Tischband Done!

Yes, I think I'll stop there.  Although I like both the flowers and the leaves, if I'm honest, I've not completely enjoyed putting it together.  I find there is too much tension between the elements.  And it's really hard to get those flowers looking perfect (you know, for the spaces between all the chains to be exactly the same - I know, I'm fussy!).  I still think overall it's a lovely pattern and something decorated with a whole band of this would look amazing.  But that's it for me on that one.  Now I need to find a use for it.  Be a shame not to put it on something.... Any ideas?

I'll say this finished item is no.13 of my 25-motif challenge

How's everybody else getting on with theirs?

Best wishes,

Mariya's Perfect Clover

Along my travels, I found Mariya's blog and she was showing this new clover she had made.  I thought it looked just perfect.  Shortly after that, she shared her pattern over at In Tatters.  So here it is:

Motif no.11

I took me a few goes to get it right but

I think even the "wrong" ones look pretty and very clover-like!

It's a bit of a tight fit to get the four petals in and I found it needed

a light pressing to get it to lie flat but the unpressed ones look nice too,

gives them more of a 3-D effect.

Next I might have to try her wavy braid...

By the way, I've not given up on the Tischband, just needed a little change so that's what I tatted last night:  the clovers and also another Happy Heart with the centre slightly different.  A Czech lady who is a friend of an In Tatters' member made earrings and a bookmark with my Happy Heart (link to her pictures), and also tatted it with a tiny flower in the centre (along the lines of what I've done with the Heart Within) so I tried it.  Looks nice.  

Actually, looking at her modification, I think it might be a Josephine knot in the middle and not a tiny flower...  and I like the way she's done the inside chain, give the centre a lovely heart shape.  I'll have to give this another try.

Motif no.12

You obviously loose the "smile effect" but it's pretty too.

In case you want to know,

I just replaced the centre 11ds chain with C3, rw, R1-1-1-1, rw, C3.

Best wishes,

Frustrated!

I tatted a few more elements of the Tischband and I do like both the shape of the flowers and the leaves.  But when it comes to putting them together... AAAaaargh!

See what happens:

If I attach them where specified, I can't get the whole thing to lie flat at all!

I think it would need a longer picot where you attach the flowers together so that the edges aren't bunched up together and seemingly a looong picot at the centre of the leaves too to make space for them otherwise they end up on top of each other.  How's everybody else getting on with that?

Here I tried to pull the leaves into shape so that they are flat but then the flowers bunch up!

Now, do you guys think I should persevere, take this thing apart, re-tat the elements with longer picots where they are to be attached and have another go??

Best wishes,

A Bit of Progress - Tischband

I'm back!  Had a lovely holiday and some time to tat on the plane.  I hope I will be forgiven but I added a stitch on the chain for the flowers (so 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 18) - it just wasn't sitting right for me.

This is the Tat Along Challenge from Umi & Tsuru's Blog.

But those leaves...  they can be a bit confusing!  I still couldn't understand the "picot, then turn" at the bottom of the leaf at the beginning and I ended up using a paperclip and making a picot on the core thread with a lock stitch before continuing the chain instead of "turning" as indicated in the pattern.  I kept looking at the instructions and at the pictures and couldn't figure out how to do it without the chain twisting if I followed the directions.

I think making the tip the way I described forms a nice point to the leaf.

In fact, if you do it that way, I think you don't even need 

the picot at the tip and it looks ok.

What do you think?

But if someone wants to put me right on how to do that tip

according to the directions - I'd love to know!

Leaf is Motif no.10

You really have to pay attention when you are making the leaf:  out of three leaves I've attempted, I've only one to show for!  I found it easy to get lost in the chain count and also easy to attach the leaves and the flowers in the wrong place!  Had to throw away two flowers for the same reason.

Hopefully I'll get there eventually.  I've enjoyed watching other people's progress with this pattern.

Best wishes,

Flower Medallion

Well, time for just one more before I go!  Here is the flower medallion from Umi & Tsuru's blog.  I've decide to join in the Tischband tat-along.  Don't know how far I'll get with it, but I'll certainly complete one repeat!

Motif no.9

This is another of my very favourite Lizbeth colourway:  Vineyard Harvest.  Though strangely enough, I'm not convinced I like it for this particular pattern.  I feel there is too much contrast between the colours. I might follow Umintsuru's lead and make two variegated and two in plain colour to go with it.

This felt quite "tight" for me.  As if there weren't enough stitches in the chains.  Particularly the first round with the C6.  And next time I will make my centre picot larger too.

See you soon everyone.

Best wishes,

The Heart Within

I finally made it to the end!  It's taken me AGES to write this pattern up with all the variations and all the diagrams!  I've looked and looked and looked at it, trying to catch all the typos, all the mistakes - phew!  I also had the help of my test-tatter (thank you Carol!) but it's still quite worrying that something might have escaped my attention and you find out after you've sent it out in the big wide world!  So fingers-crossed, all is good with it - and you like it!

Motif no.8

I was particularly pleased with the little heart that forms inside the big heart...

hence the name of course!

This pattern comes with three variations:

So you can choose which one you like best.

I had one more version which didn't make it onto the pattern

as it was getting rather large (it is four pages long

with diagrams and photos)

Just one more to show how nice

it looks on a card:

I wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day as I will be away until the 23rd of February.

Best wishes,

Happy Heart - A Gift for You

This is not the pattern I was talking about in the previous post (I'm still working on that one, hopefully to appear soon in my Etsy shop) but I got side-tracked (as I so often do!) by this other idea for a smaller, simpler heart.   

I knew the Catherine-Wheel Join (CWJ) would come in handy in one of my patterns and this is it!

A small heart (3cm wide in size 20) that's quick to tat

and which would look nice on a card.

Forgot to say that this is motif no. 7 for the 25-motif challenge

Happy Heart with 3ds chain at bottom and the ends
just tied around the SR for an easy, no-sewing-in-of-ends finish.
This one is tatted in Lizbeth size 20.

So if you've been putting off trying the CWJ, now is your chance!

As the outer edge of this heart is all done with CWJs.

If you need help with "how to start on a chain",

there is a video on that in the Techniques pages of this blog.

If you need help with the Catherine Wheel Join,

Yarnplayer has made a great video of this technique.

You have to be very careful not to let the threads twist as you make this join or it won't work.  It took me a few goes to get this right but now I can do it quite quickly, so as with everything, just a bit of practice is needed.  I also find it quicker doing this join with an Aero as you can just put your shuttle through the loop in one movement which avoids giving the loop a chance to twist if you let go of it to put down your hook down and pick your shuttle up.  It's a great join!

This one has the ends sewn in
and is tatted in DMC Babylo size 10.

This one I added a few strands of thread and made a small "tasselly thingy".
Also tatted in Babylo size 10.
This one is a bit "wonky" at the tip as I was still working on the stitch count.

On this one I just added a bead and tied a knot.
This one tatted in Lizbeth size 10.

I hope you like it.  Here is the link to download the pattern :  

Best wishes,

Heart

It's February!  Of course, you knew that already.  But February makes you think of hearts, doesn't it?  So I'm thinking I need a heart of my own design....

And that's what I've been working on the last few days.  I think I may offer it with variations as I'm not sure which version I like best so far!

Best wishes,