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.

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.

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:

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.

Bookmark patterns are in the shop

After many months of designing, writing, and testing, the bookmark patterns are finally available in my Etsy shop! You can click HERE to go directly to the listing.

There are more photos within the listing that show all of the designs. Thanks again to everyone who helped with the test tatting. If you test tatted these and did NOT receive the final version of the ebook, please let me know.

A few days ago, Etsy was having some issues that caused a delay in receiving instant downloads. It looks like it has cleared up now, but if you encounter any issues don't hesitate to contact me. I can send files for any patterns in my shop.

Doily

Well, I've finally finished the instructions and test tatting for this doily. I know why I don't tat many doilies now. They just take so long to make, and this one isn't even that big!

Instructions for the doily can be found in my Etsy shop (click here to go directly to the listing). I proofread and test tatted this myself, as I do with all of my patterns. I didn't feel comfortable sending out such a big pattern for others to test, so if you find any errors or confusing parts, be sure to let me know.

The doily above was tatted in Lizbeth size 40 thread, White and Wildflower Garden. Here it is next to the all white doily that I tatted as a prototype. (The white doily was tatted in size 20 Lizbeth thread):

It's interesting how the addition of color changes a pattern so much. The medallions are more prominent in the colorful doily, while the negative spaces are more prominent in the white doily.

In size 40, the doily measures 8.75 inches across and in size 20 it measures 10.6 inches across. Both seem to be suitable under a large vase:

I think that will be it for shop patterns until late summer or early fall. A couple of years ago I was asked if I would make a collection of bookmark patterns. I meant to work on that last year, but got distracted by snowflakes. Perhaps bookmarks will be my next project?

Edit: I forgot to add a thank you to those who voted for me on Craftree for best tatting designer! I get embarrassed by these types of things and try to pretend they didn't happen. But Diane has posted about her award and emailed me so I figured I'd better acknowledge it! So, thank you and congratulations to all of the other winners :)

Heart

Here's a photo of the design I created while taking a break from tatting my doily:

This pattern is inspired by a lot of classic tatted hearts, specifically designs that use an outline to represent the heart. As such, I've called this pattern "Classic Heart." You can find it in my Etsy shop by clicking here.

The sets of double rings have proven to be a really versatile tatting element. I've used them in several designs, including the doily from my previous post. By changing ring size and join location, a lot of different curves and angles can be made.

I tatted 12 hearts before I got the angles correct and finalized the stitch counts. While I was experimenting, I could see the potential for outlining several other shapes as well. Not that I would do it, but I bet the alphabet could be tatted with ring sets like this. Also spades, clubs, and diamonds to go along with the heart (as in playing cards), but I'm not sure how good those would look as just outlines.

So far, I've only tatted three hearts from the finished pattern:

When I get the chance, I'd like to try a few more color combinations to see how they look.

Snowflake patterns are in the shop

The snowflake patterns that I've been working on over the past several months are now in my Etsy shop, a few days earlier than expected. You can get to the listing by clicking here.

The digital file contains 12 snowflake patterns and 2 stars. Closeups of the patterns can be seen in the listing photos on Etsy. For this project, I experimented with different variations on themes. You might notice that several of the patterns are similar to each other. I also tried out a couple of new (to me) techniques including layered rings.

Creating a set of patterns like this is giving me good practice for self publishing a printed book. I still have to do a lot of research on that front though. I wonder what types of patterns I should include in a book?

Anyhow, I've emailed the full pattern file to everyone who test tatted one of these flakes for me. If you were a test tatter and don't see the file in your inbox, let me know.

One more down, three more to go

Now that these crosses have been written up and posted, I just have three more pattern sets to do before I'm done with my triangle themed experiments.

What's left? I've got a couple of bookmarks, which can be extended into a mat or a coaster. I've also got four repeatable squares, and a mini flake that I'm hoping to be able to turn into a small doily. For the doily, I've tatted the first and last rounds and have yet to design the middle:

I've found that this is the best way to design a doily with a pre-determined outer round. You see, the last round is kind of set in stone, because the triangular ring clusters need to match the first round. So the flexibility has to come from the middle rounds, which don't follow as many rules and can be adjusted as needed. It's also much easier to tat and redo the middle rounds because they take a lot less time to complete than the outer round. If the middle doesn't work, I snip it out and start again.

To brainstorm how the middle rounds will look, I've made a drawing on the Amaziograph app. I think this will be a good test for using this new app in tatting design.

By the way, Etsy seems to be having a few technical difficulties again, and I'm not sure if these are affecting the ability to download digital files. If you buy something from my shop and have any trouble getting the pattern, send me a message and I'll be happy to email you a copy of the file.