Snowflake 2025 - Versions 6 and 7

First of all, thank you so much for all your contributions in the comments, I really appreciate reading them!

I hope you're not fed up with this yet as I carry on trying to improve the design. On the last post, I pondered whether the centre should be more filled in (more like the real snowflake) so in these next two versions, that's what I changed.  The tips have remained the same nearly from the beginning.

Earlier on I made a transparent image from my tatted snowflake and superimposed it onto the real snowflake to see if the general shape and that of the tips fitted well with the real thing and was satisfied that it was close enough.

Transparent version 5 of snowflake, checking for shape

So in the next version, I attempted a more filled in centre:

Version 6

I was trying to make onion rings but they are not lying very well, it's a bit tight trying to fit everything into the centre space. I made three more chains after the centre onion rings. It's a bit messy and I don't like the centre negative space.

The real snowflake has a tiny ring in the centre so I tried that in the next version and I thought that would also help anchor the centre rings around it. Instead of making onion rings, I made small rings attached to the very centre one and then chains around them.  I think that worked out better.

Version 7

As per Frankie's suggestion, I made a collage of all the versions so far with the photo of the real snowflake top left.

To recapitulate:  Version 1: does not count, it was my first "tat-through" and I kept changing things as I tatted it. Version 2: I made more space for the tips (they were too close together on Version 1), added a gap between the centre rings and the chains and made three rows of chains.  Version 3: is a mistake!  I missed an element but decided to keep tatting and finish it anyway.  Version 4: I removed a round of chains as I was not sure I liked the heaviness of the three rounds of Version 2, but I think it makes the centre a bit too angular and star-like. Version 5: I square off the chains so that the line between the tips was straighter (more like the real snowflake) but this makes it very open whereas the real snowflake is full in the centre. Version 6: I filled in the centre with onion rings and three rounds of chains but it was not lying nicely so I then tried Version 7 with a tiny centre ring as the starting point around which I attached rounds of rings and chains.

Phew! Are you still with me?  

Do I stop here or are there more versions I should try? I pondered Angie's suggestion to tat it as pie wedges but it seemed quite complex to come up with a path that would work. The other problem is that in my bid to re-create real snowflakes, sometimes patterns becomes complex and perhaps less do-able for beginners.  All versions have SCMRs and a split ring to climb from round one to round two and some also have a split chain so that it can be tatted in one pass.  Is that something you'd be happy to tat or does it require too many "advanced" techniques?  I sometimes try to come up with a simpler version of some of my designs too (which may mean tatting it in more than one pass to avoid split rings and chains if you're not comfortable with those).

Am I happy enough with Version 7?  Thinking about it...  Might try adding a picot there (red arrow in image below) to fill in that space and to give the centre ring a slightly more pointy shape. Or maybe not...  Decisions, decisions!

I look forward to your comments!

Best wishes,

Frivole

Snowflake 2025 - Version 5

As per Angie K.'s suggestion, I tried to "square off" the shape between the tips so that it's more like the real snowflake.  

No. 5

Real Snowflake

I like it but... I now wonder whether it's better with the heavier look of the three chains (from version 2) so that it looks more like the real snowflake.  This is nice too but it feels very open in the centre now whereas the real snowflake is not open in the centre, it's full.  Maybe no. 2 but I square off the last chains more?

No. 2

Do I try to fill in the spaces?  Even fill in the centre rings so that there is a lot less negative space in the centre of the snowflake? 

I mean of course, the real snowflake is an inspiration so my lace snowflake doesn't need to be exactly the same... but I enjoy the challenge of getting as close as possible!  It's always an interesting exercise and I often discover new shapes I like along the way and end up with more than one pattern (like no. 3 for example which I like also but is different and not so much like the real thing).

No. 3
(I missed one ring on one tip!)

No. 5

Ok, off to try another version!  See you again soon.

Best wishes,

Frivole

Versions 2, 3, 4

I carried on working on the new snowflake.  It needed more space around the tips and I also wanted to add space in the centre after the initial rings (just as there is a tiny gap in the real snowflake). However, I went slightly wrong and ended up needing an extra round of chains to get to the tips and I don't think I like the "heaviness" of the three rounds. But here is version 2:

I thought the tips were now too far apart but if you look at the snowflake photo below, the proportions are actually not bad!  But the centre would need to be bigger relative to the tips I think...

So I started another one thinking I wanted only two rows of chains after the centre rings... but went wrong again! I mean it's never completely wrong but just not what I had in mind or what I was thinking I wanted to do.  So this next one, I missed an element but decided to run with it anyway and complete the snowflake and this is how it came out...  Version 3:

It looks completely different, doesn't it?!  But I rather like it.  It's not so much like the snowflake photograph I'm trying to reproduce but as a snowflake, I still like it!

