More baby-lace made with Signature and Gütermann threads. My sister has dyed two more baby shirts, so we have to decide which bit of lace goes on the neck of which shirt. These are also variations of the first three bits of lace, they just varied a lot more.
pretty good already, you know). This little bit of lace is made with one strand of Signature pink ombre machine embroidery thread and one strand of Gütermann pink 100% cotton sewing thread. There is no pattern, just a
There. Something smaller -- but with the same thread as used on the Stawasz square doily. These little earrings just used up what was left on the shuttles. This is a pattern I made up, but the elements and even the configuration are pretty common. The beads are iridescent blue seed beads and the hooks are nylon. I like threading matching beads on the hooks -- they integrate better. I also think putting the hooks on the chain instead of on a picot makes them more durable. There are advantages to the nylon hooks: (1) nobody's usually allergic to them, (2) they don't have an opening enabling the motif to slip off and get lost and, best of all, (3) if an earring gets grabbed the nylon hook straightens, slips out and snaps back into shape (no torn ears or ruined earrings).
This bookmark just grew when I was trying to use up the thread on my shuttles. I started with a split ring and added the horizontal set of rings when it was looking a bit boring. The little pink one was the trial, but had a couple of places in the center that I didn't like when it got done. I redid it with the larger purple thread (actually purple size 12 DMC pearl cotton and a strand of variegated purple Coats hand quilting thread). It still doesn't look quite right where the tail joins on -- goes from thin to thick too abruptly and I think there are too many Josephine rings. I had to pin it out on the starch board to keep all those little bobbers from overlapping. I look at it now and think, "Hmmm...widen it out in the center and it would look something like a stingray. Or, maybe figure out a cross arm for it." It has possibilities.
Okay, it's not exactly a motif. It's thread pieces made into bits of this and that. Everyone can recognize the little butterflies (at least I hope they're recognizable!). The square is the center motif of a pattern from Jan Stawasz' "Tatting, Theory and Method" but, as it's missing a picot on one of the center rings, it's just a bit of used up thread now. The other two purple things are ...um... things. Fingers just wandering around doing whatever. I might have to do 26 motifs to make up for having actually posted this one ...er... six?
Another bookmark...this one is Kersti Anear's "Tatted Bookmark" except I put a different top on it and left off the tassle. My 5-year-old niece saw it at this point and said "Oh, pink! And beads! Can I have it?" 5-year-old girls don't need tassles, but they apparently do need pink and beads. It is made with two threads wound on each shuttle. One is a pale pink varigated polyester machine embroidery thread and the other is a dark pink cotton sewing thread. It worked out -- the cotton seemed to lend enough body to the polyester that it didn't fray. Of course, I was very careful to tat a lot looser than I usually do.
At the end of last year someone posted a file in the old Yahoo Groups etatters of an Ice Crystal with an explanation and diagram to help with some of the difficulties in the pattern. I've never seen the original pattern, and don't know whose it is, but I kept a printed copy of the explanation.* These two Icicles borrow the main arm of that Ice Crystal. The first is DMC size 20 cordonette with crystal seed beads. I added the chains and joined rings at the top, then decided maybe that wouldn't be really useful for hanging, as it was intended to be a Christmas tree ornament. The second I made with DMC size 80 tatting cotton and gold seed beads. The split rings at the top make a much better hanger. The gold beads are interesting, but the crystal ones are more in keeping with the icicle idea. Now I need to make more. :)
