This has been so much fun, how can I give it up?
I've packed up my exchange bookmarks to send, so now I can post all the runners-up. The first one I made was supposed to be a repeat of what appears as my Ninth Motif, a bookmark made from "Design 39" in Christel Wiedmann's
Tatting, 60 Original Lace Treasures. Must not have been paying the least bit of attention, because it came out looking completely different. Not just because it's done in green and white DMC size 30 Cébélia, either. It looked a little boring.
Moving on to something more interesting, I discovered buttons. Oh, I always knew buttons existed and that other people used them in tatting -- I'd just never bothered with them before. Yeah, before I discovered a package of about a zillion for 88 cents. (Okay, not a zillion, but a lot, anyway.) I looked over the buttons and decided my mom could use a bookmark. Her birthday's in July. Yeah, a nice red, white and blue bookmark. This time I just let the shuttle do something really simple while I got the feel of the buttons. (
Signature red-white-blue variegated machine embroidery thread with DMC size 80 white tatting cotton).
That worked, but I wasn't too certain about the big gaps between the buttons. That seemed a little too flexible when I picked it up. Hmmm...how about making the chains between the buttons cross over each other? I tried that next (
Signature green ombre machine embroidery thread and DMC size 80 white tatting cotton). Not what I intended to do, because I somehow crossed them all the same direction
and it wanted to untwist instead of stay flat. The second round was to keep it in control, but had to end in the same place as the first so my "magic threads" weren't wasted. The crossovers needed to be connected somehow and they should have been longer, maybe. Or maybe not.
The next incarnation has cross-overs in opposite directions which are longer and are attached together in the center. But it's as flexible as the first red, white and blue one (using the same thread combination, too). One more change to give the same effect but not actually cross the threads resulted in this little bookmark. The
buttons are smaller and it's made with just one strand of
Coats rainbow variegated hand quilting thread. It's still too flexible, and the thread is just too fine to make a sturdy bookmark. Without the tail, it might have made a nice fake button placket for a pull-over shirt.
The exchange bookmarks were made next, so I'll save them for later.
Finally, I made this pink bookmark on tiny little two-hole buttons I found in the scrapbooking section at
Roberts. I thought it was a really weird looking thing, but my sister picked it up, turned it over, and said "Oh, butterflies!" Really?
Okay, now I have to figure out how to work it upside down. That wasn't as hard as I expected, I just started at the other end with a little clover.
Then I had to figure out how to make a tail and go back up the other side to get back to the top and my "magic threads." Somehow, the chains just didn't come out quite even on both sides. I know they've got the same number of stitches. It has to be something
to do with the rings on one side and only joins on the other. Both of these were made with one strand of
Signature variegated and one of
Gütterman sewing thread in different colors, of course). The tiny purple buttons in the second version very nearly disappear into the work.
Finally, I made my pattern piece starting at the bottom of the tail with a simple butterfly then a split ring chain into a clover (for a place to put those magic threads, you see), up one side to a little butterfly at the top and back down to the clover. This one is made with one strand of DMC size 80 tatting coton in a bright magenta and tiny pink scrapbook buttons. The scrapbook buttons don't leave much room for the three joins in each hole. I had to use my size 16 crochet hook to ease (okay, pull, tug, wiggle and yank) the thread through those holes. I've bought some other very small buttons and am going to try this again with a strand of the
Signature and a strand of DMC size 80 tatting cotton. That combination should make it just the right weight.
it looked with three joins in each of the four buttonholes, but thought it needed more body. Using slightly larger buttons and one strand of Signature pink ombre machine embroidery thread with a dark purple Gütterman sewing thread, achieved the right weight. But -- it was a little too crowded around the button. Another modification seemed to be in order. I kept the three rings near the button, but only connected two of them to the buttonhole. Yes. 
That looked just right to me. But the picots were in the wrong places and looked uncentered. Solution -- leave out the picots! This final one that was sent out as my exchange is made on shiny white buttons using Signature pastel variegated machine embroidery thread and
I don't even have a picture of the next incarnation, because I cut it off the buttons and threw it away. Essentially, I got rid of the separating split rings, but joined the end picots of the tops of the clovers. Can you say curled up? The next one worked just right -- but I forgot the magic threads. Rats. All the way to the end and -- oops -- where am I going to hide these threads? This lovely red, white and blue book mark has a knot and a nasty bit of glue to keep that polyester embroidery thread from slithering undone. Oh, well, it makes a good pattern piece. 
Finally, I got just the look I wanted and remembered to put in the magic threads. This one is made with Signature pastel machine embroidery thread and Coats pink ombre machine embroidery thread. I couldn't believe these two polyesters gave each other enough support so neither frayed, snagged or broke. Funny how things work sometimes. Besides, it's shiny. I like shiny.