Anyway, onwards with the real snowflake design, I got going with version 4.  This time only two rounds of chains after the centre rings and I shortened the tips a tiny bit.  Obviously my tatted version is never going to be exactly like the real snowflake but I do try to get as close as possible.  Especially as tatting is all round and curves and snowflakes are angular and spiky!

I think I'm getting close to happy with this design... what do you think?  All comments welcome, good or bad! :-).   Do you prefer 3 rounds of chains or better with just two?  I think I like the look better with two but maybe three makes it look more like the real snowflake?  I might also try making the centre bigger so it's more in proportion with the real snowflake.  More work to be done!

Best wishes,

Frivole

New Snowflake 2025!

That's it, it's the time of year... to start working on a new snowflake design!  This time I asked one of my daughters to make a pre-selection of a few snowflakes she liked from my favourite book "Snowflakes in Photographs" by Wilson A. Bentley.  Out of her selection, I chose this one.

I always first do a rough sketch to see how I'd produce the shape in one pass because that's always my preferred option wherever possible.  So with my pencil I'll draw the shape and see how it would flow and also start thinking about the number of stitches I think I'll need for each element.

Then I worked on how I'd make the tips:

Then I went ahead and started tatting the whole thing,

this is my first version:

A bit rough but not too bad though it's all a bit too tight

(and only looks ok because I've pinned it down for the photo!)

I'm still experimenting with different tips on this version

So that's where I'm at so far, I will continue work on it today.  I think I may need to make either the centre bigger or the tips smaller as the proportions are not quite right (compared to photo of real snowflake) and it's all a bit too congested at the moment.  It doesn't lie flat without a bit of help!  

See you soon for the next versions!

Best wishes,

Frivole

Vintage Oeillet Edging

I've been working on a one-shuttle edging by Mlle. Riego de la Branchardière.  I even made a video about it. Although it's absolutely fine and lovely in its original version, there were a couple of little things that I felt could be improved on so I decided to make tiny adjustments.  Really minimal!

If you look on the left, the two rings at the bottom of the edging end up being a bit on top of each other even when I try to make the joining picot a bit longer.  So I decided to add a picot to join them on the side instead of at the top.  I also added two stitches to the ring shown by an arrow to space things out a bit as I felt the edging was little bit "congested".

So here's what it looks like with those small mods:

So then I decided I needed to figure out a corner for it as I thought it would make a lovely handkerchief edging.

I tried different options, joining and chopping on my little sample.

Yes, this one seems to work out well!

Here's the handkerchief I'll use.

It will be a gift for mother-in-law.

I'm struggling to find nice ladies' handkerchieves nowadays.

This one was in my stash but I can't find any shops that stock them.

Maybe nobody buys them anymore...

I'll make another video with the modifications and how to make the corner.  I like vintage edgings and enjoy one-shuttle ones and I think this one is really pretty.  I hope some of you might enjoy this pattern too.

Best wishes,

Frivole

First Commission!

I wrote this blogpost back in February but seemingly forgot to post it!  So here it is, more than 6 months later...

Last week I delivered my first commission for a lace lamp.  Very exciting.  It's not installed in place yet so I can only show it to you balanced on top of a floor lamp in my father's living room but it will eventually be installed in my customer's dining room.  She said she'll send me photos when it's done so I look forward to seeing it "in situ".  I had explored different patterns and colours for her lamp but in the end, she decided she liked the same colour and design as the large lamp I had made for a gallery a little while ago, only just a bit smaller.  I used a large 3D-printed tatting shuttle to work with much larger "string/rope" than what is normally used for tatting.

It is based on a square from a 100 year old collar which was given to Ninetta by a family member and the pattern of which she kindly shared. I've always had a soft spot for squares in tatting so when I was looking for a design for my large lace, I found this one hit the spot.  I modified it a bit so that the holes were not quite so big when working at a large scale.

I really like seeing the light shine through the lace and at certain angles, you can also see the lace reflected on the walls around it.  I'm happy with how it turned out!

Best wishes,

Frivole

Bag Making

It's summer!  I have been making a few pairs of tatted earrings lately (nothing new I'm afraid, just a favourite pattern I keep using) but I also enjoyed making a couple more bags.  

My tatting friend who loves making bags invited me for a bag-making day a while ago and on another occasion more recently.  The first time I made this nice toiletry bag:

(the bag is symmetrical, it's my photo that's wonky!)

And more recently I made this unusual travel bag with triple zip:

My friend's bag on the right and mine on the left.

The pattern is "Triple Sling" by Country Cow Designs.

The only change I made is that I rounded the corners at the bottom of my bag more than the original design.  And if I was making it again, I think I would add a side to the bag (it's flat) so that it would be a bit roomier.  Otherwise it's a really interesting design.

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful summer!

Best wishes,

Frivole

Vintage Galoon Pillow Case

I decided to go ahead and use my vintage galoon straight away (my auto-correct tells me I should spell galoon with two lls as in "galloons" but it is definitely spelled with just one l in the Th. de Dillmont book!) and decorate a pillowcase.

