Shopping Near Calgary in Alberta

What a great visit! This past Friday I had the privilege of visiting a very quaint little store in Cochrane, Alberta called “The Stitching Corner”. I had the pleasure of meeting Betty Whitford, who graciously showed me all around everything she could think of that might help with supplying a tatter from beautifully sparkling metallic threads to lovely seed beads. They have an excellent variety of Kreinik metallics and some silk threads I had never heard of but wanted so badly to try. Unfortunately, time and funds were limited on this trip. I would have needed a wheelbarrow to cart away all the lovely things I wanted to have! It isn’t often I get to physically visit a store that is as well-stocked as this one, and I would have happily spent hours perusing everything in which I had an interest. Alas, we were due elsewhere and we had to go.

This stitcher's heaven is located in a sweet little town called Cochrane, Alberta at Bay 2, 185 First Street East. Their website is at the right. You can email them at nygabe@telus.ca, or call them at 403-932-3096. Unfortunately, they don’t do online shopping, but they do a whopping mail order business and they can get just about anything your little heart desires. Call them or email them with your questions and they’ll be happy to talk with you. I took some pictures in the store and am posting them here with Betty’s kind permission.

Silk Threads!

Seed Beads

Embroidery Threads!

More Silk Threads that GLITTER!

Anchor Threads and Kreinik Metallics!!

Books on almost any subject you could want!

It's an amazing little shop, and I had such a good time visiting with Betty.  If you're in the area, please stop in and let them know I sent you!  If there is something you're wanting but they don't have it in stock, they can order it for you.  

While they don't have an online store and don't plan to have one because the amount of work involved, they will communicate with you in whatever manner you have available.  You can email them, you can call them, you can send them a letter, you can email them.  These are a very knowledgeable group of people and they will find a way to help you

I did learn something a little disturbing, though.  It seems that Canadian craft distributors are, in essence, penalizing Canadian retailers because they don't sell enough. Postal charges are over-the-top,  there's no benefit to selling to a domestic client, and the distributors treat the Canadian retailers almost like an inconvenience.  You would think a distributor would like to keep the Canadian outlets in business.  Ladies and gentlemen, we need to support our local shops, or we won't have them. I don't want that, do you?

On a personal note, my husband and I were invited to the wedding of the son of a good friend of his (they grew up together) in the BC mountains.  Beautiful weather, the mountains in spring, good friends and of course, a killer party!  Gave me some time while travelling to work on a little something.  I love butterflies, and I've made a couple of modifications to an ice drop I've already got in my head to get this:

Butterflies!!

As usual, I have done it all in one trip around, and there are next to no ends to sew in.  The most complicated part is, believe it or not, the antennae!  Once you do a few, they're a piece of cake, but they sure are a pain when you're trying to get them to measure up evenly.  It was fun to make, though.  So, what is on your shuttle/needle?

Happy tatting!

More Places to Shop!!

Hello, Lovely Tatters!  Today I have for your buying pleasure and stash re-stocking three more sources for material. The first two are especially geared to those of you who are using beads and findings to make jewelry or using such things to make other wonderful items. 

The first one, in alphabetical order, is BeadFX in Toronto, Ontario.  I do hope to get here one day soon, perhaps using a visit to my sister-in-law in Welland area as an excuse.  Their physical shop is located at 19 Waterman Ave #2, East York, ON, M4B 1Y2; phone number 1-416-751-1911. Look below at the lovely selection of Swarovski branded sparklies. OH MY!! They also have online ordering, so important to those of us who don't live just down the street.  Go have a look, and be sure to keep the drooling to a minimum.

They have a whole wall of Swarovski!!  A WHOLE WALL!!

The next one in our alphabetical order is Beazu Wholesale in Vancouver, BC. They can be found at 60 W. 6th Ave, Vancouver, BC, and their phone number is 1-604-876-6637.  They have a physical store as well as online shopping.  They have a FABULOUS selection of all things sparkly and shiny to make a beader's heart go pitter-pat!  Just look at a sampling of what's in store for you here!

