Saying Good Bye

 Hello Lovely Tatters.  I have been absent from my blog for quite some time and I do apologize.  I've had some health concerns that are being addressed, but they've kept me off here.  I've also been tending my much-extended garden, discovering the joys of canning and preserving, and helping friends move out of town.  My husband also changed jobs again, and I'm adjusting to his new schedule, too.  So many things keeping you away from what you enjoy doing.

I come to you on this day with sad news.  The tatting community has lost a bright star, and I feel this one particularly hard.

Have you ever seen a skeleton key with a tatted lace frill around the bow?  If you have, it was likely either created by, or inspired by, Carollyn Brown.

Carollyn was a sweet lady that I met at The Tatting Corner's first Tat Days in Indiana in 2018. She had me in tears of laughter with her pronunciation of "Saskatchewan".  She pronounced it "Sasquatchewan" and I laughed so hard I couldn't see.  I still giggle about it. There was more to the conversation, all of it was great fun, but Sasquatchewan was a particularly funny memory.  She and I joked about it back and forth.  I ordered some keys to work with from her, and when I opened the package I found a pink disposable razor.  No note, but she was teasing me about being from "Sasquatchewan".  I needed a shave.  I still smile at that one.

She was one of the most talented people I've had the privilege to meet.  She could draw, she could work with wood, she could tat like a fiend, so many things.  If you ever saw her Pinterest page or her Instagram account, or her blog, you would know there was no limit to her talent.  She was a light that you couldn't extinguish, and will continue to burn because it was such a bright flame.

Please go have a look at her accounts:

Pinterest has her listed as @madtatter80

Her Blog is at https://tennbrown.blogspot.com/

Her Instagram account is listed as "private" and getting in to see her work is only on approved request.

You may have noticed that I am referring to this lovely lady in the past tense.  There's a reason for this.

Carollyn suffered a massive stroke earlier this week.  She was on life support, but her family took her off all interventions and let nature take its' course.  Carollyn left us shortly after on Wednesday night.  She left behind her husband and family, all of whom are deeply suffering her loss.  Those of us that knew her as an artist and friend share their grief.  The hardest part is that Carollyn was only 59 years old, and seemed so much younger.  She was a bubbly, loving, talented and sweet lady that has left a hole that will be so hard to fill.

Carollyn taught her pattern, Key to Happiness, at the 2019 Tat Days.  It has inspired me to create others, and I will always keep this key closest to my heart.

Key to Happiness by Carollyn Brown, 2019

I can't tat very much lately.  Some of the continuing health issues I am experiencing have caused my eyesight to be an issue.  Small threads and tiny beads are absolutely impossible for me to see at the minute, even with a magnifying glass.  I'm hoping the doctor will deal with that soon.

What Carollyn's departure has done for me is to cement my resolve to create once the doctor resolves my issues with my vision.  Don't hide your light under a bushel, let it shine.  Show everyone what you're able to do.  Push yourself to excel to the best of your ability.  There will always be someone a hair better than you, but you know what?  Who cares??  Use their creation for inspiration to create something else.  If what you do leaves you fulfilled and happy, there's no point comparing yourself to anyone else.  Be like Carollyn and embrace your artistic side.  Share it with everyone you can find, because there will be people you will never meet who will be inspired to create because of what you do.  Don't hide your light.

Rest in peace, dear Carollyn.  We will miss you very much.