Common Threads IV - Gapsosis can be good
In the earlier working, I followed the tatted model. After
all was done, on the desktop large screen, I noticed the stitchcount for the
inner rings at the base, in the diagram. Thought I’d give it try & this
time use a lighter colour for the rings with picots so that I could see them !
1½”
x 1½” in Anchor size 40 Art 4054 (0131 blue & 0300 cream)
I like how this turned out. But take a look at the process
(this might be just me ?) ; the spiraling route that it takes & how the coils
need to be coaxed & literally pulled into shape. The same thing happened in earlier model, but to a slightly lesser degree.
Why did this coiling occur ?!
The bare thread spaces seen between upper rings in final pieces emerged due to the
pulling . Hence, for this pattern, I think the rings need a bit of space between them. Yes, Gapsosis can be Good !!!
Gapsosis
can be good
… sometimes !
We struggle to keep gaps away. But following are a few scenarios/patterns where a bit of gap/bare thread space is welcome & desired.
A
few scenarios :
1. When
making a rings-only central ‘flower’ (as in pic below). Leave tiniest bit of space between 1st
& 2nd ring – just enough to Span the double stitch distance
!!!
I was always wondering why my adjacent rings sometimes ‘turned’
a bit at the base even though I made sure there was no gap before starting next
ring. That’s when it dawned on my slow brain that thread & stitch occupy
space. If one closes the gap completely, there is no space for the next ring
stitches to abut neatly & get squished. Leaving a space equal to the
‘height’ of a ds will ensure a close & ‘gap-free’ arrangement of rings.
2. In
this vintage pattern & pictorial tip shared by Marilee …
3. In this 2-coloured edging using floating/thrown off rings. This is a pattern
commonly tatted in single colour or by simply following the shuttle, such
that the colour shows up respectively. This gives a split of colour along
the length. But I wanted the floating Josephine Rings to have one colour
& the chains to have another. Another consideration was to keep colour
blips from showing and to stabilize the floating rings.
After a lot of experimentation & heartburn, this is the
best I could come up with (it is still on my to continue-with-experiment list!
At the time I tatted this, I was working against a deadline).
Leave a tiny space of thread before starting the JR. Make
the ring & close. Then …
TIP : Bring the ring thread
around the ring like a little knot & tighten at the base of ring. This
generally hides colour switches, stabilizes the rings And makes them lie flat
& even as can be clearly seen in the 2 strands. Compare the Before &
After rings.
All this was possible firstly because of gapsosis, &
then a kind of slip knot noose at the base.
This edging was made
about 2 years back when I used to snug the chain stitches closely. Since then I
have realized that the chains should not have been tensioned so much; one
should allow them to curve naturally. I am getting a bit better at handling
chains ;-)
Rings have a curvature that is broad at the top & narrow at base. One should account for this width, such that adjacent rings lie neatly side-by-side rather than overlapping or loosing shape. Clearly some gapsosis is called for.
In conclusion, factoring for individual differences, one can use gapsosis judiciously when certain patterns or design elements call for it.
What has been your experience ?
happy
tatting :-)
Aha, there is a time for all things! Yes, I've also found there are times when a small space between elements is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteLove the blue and white!
ReplyDeleteI am with Jane, I love the blue and white, sometimes just a little gap can be helpful, not too big and then it's loose and looks wrong.
ReplyDeleteMargaret
Thanks Jane & Margaret :-) I, too, prefer this combo.
ReplyDeleteI just need to be mindful of my limitations & possible solutions.
Interesting how it coils up like that. You'd never be able to tell from your finished hearts (though I recall you saying you had to dampen the first one to get it to lay flat). The blue and white is very pretty...I can't decide which I like better.
ReplyDeleteIt actually makes a lovely snail/shell (from behind) & looks like a layered flower from front, Robin ! I should've included the back photo .. may be some other time. The large rings get a bit squished & look like folded rings - very beautiful spiral .
DeleteReally fabulous hearts and wonderful projects and tips!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue ... just sharing my boo-boos :-)
DeleteI love the two color version of this heart. Are the two colors attached in any way at the bases of the rings? I've started making a two color one and before the start of each ring, I pass the new color behind the previous color thread. This is holding the layers together, but giving me a color blip I don't see on your hearts.
ReplyDeleteI started by joining the threads (knotless method) & continued to tat from front by simply switching shuttles to make each ring, without changing anything. The picot joins keep the rings & layers together, Martha
DeleteThanks :-)
Ah, this is the very thing I was wondering about! But I can see in your closeups that the gaps between the rings are separate for each colour. I suppose in the original one-colour version there would be hardly any gaps at all! On a related topic, I've begun playing with bare thread spaces again. I wouldn't have been able to do this before learning to eliminate gaposis. When I wasn't so experienced, the space before a new ring was ALWAYS more than I intended! I think this is probably because I unintentionally pulled on the previous ring when tatting the new ring.
DeleteI went back to look at the tatted heart, Martha & Grace, and there is a 'shelf-space' between the upper & lower layers (since the joins are only at picots) ;-) One can insert a paper cutout or a photo cut in heart shape, using this tatting as a lovely frame !!!
DeleteGrace, as long as the rings lie adjacent to each other, irrespective of single or double colour, and they increase in size, some gapsosis will be required. In ANKARS models where there are multiple stacked rings at same point (unlike here, where they are simply layered), one may perhaps need to tat them close, without thread space. Need to experiment ...
Grace, Martha posted her one colour version recently & yes, it did not coil as much ! So the same thread moving back & forth between layers does seem to make some difference.
DeleteI just learned this last week with all of my "simple hearts"! Interesting!
ReplyDeleteOh your heart bookmarks came out great, Michelle ! I need to make a few myself :-)
DeleteIt took me a long time to realize that those gaps can be good! I love the blue and white together!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how we learn, unlearn, relearn, and learn some more ! This blue shade is one of my favourites, too, Diane :-)
DeleteIf you have a rings only motif with the rings all facing outward, the larger the motif, the larger the bare thread space needed between the rings.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true, Marilee ! And this is clearly visible in the tatted piece - the smaller rings lie very close to each other; only the larger rings needed that space. Thanks :-)
DeleteGreat Read, I think this must have been my problem when I tatted this heart, no gaps so I could not get the ribbon through.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bernice :-) I used 2 colours to avoid the ribbon !
Delete