Wow I'm overwhelmed with the great response and all the nice comments you all have left.
Now I think I'm going to be a comment junkie.
Is there a 12 step program for that?
More pictures tomorrow.

Not an exchange piece but I wanted to post this in contrast to the butterfly that I tatted last April. I have learned how to tell what side of the piece I'm on. (I leave breadcrumbs) I have learned how to sew in ends. I have learned how to tat over tails. Thank You Jane E. for that lesson and hands on demo. I have learned how to block and properly starch a piece. Thank You Bonnie G. of Palmetto Tatters Guild for that learning experience. I still however have not learned the cure for inattention and followers of Mary Konior will recognize this as Small Cross and will note the incorrect stitch count and extra picot in the center chains.

Fans of Pamela of Tatsakoolchallenge will recognize this beautiful HDT as Rainbow Brite and I was so excited to discover this thread. I used it to tat the cross because it was a gift for my Significant Other's children's Mother. She is a lover of all things rainbow and is active in her church. I knew she would appreciate the work I put into this. She did love it and Pamela's thread made it a joy to tat.

My second exchange was for HBT's Christmas in July 08

My recipient was to be Karey Solomon. Her tatting is innovative and she is a veteran tatter along with her finesse with other fiber arts. (As soon as I find my way around this blog and I receive permission from the persons involved I will add links to blogs and websites as appropriate.)

I "knew" Karey from the Web and finally met her at Palmetto's Tat Days in 2007. At last years Hector gathering I noted dragons seemed to be a favorite theme for Karey and everyone knows her favorite color to be purple. I googled the words fabric and dragon and searched images. This fabric by Henry Alexander called "Tatsu" (Yes Really, it is Japanese for dragon) seemed fated to be the One. I had a pattern for this bag, called a humbug bag, in my stash.So I sewed it up and outline quilted the dragon. I then went shopping for a thread to tat the trim and fringe. Amazingly, Yarnplayer's SummerTrail was an exact match for this fabric. I added beads, blocked the tatting and sewed in the ends. A bit of an improvement over my first exchange.

Many other little trinkets went into the package and I felt good upon receiving Karey's enthusiastic praise of her secret santa parcel.

The designer of the butterfly I tatted for Sherry is, Christel Wutzman copyright 2000.

Just before I went to the Hector Tatting Weekend last year, Sherry T. and I corresponded. She suggested we exchange butterflies. With trepidation I agreed, my tatting skills I felt, were meager and despite knowing how to tat for 35 years I had never sucessfully hidden my ends. Notorious for thowing caution to the wind I promptly picked out a pattern that not only was not in English but also contained clunies and I begin this daunting project 2 nights before driving 6 hours to Hector, NY. Obviously I discarded the clunies immediately. I made the effort to use front side/ back side tatting and belatedly learned One should always know what side one is on. Hence the left side of the B'fly is tatted in reverse. I followed Linda Davies instructions for adding beads to picots for this piece, laptop on lap watching her video and tatting at the same time. Sherry very graciously hid the ends for me and it is painfully obvious that I did not block this piece. At the Hector gathering Karey very graciously demonstrated how to sew in ends.

This is the butterfly I received in exchange. This is in impossibly fine thread and I certainly feel I got the better end of the deal. Thank You Sherry for inviting me to trade tatting. I believe I have gotten better at it. Next post I'll share my 2nd exchange.

This is my first post to my blog. I hope that it will be enjoyed by many. I am inspired by many wonderful tatting bloggers. I would like to see my blog be as interesting and as well read as the blogs that have inspired me.
I am currently working on a Valentines Exchange started by Karey Solomon.
The first photos I will be posting will be of my very first exchanged item and the two that followed that soon after.