That's It!

I think I'm happy with it now.  I like the shape.  At Lynn's suggestion, I made "chained" JKs which stay in place much better and I've adjusted the stitch count a bit more.

Next I'll show you a block of four to see the design that forms when you put them together.

What do you think?

Best wishes,

Variations on a Theme

So much for the handkerchief edgings... I can't leave this one alone!

You can click on photos to enlarge

The two bottom squares have a different center to the two top squares.  I was also playing with the Josephine knots as I don't like the way they "flop about".  I was trying to find a way to keep them neatly in the center of where they sit but I've not solved the problem yet.  On the fourth square (the one on the bottom right which is actually not joined to the big square), I attached the JK side to side instead to see what that would look like but I don't like it as much.

You can click on photos to enlarge

And a strange thing:  when I copy my photos onto Blogger, the colours get muted somewhat - this pink is much brighter in real life and on the actual photo I took. 

I'm going to adjust the outer corners of the repeats so that all sides touch when they join in the middle which will make a prettier rosette when the four squares meet in the middle.

What do you think?  Which center do you prefer?

Best wishes,

One Take on a Repeat Motif

This is what I meant:  the center where the four medallions join creates a different motif.  I was just playing around this morning and this is what I came up with.

Don't think I'm completely happy with it yet and it's quite small so I may adjust the proportions, scale it up a bit.  I did this very quickly so it's not the best tatting.  And of course, I had to put in some Josephine knots, now I know how to do them more easily!

Best wishes,

Napoleon in Formation

Here is a completed block of four Napoleons.

I do like it.  But I think maybe it would be even more interesting if the outer corners were slightly different so that when they all join (as in the center), they would create a different motif.  Like some of the Mary Konior patterns do.

Still, it's a very nice medallion and it's fairly quick to tat so you could tackle a larger piece using it.

Now I must work a bit more on those handkerchief edgings!

Best wishes,

... and then there were two...

Late last night... Napoleon struck!

When I should have been in bed... what was I doing instead?  Looking at lace on the internet of course!

And I happened upon this little motif:  http://spulni-blog.blogspot.com/p/mintak-patterns.html
The curves in it really appealed to me and I just had to make it straight away!

So this is Napoleon created by Orsi.  I find it just simple and elegant. I like it a lot.  I made a couple of mistakes on this first attempt but I also learned something new!  For some reason, I have always made my Josephine knots using the FIRST half of the double stitch.  Never even thought to try it the other way... until last night.  I made the first two on this pattern using the first half as always and then all the others using the SECOND half of the ds - amazing.  I find it so much easier to make an even Josephine knot that doesn't try to twist in your hand before you close it.  And the curve on the outside of the knot is so much smoother.  Can you spot the difference?

No doubt many of you knew this already and I was just slow getting there!

Best wishes,

A little sneak peek...

I couldn't resist... I've been working on this border for a little while and still have a way to go.  It's made with size 80 thread, so I have to be a bit more patient. The problem is, I get distracted by other things (for example when starting a pattern of my own!).  And then of course, there are never enough hours in a day.  So anyway, to brighten up this grey day, here is a little picture of my other project on the go.  Which will be the first to make it to the finish line?

Best wishes,

Started on White Border

Here is "Iris" in a finer white thread.  It is DMC cordonnet spécial in size 60.  I have a pretty handkerchief I was given as a gift and it's been sitting in my drawer for years so I thought it was time it came out and this border will be just right for it I think.

Work in progress...

Best wishes,

Iris Handkerchief Border Pattern

I have been discussing this pattern at In Tatters where there is a thread showing the different versions I made of the corner until I decided on which one to use.

I created this border as I wanted to decorate some curved-edge hankies I have.  This version in Cebelia 30 fits perfectly with the handkerchiefs I have but of course it would need to be adjusted depending on the size thread you were using and the shape of the hanky too.  The nice thing about it though, is that it works just as well on a straight-edge hanky with no adjusting required!

Here is a pdf version of the pattern:

Iris Handkerchief Edging

The pattern will also remain available in the side bar.  

For your information (and because I didn't think to put that into the pattern):

Tatted in Cebelia 30, the pattern is 1" wide and 6/8" between repeats of the small flower at the bottom of the pattern.

In Lizbeth 40, it is 7/8" wide and 5/8" between repeats.

In DMC 60, it is 6/8" wide and 9/16" between repeats.

If you do make the pattern, please let me know if you find any mistakes so I can correct them.

Best wishes,

My Very First Blog Entry!

Hi, I don't promise to be a regular blogger but I wanted somewhere to occasionally post information and/or share  patterns and ideas about lace and needlework.  There are lots of wonderful blogs out there about all sorts of things that interest me and I appreciate the time and effort that people put into sharing with others.  I actually started this because I wanted to share a tatting pattern with my fellow tatters and needed somewhere to post it.

Best wishes,