I think I'll have to find an excuse to get to Vancouver!

I have found another place in Quebec that supplies threads and a few tatting books.  Trillium Lace has some lovely-looking threads that seem to be of high quality.  They specialize mostly in crochet, bobbin and needle laces, but the threads used are frequently usable in tatting.  Their mailing address is 122 rue Kent, Gatineau, QC J8X 3K6, phone number  819-772-4867.  You can also email them at info@trilliumlace.ca and ask questions.  They seem to know just what tatting is, so give them a look

On a personal note, I've nicely completed cataract surgery on my second eye, and it's healing well. Being off for a week has its' goods and bads.  I am going positively stir-crazy, but the dog is enjoying Mama being home, and the cat is enjoying a warm lap for more than just the evening hours.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to work on my pattern for my trip to Indiana (I'm teaching, folks!).  This may be my last out-of-country opportunity to attend a gathering of tatters, so I figured I would take the opportunity to go out with a bang.  I may limit my future travels to just Canadian gatherings.  I do know that the trip last year was horrendous.  The trip home alone had me awake for a solid 23 hours.  This time the trip will start in North Dakota at 5:00 AM when the plane takes off and will have me there by about 12:30 PM when it lands.  Folks, when you consider allowing for time zones, I'll be in the air and travelling for less than 6 hours.  The trip home will be even shorter.  Note to self:  Don't fly from Regina to go south anymore!

I've been looking to hone my skills with the needle, as well.  I'm not doing too badly, either.  I'm understanding a lot more.  Frankly, as long as the end result is the same, what difference does it make how you get there?  I do know that one tool over the other is frequently easier for different people for different reasons.  I'm not going to pick one over the other; I just want to be able to help someone that has a question instead of tell them "I don't use that tool".

I'm also looking into holding classes locally.  The library here is sometimes available as a venue for teaching, but you have to present a plan for what you want your class to be.  I think part of that would have to include a description of tatting, the lacemaking art, and not tatting, the art of body modification (I get a great many interested looks from young millennials until they realize I'm not talking about ink and skin).

I think I've talked long enough.  I'd love to hear from some of you.

Happy Tatting!

Life Getting The Best of You

Hello, all you lovely tatters!  Yes, it has been a while and a half for sure since I've  been here to add anything and I'm sorry for that.  There has been so many things to deal with.  Cataract surgery, family issues, a funeral, planning trips, a wedding coming up, teaching in Indiana in July, it's all just a blur. 

Now that I've had a good whine, I will stop feeling sorry for myself and get on with this.  Lots of things to add, new names to put on the mentors' list, a couple of new stores, I'm so happy to find this information.

I'm also learning to needle tat.  From being someone that honestly thought needle tatting was "cheating" to realizing lace is lace and the tool you use to get the end result doesn't matter, I figured it was time to get with the program and just learn it.  You know what?  It's really not that hard.  If I could just get my left thumb to cooperate instead of hurt all the time with arthritis, I'd be tatting up a storm!!  With BOTH tools.

If you look to the right, you will notice I've added a new mentor in Montreal, Quebec, and a couple of new suppliers in Quebec City. I'll have to see if I can find some more suppliers in the Montreal area because they're not a hop-skip-and-a-jump apart.

On the home front, I'm heading off to Indiana in July to take part as a guest instructor at Tat Days: The Wild Side of Tatting at the Tatting Corner.  It will be my first time teaching in a large group, and I'll be instructing folks on how to complete a pattern of my own design.  If you've not been to one of these events, wherever you are, you should go to at least one.  They're an amazing way to network with other like-minded people and learn a BUNCH of new stuff.  Your mind will be overflowing, but a good time will be had by all.

