Using a Tiny Motif to create Tatting Designs

A QUICK-DESIGNING IDEA

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TATTERS LOVE TO PLAY !

What does a tiny heart filled with love do ? It multiplies & spreads it’s love around !

One such tiny heart did just that & in the process gave me a designing idea.

I’ve always found it difficult to design a 2D piece with regular/repetitive elements – how to connect elements, how to jump to the next element nicely, how long/short should the chains be, how large/small should the rings be, where should the joining picots be, etc. etc. etc. After all, the final piece Must lie flat !!!

As late entrants to the online tatting world, we have a huge advantage, alongside a minor disadvantage ! With all the wonderful tutorials, patterns, tips & techniques shared freely, we don’t have to reinvent the tatting wheel. So this technique may not come as a surprise to experienced & creative tatters. But for me, it was like finally breaking the glass ceiling on 2D tatting design creation.

So, here is a slice of my own joy in taking a step up the learning ladder!

Peace and Tolerance Tiny Heart designed by Mónica Manceñido seemed like (and is) a very simple pattern. Ah, but appearances can be so deceptive . Why ? Because it hides within it the potential to multiply into varied shapes & patterns in a repeatable arrangement. It is an immensely versatile & adorable little heart :-) It is quite the stash-buster too .

Peace & Tolerance Tiny Heart

Diamond from Peace & Tolerance Tiny Heart

I enjoyed tatting this simple, tiny heart for itself & quickly had 6 of them, in addition to 2 more that I joined together to form a diamond, using picots & chains, in one pass.

• I used Anchor Mercer Crochet Size 20. Red - 046
• For heart motifs, an SSSR (Single Shuttle Split Ring) to end, thus avoiding tying, cutting, hiding ends.
• The diamond motif  (above right), is a simple mirror image, without changing stitch count.
• To avoid sewing in tails, I did a split chain to end.

As a designing element, it is a tatter’s delight !!!

(All the following images are simply a "playing around" with the 6 hearts & 1 diamond that I tatted, trying to see how different placements throw up different patterns)

Multiples of these hearts, with picots in appropriate places, can be combined & adapted to create larger motifs, beautiful diamond shapes, edgings, bookmarks, crosses, insertions, medallions, snowflakes, motifs, bracelets, pendants, necklaces, etc. even butterflies ….

I . Adding Picots

Once the placement has been finalized, identify the points where they would join to each other. These are the points where a picot is required. Hence, make sure to add a picot at all the required places.

In the images below, I have not explicitly shown the picots ; they can be visualized easily enough.

II . Joining Individual Motifs

When designing for beginners, one can tat each motif individually, and join as required.

So, start with 1 complete motif (this could be either the tiny heart or the diamond, with picots incorporated). Tie & cut threads. Start 2^nd motif & join to corresponding picot on 1^st ; complete & tie & cut. Start 3^rd, & join to 2^nd and so on, till you get your desired shape & size.

For tatting patterns in one-pass:

III . Split Rings

But we now look for motifs/patterns that can be done in one pass, with as little tying & cutting as possible. That’s when Split Rings, & similar techniques come into play.

Without changing stitch counts in all the following arrangements, one can complete the entire pattern in one pass, using SRs in the right places.

 

   

UPDATE (Aug 2018) : Using split rings to climb out to next motif -

  Tiny Heart Circular Edging pattern

IV . Changing An Element

For some, one may need to change an element. Eg. a ring may be changed to chains, thus facilitating a return back to the start , without any breaks in between. Split Rings may still be required.

 

  

  

  

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This is a great idea, or should I say a "Lazy Tatter's" idea, to create patterns using a small element/piece. It neither takes too much of designing effort nor many mis-trials. The size, shape, joining points, etc. emerge from the positioning itself. All one needs is to add the "missing pieces" whether it is a picot, a ring, a chain, etc.

One can even consider Eliminating an element wherever required !

Or how about adding another round to the placement  !
By positioning tiny motifs farther apart, one can get a hexagon, octagon, or other polygonal structures. 
The mind boggles at all the possibilities !

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V . Adding an element :

The 5-heart motif can also be done in one pass by Adding a chain & using SRs. (as shown by black lines in the figure below) Or one can add longer chains & an occasional ring  around the periphery as a 2^nd round.

VI . Eliminating an element :

Here is an example of a pattern Within a pattern. 

The adjoining edging can be made in one pass by eliminating the 2 larger rings on either side  & keeping only the clovers, joined in alternating orientations with SRs. (as shown by the black over-lines in lower figure)

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"Elementary", did you say ?!
Yeah, all this may have been done before. Even so,  who can deny us our "tiny", simple little pleasures ;-))       

This beginner-level tiny heart is good practice for any novice designer, just starting out or for someone who is facing a tatter's block . Or for somebody who is impatient & lazy ;-))

TIP : Triangles & squares are perfect for a beginner in designing, because adjacent motifs snug up well together. Circles, on the other hand, leave more gaps/spaces between them that may require additional patterns to fill up.

I have only depicted small arrangements & braids. These can very well form the basis of larger coasters, mats, & doilies, too.

Some may require a Split Chain, a Split Ring, a Mock Ring, or some other advanced technique to make, connect,  or move to next element. Since I have not Actually tatted them, only arranged them & taken photos, I cannot claim that All of these will actually turn out the way they are photographed. These are possibilities to try out. And more importantly, this is one way of creating a design/pattern easily, using existing tiny motifs – be it in the shape of a triangle, square, circle, & so on.
   

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In my next post, I will share the pattern for a 3D Poppy flower based on this very Tiny Heart pattern. 

It is my first time incorporating classic or vintage design elements in a 

free-form dimensional pattern & I’m modestly proud of it  - my "best" pattern to date ;-P

Hope you join me next time as well ... 

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One single "Tiny" heart, a heart that symbolizes love, has spawned so many patterns...

That is what Love is  all about - spread it around .....

Cheers !!!

UPDATE : The pattern for 3D Poppy Flower, is uploaded in 2 parts. I will convert to pdf file soon.
Tiny Heart Poppy pattern Part 1
Tiny Heart Poppy pattern Part 2

Motif #16 for 25 Motif Challenge