tada ?

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For the 2017 summer break, Georgia had suggested we pick any vintage pattern and rework it using different type(s) of picots. Who knew I’d be doing that with this brand new doily ?!

Doily #10 (“Pikotek”)

(with my picot adaptation)

designed by : Agnieszka Gawron - Frywolaga

For this last round regular picots adorn the major portion. Wondered whether I should use a triple picot or graduated picots for the small outermost curve. But the soft curve seemed to give the doily a more flowery/petal look.

And to keep that in focus, the inner curve uses a single dot picot, as if moving to the next petal.

I’m not too happy with the colour – it doesn’t seem to evoke a spontaneous “tada”. Well, whoever receives it as a gift will just have to live with it ;-P

This round 10 turned to be a bit tight so I eased the snugging of the chains. 

Perhaps an additional stitch or two in the long chains would help.

Final msts – 26½ cms or 10½ inches across in size 40 Anchor
Doesn't this look like a flower?!

Here’s a comparison of size with Renulek’s 2016 Wiosna / Spring doily.

The pattern presentation is excellent. Uncluttered, with a clean schematic showing both the sequence and the stitch count in each round. Written pattern is also provided, although I didn’t need to even glance at it – the visual said it all.

There are no complicated or advanced techniques involved in the original pattern.

As I said earlier, the format of this picot game is totally conducive to armchair designing! All the hard work had been done by Agnieszka but we could have fun customizing the look with picots. Good ego-booster for any beginner designer !

She will be displaying the completed doilies on her blog. I will update with a link later. 

This journey stops –

Rounds 1 & 2 ; Round 3 ; Round 4 ; Round 5 ; Round 6 ; Round 7 ; Round 8 ; Round 9

Many many thanks, Agnieszka Z

I’m so glad for this opportunity to join in. Not only did I get a beautiful doily, I even enjoyed the process of "picot-ing" with double picots, dot picots, and normal picots !!! Maybe I can use more picots in my future patterns? But not in my newest cross pattern. the prototype of which I will share very soon. 

would you like to go picot-ing ?!

new learning

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The variety and application of techniques in many vintage books is truly impressive. I hope to spend more time browsing through and working some patterns from them.

The Priscilla Tatting Book #3 (free download from Antique Pattern Library) is one such.

Tatted Medallion with Woven Center (Fig 69)

This square medallion is inset in fabric and also linked into an edging for the ‘Centrepiece in Tatting and Weaving’. The weaving between adjacent medallion in the circular edging is even more impressive. 

I chose to tat the square with 3 strands of Anchor embroidery floss. 

The sides are just over 2 inches long. 

There is a central picot common to the 3 large rings at each corner.

Isn’t it a beautiful arrangement?!

But what interested me more was the woven center - something I hadn’t attempted. I chose 2 strands threaded through a tapestry needle for weaving.

Found this interesting and informative article by Georgia Seitz - Tatting with Needle-Weaving Centers  

I tried to follow the Priscilla instructions as well as those in the article, but somehow couldn’t figure out where the needle 'returned to' for the support lines.

So here’s what I did :

1. First, I pinned down the square in order to keep it taut.
2. Then inserted a pearl-headed pin in the center of the negative space.
3. Now, starting with the tail in the center, I went through a picot to create a support beam, and back around the central pin, before moving to adjacent picot in one direction….
4. After the last beam was done initial weaving was easier with the pin still in place. After a couple of rounds, I removed the pin and continued the under/over movement.

This is my one-n-only first attempt at weaving outside of embroidery and will take some practice to get it tidier. But I’ll get there some day!

Combining tools and techniques creates interesting texture and designs, and widens our scope.

hope your new year is off to a creative start!

weave dreams into tatting !

the old with the new

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As we shed the old year for the new, memories of the old stay with us.

Here’s something old with something new to symbolise this transition on the eve of 2018. 

And since I love tatting, it seemed apt …

The old comes from many of the discarded bits from recent projects or experiments, 

used to make the bouquet.

The new is all Josephine Chains or Spiral Tatting - to complete the bouquet with stems 

and leaves as well as outline the card topper.

The 'leaves' are mock rings held in place with an under-over or alligator join.

This was the December topic for kocham frywolitkę or I Love Tatting, set by Renata.

The post and examples seem to indicate only spiral/Josephine chains not rings, 

so that’s what I went with.

Except for a random few rings or the set of 3 which used a thick thread, all the rest is in size 40.

Do you recognise some of the floral medallions? 

The pink are from Doily #10 ; 

most others are from later trials of my Aspiration doily center ; 

the small 3D (layered onion rings) marigolds were made to empty the shuttles. 

 

The dark blue trim of Josephine chain is in size 20, made in one pass.

TIP : In order to turn the corner, I left a picot, and switched from 1^st half stitch for vertical sides to 2^nd half stitch for horizontal sides. It creates a fairly distinct corner.

Do visit the above link to Renata’s blog as well as this link to Justyna’s blog 

for some beautiful applications and tatting !

Here’s wishing all my readers

A very happy, peaceful, healthy and creative 2018

With lots of tatting thrown in !

And looking forward to even more interaction ...