I had the honour late last year of completing a project for a family in Saskatoon.  I was contacted by a lovely lady whose mother had, sadly, passed away before she could complete her final project intended for one of her great-granddaughters.  I was so very glad to have the privilege of finishing this project. Most families would have got out the scissors and thrown out the work and re-purposed the thread and beads.  I finished the project, made the earrings that went with it, and the young lady intended to wear it was thrilled.  I feel very pleased to have helped this lovely family.

I'm up to my ears in planning projects and writing patterns.  I will do my utmost not to make it so long until my next post.

Happy tatting!

Tat Days in Indiana

Oh, how life gets the best of you! I didn’t think it had been this long since I last posted, but apparently it has. To anyone expecting updates, I am so sorry. I will try better from here on.

It is the season of tatting conferences. This weekend there is one in Georgia, then there’s another the end of this month in Cambridge, Ontario hosted by the Fringe Element Tatters. At the beginning of July I was privileged to attend the first ever “Tat Days” held at The Tatting Corner in Anderson, Indiana, just outside of Indianapolis.

Lots of these events are held all over the place, mostly in the United States. Why would I want to go to one? Well, there are many reasons, really. First, I needed to do something for myself. The last 5 years have been somewhat difficult and I finally had vacation time available to me that wasn’t earmarked to look after someone else or a medical problem for myself. I’ve not had a REAL vacation in a very long time. The time nd the funds were both available at the right time, so I went.

My next reason for doing this was so that I could put names to faces. I’m somewhat active in some of the Facebook groups dedicated to tatting and I wanted to see who I’ve been interacting with but had no real idea who they were. I’m old school; I like to see a flesh-and-blood person to complete the picture of who they are in my head. I sure enjoyed this part. I met some absolutely wonderful people!

I learned so much from other tatters, and I truly hope I contributed even a little bit to someone else’s experience. I only saw about 3 other Canadians but they were there, and just about as crazy as am I! I got to see a horse race! I saw how the Americans do fireworks (it is off the hook, people!) on the Fourth of July. I got to go shopping at a different Hobby Lobby (Michael’s could take a real lesson here). In a word, I had FUN!

If you’re able to attend these events regularly, you are a lucky person, indeed. I know that by the time I was ready to come home, I was exhausted, my mind was full, my heart Even more so, I had spent far more than I intended, met a wonderful person named Dawn that shared my hotel room, met lots of others I’m not sure I’ll ever see again (but hope I do!), learned so much, and just felt pleased beyond
measure that I had finally been in the same room with more than one tatter at a time. If you’re able to get to a tatting conference, or even just a regular tatting group meeting, you will be in the company of a wonderful group of people. Tatters!

Happy tatting, folks!

Vancouver Shopping, and Dropping the Shuttle

April 20, 2018

I will start right off in true Canadian tradition: With an apology.  I've been absent, but I have been busy for sure.  I had minor surgery on the 16th, my dog AND my cat have dental issues that need attending, and my daughter is having issues that have me concerned (she will be fine, but I'm the mom, so I worry.  It's written somewhere in the "handbook" that it comes with the territory).  Family first, as they say, but it took me away from my promise to find resources for Canadian Tatters.

So, my fine-feathered friends, I have another one for you!  I introduce to you: Dressew Supply, located on the mainland of British Columbia in Vancouver.  Now, I'm informed they don't do mail order OR online sales, but I'm also told they are absolutely stocked to the rafters with notions and many things a tatter would love.  Apparently, their prices are extremely reasonable and their staff is very knowledgeable in a great many crafts so that if one isn't able to help, someone else on staff likely will.  They are located at 337 W. Hastings St, Vancouver, BC in the heart of Gastown.  While they don't do mail order or online sales, they do come highly recommended by several people.  If you were to call them at 604-682-6196 and asked if they have something, I'm pretty sure they could tell you and you could plan your trip. Their website is www.yelp.com/biz/dressew-supply-vancouver and if you wander over there, I'm sure you'll see lots of wonderful reviews, just like I did.  According to David (who was my very kind contact at the store) all their Facebook and Twitter posts originate at their Instagram account, which is @dressew.  You have several ways to contact these folks other than just on the phone.  

