what were the thieves up to?

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(scroll down to see what Alibaba was up against!)

Boy, am I glad about not posting the 31-41 combo ideas in the unmasked post! Guess what, I found more combo ideas from 21-30 that hadn't been published after the 1-20 cornucopia display. Those thieves really like to play together coming out in different formations from nooks and crannies for Alibaba to collect and show the mutants/variants !!!

collage with motifs 31-41

Please note that these are shapes that emerge from playing with motif placement - possibilities that can turn to reality when joined properly and with a bit of cleaning up for greater definition of shape. And if worked in one colour and 2 shuttles, the shapes can be tatted in one pass - trace the path for another layer of fun! The motif number is indicated in each image. Blossoms Motifs patterns can be found under Nature 2D here. For shapes/ideas with motifs 1-20, see this post. Imagine the possibilities if I had played with all 41 motifs together instead of in batches!

Blossoms Heart #2

While the outline is mostly fine, the tip and inner dip should have more of a point.

Blossoms Butterflies #7-#10

 

 

Blossoms Wreath/Garland #7

 

This is among the smaller ones. There are medium and larger sized wreaths/garlands in the 1-20 post.

Blossoms Bookmarks #1&#2  

                    

With or without a tassel or tail, these make cheerful bookmarks. Rotate them and we have edgings! How cute would a single floral spray look as a tail for some bookmark?!

Blossoms Edgings #1 to#3

The vertical is now horizontal and becomes a meandering edging!

The above scalloped edging was shared earlier, but not clear enough. This time I have cropped and filtered the image and notated the number beside the respective motif. What a difference a simple enhancement does!

Blossoms Square/Frame #3

Blossoms Birds - flying or perched!

These might take a bit more imagination and shifty-eye ogling for the shapes to emerge. And of course a bit of tweaking to enhance the shape when actually tatting them. 

To me #25 looks like a a bird swooping down. Could work well as angel wings, too.

#23 could well be a bird in profile, just as the yin-yang combos below, especially #4!

Blossoms  Yin-Yang Bracelet/Pendant #3 to #6

This #4 really should've been under Birds, if I hadn't inked in the name.

A few beads in the right places, findings for attachment, and we have ourselves some beautiful bracelets or necklaces to suit a range of dress colours and seasons!

Blossoms Spinning Wheels

Motifs #21 to #30 arranged in a circle with curves of each motif parallel creates this spinning wheel effect. 

There are several gaps between adjacent motifs that need to be filled in order to make this coaster/doily stable. One reason for the gaps is that many of the motifs have been rotated so that their fronts are facing the camera...narcissistic much!

This is the same as #2 above, but I spot a heart in encasing the center space.

Besides all the above, 4 bouquets and a corner also emerged. And this butterfly and Blossoms Heart.

Phew, that's it for now. It took tons of time to locate and notate each motif but I kept the wind at my back to sail ahead instead of delaying further. Alibaba has to stay on top of his game!

So what was Alibaba up against ??? 
The 40 ingenious thieves (okay we now know there were 41!) had drawn lines in the sand within which Alibaba had to strategise. Following are the broad thematic parameters for Alibaba and 40 Thieves in Lace aka #BlossomsProject (2018).

• 40 motifs of overall similar size, using Lizbeth size 20
• single-shuttle motifs with thematic similarity
• no identical twins allowed!
• about half the motifs curving to the right and half to the left
• 5 colours for rosettes juggling each for combo, position, spread, size, number of petals, overlap, etc. 
• single shade green leaves ranging in number, placement, overlap, etc.

all rounded up

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Alibaba took all of 7 months to round up all the 40 thieves but their notoriety knew no bounds! Imagine his surprise to find one more lurking around - their leader no less. And this 41st one was an illusionist - seemingly appearing as his own reflection. Hmmm, what a dilemma - which one was the flesh and blood version?! But our hero managed to crack the mirror and nab him in a trice!

