my first roses

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 A comment in the previous post served as a reminder of my very first roses! I had designed these several months back for the Lock Join Plus series. The next in line was to be the Dora Young Join (DYJ).

That presentation needs a few finishing touches, but I keep getting caught in something or other ;-P So, detailed pictorial for later, hope you like these rose motifs for now - good for gluing to cards!

All you need is only one shuttle and leftover thread. String seed beads for a beaded version.

This beaded version was made second. Beads not merely decorated the rose and added texture, but also serve to estimate (and communicate) the length in the absence of stitches!

This is the first, made with variegated size 3 thread. Start with a central ring, then each subsequent round grows larger, spiraling around, joining to previous bare thread space. Why not a Lock Join, you ask? Because it is not very stable - it tends to twist the thread.

I've done this before, moving from the out to in and substituting the lock join with a DYJ - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/03/dyj-instead-of-lj.html 

But more about the DYJ when I continue the series and post the tutorial. For now, I'd love for you to share your impression and feelings about this rose.

Since the rounds move spirally, one can easily replace the bare thread with actual stitches. A project for future.

multiples of 7

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 and a voracious scissor!

My journey leading to this destination - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/search?q=swirling+butterflies  

Ta-daa! My variation of Ninetta Caruso's beautiful and multi-technique Swirling Butterflies doily, with due apologies. But let's continue from the last post where I had worked split round 10 to make all motifs similar, preferring to work the butterflies separately.

I've used numerous little tricks to keep my working smooth but those are mostly personal preferences, not compulsory.

ROUND 10 (part 2) - Cedronella, and 'Hugging' Butterflies variation.

Each of these 3 butterfly motifs has no tails to hide, since threads end at the head and tails are snipped into antennae. In each case, a short length was left at the start to finger-tat the final few stitches in the split ring head.

The profile butterflies are identical mirror images, one worked frontside, the other backside (optional).

To attach the side butterflies to green chains, I used the luggage tag loop at start and Dora Young Join, thus showing a complete stitch at both ends of the body.

TIP : For maximum overlap of wings, keep the joining picot in previous ring as small as possible.

Remember the lasagna I showed last time? Well, what does this look like, with the motifs turned under? I couldn't resist the sensation of autumnal forest floor.

ROUND 11 (a variation) with butterfly (Cedronella) and leaflet motifs

 See original final round here. 

Oh, the heartache of having used that dark green! None of the lighter colours worked for the final round. Following are the 3 trials I did ....

Hubby gave me a lecture that the final round should be a dark shade, DUH (the all yellow was his choice)! But in 20/20 (or was 2020 at work?) hindsight, the flower motifs should have included cream, leaving me with the dark green or brown for round 11.

I was so disgusted by the end of this that, with the gracious permission from Ninetta, I worked on a different final round which was required in order to link the adjacent flowers. I visualized inserting cream leaf and flower motifs (from the earlier cream rounds) on the outer margins. 

But when Ninetta sent me her idea of placing the florets on the inner side, I loved it. And the free butterfly I had fit perfectly! So I made 7 of these between the 14 large flowers. I attached the wings directly to the green chains in a bid to decrease the darkness.

And then inspiration struck. What if I make an EPJ (Grace Tan's encapsulated picot join here). Even though there is no layering. The one on right neat, but the one on left shows the picot - my insertion was incorrect, but I didn't re-do.

Always options!

On the outside, I went with my original idea of leaflets linking adjacent flowers. This is similar to the ones on round 4, with an extrapair of rings. One shuttle. Attach thread with a luggage tag loop, tatting over tail. The 1st ring is joined to the next green chain. On the way back from the tip, 5th and 7th rings are joined to adjacent motif. I deliberately layered it slightly to hide some green.

Again 7 such motifs. And love the gentle swirl they create.

Going for minimal instead of inserting 14 motifs inside and outside.

UPDATE : For a continuous swirl, the leaflet motif can be worked between all 14 motifs.

But if one works 7 motifs in the opposite direction, they can appear like a laurel wreath over Motif A (the ones without butterflies) - like those on Roman Emperors!

It was fiddly to insert these motifs, though. And my scissors had a field day! There are still 2 butterflies I'd like to change, but it's a wrap. Hence if a tatter wishes to make this variation, it is advisable to do it simultaneously rather than at the end. 

After soaking to block, I remembered a snipped chain! Oh well, Mr Downplay decided to let it be! Can you spot the snip?

But in a moment of weakness, Mr Meticulous took over and I fixed it ;-P

The final doily just touches 14 inches across the widest part, worked in Anchor cotton size 40.

This is the colour palette. The black labels indicate the threads are about 15-20 years old - vintage. 

It was already late night and I 'threw' the doily on my dining table in order to keep it flat. And suddenly the swirls and butterflies came to life! Quickly took a couple of pics. Hubby is happy, too, and approves the choices ;-P

My sincerest thanks to Ninetta for choosing me to tat this wonderful doily. It kept me happily engaged (except for the last stages where it kept my scissors engorged ;-P) as a tatter and learner. Hope some of the learning rubs off in my future designs. 

Her pattern presentation (in Italian at present) is Stupendous! What an eye for detail - both in the text and and the schem

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2018/08/spiral-rings-with-treble-tatting.htmlatics. She also included detailed pictorials of elements and techniques used here (many of which are already shared in her blog). I just wish my colour placement had been a bit better. Oh well ...

