More Hearts

 I tatted a few more hearts in different colors. The first two are done in Lizbeth size 20 thread, color #628 (Salmon Medium) and color #671 (Christmas Red):

I also tatted some in variegated colors:

These are Lizbeth size 20, color #124 (Spring Garden), color #189 (Pink Ice), and color #178 (Grape Pomegranate). The pattern for these is called Candy Heart and is available in my Etsy shop (click HERE if you'd like to visit the listing). At first I wasn't sure about the variegated threads, but looking at it more I think I like the Spring Garden version. 

New Pattern

 I made a new pattern called Candy Heart. It's available in my Etsy shop (if you want to check it out you can do so by clicking HERE)

The hearts pictured above are tatted in size 80 DMC Special Dentelles, color #210 and color #603. The pattern contains two versions: Candy Heart (pictured on the left) and Candy Heart with Border (pictured on the right).

I also made a few in Liz Metallic thread (colors are Rose on the left and Raspberry Pink on the right):

The construction is similar to my Classic Heart tatting pattern, but I think the Candy Heart is quicker and easier to make. The only advanced technique is a self closing mock ring at the bottom of the heart. Other than that, it's just rings, chains, picots, regular joins, and lock joins.

I've actually been enjoying tatting this pattern, and made samples in DMC size 80, Lizbeth size 20, and Liz Metallic. I may tat a few more over the coming weeks:

One thing to note about this pattern: the Candy Heart (above left) is designed to lay flat with minimal to no blocking. However, the Candy Heart with Border (above right) is designed to cup after closing Round 1:

This is done intentionally, to prevent ruffling after Round 2 is added. As you add Round 2, the design will flatten out, which you can see in the photo below. This sample is tatted in Lizbeth size 20, color #127 Butterfly Breeze:

If you are curious, here is a photo of the ruffling that would occur if Round 1 is tatted flat: 

Anyhow, all of this is mentioned on page 7 of the Etsy pattern, but I just wanted to go into a more detailed explanation here in case it would be helpful.

Snowflake Progress and Etsy Sale

I've now worked through 25 of the mini flakes. There's 15 more to go. If all goes well, patterns for these will be available in the fall:

I'm also having an Etsy sale, which will be running through June 1. Everything in the shop is 20% off, no code needed. If you want to check that out, you can get to my shop by clicking here.

Pastel Hearts and Pattern Update

I've been making more hearts, and decided to add lock chain hangers so I could use them as ornaments.

These are made with size 80 DMC Special dentelles thread, in colors 744, 3325, 210, and 3326.

As I was making these, I adjusted the join location for the first flower, which I think gives a better shape to the heart. I updated the pattern to include a diagram with the new join location, as well as instructions for the lock chain hanger.

For those who purchased the Floral Heart pattern before February 8, I sent out Etsy convos this past Saturday with a link to the new file. The new pattern contains 10 pages whereas the old pattern had 8 pages. If you bought the pattern and have not received the updated file, please contact me.

Floral Heart

Here is the completed design I posted about earlier this week. It's called Floral Heart and the pattern is available in my Etsy shop (click here if you want to go to the listing).

The heart on the left is tatted in Lizbeth size 20 thread. The colors are Blue Ice #163 and Ocean Teal Medium #664. The heart on the right is tatted in Lizbeth size 40 thread, Pink Medium #622.

I also made a couple of hearts in size 80 DMC Special dentelles thread:

On the left is color #115 and on the right is color #107.

This heart was inspired by Mary Konior's "Queen of Hearts" which appeared in her book Tatting with Visual Patterns. Would anyone be interested in a "design with me" blog post about how I used Mary's pattern as inspiration to put this design together?

Etsy Sale

I'm having an Etsy sale with everything in the shop 20% off, now through Tuesday, December 3. If you'd like to check it out you can get to my shop by clicking HERE.

Below is a photo of some of the designs available in my shop:

If you're wondering why I still have all of these tatted samples, it's because I file them away into binders each time I make a new pattern. I'm up to four binders now.

The tatted samples are placed into plastic sheet protectors. I try to remember to put my pattern notes in there too.

Each binder holds somewhere around 20 to 25 patterns. The tatted samples make the pages bulky, so the binders don't hold has much as they would if it was just paper.

