequently hear about an expression of fear.  I imagine that my aunt was jumping out of bed to run and jump into the arms of Jesus!!  What a way to pass from this life.  There was NO fear.  She anticipated the new life that would begin on the other side of death!!  

What will greet you on the other side of death's door?  Do you expect Jesus to be waiting for you to take you to your forever home in heaven - that mansion He has built especially for you?  Or do you fear death not knowing what it holds for you?  Not knowing where you will spend eternity?  Or even if there is life after death?  Knowing that you can die with great joy instead of fear is easy.  

Romans 3:10 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.

Romas 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Romans 5:12 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for the all have sinned.

These verses tell us that not one man has ever lived a life without sin.  "Sin" is a term used in archery it means "to miss the mark".   You might ask, "Who set the mark?"  God, our creator, established "the mark".  He is holy and righteous and cannot allow unholiness and unrighteous in His presence.  Since every man in not righteous and has sinned, man is eternally separated from God.  However, God loves man and wants every human to spend eternity with Him.  How can an unholy and unrighteous man be allowed into God's holy presence?  

Since only God can define what is holy and righteous and what is not holy or righteous, only God has the right and authority to say how man can be "reconciled" to Him.  That is an accounting term which means "to bring accounts in agreement" or "to bring accounts into balance".   Does that mean that at the end of our life all our good deeds are put on one side of the balance scales and all our sins are put on the other and if the scales are balanced we get to heaven?  NO WAY!!!  For several reasons.  First, we would still have those unholy and unrighteous deeds and we would be bringing them into heaven with us.  Those are what separated us from God in the first place.  That is not logical.  We need some way to get rid of them, and we cannot do that on our own.  Second, that is not the plan God gave us.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This verse tells us that while sin separates us from God by eternal death, God has provided a "gift" through Jesus Christ that will give us eternal life.  Have you ever been given a gift?  Did you have to do anything to earn that gift?  Did you have to buy it?  Of course not!  If you did then it would not have been a gift!!  There is only one thing you have to do to receive the benefits of a gift that has been offered to you - take it as your own! Open it and enjoy it!  How marvelous is that?!  God is saying that the only thing you have to do to enjoy eternal life with Him is to accept His gift, His plan for being reconciled back to Him.

Romans 5:8-9 - But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Romans 10:11-12 - That if thou shalt confess with they mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in this heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

God loves us so much that even though we have sin and are therefore separated from Him, Jesus Christ came, lived a perfectly sinless life, and chose to shed His life's blood on a cruel cross just so that we could be "justified" and saved from the wrath sin brought upon us (separation for God).  "Justified" means to declare innocent or guiltless.  It means that once a person has accepted God's plan for reconciliation He declares them innocent and guiltless.  The simple act of believing that God in the form of Jesus Christ came to Earth, died, and rose again I am "justified - just as if I had never sinned".   My sin is gone.  The only entry to my account is the righteousness obtained through the blood of Jesus Christ.  My account now balances with God's standard of righteousness therefore I am 'reconciled' to Him!   

You can have your account reconciled to God's standard of righteous too.  All you have to do is tell Him you accept His gift!  If you do please send me a message or comment.  I would love to know about your decision.  Life will change for you.  You will have new desires.  I would love to help you find a place that will help you learn more about God, Jesus and the Bible.

That took a different turn than I expected when I wrote my title!  So now...

What You May Find in a 99 Year Old's House - 

My mom and I were looking for the original copy of her Will, valuables which we did not want left in an unoccupied house, and pictures for her funeral service.  While sifting through her buffet drawers I found a number of pictures we will be using and quite a few table linens - embroidered, crocheted and this


I was a bit surprised to say the least.  I guess I should say that it is a 100% plastic doily that is about 4 inches across. Just about the right size for a coaster.  I grabbed all I could find.  There were two that were loose and then there was this 






An un-opened package of them.  I wonder if anyone knows more about them.

I will be going back through the drawers with more care to make sure there are no tatted lace.  There was one piece that had me about ready to get the magnifying glass out to make sure it was crocheted.  I believe it is, but I think I will get the magnifying glass out to make sure there are no knots!!  Happy tatting everyone.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

What to tat.... Part two

As I stated in my last post I am tatting my way through tatting books.  I started on one book, but the patterns required too much cutting, tying and hiding of ends.  Blehch!!!  Who likes to do that all the time?  I did one pattern that required me to hide ends 6 times for just 6 inches of edging.  It would take a long time to make a useful length of edging hiding ends that frequently.  Additionally, I do not like how chopped up that type of pattern looks.  They lack continuity - start, stop, start, stop...  So I switched to Ann Orr's Classic Tatting Patterns. 

