Shuttlebirds 2019 Workshop - #23 WOW!!

Had a great time the first weekend in May at the workshop held at the Ross Point Camp & Conference Center in Post Falls, ID. My second year to attend where I enjoyed seeing folks I met last year. I took classes from Heidi Nakayama (CA), MaryAnna Robinson (OH), Sharon Fawns (KY) and Natalie Rogers (WA). I really enjoyed the seahorse and crabby crab from Heidi; the seahorse is from Pam Palmer's Tatting Treasures (published in 2018 by Heidi). I'll need to dig more into that book as it is a treasure trove of items Pam taught through the years at various workshops.

MaryAnna's Peas in a Pod class was fun and, for me, the perfect ending to the 2-day event. I'll need to start getting size 10 threads at some point ... after I play more with all the 80, 40 and 20 I have in my trove.

Natalie always finds something interesting to teach and continually challenges my poor old brain and fingers. She is a very good teach with lots of enthusiasm. I still need to finish the earrings though.

One class that I really enjoyed was a hybrid technique taught at the workshop by Sharon. The idea of using both a needle and shuttle to perform split rings is originally attributed to Rosario Ruiz Moren of Puerto Rico and taught at PTG's 2017 Tat Days by Wally Sosa. At the workshop, I only had size 20 thread with me (see the second paragraph above ... SIGH) and wasn't pleased with the progress. The first picture is one Sharon took at the end of the class time; mine is the green ombre colorway which is next to the last on the right.

The next picture is one of the bracelet that I re-did using a hand-dyed thread from Jessica Spaulding (aka Snapdragon) in a size 10. It is a slight variation on the original instructions from Sharon in order to fit my fat wrists. I do have enough of the flower beads remaining to create some kind of accompanying earrings ... just have to do it!

I like the hybrid method ... I just have to get used to doing needle tatting as I consistently use shuttles.