It makes for a simple and discreet decoration on a plain pillowcase but it was nice to put my lace on something that will get used in our daily lives.  

I first unpicked the sides of my pillowcase just enough to fit the width of my lace,

I then marked two lines for where I wanted to sew the lace

and sewed with a stitch length so that the needle fell into the picots.

I then cut straight down the middle and turned under the small edge on both side

and sewed it down.  That's it!

Best wishes,

Frivole

Clamshell Bag

I recently visited a friend who is really enjoying making bags at the moment.  She inspired me and I decided to make this clamshell bag by SewCanShe.  The fabric needed to be quilted before being made into a bag and I must admit I spent a crazy amount of time following the printed shapes on the fabric to quilt it rather than going for straight lines across!

My corners are also less rounded than in the pattern as I'm away from home at the moment and couldn't print the guide so I just winged it with a lid to trace the corners so I guess my bag is a bit less of a "clamshell" than the original pattern.

Taking my time and sewing around all those shells in the fabric

in the sunshiny garden.

I made some piping with the lining fabric

and then sewed it around the zipper piece.

(Sorry evening photo, not so good lighting)

The quilted and piped zipper piece (made of 6 parts)

and the quilted main body piece of the bag ready to put together.

I realised, after cutting my main piece, that I meant to have the shells facing the other way!

Ah well, too late.

They will now go sideways on the front and back of the bag.

TADA!  The finished bag which will be used to store all my sewing bits.

A fun and satisfying project.

P.S.:  I added a permanent link to the Antique Pattern Library's Tatting Patterns Section as I feel it's such a good resource and I wanted to make sure it's easily available to everyone (and to me!).  The link is in the right side bar.

Best wishes,

Frivole

Vintage Bunny Edging - Happy Easter!

Many years ago I tatted a bunny edging but sadly the link to the pattern doesn't work anymore.  As it's Easter, I looked to see if I could find another bunny edging to share.  This vintage one dates back to 1928 and is by Bessie Barker.  The information was on the BellaOnline website (article by Georgia Seitz) but the images don't come up anymore.

I found those two images but the links to follow to get to their original pages do not function.  I think they were both linking back to the BellaOnline site.

Update (21.04.25):  I was kindly contacted by Tamie of the OnlineTattingClass and she was able to restore the information onto a page of their website and give me a link for you to access.  Thank you Tamie!

Working from the diagram, I tatted the edging and it looks pretty but the elements are not joined which makes it a bit floppy as you can see in the left of the image below, if I don't "arrange" the edging.  So I started attaching the arms of the rabbits to the "cabbages" (right side of edging in photo below).

Oh, and I just realised I misread the pattern and made three picots in the bottom chains instead of just two!  But as can often be the case, tension in samples of old patterns is often not the same as mine (it tends to be looser) so the chains would have been too short with just two picots.  You can see also that the chain that makes the bunny is looser in the original too so that the space between the "tail" in the centre and the body is much bigger than in my version.  Perhaps I should make another sample and add a few stitches to my bunny body?

So there it is, a rather cute bunny edging for Easter.

Happy Easter everyone!

Best wishes,

Frivole

Vintage Galoon

I was recently looking at my copy of Thérèse de Dillmont's book "Frivolité" and decided to tackle one of the narrow insertions called "galoon" in my English copy.  I like the scallops which are made by only partially closing a small ring.  It's not an element that is used very often in modern tatting.  I was on the ferry for a few hours and this kept me busy.  I made a video of it which you can view here.

A close-up of the scallops

I'm thinking of decorating a pillow case with this white galoon.

Next I might have a go at the tatted insertions that are attached to a crochet edge.  Actually, I looked at it up close and I'm not convinced it's crochet... what do you think?  It might look like a purchased edge specially made to attach lace to?  But I'll try it with crochet and see how it works out.  

Do any of you actually use their tatting to decorate linen?  Clothing?  I love lace but find that (apart from tatted earrings which I wear often) I don't use my lace as much as I would like to.

Best wishes,

Frivole

Just in Time...

 ... for a new blogpost before January ends!  So that I can extend my good wishes to you all for a great New Year 2025!  January disappeared so quickly, I don't know where it went.

One thing I've often said I like about tatting is its portability.  I had to spend time on trains this week and tatting is so easy to take with you.  I thought I'd start work on a very simple one-shuttle edging for a handkerchief for my mother-in-law.  It's a while since I made her a new hanky and her birthday is coming up soon.  She loves purple.

Also for her, she told me recently that she would like a red necklace.

So I made her this one, with a pearl coin.

It's my Cameo pattern.

I'd not made this for some time so it was nice to revisit the pattern.

I found a few little updates to make so

I shall be uploading an updated version to Etsy very soon.

Bright red is often surprisingly difficult to photograph!

I hope everyone has had a good start to the new year!

Best wishes,

Frivole