Look at this!!  It is an entire wall of BUTTONS!!  I see Ice-Drop coming out of my ears!!

Just those buttons are tempting!!  Can you imagine all the wonderful tatted musings you could come up with with just those buttons?  I sure can!  (I have a thing for pretty buttons) Give them a look!! 

On a different note, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce some of the newer tatters that might be wandering in here to a  technique I once considered a "waste of time".  I must be getting mellow in my old age because I now swear by it, and that is "posting" your shuttle.

First, it's a technique where you put your shuttle through the ring before you close it.  Just take the shuttle from the top of the work to the backside of the work by dropping it through the ring you're working on and THEN closing the ring.  It is that simple, but has an amazing effect on your end product.

I know, "what the heck does THAT do?"  Well, for one thing, it moves the stitches into better alignment with each other so the ring closes better.  An added plus is that the ring is easier to open in the event you make a boo-boo that needs repairing.  Look here what it does for a ring.  One is not posted, one is posted.  Can you tell the difference?

         

                                                  Non Posted                                                       Posted 


The next thing I noted in this "what the heck does THAT do?"  answer was that subsequent elements were easier to butt up against the previous (you know, removing that awful gap some of us seem to always have between a ring and a chain coming away from it?).  Again, look here; one is off a ring that was posted, another isn't.  I like the look of the one off the ring with posted shuttle better, don't you?

          

                                         Not Posted                                         Posted

I don't know why I hadn't noticed any of this before, and I can't explain it.  I just know that one day I was tatting recently and put my shuttle through the ring for some reason before I closed it, and the ring closed smoothly and COMPLETELY!  I really didn't think anything of it.  The chain that came off it butted up really close to the ring, too.  The next ring I did the same way I always had, without posting the shuttle, and it didn't look as good.  "Hmm...what did I do different on that last ring?"  Why had I not seen that difference before?

Here's the other bonus:  The rings truly ARE easier to open.  There's no twisted bit at the base of the ring to struggle around.  I've opened rings I noticed an error on 2 or 3 back and they opened like a dream.

I now make a very definite effort to remember to post the shuttle and I curse myself when I have to open a ring to do that, cuz it's not as easy to do if you haven't posted the shuttle beforehand.  It really does make a difference!  I will try to show something with trefoils for my next post because the effects of this are far-reaching.  Until next time, my friends!

Happy Tatting!

Good News for Eastern Canada Tatters!

April 11, 2018

Oh my gracious, I'm so excited!  If I wasn't already in a chair I'd need to sit down.  I found a store in Eastern Canada that sells tatting supplies, and they have stores ALL OVER Nova Scotia!

Atlantic Fabrics has been serving the sewing and crafting community in Nova Scotia for a whopping THIRTY-THREE YEARS!!  When I lived in Nova Scotia (more than a few moons ago) I shopped at their store in New Glasgow.  They had so many things in there, and a crafting department second-to-none.  The really nice part of it was that if one clerk wasn't sure what you were asking about, another one would be available to help you with the information you were seeking. They are located in Halifax, Dartmouth, Bridgewater, Truro, Greenwood and New Glasgow.  Their website is atlanticfabrics.com and there are certain parts of it that are currently "Under Construction" because...

...THEY'RE GOING TO OFFER ONLINE SHOPPING IN THE COMING MONTHS!!

Folks, Eastern Canada will finally have a wonderful source of tatting materials available and you won't have to travel very far!  Open up your computer and you'll have a wealth of supplies at your fingertips! I hope the folks that are reading this from the Maritimes are seeing this.  I might be living out here on the open prairie, but I miss the Maritime provinces.  I'm so glad the needs of my fellow tatters are starting to be met the way they should.  

