Monday 9 November 2015

Bentley

A very kind lady sent me Wilson Bentley's book called "Snowflakes in photographs" - thank you!  I was thrilled!  I no longer need to search through internet for snowflake photos, I have all I need right there in that book.

Wilson Bentley is one of the first known photographers of snowflakes.  I am inspired by many of the samples in his book… this is the first one that came off my shuttles.  I was thinking of him and I was looking to create a bit of a bolder design because I wished to name my new snowflake design after him.  I also wanted it to be special in his honour and that's when I came up with the idea of giving it a crystal centre, in a star shape.  There is often a little star at the heart of real snowflakes so this seemed perfect.  I can't quite catch it in my photos unfortunately but the Swarovski crystals look wonderful and sparkly at the heart of this snowflake.  I've just ordered different ones with an AB coating and I think they'll look even better.

Of course, I know that not everyone likes to tat with beads (or even have any to hand) so Bentley can also be made without beads and I will provide both versions.

I wanted really straight "arms" to my snowflake so I used lock chains and also in the centre where, like in Snowdrop, I wanted to emphasise the hexagonal shape which is a feature of real snowflakes.

I added a silver filament to my cotton thread
and when I pressed it, it made the picots at the tip go a bit funny…
I need to sort that out but was too impatient!

Below is the snowflake photograph
that inspired Bentley



Trying to show you the sparkly centre star;
This will look lovely hanging on a tree when the
light catches the crystals…
Very icy.



                                     Without crystals:                                    With crystals:


Again this is not a difficult design to tat.  I've even done away with the SCMR which I used at first to be able to throw the decorative rings at the tips of the snowflake.  Instead, I used a chain joined back which I have decided I actually prefer.  I think the resulting join is better and lays flatter than when using a SCMR.  I think SCMRs can sound daunting to new tatters but if you just think of it as a chain joined back at its beginning, then anybody can do that.

Best wishes,
Frivole

17 comments:

  1. Oh is that ever gorgeous!!!! :)

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  2. Very beautiful, as usual, as expected :-) A snowflake-in-Nature effect comes through clearly ! Love it !

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  3. Il est superbe! Je suis à frivoler ton flocon Stellar, ensuite d'autres flocons, celui-ci m'inspire. Je vais à la recherche du livre de M. Bentley. Il doit être superbe.

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  4. Bardzo piękna jest ta śnieżynka.

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  5. Ahhhh, this may be your best snowflake yet!! As a tatter hesitant to use beads, I really appreciate that you thought about providing two different version. However I'm also really drawn to the crystal star version and would actually tat it. Superb is definitely the word for this pattern.

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  6. Ooh, it's gorgeous! I love the lock chains, they give a lovely 3D effect. For sale soon?

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  7. Beautiful! I like tatting with beads, especially crystal beads, I just don't seem to get around to incorporating them in my tatting. I will with this design!

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  8. Another beautiful snowflake! I look forward to trying it both with and without the center crystal. The easier the techniques, the more eager I am to try a pattern. I know I will have to look up (and practice) any of the techniques I don't use often, which can be a hindrance. Thank you for making your patterns so user-friendly :)

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  9. Another gorgeous snowflake, I love your snowflakes and you get your patterns to look like snowflakes, I look forward to tatting this pattern with or without beads I enjoy using beads but I never over do the beads I like to see the tatting as well.
    Margaret

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  10. Beautiful snowflake. You are having great success with this method!

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  11. Gorgeous design! Again :)))

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  12. Another successful design. It's stunning!

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  13. Ein sehr schönes Muster. Mit Christallperlen wunderschön

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  14. Fabulous snowflake and excellent notes. Love the crystal snowflake shape in the center! This is a lovely tribute to Wilson Bentley!

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  15. I love this snowflake pattern. Especially the center. Hope it comes out soon...!

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  16. Very well executed from the photograph. Beautiful.

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