Scrapbooking is my summer hobbie.  Last summer I found several family pictures taken with my Grandmother.  I love the picture of her as a young woman and decided a scrapbook page dedicated to her was appropriate.  My Grandmother tatted, crocheted, quilted,  knitted and you name it.  Her hand work was part of her everyday life.  The scapbook page on the home page is of her with a tatted side edge and tatted hearts.  The heart pattern is included in my Learn to Tat instruction book.  This summer I will scrapbook a few pages of my mother, her handwork was also remarkable.

I love that tatting can be applied in a new way beyond hankies.  I spent the past week tatting gorgeous motifs which are then sewn onto samplers.  Samplers are the best way to display tatting because any theme can be followed to display something seasonal and festive year around.  I think pieces of old tatting can be clipped off of old cloth and freshed up and attached unto samplers too.

 The home economics teacher at the high school I work at, told me that the best way to whiten discolored antique lace is to soak it in Clorox 2 for 15-30 minutes.  I have tried it and it works great.  It is safe and whites the lace without bleach.  Bleach is too harsh for fragile antique lace. <

Does anyone know of shops located in the Phoenix area that specialize in handwork?  I like specialty shops, the atmosphere and feeling of a unique find is a thrill to me.  I shop Michaels, Hobbie Lobbie and the large chain stores like we all do, but the thrill of a small specialty shop is my way of spending a Saturday afternoon.