Still not even close to using up a whole ball of yellow DMC Cébélia size 30 -- I did another couple of practice butterflies.  Had the first one been a sentence, it would have been overly wordy.  Once I could see it wasn't going to properly behave, I stopped and cut off the thread in frustration.  On to the second trial.  Yes, that worked much better.  Being pleased with it, I made the smaller one in Coats pastels quilting thread.  I left it for a long time thinking it was done and started working on another pattern.  Just about the time I was going post it as butterfly four, I decided it was too square.
The next incarnation was made in Coats jewel tones quilting thread  -- it's wings are slightly different from each other.  It looked more like a water skeeter to me, but not disgustingly so.  In fact, I liked it so much I just went on and did the next one with a few additional modifications.  The final one I like quite well -- even if it, too, has a small waist and looks a little skeeterish.  Maybe these will have to be butterflies 5a and 5b -- because now I've decided I like the square one after all.  One thing I will have to do for this pattern is get a better picot gauge for the antennae.  I used a package of needles and the cardboard was a little mushy.  Might just as well have eyeballed 'em, they're so uneven!The next job is diagramming what I actually did instead of what I thought would work for at least four of the five butterflies. My working patterns have more scribbles than even I can read. Might be best to just start over with new diagrams!

5 comments:
I really like the way the Coats jewel tones tats up... I may ask for some for Christmas! I love the butterflies!
More beautiful butterflies! I wish I could design my own work.
Wow! These are great! You are a creative butterfly designer -- so, um, when can we expect the book to be available?
A book?!! Unlikely. I'm not much of a hand at writing patterns. If I get the diagrams so they work for me, I might just post them and let everyone write out their own.
Hi Marty, I just spent some time looking at your blog. You have so many beautiful things that you have tatted including some of your way cool looking designs. I love the tie dye with the tatting shirts a whole lot.I might try doing that myself someday. It is a real neat idea. I also have Jan's book and am constantly drooling over what is in it...but haven't tatted anything from it yet...right now I am just trying to get Christmas exchanges done.
Thanks so much for sharing. Love your stuff!!
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