I find some of her patterns hard to follow as they are written in paragraph form so I rewrite them in symbol form first.  I will mount my samples on something and then post pictures.  I probably will not do the large doilies as I am not much of a doily person, but I will do all the edgings and the medalians.

TIAS 2016 Day 9
I am participating in Jane Eboral's Tat it and See.  She has totally throw me for a loop.  I was convinced it was a frog, but it most definitely is not a frog after today's piece of the puzzle!!  Now I am totally baffled.  My frog had developed a strange appendage.  However, living in Oklahoma we have creatures called horny toads.  They actually have horns.  Maybe I was not off by so much after all.  Yeah, right!! Jane has a really good trick up her sleeve.

My husband suggested a jester's hat or a scorpion.  Oh, how I hope it is not a scorpion!!  I am terrified of arachnids, and scorpions are arachnids. I do like the jester hat idea though.  Maybe it is a girl with a pony tails? Jane has out done herself this time, but she thinks we should all get it with today's bit of pattern.  Hmmm... Maybe I was too stuck on the frog idea to see anything else right a way.  It is kind of funny how at least my brain works that way.  I have to let go of one idea before I can see another take shape.  

I have continued knitting my way through the pattern book I started last time as well, but I did get a tad bit distracted.  My daughter went away to school and she needs a bright scarf to wear with her black coat.  Here is what I am working on for her.  I will also make me one in red.

Sarah's Scarf

Thursday, January 7, 2016

What to Tat?

I have been struggling to tat for the last few weeks.  I guess I have been feeling a bit uninspired.  I have some Christmas projects in the works, but they are long term projects.  Maybe I am feeling worn out after tatting over three yards of lace for my daughter's dress and not feeling up to taking on another big project!  The Christmas projects also require designing and I am struggling with a couple of my ideas.

So the tatting shuttles had lost their allure for a few days.  Since I am NOT one to sit idle and I found a gorgeous (and luscious and toasty) pair of purple leather gloves on Amazon for $20.00 plus shipping that I just had to have them!  Honestly, I already owned a brown pair from this manufacturer and love them.  They are so very soft and snuggly.  I also got my mother a pair and she has already ordered two more in brown and red.

In my way of thinking, gloves need a matching scarf.  Right?  Of course I am right!!  Well, I do not crochet!  And I WAS limited to the knit stitch in knitting.  I knew how to purl, but it drove me crazy to move the working yarn from side to side when switching from knit to purl or visa versa.  ARG!!! There had to be a better way to knit.  There just had to be a better way to knit...


The scarf is a little more "plummy" than the gloves.  I had not received the gloves yet, so I was not sure of the exact color.  The scarf is a simple knit-purl stitch.  I used Lion Brand Homespun Grape.  The texture within the yarn makes it a very forgiving yarn for new kniters.

Hello YouTube!!  Have I told you that I learned to tat off of YouTube?  That is a story for another time if I have not told you about that yet.  I guess I will check previous blogs before I repeat myself.

Anyway, YouTube revealed the most wonderful thing to me.  I knew American knitting.  There is another form of knitting called Continental knitting!  It is amazingly simple.  Just switch the working thread from the right hand to the left (left hand to right hand if you are left handed).  A truly amazing thing happens -- the working thread falls to the side you want it on for your next stitch.  If it does not fall to the correct side,it is very easy to move with a flick of the needles.  Continental knitting also eliminates the  need to wrap the working thread around the needle to pull it through the stitch. Another flick of the needles and like magic... the thread wrapped itself around the needle!!
After learning that knitting is not nearly as bad as I thought, I decided to work through a knitting stitch book to practice the new techniques and maybe learn a few new things.

Here is the link to Knitting Help by Amy Finley.


Moss Stitch
Divided Boxes View 1


Divided Boxes View 2 reverse side
Six Stitch Cable

This reminded me of another project I have wanted to start for a long time.  I have been planning on working through all my tatting pattern books (even the Kindle versions) and tatting everything in them.  That project is now under way!  I chose Traditional Tatting Patterns edited by Rita Weiss as my first book.  I only plan on tatting up the edgings and maybe medallions creating a sampler.  I probably not do the doilies and other larger projects in them.