DESSERT/BAKE SALE HOSTED BY TIFFANY ONG
Before I talk about my weekend with the Palmetto Tat Guild, I wanted to give a shout out to my sister who is raising money to help local and national organizations that support and serve Black-led/owned non-profits and businesses. My sister has always been a fan of making desserts. At one point she had a dream of opening her own bakery or ice cream shop. Her dreams have changed, and this year really got her thinking about using her passion for baking and desserts to do some good for the world. The good news is that you can still be a part of it!
How it works: Every week she will post the dessert of the week on Wednesday morning for auction using the finest quality ingredients and her time to bring you delicious concoctions. You have until the end of the day Thursday to bid for the dessert she posts on her instagram account. A different non-profit/business will receive the money raised that month from the sales. She will provide links for information of the non-profit of the month on the post of her dessert for auction if you have an interest in learning more. 100% of the money goes to the non-profit. (She does not take part of the funds to cover the cost of her ingredients or shipping. Her family contributions are the desserts and shipping cost if you are outside Boulder, CO.)
If you're from out of state like me, you can reach out to her on her instragram direct messages to request dessert concoctions that are shipping friendly. She will keep those things in mind as she plans her desserts for the month in advance. There is no sweeter way to make a charitable donation and get something yummy from it than from this online dessert auction! Check out all the photos of her dessert fundraiser so far: https://www.instagram.com/ongtiffa/
VIRTUAL CLASSES FOR FALL AND WINTER: MAPLE LEAF AND POINSETTIA WITH THE LACE MUSEUM
Fall and Winter are coming, so I thought it would be nice to have themed classes for knotted lace flowers and patterns. These classes are great for continuing beginners. You can register online via the Lace Museum.
Maple Leaf for Continuing Beginners
Date: Wed. Oct 14
Time: 9:00am - 11:30am Pacific Time
Platform: Google Meet
Poinsettia for Continuing Beginners
Date: Thurs. Nov 10
Time: 9:00am - Noon Pacific Time
Platform: Google Meet
If you have not taken the classes for beginners before, I highly recommend you watch the youtube videos on my channel and make sure you can do the basic techniques in the videos before class.
The Lace Museum will offer recommended supplies that can be purchased at an additional cost for the class (needles, threads, etc). They will also mail a copy of the pattern before the class starts. It's a good idea to register early so the instructions can get to you in time as digital copies are not available.
After the live class is over, students will have two weeks to watch the videos over and over again before it is removed. I highly recommend submitting photos for critique so I can give you feedback to move you along your knotted lace journey!
PALMETTO TAT DAYS
This year, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Palmetto Tat Days in Toccoa, Georgia for the first time. Even though the self-quarantine had some effect on the turn out of the event, I was really glad they were able to hold the event and bring people together.
The weekend itself felt like a retreat with good friends. For most of the lacemakers, it was the only time of year they see one another because everyone hailed in from different states. Even though they had half of the usual attendance, I really enjoyed the more intimate setting that allowed me to get to know some of the people much better.
If you have an interest in a weekend event for lace making, I highly recommend Palmetto Tat Days. The event was jam packed with classes that people pre-registered for, and the facilities were conducive to learning and bonding. Our rooms to spend the nights at the lodge were right above the classrooms making it easy to go in and out whenever necessary. Every floor of the lodge also had some common rooms or lounge area for people who are not taking classes to hangout. Most of the time, folks were working on their projects while catching up or talking about tatting techniques throughout the day and into the evening and night.
It was a bit like the college experience but way more fun! Everyone was welcoming and kind. There was also a group of husbands who attend the event every year with their wives and help with technical or organizational things for the guild (some of them are also tatters or fiber artists.) Usually during their free time, the men will plan activities around nature like hiking trips in the area. I was actually lucky to sneak in a one hour hike between classes. It was my first time seeing mushrooms in the wild, a writing/yellow garden spider, and eating a wild grape.
On the last day of the event, I won the grand prize (a bag full of craft goodies) at the event via a survey raffle. It was really easy for me to share the prize with the folks I spent time with at the event. I still brought plenty of stuff back, but it was neat seeing how happy people were with exploring the goody bag on our final day.
I also finally had time to learned the basics of shuttle tatting through Shawna Wachs. It was also really neat getting together with her and spending some time translating Turkish needle lace flower patterns into tatting patterns for her future book! It was a fun project to give suggestions on. Her tatted translations are in the student gallery. Her latest, being the chrysanthemum from the event.
I'd really love to teach again at this event and bring my husband along one of these years in the future. It's more than just an event to learn, it was also an event to make friends from all over.