My Heart (motif #19)

Since April I have been playing around with a little heart medalion.  This heart has eight rings in the centre and chain around the outside.  By changing the ring and chain sizes I have shaped the heart.

 

Pink heart with beads (size 5, 5cm)  white heart (size 40, 3cm)

This is a versatile little heart that can be embelished, left plain or decorated. It is great for emptying shuttles. Below is the plain pattern as I developed it.  Add picots where required.  The pattern is also on my pattern tab.

This counts as Motif #19

The Lace Mat (#18)

Like so many others I joined the tat-a-long  that Jon Yusoff started of the Norma Benporath Lace mat.  Here is my mat.

The Lace Mat size 10 white
finished size 27cm or 10 1/2 inch 

 I like how the rewriting of these patterns encourages us to look again at the old patterns and to try them. Thank you Jon.  Now I think I will go back and make some more snowflakes from Tina's books.

Serindipitious Edging (motif #17)

At Damien's School as the final year is such a small class, the students invite their parents to come to formal as well.  For this night I purchased a 3/4 sleeve royal purple dress to wear.  It was a bit plain so I edged the neckline in tatting.  I used Jess's Serindipity HDT size 40 to create a colour splash with the same pattern as motif #9.

this realy needs some more colour

Jess's HDT Serindipity size 40

Dress with trim attached

 

Me Damien and Paul ready to go.

 

Elegant Corsage (#16)

One week before Formal (Prom) my son asks if he is getting a corsage for his date, as all the boys at school were talking  about them.  As they are wearing black (her) and White (him) I thought I would make a corsage for her.  So out with my size 40 thread in black and white, silver beads and Mary Konior's Rosa Frivola from Tatting with Visual Patterns.

Rosa Frivola being blocked
 and forced into shape with spray starch (from the back)

Then I gathered some white and silver organza ribbon as a backing and attached a silver and black finding to the front.

 Voila!! one Black and White Corsage, that will last forever and I think that it is a timeless design.

 And a picture of my lovely model

And Damien and his date Courtney (when did he grow up, the years have flown by, he has just 7 weeks till he finishes school)

Taming Tina (motifs #14 and #15)

I down loaded copies of the Tina Frauberger books when they became available, and have added two patterns to my snowflake collection.   This has been a lesson to learn as I don't read or speak German, but by going over the first section of the book and matching her notations to the pictures I was able to get the stich count and movement of the patterns.  Now I have tamed Tina and have even more pretty patterns to tat.
The first is fig73 on page 71 of the 1919 book.  I modified the pattern by putting a six ring centre in the middle and I used Josephine Knots on the outside.
The second is fig52 on page 54 of the 1921 book.  To this one I added beads on all the joins and picots, then I added a ring to the centre chain, (which I didn't think through very well and use the wrong stitch count).  I will do this one again to perfect the centre, before modifing it again.

Fig 73 p71 1919                   Fig52 p54 1921           
Tina Frauberger

Interlocked Snowflakes #12 and #13

I have been practicing the interlocking rings as centres for my snowflakes.  With a little more practice I may get them to form correctly. The first flake also has interlocking trifolds on the end which adds little flair.  Now to keep practicing.

Interlocking Snowflakes #12 and #13

New Motifs #9, #10 and #11.

Well time has passed quickly and we are now at the end of July.  I have done some tatting since I was last here, in between 2 weeks training and end of year paperwork.  First I purchased some threads from Jess at Tatilious http://jess-tats.blogspot.com/  among them was her western red ( I think, sorry Jess I lost the packet) which I tatted into a length of edging (Tatted Doilies and Edgings, Rita Weiss.) then joined into a circle and when I find a centre that it fits, it will be completed.

Motif #9 Western Red HDT by Jess size 20

I am also tatting snowflakes for a project which I will hopefully post about next when I collect some photos.  Here are a few that I have already done.

motif  #10 and #11 Snowflakes size 10 white 

Redid the photos with a better background.
More on the snowflakes later.

Empress Flower Garden

Well here is the finished suncatcher I made with the Empress edging and I am very pleased with how it  has turned out.  Thanks to my son for getting me to switch the wire from the outer flowers to the outside beads, it now sits better.  This will go to a friend of mine who had a birthday this last week, she should love it.

Empress Flower Garden
size 40 thread  Lizbeth Ocean Sunset and dark Green

Fun with Empress Motif #8

I am still amazed at how my mind works some times.
We all saw Frivole's post on Thursday about her very pretty edging.  http://www.leblogdefrivole.blogspot.ca/
Well I had to try it. So found the pattern in The Tatters Treasure Chest, Empress. Got out my Ocean Sunset and the only green I had, and tatted a small sample about 5cm long.  Then I started fiddling.  Would it form a medalion if I joined it,  Yes,  So I then added a little centre to pull it in and finally another row aroud the outside.  What I like about how this turned out is the dark green makes it look a little like a lead light Rose Window and I love looking at stained glass windows.  So I will add another few rounds as I would like it to be bigger.  Sometimes playing with our tatting is very rewarding.



