Online Tatting Class - practicing folded rings & copyright

I tatted Sheila Heneise's Angel with Paisley Wings before class (first angel on the left). After class, I tatted it again trying Martha Ess's instructions for folded rings in the chains. I found it a little tricky, but I got better with practice (moving left to right). The technique is not necessary to tat this little angel, but it proved to be a good practice piece for the technique. It's nice to know more than one way to get the look. Feeling curious about how a button might look in the bodice, I hunted out a small two hole button to add to the last one. I think this button is still a little too large, though.

Motif #21, 22, 23, and 24 for the 25 Motif Challenge

Cebelia size 20 white

Georgia shared some great information with us last night about copyrights, too. I know many of us try to take great care to acknowledge the designers when we tat. I provide links, or the title of the book, wherever possible as do many of you. This is one of the ways I feel we can properly credit the designer or the person who has permission to share the design. I've also decided to start putting as much of that information as I think reasonable onto the images as well. That way, if someone finds the image in a search, they will get that information as well. If you ever have any objection to a link I've shared to your work, please let me know and I will remove it.

Consider joining the Online Tatting Class. You'll be glad you did. I can't always make one of the sessions live, but I can catch up by reading the class log. Help is always available if you have any difficulties. See the tatting of other class members on the Tatting Class Homework blog.

Ikuta Picots

I finally found some time earlier today to play with the Online Tatting Class lesson materials for this one. I concentrated on Method 3 as it provides a look that is different from any other techniques of which I'm aware. You'll find the links here under the May 9, 2016 class materials. This turned out to be one of those rare days when I could attend class as well. However, I received an important phone call just after class started, so I had to read the discussion afterward. Georgia Seitz provides a link to the class discussion at that website, so you, too, can read what you missed.

I got off to a few false starts trying to watch a video (not tatting related). I should have known better when I was trying to learn something new. This is the only one worthy of showing. As you can see, I was making the double stitches in the correct places with nice picots, but they are not alternating. All red ones are to the front; all yellow ones are to the back.

 

So, I tried again. I had loaded my thread onto two shuttles. The hardest part of this for me was making sure that the threads were in the right position to overlap. I ran out of thread on my shuttles (remember all of those false starts I mentioned earlier), so I reloaded shuttle one and just used the loose thread from shuttle two as a ball thread in tatting the second ring. Oh, that was so much easier. If I forgot to concentrate and keep those threads in the right position, I just grabbed my crochet hook and pulled that loose thread through where it belonged. Muskaan has provided lots of detailed pictures to help us all out. They are linked from the class website or you can go there directly.

This is another design element than can replace a ring in our tatting. The main appeal to me is the effect produced by using two colors. While I have no immediate plans for its use, it's fun to learn something new. I also have another technique I can use when I just want a slightly different look in a familiar pattern. I'll definitely add this into the next update of Element-al Approach to Tatting Design.

Element-al Approach to Designing

I've finally made some progress on a project I've wanted to do for ages. It's a resource for those of us who want to design tatting. If you think about it, tatting is made up of ring shapes (usually a ring), curves (usually chains), and straight lines (traditionally the bare thread). So with those basic elements in mind, what can we substitute or modify to get a new look? Georgia Seitz is going to share my handouts in the online classes tomorrow. I invite you to visit the links she has provided at http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2016/2016index.html and even attend one of the class sessions if you can. I value your input, so email me or post here if you think of something that should be added. It is a resource I want to make freely available to all, possibly even in a format that you can modify to reflect your personal preferences. One handout contains ideas for modification or substitution. The other includes links to techniques and patterns for practice or example. In some cases, there are lots of sources for the technique, and my document can't reasonably include them all. For that reason, I'm thinking it might be good to make it customizable. I'm still thinking. Remember it's a work in progress.

An Element-al Approach to Tatting Design*

*Please note that I've changed this link to take you to my Techniques page. I will keep the links on that page of my blog connected to the latest version of these handouts. The pdfs will eventually be replaced with Word documents that you can customize for your own use.

Happy International Tatting Day!