Patterns for these 6 final motifs are below. But they gather together to create a few more larger pieces that will be showcased in the next post before the final reveal. Since I've already inked April on the former, I will have to post them before the start of May. So please don't get bored as the story continues ....

Worked in Lizbeth size 20, single shuttle. My previous posts have more details and I will give an overall round-up in next post. You can find all Blossoms patterns listed under Nature 2D here.

Blossoms Motif #36  
<2½ × 1¼

 

The reason I added a joining picot between a petal segment is because the next flower can have a free picot and also a bit of layered effect. This was not done in earlier motifs.

Blossoms Motif #37  
2½ × 1¼

 

Blossoms Motif #38  
2¾ × 1¼

 

Why should all leaves remain at a level with the rest of the spray? I joined the leaves above a flower in a few motifs. Here I made a leaf under the spray for a bit of a natural look.

See, I was getting bolder ;-D

Blossoms Motif #39  
2½ × < 1¼

 

Blossoms Motif #40 
2½ × 1¼

 

Blossoms Motif #41 
2 × 1¼

 

I found it extremely difficult to decide which way looked better. I finally chose the former and notated the stitch count below. 

So that's it folks as far as actual patterns go for this Blossoms Project. However, as I said above, the ideas continue and I invite you back in a couple of days to see Cornucopia #2 and the constraints under which Alibaba had to work.

blossoms necklace

Pin It now! I can't remember when I last picked my shuttles! I did do a bit of Easter tatting, but the cute motifs are still not blocked/shaped, sigh. Not that I've been tat-idle, but it's mostly behind-the-scenes computer-work.

Nevertheless there is more than enough inspiration and eye-candy to admire and it satiates my tat-thirst to a large extent. For instance this gorgeous necklace adaptation by Daniela Galli inspired by the Blossoms motifs I posted last time.

This Sanblest metallic thread gives such a lovely effect and is quite popular for tatted jewellery. The Chiacchierino group is certainly belting out beautiful work using different shades of this thread.  

This is how it looks without the beads and findings. I love the length and one-pass tatting using 2 shuttles and climbing out with split rings. 

There is no limit to how far one can go with this semi-freeform motif if worked in one colour and 2 shuttles, or by joining individual single-shuttle motifs with a wider colour palette.

I would've preferred a bit more curvature to the floral spray, but that has been creatively addressed in this asymmetric Josephine chain! Bellissima!!!

This could make an elegant bracelet as well!

Yet another example of Daniela's creative mind and hands! Grazie mille, amica 💛💜💛
That's about as much Italian as I know without using Google Translate, but you can find her on Facebook!

All Blossoms Motifs patterns are being listed under Nature 2D. Some day I hope to compile the entire cornucopia in a separate pdf file with written pattern as well.

unmasked

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 Finally, after 3 years, when masking is almost a given globally, Alibaba has decided to unmask 5 of the 40 thieves. Dare he expose them to the pandemic without they being vaccinated? Is he cruel or is he testing their bravado? Only time will tell.

For now, whichever hemisphere you are in, let's enjoy the all-weather blooms, with these quick single shuttle sprays that can be used for appliqué, cards, tags, decorations, and so much more. 

Techniques : rosette ; picot join to the right ; luggage tag loop or larks head knot ; lock join.
All worked in Lizbeth size 20 threads (Sunkist mix) with a single shuttle.

Blossoms Motif #31  

2½ x 1½" 

  

Blossoms Motif #32 

<2½ × <1½"

 

Some joins are made between a ring segment. It helps to control the curvature of the spray besides being more stable.

 
Blossoms Motif #33 

2½ × 1¼"

 

Blossoms Motif #34 

> 2 × > 1½”

Blossoms Motif #35 

> 1¼ ×  1"

As with previous motifs, these can be arranged together in various formations to create new shapes and larger designs. I will share these after the last of the thieves are nabbed! So keep an eye out....who knows there might even be more than 40?

stay masked even if Alibaba comes calling! 😁

All Blossoms Motifs patterns are being listed under Nature 2D.

rising from the dead

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aka the seven-year itch ?!

Flashback Oct 2012...

For a few years I had been following a cross-stitch designer who shared the most fabulous embroidery patterns on her blog. She decided to stop blogging and shift to facebook and in a moment of temptation, I signed up. Within a couple of weeks, though, I stopped visiting the site and soon forgot my password! Until ….

...Flashforward to the present Jan 2019

…..until I got an email from fb giving me a link where I could update my profile. Curious, I checked it out. Then Ninetta, my friendly fb correspondent, guided me further and now I have reactivated my account, including changing my password ;-P

I need time (and guidance, Nin!) to find my way around. At this point my very simple aim is to connect my blog activity through pics without spending too much time there. 

You can find me here. Or the mobile link here.

 !" caught in the fb web ?! shiver me timbers ;-D

And this is what I’ve been up to when life permits me: sewing blossoms motifs to the saree. Yes, those 40 thieves were unshackled and boxed before being tampered down again. 

This pic was taken about a week back. I now have only 8 more motifs left to sew. But I might need to tat a few more. Shuttles have been lying idle while my hands itch to pick them up. So I might just tat a few bonus motifs just for the fun of it ;-D

Sewing/appliquéing with regular white sewing thread, doubled.

TIP : I dislike flattened picots. Hence the tiny stitch I make is at the base, on one side. It is sufficient to hold the picot in place, yet provide some lift.

honeytrapped !!!

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Blossoms motifs 21-30

Who said the thieves were fools?! They were old hands at remaining free and unfettered (that's how they amassed that vast treasure stashed in the cave!*)! So, when 20 of their mates went missing – some wound tight, some cornered, roped in, corralled, split down the middle, and what not - they got into a consultative huddle to chart their future course of action. Most importantly how to avoid detection. By now they had realised that moving alone or in small groups made them easy targets. Henceforth they would move en bloc; split into 2 groups of 10 each seemed a safe bet to overcome their unseen enemy, Alibaba.

But our Alibaba was smarter by far and changed his MO (modus operandi), He laid a sweet honey-trap. Who can resist a ‘sweetmeat’ ;-P  He put forward his clever and resourceful slave girl, Marĵanah (Morgĩana in some online versions, pronounced Marjiinaa) who enticed and lured the entire group of 10 thieves to partake of the very many tasty candies till they doubled up in pain arising from decaying teeth! Who can think of anything else with a bad case of toothache, and were easily rounded up.

How cheeky of Alibaba – Was he being unethical and unfair in compromising their long-term oral health? Sadly, all’s fair in love and war.

So parading here are the captured blossoms motifs from 21 to 30, with their stitch count inked in respective images.

Techniques : rosette ; picot join to the right ; luggage tag loop or larks head knot ; lock join.

All worked in Lizbeth size 20 threads with a single shuttle.

Blossoms Motif #21

>2” X 1½”

Blossoms Motif #22

2½” X 1¼”

  

Blossoms Motif #23

2” X 1½”

Blossoms Motif #24

2” X 1½”

Blossoms Motif #25

<2” X 1¼”

Blossoms Motif #26

2¼” × 1¼”

This motif works well as an asymmetrical or freestyle corner motif.

Blossoms Motif #27

2¼” X 1¼”

Blossoms Motif #28

2¼” X 1¼”

Blossoms Motif #29

~2½” X 1¼”

Blossoms Motif #30

2¾” X 1½”

Spiraling out of control, lured by the sweetmeats!!! There's a lesson in this, isn't there! Enjoy festivities but control sweet temptations ;-P

A Blossoms spinning wheel mat ????

How will the last remaining group of 10 save themselves now? Wait for it - they may go underground or go digital ..... 

*Alibaba and the Forty Thieves from One Thousand Nights and One Nights aka Arabian Nights 

All Blossoms Motifs patterns will be listed here under Nature 2D.