Trefoil Table Runner

After a year and a half, and about 200 hours of tatting, the trefoil table runner is finally finished:

The runner is tatted in Lizbeth size 20 thread. It measures 55 inches long and 8.5 inches wide. It is all tatted in one pass. You can get to the Etsy listing for the pattern by clicking HERE

I want to use this blog post as a companion to the written pattern (there's a link within the pattern that will direct here). I will be showing in progress photos of the table runner and will include some additional information at the bottom of the post.

The Trefoil Table Runner began as a challenge to make a magic rectangle (a rectangle that could be expanded to any size, all in one pass). I soon realized that the tatting path for this rectangle would be much different than what I was used to for magic squares. Instead of the complex magic square path, I needed to work back and forth in rows, similar to making a crochet blanket. However, to make both sides symmetrical, I had to work one half at a time. The tatting path is shown below:

For the actual runner, I started by making a strip of connected trefoils. I worked to half of the length of the dining table, letting the end of the runner drape a bit before turning the corner. Our table has a line down the middle where two pieces connect, so it was easy to measure the halfway point:

After turning the corner, I worked my way back to the middle of the table. Upon reaching the middle of the table I made another turn:

I want to point out that there is an extra trefoil along the edge. Below is a closer photo of it. The extra trefoil will line up with the middle part of the runner:

I continued working in this zig-zag fashion. Here is the second column in progress:

I decided to work a tapered edge to give the pattern a little more visual interest. Here are the third, fourth, and fifth columns being tatted:

After finishing the fifth column, my table runner was at the halfway point. I then needed to create a mirror image of the first half of the runner. Without cutting my thread, I worked another strip of trefoils, making sure it was the same length as the first half. At this point, I needed to move my table runner to the ottoman because it was becoming too long to photograph:

As with the first half of the runner, I worked back and forth in a zig-zag path. The two halves are connected horizontally, through the middle of the runner. Below is the seventh column being built and connected back to the first half of the runner:

The eighth and ninth columns are made in the same way. The tapered edge mirrors what was done for the first half of the runner:

The tenth and final column is worked back to the starting point. The last elements are joined back to the first, and the thread is cut, tied, and sewn in:

Here is a closer photo of the runner, including the tapered edge:

I worked from a 1 kg cone of Lizbeth size 20 thread. My finished runner weighs 107 grams, which is equivalent to about 5 balls of Lizbeth thread (each ball weighing 25 grams):

In total, my table runner has 478 trefoils. Each trefoil took about 25 minutes to tat (only 20 minutes for trefoils along the edge because they didn't have thrown rings). Using several Catherine wheel joins definitely slowed my tatting down quite a bit. Adjustments can be made to use other join types if speed is of concern.

3 in 1 Hexagon

Working on the table runner can be monotonous, so I spent some time putting together a different pattern. It's a hexagon that can be connected together to form a mat, or embellished to make snowflakes:

The pattern is available in my Etsy shop and you can get to the listing by clicking HERE.

The snowflakes have interchangeable centers, pictured below:

I couldn't help but wonder what the mat would look like if it was enlarged, so I used an app on my iPad called Photo Grid to splice together some images. The first is a hexagon shaped mat:

The next is an extended mat, which could be used as a table runner:

The thread is Lizbeth size 20 in White (#601) and Cotton Candy (#111). I think the extended mat would look nice if the motifs around the edge were changed to all white.

300 Trefoils, and Etsy sale

I took a break from tatting in April, and then started working on my table runner again in May. It's now up to 300 trefoils. I had to lay it diagonally across the table to see the whole thing:

When placed in the center of the table, it drapes a little over each side:

This is an extendable table, so I'll have to insert the middle piece for future photos. That way it will be easier to see the entire runner.

In other news, I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop from now until May 31. Everything is 20% off, no code needed. If you miss this sale, I will be having another one at the end of November.

Jan's Doily

The final version of the doily has been tatted and the pattern can now be found in my Etsy shop. Click here to go directly to the listing.

Below is a photo of the doily, tatted in Lizbeth size 40 thread, White, Seagreen Light, and Turquoise Dark. It's next to the prototype of the doily, tatted in white:

I decided to name this pattern "Jan's Doily" because I was inspired by several of Jan Stawasz's doily designs. I really like the way he frames a central shape with a border of simple rings and chains.

