Tennessee Maple Leaf

 In October my husband and I took a trip to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. This is the time of year you hear about how beautiful the fall foliage is. There were trees in full fall colors, there were trees that were still green, and there were trees that were bare. It was beautiful, not as much color as we were expecting, but we weren't disappointed. 

We didn't see as much wildlife as we thought, but we did see some. Like several black bears. This one was on the side of the road as we drove into Gatlinburg. He didn't pay any attention to the traffic.

Everywhere there were signs to not feed the bears, not leave food in your car, and lock your car doors, as bears have figured out how to open car doors. These signs are in town and in the National park. We took them seriously.

I took my tatting with me (of course!) and I actually did a little bit. I was inspired to make a maple leaf in fall colors with Lizbeth 136 Autumn Spice. This is a lovely, variegated thread, just right for making fall leaves. I brought along size 10 to make it easy to see and work with in dim lighting that you may have in hotel rooms, and while we traveled.

Tennessee Maple Leaf 1.0

There are beautiful patterns on the Internet of maple leaves, but I didn't look them up. (There are a lot of tattoos that come up when searching for them!) This is what I came up with while on our trip.

I had made the mistake of leaving home without a hat of any sort, but the weather was cool and windy in some places. Instead of buying a souvenir hat I bought a plain, black one at Walmart. I didn't get the leaf finished in time while we were there, but I added the leaf to it on the way home.

Yes, I made another, different, leaf, made while thinking of how to make the maple leaf. They look pretty good on the hat.

I have written out the pattern, but while verifying the pattern, I decided to change it up a bit. Not much, just a little, this one made in size 20 as I was home. Same Autumn Spice, just smaller thread.

Tennessee Maple Leaf 2.0

The modification gives it a bit more height and makes the stitch counts more consistent. I also made a change in the way the stem is made. I think I'll put both ways on the pattern. Depending on how the rest of the day goes, and if my computer will cooperate, I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of today.

Here at home, we've been enjoying beautiful warm days that don't feel like fall at all. There have been a few cool days, but they don't last long. There were just enough cold nights that the leaves turned color, then fell. Most leaves left on the trees won't be there much longer. The weather man says that it will get much cooler next week, but it's November, we should expect that. 

 

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, but it seems to be coming very fast. Then it will be Advent and Christmas. And I still haven't decided what my Christmas ornament will be this year! I really need to get on it!

Update: I've added Tennessee Maple Leaf pattern to My Patterns page. November 15, 2025

"Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day." –Shira Tamir

Off to Tat Days!

On Tuesday we will set out for Anderson, Indiana, for Tatting Corner’s Tat Days 2024. We’re stopping for a bit of sightseeing on the way as the classes don’t start until Thursday. This year I will be teaching two new patterns of mine. The theme is “Games Tatters Play” and my patterns are of the Great Race of the Hare and the Tortoise.

The Tortoise and the Hare

The tortoise is a stuffed 3D pattern. It is similar to the Sea Turtle I taught on the cruise in November, with a lot of changes. For one, Sea Turtles have fins, the Tortoise has legs and toes!

His opponent in the Race is the Hare. This hare is 2D instead of 3D, and plans on winning! It looks simple, but jumps around a lot, with a lot of reverse work and switching shuttles.

Tat Days are July 11, 12, & 13. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends, and meeting new ones!

The Hare and Tortoise patterns will be available after Tat Days.

Who will win? The fast, or the the slow and steady?

Aesop Fable “The Hare and the Tortoise”

A Bit of a Mess

I’m doing a bit of cleaning and changing on my blog, specifically my patterns. I’m moving them from a paid server to Google Docs. I’m doing it mostly in the order they are listed on My Patterns page, so if you’re looking for a pattern and get an error or a message saying it’s not available, let me know by email and I’ll get it for you.

While moving my patterns, I’ve noticed that some of them need to be updated. I guess I have a summer project now. I’ve also noticed how many things I’ve not made or finished the patterns for. I think my summer is full!

Under construction

I’m doing some work on my blog and I’ve seem to have lost my Patterns Page.

Fear not, it will return.

As soon as I figure out what I did with it.

“I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.”

Vincent Van Gogh

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Under construction

I'm doing some work on my blog and I've seem to have lost my Patterns Page.

Fear not, it will return.

As soon as I figure out what I did with it.

"I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process."

Vincent Van Gogh

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Of airplanes, ornaments, and snowmen

Several years ago I gave the white airplane on the right to a friend of mine for Christmas. He had it hung on his office wall at work and I noticed a few months ago that it was looking a bit wilted and yellow. It had  been stiffened a bit but not enough it seems.  The smaller grey plane I meant to give him last year and didn't (he got a tatted ornament just not the plane).  This year I wanted to make sure he got both his airplanes but in a way that would look good and last a bit better.

Airplane  © Wanda Salmans 2014

Pattern found on My Patterns tab

Trying to find a background that worked with both planes took a bit.  Craft paper was the best I could find from my stash of both paper and material.  No worries, my friend really liked his airplanes.

I've gotten quite a few responses since I posted about these small ornaments.  

They are very basic and simple patterns so I wasn't going to write them up, but I decided to do a few to give people that would like to do something similar an start.  You can find the link on My Patterns tab as Christmas Ornaments 2015.

The snowman that I made for myself and attached to a pin is missing in action.

I wore it Christmas day and forgot to take it off my shirt before I washed it.

I'm not sure where it ended up.  I used regular white craft glue to put it all together as it was never meant to go through the washer.  I'll probably find bits and pieces of him in the clothes as we put them on, tucked up inside a sleeve of some shirt or other.  It's too bad but not a tragedy to loose him as I have others but, man! I wish I hadn't done that.

