Motif Seventeen -- 3D Watering Can

Is a 3D object a motif? It had better be. I've been neglecting this poor blog of late. The watering cans and flower pot are a little something different I made up for the Palmetto TatDay with its flower garden theme this year. This will be the project in one of the classes I am teaching. The pink one is made in Cebelia size 10, the blue and brown varigated is Caron Wildflowers, and the tan is a vintage size 20.

Motif Sixteen--Small Doily = Large Motif

This is the Celtic Sugar and Spice Doily, pattern by Tina Neudorf from her book "Needle Tatting from the Heart". Tina has quite a few really nice patterns in this book, and you can make them with shuttles or needles. I used size 30 Omega thread.

I made this doily as part of the monthly tatting exchanges organized by Mary Donohue. The exchanges have a different theme each month, like bookmarks or butterflies. I think some people participate every month. Others, like me, join in now and then as time permits. I think it is a lot of fun to exchange a piece of tatting with your partner--often you get to see a pattern or type of thread that is new to you. You can more information about the exchanges on Mary's site at http://tinyurl.com/2lx368

Motif Fifteen -- Debbie Flork's Kokopelli

This is Debbie Flork's cute little Kokopelli which you can find on Jane Eborall's site http://www.e.n.e.btinternet.co.uk/

I chose it as a quick little motif to try out a new thread, DMC Quick Finish Senso Harlequin (a cotton/acrylic blend). It comes in lots of pretty varigateds. This is a really thick thread which reminds me a little of Lustersheen. I am happy to report that it is tat-able, but get out your big shuttles since an Aero bobbin will hold just 2 yards.

I usually avoid big threads, but I had been looking for something to decorate a shirt with that wouldn't take forever to put an edging around the neckline. Unfortunately,though the ball looked great next to the shirt, the tatted up piece seems to clash with it, so I'll have to find something else to do with it.

Motif Fourteen -- A New Heart

This is the heart I made for the Hearts with Wings exchange last month. I wanted to experiment with using different "textures" in the same piece. The split ring lattice work in the center is a technique I learned from Mark Myers.

The silver metallic thread is Oren Bayan on a spool that I got from Lyn Morton at http://www.tatting.co.uk/ It tats very nicely. The blues are Cebelia size 30, shades 797 and 800.

Motif Thirteen -- Happy Presidents' Day

Here is Honest Abe Tatbead in honor of Presidents' Day. (Or maybe it's one of the Smith Brothers, but I don't know when Coughdrop Day is.)








This is, of course, based on Jane Eborall's wonderful Tatbead family. Check them out at http://www.e.n.e.btinternet.co.uk/beadpeople.htm

and more on her blog http://janeeborall.blogspot.com

These are a lot of fun to make.

Motif Twelve -- An old heart, redesigned

Here is an extreme makeover of a heart I designed a few years ago. This one is in DMC size 80.

Below, I'll describe some of the (re)designing steps.















This was the original. Some of my friends like it just fine, but I wasn't satified. I think the leaves are too large in proportion to the grapes, and that large green area seems unbalanced with the whole.

For the next attempt, I will add another row to the grape bunch and make it a little wider so that it occupies more of the heart interior.

Also, the lower part of the heart outline had been worked with 4 shuttles making 2 chains concurrently. I was trying for an over/under interweaving effect, but the payoff in effect wasn't worth the bother. I plan for split rings with a SLT in between for the next version.

I work the grape cluster and the heart outline in some old ecru thread. (That's a great use for the old partial balls that came in lots from ebay -- a tip I thank Jane for.) Then I turn to one of my favorite designing tools -- the Xerox machine. I tat a few leaves in different sizes and move them around on the picture like puzzle pieces to see where they can go, and then pencil in some stems.





I also experiment with some markers to work on the colors. The green foliage at the top needs more green at the bottom of the heart
for balance. I will replace the intertwining bit with green rings.









This is the actual ecru rough draft with two different versions of the stems. Remember rough drafts will be rough. You can try more than one thing on the same motif or round. There will be big ugly knots and loose threads.







For the next draft, I change to colored threads. This is showing progress, but not quite good enough yet. The curve at the sides is not smooth enough, which could be helped with changing the points where the leaves join. There is too much overlapping in the stem area which might just need blocking, but probably needs moving the placement of those little rings. What gradually dawns on me, and bothers me most is that the top is too flat and needs more cleft. After a deal of thought, I decide to omit the center ring of the upper row of grapes and pull the outline downward. Of course this will mean major changes to the leaf section.

So again, I tat the grapes and the outline and do the puzzle piece experimentation with the leaves. Since there's less space available, there are fewer possibilities, which simplifies matters. After one false start which I cut away, I make the version of the leaves and decide it will do.

Motif Eleven -- Another bookmark gift

This one is the Flowery SCMR Bookmark by Jane Eborall http://www.e.ne.e.btinternet.co.uk

Jane is one of my all time favorite designers.

I made this with size 8 perle cotton. (Actually I made a few in different colors, but only managed to scan this one.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE