whipping up memories

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Remembering Carollyn Brown 

Diane shared shocking and sad news today – https://lacelovinlibrarian.blogspot.com/2021/09/memories.html

A virtual friend for real has moved to another realm taking her sweetness to share there.

I have lots of fond memories of Carollyn Brown in the short time we shared in cyberspace. And every time I whip stitch tail ends I think and thank her for finally removing the fear of hiding tail ends, and be neater too! She uploaded some videos as madtatter80  (https://www.youtube.com/user/madtatter80/videos) including her uniquely long Cluny leaves.

I first noticed her blog (https://tennbrown.blogspot.com/) when I found cute little tatted 3D flowers/sprigs! A flower a month was her personal project at the time and I would wait each month for it. Using fine threads was her forte and we can all recall her adeptness at it and her gorgeous doilies!

She could tat over and around literally anything! Be it real leaves, stones, keys, and the usual glass, baubles, buttons, and beads. But her talents were not limited to tatting. Scroll through her blog to see the wide range of skills she possessed and/or learned and applied!

In 2016, 4 of us participated in the Pinterest Challenge and she never failed to amaze me with her choice and execution of the month-end project. It also gave us an excuse to correspond and get to know each other a bit more. Always smiling always sweet.

It is such an honour that she tatted a few of my patterns and etched them in my memory forever. I had to poach this image from her blog, where she is modelling earrings from my wreath pattern. Before that she had made and modelled a brooch from my poppy pattern which became quite popular at the time.

Another admirable highlight of her blog has been her skill at calligraphy and of displaying her work in a variety of settings and placements, bringing in knickknacks in an aesthetic backdrop.

So much to learn from her, so much inspiration to emulate, so much diversity to soak in! Thank you for gracing my world, Carollyn, and leaving your indelible imprint. Keep spreading your sunshine beyond 💝💝💝

http://tennbrown.blogspot.com/2017/10/tatted-lace-poinsettia-earrings.html
https://tennbrown.blogspot.com/2014/11/tatted-lace-veterans-day-poppy-finished.html
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/search?q=Carollyn

needle tips

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When I was tatting back in the mid-80s till about a few years back, my Anchor tatting book & a few other patterns said “tie and oversew” at the end. Despite asking/searching, nobody seemed to know what it really meant. Similar questions are often faced by beginners who start on their own. Which is why I was recently requested to write a post about the tools used to hide ends and the tips I shared privately. When somebody shares, we all learn.

So, at your request, Jean ....

Which needle to use?

I remember Grace Tan telling me about tapestry needles for sewing in ends. These have a long/large eye and a blunt tip which prevents snagging & fraying the tatting thread. They are also called darning needles or long- or large-eyed needles.

This is the Pony tapestry needle set with coloured ends. 

I also slipped in a few larger wool needles for the extra thick threads.

This image shows the comparative size of needle and thread...

from top -

Large eye blunt needle – size 3 or 5 crochet cotton

Size 22 – size 10 Anchor knitting cotton

Size 24 – size 20 Anchor crochet cotton (about as thick as a Lizbeth size 10)

Size 26 – size 40 crochet cotton
Size 28 – size 50 and finer. Here it carries simple sewing thread which is knotted. I use this for stringing small beads.

A needle-threader is essential.

A couple of tips, that work for me, on how to use it effectively.

Hold the threader horizontally through the eye. 

In other words, let the needle stand erect/vertical and the wire loop open when seen from top. Then insert the thread through loop, pull loop and the thread is smoothly pulled through.

I find that holding the threader as in the bottom left, is not always effective, despite what the instructions on the threader show.

Secondly, keep the tail end short while threading. 

By doing so, we can go down a needle size! It may fray a bit at the tip, though, as seen in the collage. But the advantage is that we get a finer needle to sew through the stitches.

Whip stitching

Sewing in the end tails is the most common and secure method of finishing off. The various ways of sewing in the tail pertain to where the needle is inserted in the tatting stitch – weaving under the caps from top (whip stitch) or through the legs. You can find some of the how-tos here. 
Ever since madtatter80 posted her video, I’ve been hooked to whip stitching. It is almost invisible, easy to do, and does not add bulk.

I’ve used my earlier diagram to indicate where to insert needle. 

I prefer weaving the needle under the crests, but one may choose to do it under the troughs. 

For a pdf download of this diagram, click here

Note that I have not drawn the woven tail in the diagram but can be seen in the tatted model and collages below.

Here I have used a different colour to show whip stitch 

and am piercing needle through the crests. 

Weaving progresses from right to left here.

Once the thread is pulled, it almost disappears!

Here the cream thread is hidden under the ring stitches,

woven from left to right under the crests. 

see the complete post (with pdf) here

And of course, one can hide ends without sewing, whichever may be the last element(s)! As I said before, this post is in response to a specific situation and question.

happy tatting always :-)