2015 is about to make it's exit.  It's been a thrilling year with the new experience of a cruise and visiting Alaska for the first time; a sad year where we have lost three family members and several close friends over the course of the year; and an exciting year as we've finally done some home improvements that had been put off for far too long.  It could be said it's been a normal year with ups and downs, good times and bad.  As we enter 2016 I make no resolutions that I know I won't keep but move forward with a positive outlook and hopes for a wonderful new year.

What are you looking for in the coming year?

"Every exit is an entrance to new experiences."

Fortune cookie proverb

Putting them all together.

Don't ya just hate it when you know what pattern you want to make but can't find where you put it?

I have that problem especially when I print patterns from the computer.  That one or two pieces of paper are fine for a while then they just disappear!  I think there is a secret place somewhere in my house where loose patterns go to party and I'm not invited.

This even happens with my own patterns.  I have written out and shared patterns here on my blog plus I have some that I've not finished writing out or diagramming yet and once in awhile I actually want to tat them again.  I go looking for those printed sheets and can't find them anywhere (I think I hear them snickering at me as I search for them.) Yes, I could just reprint them but I hate to do that when I know I have them printed somewhere!

I started thinking that if they were all together in a folder or notebook that they would be harder to lose.  Think about it, it wouldn't be as easy for them to slip between the seat cushions or fall behind the end table, or find other ways to sneak off to their private little party.

I began by printing off the patterns I've posted here - they are the most complete.

I printed them in booklet form, reducing the patterns from the original size of 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper to be half that size.  A few of them ended up being on two pages but most worked okay on one side.  The print is a bit smaller of course, but mostly can still be read easily.  The finished size of 5 1/2" by 8 1/2" makes it a nice size to take with me if I want - this size will fit in my purse.

I did not make any changes to the way the patterns show on-line except for the size.  Each one still has their own definitions instead of one page at the start of the booklet.  The pictures are still the same.  I printed on both sides of the paper.

This has given me a lot of respect to anyone who self-publishes, whether it's patterns or any other type of book.  This was quite a bit of work - trying to get patterns with two pages to face each other instead of back-to-back, putting them in the order I want, and trying not to miss any.  They are mostly in alphabetical order except for a couple that needed to be on facing pages which caused them to be a little out of order.

As I finish up new patterns I will probably just put them in new booklet instead of trying to add to this one.  Having done this one I have some ideas on how I would do it differently the next time.

This was a fun exercise.  And maybe these will now be a bit harder to lose. They will just have to miss the party, ha!

"I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done."

Steven Wright

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Where's that pattern?

Colonial Lady Applique from 'Aunt Ellen's Tatting Handbook'

tatted by Wanda Salmans 

I have a lot of old Workbasket magazines.  You remember those, don't you?  Quite a few of them have a least one tatting pattern in them, along with all kinds of other crafts.  The problem, of course, it knowing what patterns are in which edition.  I usually end up spending a lot of time getting lost in looking through a stack of them, forgetting what I was looking for in the first place.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I loose a lot of tatting time that way.

Over at Craftree/Intatters there is a library that is being compiled, which has a lot of patterns in it.  I'm not sure how many from Workbasket magazines.  If not many yet there probably will be eventually. 

I came across another place that has a large (make that huge!) bibliography of tatting.  There are a lot of books both old and new listed, some with reviews.  And a list of Workbaskets and what patterns are in which edition. That place is Something Under the Bed.  I am in awe of how much work Leigh has done here and not just for tatting but for several other crafts as well.  I highly recommend this sight if you're looking for information on a book or pattern.   

The pattern for the Colonial Lady above in the picture I found in 'Aunt Ellen's Tatting Handbook' copyright 1982, but was originally in a Work basket from 1954 (I know this because I made a note of it on the pattern in the book.) I talk about making this lady in a post several years ago.  She still looks good.

The Workbasket magazine in the picture is the June/July 1994 No Vol. 59 edition.  It has a tatted "Independence Day Pin" in it - which I've made but can't think of where I put it right now. I actually made several of them to give to family one year.  But if you wanted to make it and didn't know which edition to look in, you could find it on Leigh's site.

What are you waiting for?  I know you have a pattern you need to find.

I have no affiliation with Leigh or her website, I just found it a fabulous place.

"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry."

Richard P. Feynman

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Are You Ready?

The New Year is here and with it new beginnings.

Including Jane's 2015 TIAS which starts tomorrow January 7.

Are you ready?

I looked through my shuttle collection and found two that were empty - not that easy as most still have thread still on them from previous projects.  Then I checked through my button stash for a 3/8th inch button - again, not as easy as I thought it would be.  After I found the button I could think about what color thread to use.  As it was handy and I like the color I wound the shuttles with Lizbeth #657 in size 20.

I'm as ready as I'll ever be for this year's TIAS.

Are you?

I've also started the new year by adding a couple of patterns to my Patterns tab.  I finally finished diagramming the Fall Bookmark (aka Bookmark in Fall Colors) I posted about here and here.  I was also asked about the pattern for the wreath I posted about here.  Both are now available.

I don't make resolutions for New Years as I rarely keep them.  This year I'm making goals instead.  The top three (at the moment) in no particular order are:

Update the header and layout of my blog.

Diagram and write out the patterns for the snowflakes I made in the last few months.

Practice taking better pictures for my blog.

These are practical goals that are totally reachable.  I feel I am ready for them.

Are you ready?

"May it be the best year yet for you

And everything prosper you may do."