Motifs 15 & 16 -- Large and Small

I needed something big and green, and Nancy Tracy's Christmas Tree in size 10 thread fit the bill. It's a little lopsided since I didn't block it yet. Nancy generously shares a free pattern every month. You can go to her site and sign up for the newletter, which will bring you patterns, recipes, and the current specials at her online tatting store.



I'm usually not a fan of big thread, but I use it when the situation demands. After the size 10 tree, I went to the other extreme and rewound the shuttle with size 80 and made Mark Myer's Cat. So understated and elegant! This is almost 6 inches tall in size 30. In larger thread it could get huge!

Holiday Tatting--Motifs 13 & 14--Revised

After finishing all those white snowflakes, I've been enjoying some holiday tatting in green and red. Here is Mark Myer's wonderful Holly & Berries design featuring the half ring braid technique. I love this technique; I love this pattern.



This design is called "Christmas Berry Wreath", by LaRae Mikulecky. Thank you to everyone who helped track it down. The pattern is from an old Geocities site that isn't there anymore, but you can find a copy
here. According to my printout, I downloaded this from the web on 11/25/99 and only now, more than ten years later got around to making it. This is made in one pass with one green and one red shuttle, and features lots of Josephine knots.

Snowflake Bangles--Motif 12

Just a quick post to show I'm still here.

I've been working on snowflake bangles for small Christmas gifts. Most of these are Mike's excellent "Playing in the Snow-flake". I love the swirls and the fact it is quick and easy. Check out his blog for plenty of tatting-on-glass-balls eye candy.

In the center is the Layered Tatted Snowflake from Nancy at Be-Stitched. On her website you can find her online store for tatting supplies and a generous array of free tatting patterns.

I will claim Nancy's snowflake as motif twelve. I used Mike's snowflake in a previous challenge, so it doesn't count this time.

When I went to make the scan, I found my missing bookmark in the scanner. Now, if only I could find my missing free time as well....

Quilt Pattern Solved

This is Ann's solution to the quilt pattern. Note that another "B" section goes across the top of the "A" section, and those four parts make up the repeating pattern. Now I understand. Thanks Ann!

Inherited UFOs--Part 1

I have inherited UFOs. I think I will take this one on someday. What you see above are three sections of different sizes laid out in position. Then there are hundreds of little squares and triangles in ziplock bags.

Does anyone recognize the pattern? I think I could study the way the seams are pressed to decide the sequence for piecing, but if I could locate instructions, that would be simpler. I wonder if the hand drawn diagram means that it's an original, though.

Motif Eleven-Heather's Hearts for Tracy

Please visit Heather's blog for this patterns and to read about her appeal for hearts for her friend with breast cancer. I'm running late, so she has probably already given Tracy the gift package, but I assume she can still use more for the fund raiser.

I like to combine a variegated thread with a solid and worked this version first:
(I tweaked the pattern a bit since I wanted the bottom ring in the outline color.)

Next, I was going to reverse with solid rings and variegated chains, but I wasn't having a good day. I could tell that it lacked pizazz since there wasn't enough of the variegated showing.

So then I tweaked some more and added a second row of chains. Better...

Next time, I added lots of picots instead. Besides being frilly, it allowed more color progressions to show. Happy now!

This is a nice pattern that works up quickly. The first version used Shuttle Trend Lab thread from Palmetto, and the rest are Lizbeth.

Best wishes to Heather and her friend, Tracy.

Motif Ten--Mark's Pumpkin

I hope you have seen Mark Myer's Pumpkin pattern. He does these marvelous things giving tatting the look of bobbin lace, often with some free form bits as well.

I really enjoyed making this in size 80 thread.

My pumpkin is a bit crowded on the inside, compared to the original. Either I made the picots in the outline section too small, or it just needs proper blocking. My stainless steel pins have gone missing (my craft closet is really, really scary right now...), so I couldn't do much more than press it for now.