Motif #8
Empress  edging as a medalion
The Tatters Treasure Chest

Tropical wonders : Motif #7

While perusing Jane's pattern page and her doodles, I spied the Turtle doodle and immediately thought of my cousin Peter.  Now Peter likes to tease the rest of us cousins with photos of his home and job.  He is a caretaker on a private tropical island in  Nth Queensland.  We get photos of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets , as well as snakes, scorpions, turtles and all the fish he catches .  So I have tatted the following doodles for him and his 10year old son. I added the sea horse for fun. Thanks Jane for the doodles.

Jane Eborall's Doodles.
Scorpion, Seahorse, Fish, Turtle and Snake

Motifs #5 and #6 and on being inspired by other tatters.

In the last two weeks, while avoiding housework and paperwork, I have been blog surfing and reading on facebook about the stuff other tatters want to know and how to do them.  The next two motifs are from a facebook group that I follow.  The May challenge was to do Anika's doily from her blog Tattingitup.  I did mine in Lizbeth #155 Ocean sunset size 40 and I love how it turned out.  I gave this to my sister for her birthday this week.

#5 Anika's Easy and Acient Doily

Then on another day two tatter were talking about a pattern for Flowers of Life and posted the pattern which I couldn't resist.  So I completed it this weekend using size 10 white thread and it measures about 9cm, a nice coaster size.  I did learn that the centres need to be tighter and the edge looser, to stop it from cupping.  Otherwise I like it and I think that I see it in the Ocean Sunset as well after I finish the last of the birthday presents I have started.

#6 Shannon's Flowers of Life

Till next time keep tatting.

FOUND

Back in August I was working on split rings and had WIP of a Daisy chain, which I was doing on several plane flights to Melbourne and back that we did last year.  In September when I began the 25 motif challenge I went looking for that piece of lace and it had disappeared.  So I have been looking for it for the last six months as I knew that I had not left it on the plane or in Melbourne.  Today I found it in the back of my desk draw from when I moved my desk to another room.  This is such a relief as it contained two of my original shuttles which I now have back.
YEAH!!!
 I really like these two shuttles, an original clover and my second milward shuttle from my set of two.

Now I can add more thread and continue the chain.

Today is a great day.



Where Did April go???? Motif #2, #3 and #4

Well here we are in May and I need to update my blog again (I really should do this more often).  After tatting the ring a ring a rosies from my last post I picked up Tatting Hearts by Teri Dusenbury and started tatting.  I have completed 8 of the 12 hearts from that ball of thread and have enough for maybe two or three more (will post their pictures when I have finished them all).

I also completed the Tardis Pattern by Ann Brovold for my nephews hand towel set, he is a massive Doctor Who fan, he will receive his set in early June for his birthday.

#2 Tardis by Ann Brovold

  His sister is getting this butterfly edging from Tatting doilies and edgings, Rita Weiss  p38 #6, both sets done in Milford Satin 2ply, which works well for towels and edgings.

#3 Butterfly edging

I made another dragon for my SIL for her birthday, they like dragons in their home. Her son got the other one from the previous post.

#4 Flying Minor Norweigen Dragon in Lizbeth Ocean Sunset #40

 Now three more sets of towels before the end of May, as well as the rest of the hearts now that I have another ball of thread.  I am also waiting for my Birthday present ordered from Jane, I hope it gets here soon as I can't wait to try it out.

Happy International Tatting Day and motif #1 2nd round

Yesterday on internation Tatting Day, I did all things tatting.
First I updated my blog, ate chocolate, and then I finished the hand towels
I am doing for presents for my nieces and nephews .
Then I tatted a piece just for me, and finished it today.
This is Ring of Rosies from Mary Konior's Tatting with Visual Patterns
in Milford Satin 2ply Red.  I even challenged myself to learn catherine
wheel joins and joined all the chains in the rings by this method.  After
the first flower I had learned it and didn't have to think too hard, so it was
relaxing to tat as I sat under the tree in our backyard on a beautiful autumn day.
The chains in the centre could have been a bit tighter and the centre
picot a bit bigger. Otherwise I really like it.

Ring of Rosies by Mary Konior

Motifs #24 and #25, challenge completed

Well here they are my final two motifs.

Motif#24 is an edging pratice piece for a hand towel.  I modified edging no3 p21 from 'Tatting Edgings and Doilys by Rita Weiss', by removing a ring as I didn't want the edging to be too deep.  It was too crowded, so made it into two hearts, and used another for the towel.

Purple Hearts

 Motif #25 is this guitar pattern which I constructed from other edgings and insertions.

Guitar

Construction instructions:
1: 2x twelve ring medalions joined at two chains.  Join/sew the inner ring of one medalion together to make the bottom bar. (could also use the 12ring medalion for the base and a 8 ring medation for the top, make the centre ring large enough the guitar hole, as I think the proportions would be better.)
2: 8 split ring insertion from 'Tatting with Ann Orr' p27 no33 (4picots on sides not 5 and one on each end) with 2 more split rings joined at top, at right angles using a split ring to climb up just change the location of the join  (Join to medalions at two chains when tatting first ring)
3: Then chain around the outside to bring it into shape (I used 3 dbs with the occasional 4dbs where needed) place 6 josephine picots at the top for tuning pins.
4: Add strings securing where necessary.