The doily measures 11.75 inches wide when tatted in size 20 thread and 9.6 inches wide in size 40 thread. It's appropriate for a large vase or similar item:

Here is a closer photo of the prototype. It has a few minor irregularities because I was trying to come up with a good stitch count as I went along:

The colorized version was tatted afterwards, to test out my instructions and to make sure that everything lays flat:

Three more

Three more snowflakes are fresh off the blocking board:

The pattern for these can be found in my Etsy shop by clicking HERE. Also, a reminder that my Etsy sale is ending tomorrow, and my next sale will be sometime in early June, 2019. If you want to visit my shop, you can do so by clicking HERE.

My blocking board doesn't have lines for a six pointed motif, which made things a little more difficult. Next time, I'm going to print out an appropriate polar grid (using Inkscape) and place it in a plastic sleeve to use as a blocking template.

These snowflakes have been stiffened with Mod Podge Extreme Glitter. The sparkle is very pretty in person but doesn't show up on camera unless the photo is blurry:

It's a multicolored glitter, similar to the AB color used in beads. I will be stiffening all of this year's snowflakes with the glittery Mod Podge and see how they hold up over time.

Glittery Snowflakes and Etsy Sale

When the new Liz Metallic threads came out, I was excited to try them and potentially use them for snowflakes. I had high hopes for the Iridescent color, but found it difficult to work with and not as sparkly as I thought it would be. I ended up making a few snowflakes in Liz Metallic Silver but still longed for a white snowflake with sparkle.

I started brainstorming: Maybe I could mix Mod Podge with glitter and use it to stiffen a white snowflake? I wanted to do a bit of research online to see if anyone had done this before, and found that Mod Podge actually has a product with glitter already mixed in! It's called Mod Podge Extreme Glitter. I was able to find some at my local Michael's craft store:

I placed my snowflake on plastic wrap and used a foam brush to paint both sides with Mod Podge. I then blotted out the excess stiffener with a paper towel and laid the snowflake on a fresh sheet of plastic wrap to dry for 24 hours. I'm really pleased with the results! The snowflake is stiff (great for ornaments) and very sparkly. It's hard to capture in photos and seems to show up better on camera in low light:

More glitter shows up when the camera is out of focus:

If you have access to this product, I highly recommend trying it out. Maybe start with something small to make sure you like the results before using it on something that took a while to tat. The Mod Podge does add some thickness to the tatting, so be sure to blot pretty thoroughly after applying it.

This snowflake is one that I designed fairly recently. I started out with a small onion ring snowflake and extended the arms for a larger version. I took inspiration from Joëlle Paulson's Snowdrop pattern to extend the arms.

I named the above pattern Shimmer Snowflake, since it's my first project to use the glittery fabric stiffener. You can find the pattern in my Etsy shop by clicking HERE. I'm also having a holiday sale which will end on Tuesday, November 27. Everything in the shop is 20% off, no code needed. I noticed some other Etsy shops are having holiday sales as well so head on over to see if you can find any good deals :)

Four Petals Magic Square

I haven't been posting much to my blog, but I have been tatting. I put together a new magic square pattern during October. It's something I sketched on my iPad back in May and had been meaning to design ever since.

The listing can be found in my Etsy shop by clicking here. I have proofread and test tatted this pattern myself so if you come across any errors or questions, please let me know.

The samples pictured above are tatted in Lizbeth size 40 thread, Autumn Spice and Ecru. If tatted in size 20 thread, the medium sized square would be good for a coaster. In size 40 it's a little small, so I placed a mug on the larger square for this photo:

This pattern did give me trouble in getting everything lined up right. I forgot how exact the center lines need to be when designing a magic square. In the end, I got everything worked out, but it took a lot of attempts:

In the photo above, the rightmost square is what I like to call an "inverted" square. If you are familiar with my Designing Magic Squares post you will recognize that term (see Part 4: Expanding the Square). For this pattern, however, I felt that the inverted squares didn't look as nice so I did not include instructions for them. The edge for the inverted squares would be the ecru edge pictured below:

Anyhow, I've probably gone into too much detail about that part! Now that this pattern is done it's time to get back to work on my table runner. I also should start making some snowflakes for the holiday season.