When I lived in Nova Scotia, I lived in a teeny little place called Bickerton W., I worked at Sherbrooke Village, and I'll tell you this for free:  it was a royal pain trying to keep my craft cupboard supplied.  I had to travel at least an hour to Antigonish, and even further if I wanted to go to New Glasgow (where the better supplies were, I'll be honest).  You better be sure you had a whole day and a list of everything you wanted before you went cuz you were hooped if you forgot something important.  Soon, that won't be an issue.

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Atlantic Fabrics for getting  back to me so quickly with the "okay" to post their store details here, and thanks for continuing to serve the needs of the crafting community in Nova Scotia!

Okay, now I need to go have a cup of tea and pick up my own tatting before I explode.  This was great news!

Happy Tatting!

Another Hopeful Resource gone.

 April 3, 2018

Oh, my goodness!  I found a treasure trove!  This website lists lacemaking guilds and groups in Canada!!  I just about choked on my tea, I was so excited!  Have any of you found this?  I don't know how recent any of the links are, but this will prove extremely helpful in getting Canada properly onto the tatting map instead of just out here on the periphery.

http://www.arachne.com/guild/canada.html

There were all kinds of them and I just didn't have time to look at them all, but it was exciting nontheless.  If anyone with an internet connection at home and with time on your hands could go have a look at it and get back to me, I would truly appreciate the help.

I heard from another tatting resource.  They were very excited to be listed on our little corner of the website.  Stitch-it Central in Ingersoll, ON has been in business for quite some time, and Cindy, the kind lady I contacted, has written a little something for our blog:

Stitch-it Central started over 10 years ago when Maria Santos wanted to take her love of cross-stitching and be able to share it with more people, and meet some new friends.  The company started small, in the basement of their house with a small inventory, a small group of stitchers and a couple new customers popping in to check out the growing store.  It wasn't long before the inventory and the stitching group out-grew the basement location and Stitch-it Central found a home in the quaint little town of Ingersoll, Ontario in 2013.  We began catering more to the crafts that customers were asking about and soon expanded into needlepoint, rug hooking, tatting, yarns, quilting and even custom framing!  Proudly Canadian and boasting a website with over 50,000 products and a physical store of over 3000 square feet, we are meeting new customers and making new friends every day, all while sharing a love of hobbies and crafting.

We have a great selection of tatting supplies, including shuttles, needles, gauges, bobbin cases, books, threaders, and a wide variety of Lizbeth threads in different sizes.  

Please visit us at www.stitchitcentral.ca, come to our store at 189 Thames St. S, Ingersoll ON, call us at 519-303-1563, or email us at sales@stitchitcentral.ca.  You can also visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Stitchitcentral/?ref=bookmark

Their website seems very well laid-out and easily navigable.  Their selection of tatting tools is impressive, and I may invest in one of those threaders they have featured.  I can never seem to find one that will hold up to threading size 20 Lizbeth through the eye of the needle I use when I do break down and hide ends.  I absolutely HATE hiding ends and will find a creative way to insert a split chain or split ring into my work just so I can climb from one round to the next without cutting and tying!

You know, I need to sincerely thank everyone that has stepped up to volunteer as a mentor, consented to let me list their shop here, spread the word, or even just given encouragement. It's all very hard to put into words. This is truly important to me; something I've wanted to do for a long time.  It is both heartwarming and humbling to be part of such a wonderful group of people. Gives ya the warm fuzzies, it does!

I'm afraid tonight's post won't be a long one, sorry.  I twisted my knee on the ice yesterday evening while we were hurrying to get our dog to the dog wash in town (hey, everyone needs to have a bath before they go to the doctor, er, vet).  Nothing serious, but I broke out the ol' cane and have been taking steps rather gingerly today.  I need to get things ready to go back to work tomorrow.  Ah, why can't it be a 2-day work week and a 5 day-off situation?  I suppose it just makes you appreciate the time you do have.  Okay, the ice pack and the Tylenol are calling my name!

Happy Tatting!

Sad update, dear Tatters.  Seems the website for Arachne.com is no longer working.  Another resource gone.  Breaks my heart.