Ta Da  One Guitar

This is now attached to a hand towel for my guitar mad nephew who plays beautifully.

So 25 motifs took me 6 months. What have I learned.
 I have renewed my love of tatting, met some lovely people through their blogs. Played TAIS and learned lots of new techniques.  Played with designing elements and love the challenge of it.  Found more patterns than I could ever tat, and want to buy all the pattern books I read about (one day).
thank you  for the challenge, and I will be back with more soon.

Motifs #21, #22 and #23

Have been busy tatting if not posting.  I have completed edgings for hand towels for my nieces as presents which will have to wait till after their birthdays.
Motif #21 is Daisy Picot Snowflake by Jon Yousoff.  This was a nice pattern to learn daisy picots by and turn out quite well.

Daisy Picot Snowflake by Jon Yousoff

 Motif #22 in my first Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon by Ann Brovold.  Still need practice for the wings other wise I am happy how it turned out.  Will use this one on a hand towel for my nephew who loves dragons.

Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon by Ann Brovold

Motif #23 is a small mat that I free tatted.  Started with a centre ring and used a split ring to climb out, tatted a row of rings and chains, split ring to start 3rd row then clovers and chains.

Pink Mat

It was nice to just tat and not think too much about it, apart from how many dbs to use.  I was going to join the outter chains but after I did the first one I realised that it should have had more dbs so left them unjoined.  This was tatted with one bobbin wound CTM in Milford satin 2ply Lipstick in one pass as an experiment on how may rows I could tat with only one bobbin.  I tatted this piece in 2 hours in the car on the way to Brisbane for lunch at a friends place.  While at lunch I tatted 3 little flower motifs for hair clips for her daughters and another friends daughters. I still need to do one more flower and post it.

My First tatting projects circa 1988 -1991

I first learned to tat after seeing a cross bookmark and I wanted to make one for myself.  After much searching I found Dover Publications and from the limited directions in the back taught myself to tat.  I still have my first Milward shuttle and the little hook it came with. Shown here with a hanky edging #6622 from Traditional Tatting Patterns in Coats size 100.

My First Shuttle

After making the cross bookmark from Traditional Tatting Patterns.  I then decided that I would like to make an edging for a Christening robe for the future.  So in 1989, everymorning and evening on the 40 min train ride to and from home I tatted the edging No52 on page 22 in 'Tatting Patterns' in size 100 Coats.  The lower edging is approximately 1.4m long. The other insertions were tatted during my sisters pregancy so that we could have the dress ready for the christening in 1991.

The completed dress

Yoke, sleeve and neck edging

Detail Lower edging

When I now think back to this time it was very ambitious of me to tackle this project as a beginner.  I  learnt to untat and that was hard on size 100 thread. The pattern was very simple and I am very proud of this piece of work.  The sewing of the dress was done by my talented mother who does wonderful sewing, She was the one who hand sewed all the tatting on.

Motif #19 and #20

I have now completed motif #19 which is Merriment by Jon Yousoff and her foldover bookmark #20.

#19 Merriment by Jon Yousoff

#20 Foldover Bookmarkby Jon Yousoff

Bell Flowers #17 and Leaf #18

For #17 I again tackled Mary Konior's "Bell Flowers" as a set for my friend who showed me a little of Perth when I visited in May 2011.  I made them in red so that she could use them for decoration on her 'Red Hat' outfits.

#17 Bell Flowers (Mary Konior)

.  I also tatted a leaf to go with it.

#17

#18 leaf

UFOs and #16

While cleaning out and organizing my tatting stuff,  I found two UFOs.  The yellow book mark is pattern which I have tatted in various forms over the last 20 years (will show you the original in another post).  Then I found Snow Crystals from 'The Tatters Treasure Chest' which I know I started at least 6 years ago and ran out of shuttle thread with two repeats on the outer chain to go.  So I added thread and finished it but realised that my style of tatting since starting the challenge has changed and you can see where I took it up again.  So I retatted it in varigated purple, using split rings and chains so I only had two threads to hide at the end.  The tension difference and new techniques give a piece which needs very little blocking.

#16 and the finished UFO

finished UFO bookmark

Happy New Year 2012 (Motif #15)

Back again.  Running a shop in a food court in a shopping centre is exhausting at Christmas and New Year.  I have been tatting in my down time as well as preparing for Christmas, and have several small projects to show over the next few days
.First I tackled Festiva, from Judith Connors 'Creative Tatting'. one in silver (whoops joined when I shouldn't have, now has 9 rings,) makes a great christmas ornament. Then the earings in white with rings instead of beads (so I could wear them at the shop). I also liked how the silver one turned out so I made one in green with red beads as a christmas wreath.

Silver wreath

#15

Green Wreath