Complete list of posts so far (chronologically) (click on blue link) : 

Ninetta - 

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2018/08/fun-swirly-effect-in-treble-tatting.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2018/09/swirling-butterflies-need-flower.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2018/09/swirling-butterflies-its-about-time.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2018/11/break.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2019/04/cedronella.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2019/04/swirling-butterflies-finished.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2020/08/swirling-earrings.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2020/10/seventh-blog-anniversary.html

My posts (including the tat-along) -

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2018/09/change-of-perspective.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2018/09/twist-n-twirl-spiral-n-swirl.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/09/4-plus-1-is-5.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/09/7-plus-6-is-13.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/09/3-and-1-and-2.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/09/3rd-times-charm.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/10/14-times-3-minus-14-times-3.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/10/multiples-of-7.html

dress my heart

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design along (DAL)

What bug have I caught?! And why am I trying to spread it around? But then we are already 'suffering' from ATS - Addictive Tatting Syndrome, so what’s one more play-along?!

Recently I revisited this NeoVintage Heart. I gave the prototype pattern in 2015 – a 2-round continuous pattern. This time I ran out of thread after the 1^st round and it struck me that there are So Many possible designs that can go around those chains! Since I cannot do them all, here’s a design-along (DAL) for you. You can choose to create your own outer round, although I have given my 2^nd round pattern in the pdf

SCROLL DOWN FOR PDF LINK.

In Anchor Pearl cotton size 8,  it measures around 4cms×4 cms

I’d just like to state one rule : Keep Round 1 essentially the same (although you can add beads, etc.). Design Round 2 or more as you wish. It will be interesting to see the variations.

Kind of reminds me of this make me pretty please butterfly and the wonderful diversity that flew in!

Please do share your work either here (comment) or tag me on facebook , on Instagram, or email a pic that I will then upload here.

click to download the one-page pdf - NeoVintage Heart DAL 2020

TIP : Dora Young Join (Knot) is exactly the same as what we now know as Catherine Wheel Join,  except that it is made with the same shuttle and no thread is encapsulated. .

And before I leave you to play, here is Elisabetta De Napoli’s beautiful version of Sway My Heart. All set to be a pendant on a necklace !!!

Sue (His Kid) also added a 2nd round using treble tatting – check it out!

Daniela's effects

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playing some more with Daniela Mendola’s effects - filigree stitch and mimosa knot...

I couldn’t snip off the Dora Young Knot/Join filigree center from the large motif; but found a medallion I had used in one of my pictorials and finally tried Daniela’s original filigree stitch. 

This time I had no difficulty doing it with lock joins! But I deliberately ended off without completely filling the space – thought it looked good. Also didn't want to risk messing it up ;-P

This is the best close-up I could manage; all others are hazier than this.
Medallion was worked in Anchor 20 while filling in Red Rose Pearl cotton 8.

The filigree stitch with lock joins and my variation using Dora Young Join/Knot together.

While rummaging in my sequin stock for the butterfly in my previous post, I found this star and was drawn to work petals around it. Mimosa knot was ideal for the pointy tips. I winged the stitch count. Chains of [3 - 6 Mk 6 – 3] linked to previous petal and lock joined to sequin.

Anchor size 40 thread scraps were used.

In the lead composite pic, I included Jeanne Lugert's 3D rose because of the mimosa knot leaves I shared here. 

And besides Daniela's own video for mimosa knots, I shared my stepwise instructions here, and Karen Cabrera has promised us a video on this for next month (see comments)! So keep your shuttles ready!

DYJ instead of LJ

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Enclosed space medallions, as the term suggests, have a negative space outlined with tatting elements. When this space is large, the lace lacks the structure to hold it’s shape. Early tatters added a needle woven scaffolding after tatting was completed. 

Dora Young Join variation of 

Daniela Mendola's Filigree Stitch Motif

Now Daniela has shared a filling method that is all tatting and can be done with a single shuttle or a needle. It is like mignonette but instead of rings there are lock joins to the bare threads in previous round because we are moving inwards instead of outwards! She calls it Filigree Stitch or Punto Filigrana.

For my first attempt, I chose thick thread (Bliss, size 3?) for medallion and placed it on grid paper to mark the picots and the distance between them. 
Ninetta’s blipless join (without the half stitch) is perfect for variegated threads.

This gave me an idea of the length of bare thread required. It is 7mm here.

For filling I chose finer Red Rose pearl cotton size 8 (≡20) to better see, feel, and control. Single shuttle required.

Filigree stitch is done with lock joins from the back side. I started, but managing the lj was tricky. So I switched to Dora Young Join (DYJ) which is like the Catherine Wheel join but with one shuttle/thread only. This is done from the front, and appears like a double stitch. It locks in the bare thread and holds shape well. It is the same as tatting over a cabone, but only one stitch.

At this stage it started to ruffle a bit. Simple rolling pin blocking flattened it out later.

I thoroughly enjoyed this DYJ filling - it was smooth sailing - though the BTS could've been shorter. This was so much more fun than needle-weaving. And this DYJ filling has created a bit of a different look. 

Apologies to Daniela for not following the letter, only the spirit. But now that I have an idea, I will be trying again with shorter BTS and lock joins to achieve the beautiful pinwheel effect. Might even need more rounds. I will be snipping off this filling to rework the new one. 

Would a variegated or tinted thread filling show off the swirl better?

Related Posts/Pages

introduction to enclosed space medallions

answering a question  

links to tutorials