Design Challenge 3

Late in January Sharon Briggs posted a new design challenge -- to make something based on a rose center. I've never made any of these rose motifs before. They always looked like a lot of bother. It surprised me to find they're not all that difficult or fiddly!
It took me this long to think up something. I'm not certain this is recognizable as a shamrock, because when my dad saw it on my lap desk he said he liked the "little green thing." Okay, it is a green thing and it measures 2.25 inches (5.5 cm) across which isn't very big. It's made with DMC Cébélia size 30 thread.
This is the first time I ever tried pearl tatting, too. I'm not certain I have it right, but if not, it was ...um... intentional, yes, that's it.

Starry, Starry Night

Motif number 36 from Tatting by Myra Piper is a star instead of a snowflake. Stars just cry out for gold metallic thread, don't they? It would be nice if gold metallic thread scanned as pretty as it looks -- instead of scanning as a weird mustard yellow. Still, the pattern is a pretty one and very simple.
I'm posting this because I've reached dither-point. There are too many things I want to do! I was having such a difficult time deciding that what I actually did was another "Cornelia" by Iris Niebach in KingTut quilting thread. I left out two repeats so that it curves around a satin-covered styrofoam ornament. Now, I'm trying to make something for the bottom that will match.
Once that's done, I've got an idea for Sharon Briggs' latest challenge...

Stella Alpina and TIAS Day 2

"Stella Alpina" from Fantasia by Iris Niebach. Made from one strand of Sulky machine embroidery thread and one strand of white quilting cotton, it measures 5.25 inches (13 cm) at it's widest part.
Working Iris's patterns is rather like having comfort food for me. When I'm feeling fussled, unsettled, worried, or grumpy -- there's nothing like a nice doily from Tatted Doilies, Fantasia, or Fantasia 2 to make me feel much, much better.
That's why working on Iris' TIAS is such a wonderful thing -- a little dose of reason every couple of days. That's gotta be a good thing! This is what I have so far. It looks like a good match for what others have done, so I think I'm on the right track. I made my picot gauges just a tad smaller, because I have to use size 30 thread (I don't seem to own any size 20), and it looks just a little crowded. Maybe at the end a bit of blocking will not come amiss. As for a guess about what it is -- I have no idea, but isn't it going to be pretty?