I remember when we began this tradition. The day seemed appropriate as people often think it foolish that we spend so much time to create each individual piece of our tatted lace. I often meet people who say, "I wouldn't have the patience to do that." But, really, tatting has always increased my patience. With my tatting in hand, I'm more likely to say, "Take your time." I've waited quite happily in a few long lines with my tatting bag on my wrist, working away on some project, while others around me grumbled about delays. I know it isn't for everyone, but that's okay. Some of my friends and family members have hobbies that don't interest me either. So it seems appropriate today to publicly mention my thanks once again to Barbara Tozzano who started me down this path a little over 20 years ago.

Today would be a great day to do an online search for "tatting" and "tatted lace." Lots of tatters are online and lots of posts are being made. I've enjoyed reading the tatting blogs today, wishing my tatting friends a happy international tatting day. Some of the tatters who are selling on Etsy are offering special items and prices to celebrate the day as well.

Following up on a post to one of my blog entries, I found Gunis-Perlenwahn.blogspot.com today which features a couple of great tutorials. The one on SSSRs includes a pattern. The tutorials are very well done and the blogger has published a few tatting books that look intriguing, too.

Nina Libin shared three lovely beaded earring patterns in the Online Tatting Class today. The patterns are well illustrated, but Nina took us through the details as well.

So, while I have not yet tatted a single knot today, I'm thoroughly enjoying the day. And since a blog entry on this special day would not be complete without a picture, here is my progress on the small doily by Anne Orr.

Now, I'm off to grab a snack and pick up my shuttles. I want to get a couple of Sport Your Colors bracelets done and perhaps get a bit more done on this doily.

Happy International Tatting Day to each and every one of you!

Another cross & my tatting plans for the day

I finished this cross early Monday morning. It is Tatmom's Colossians 2:14 Cross. I don't like to hide ends into a long chain if I can help it so I chose a different starting position. Since Tatmom provides a nice diagram of the pattern, this was easy to do. I started with one of the center clover motifs. Thanks for a great pattern, Tatmom. It was a pleasure to tat and I love the way it looks.

What little tatting time I had yesterday was inside a moving vehicle, so I picked up Lene Bjorn's 24 Snowflakes in Tatting and some white thread and started out the door. I spent more time trying to decide what to tat first than I spent tatting! The book is full of beautiful projects. I selected The Thirteenth Day of December and got started.

If you have this book, you are immediately going to realize how little tatting I accomplished when I tell you that I made it as far as the spot on round 1 where Lene suggests a false chain. I love learning new techniques, but one problem I run into is that I don't use them enough to make them my own so that I need to dig out the instructions every time I need them. Of course, I didn't take split chain instructions with me. I hadn't planned that far ahead.

The exciting news is that last night's Online Tatting Class lesson was the split chain and Mary Maynard shared a Candy Cane pattern for practice. I didn't make the class session, but I'm headed to the website today to print the instructions and review the log. So doily designs and The Thirteenth Day of December are temporarily UFOs while I master the split chain. I needed to set the doilies aside for a few days anyway so I can return to them fresh.

I've been thinking about making a list of techniques I would like to master and then setting myself a personal challenge to work with each technique until I feel really comfortable with it. I need to think it through and make the list first so I can see how many techniques I'm talking about. Maybe some of the rest of you would like to make a similar list and we can share some project ideas for practice. I expect Georgia's Online Class website will be my main resource.

Time to get back to work around here. Then I'm going to make that list!

Blooming Trellis Bookmark corrections

Members of the online tatting class found a few mistakes in the pattern and had some great suggestions for improvements in the instructions as well. The link at the side will take you to the corrected and improved version of the pattern. Thanks for the help, classmates.

Blooming Trellis Bookmark pattern

The online tatting class covered my Blooming Trellis Bookmark today. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it, but Georgia did a great job.

Blooming Trellis Bookmark

The last one in the picture is the "Oops" version. The first two reflect the pattern as it is being shared. I created two different ends for the pattern version. I like to have options for changing up a pattern besides changing thread colors and sizes. I'll post the release date when I get it as well as a link to the pattern.

Challenge tats 1, 2, & 3 (new bookmark pattern)

I have finally completed the pattern. It is on its way to Georgia Seitz now to be shared during this fall's online classes. Here is a sneak peak and tats 1, 2, and 3 on the challenge for this year.

Teddy Bear

He made his debut in the Online Tatting Class on July 22. Georgia plans to use him again during the regular sessions this fall so there will be another chance to join the how-to discussion.