My Tatting

More 'playing'...

2012-01-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

For the necklace the picots on the chains were replaced with seed beads. I don't wear earrings myself but these will go with the necklace to make a 'set'. For the pendant on the right I used a 5/8th inch (15 mm) round bead with a diamante finish to add a bit more bling.

Sequins or beads

2012-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is what I did with my ladies this month. It's a flower motif and
we called it 5 + 5 = 10, the pattern is on my website.

I wondered what it would look like if replaced the sequin with a large bead. The beads measure 3/4 inch (18 mm) in diameter and a little over 1/8th inch (4 mm) thick. Firstly I needed 6 pattern repeats (that is 6 rings on each side) and I made the chains a tad shorter (2, p, 2, p, 2, p, 2) for a snugger fit.

Christmas and variations on a theme

2012-01-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

I spent a few weeks over Christmas with my daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren in London. Continuing their family tradition, we went to the pantomime in Richmond on 23rd December and on Christmas Eve we saw the show "Jersey Boys" then dined at a restaurant at Piccadilly Circus, returning home in time to put out a mince pie and drink for Father Christmas - and a carrot for Rudolf, before a very tired Sam went to bed.
There were eight of us round the table for dinner on Christmas Day. Their cat, Charlie, felt left out and as soon as anyone left the table to fetch something - or to top up the wine glasses, he curled up on their chair. Laura felt sorry for him so put another seat just off to the side for him. It worked because he was quite happy after that.
I wasn't expecting to have much time to tat while I was away so I didn't take my usual selection of threads and beads with me, just a ball of white thread and some silver beads. As a relaxation one evening I thought I'd play with the Snow Flower pattern and see how many variations I could come up with keeping the same stitch count but using different methods for adding the beads.

The motif in the centre is the Snow Flower and only in the motif on the top right have I changed the stitch count. This motif has beads added at the centre of the rings and on the picots between the joins on the rings, and from the ball and shuttle threads on the chains.

The motif on the bottom right - all the beads on the rings were added on picots as the rings were worked, then joins were made to adjacent rings, to one side of the bead, as they were worked. The beads on the chains are singly on the first and last two picots and in groups of three on dropped/downward picots half way along the chains.

In the motif on the top left the beads on the rings are added to the picots as the rings were worked then the adjacent rings were joined to one side of the bead (as in the motif on the bottom right). The beads on the chains are long picots holding 10 beads and a join was made between the beads with three beads on the 'inner' side and 7 on the 'outer' side.

In the motif on the bottom left the beads in the centre of the rings were added in the dropped/downward picots. The chains were worked in 'sets' and one, or three, beads were brought up from the ball thread after each 'run'.

I haven't had time to write out full instructions for working these variations but might one day.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-20T04:46:00.000-08:00

There are only a few days left before Christmas so I've added the pattern for this quick and easy Snow Flower to my website (www.cariad-tatting.co.uk.)

Christmas Angel

2011-11-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

Usually, I create a one or two row motif each month for my tatting groups to work but ocassionally I give them a larger project that will take two or three classes to complete. This angel is definately a large project. The pattern uses basic rings and chains and the special techniques - block tatting, split rings, measured picots, pearl tatting and a beaded dropped (aka 'downward') picot.

I created two different Christmas Angel patterns this year but this one has been the most popular. There is still time to make one for Christmas so if you'd like to give it a go, the pattern, along with instructions for the special techniques are on my website. Click on 'Cariad Tatting' under 'Patterns at:' to get to my website.

A Tatted Leek and Daffodil Pin

2011-10-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

I have added the patterns for my Tatted Leek and Daffodil

Pin to my website. I created the Daffodil Pin for the members of my tatting group to make and wear on
St David's Day (March 1st). It is a very easy pattern with just rings and chains which are then shaped into the flower head and attached to a lapel pin.
When my brother, Michael, was a teenager he decided to wear the alternative symbol of Wales on our National Day - which is a leek. Now, to most people in Wales, a leek doesn't look as good as a daffodil and it certainly doesn't smell as nice - but that's teenagers for you.
A few years ago I was looking for something to different tat when a few friends and myself were demonstrating tatting at the National Museum of Wales in St Fagans, Cardiff: and the result was a tatted leek.

Tatting for Christmas - a new book of tatting patterns

2011-09-11T04:22:00.000-07:00

I have been working on this book for over two years and have finally had it printed. It contains just patterns because to have added techniques would have made it bigger - and therefore more expensive. Instructions for the techniques can be found on my website, in the Ring of Tatters' Newsletters or from me by email or post.

The book is spiral bound, size A4 and has 86 pages, all in full colour.

It contains 46 patterns plus 11 beaded variations of some of the patterns.

The patterns have clear diagrams and easy to follow instructions.

"Tatting for Christmas" costs £25 inc UK p&p. If you live outside the UK and would like a copy contact me and I'll find out the cost of postage to where you like.

New Website

2011-09-02T03:44:00.000-07:00

At last I've got round to setting up my own website. It has free patterns, a techniques section and a gallery.
I enjoy teaching, so the patterns I create are mainly for my students to practise the techniques I've taught them. To check it out click on 'Cariad-Tatting', (under Patterns at:) at the top, left of the screen.

Royal Wedding

2011-04-27T00:50:00.001-07:00

I designed these blue birds for this month's pattern for the members of the Ring of Tatters' pattern club. They can also be used on an anniversary card or a single bird for a birthday card.

I'm going to London on Thursday to watch the cellebrations with my daughter, Marguerite, and her family. We'll watch the pagentry on the television but might go out into the city later to join in the party.

Cath's bouquet

2010-05-11T00:50:00.000-07:00

Cath and Phil were married last Saturday and I haven't seen the official photos yet but here are two, taken by a guest, of Cath's bouquet. In an earlier blog I said that Cath's mother, Ruth, asked me to design these flowers for her then she and a friend tatted over 80 poppies and a similar number of daisies for the bride's bouquet and bridesmaids' flower arrangements.

More pictures of the display at Harrogate

2010-04-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Grapes on the vine designed by Karey Solomon

Train by Jennifer Williams

Clock designed by Rosemarie Peel, fan and butterflies by Jennifer Williams

One of five fairies by Jennifer Williams

Eggs by Lynne Webber and Jennifer Williams. Flowers by Jennifer Williams

Beaded necklace designed by Nina Libin

Harrogate Lace Fair 2010

2010-04-12T10:59:00.001-07:00

The Ring of Tatters' 30th Anniversary book came back from the proof reader last week and now it just needs one photo to be added and it's ready to go to the printer.

At the end of March Ruth Price travelled to Harrogate with me to 'fly the flag' for the Ring. On the left of our display table we have eggs decorated with tatting, some hanging on the 'Easter tree' and others in a basket on the table. Next to that there is a vase of Hellebores and in front a selection of bracelets. In the centre, at the back, is a bunch of grapes with vine leaves designed by karey Soloman. In front of that is a necklace (purple beads on silver thread) designed by Nina Libin for our new book. It uses 3000 beads and took me a whole week to make. There are three fairies, two baby's shoes and a square mat and behind them a clock designed by Rosemarie Peel and I added my own butterflies and fan to fill the space at the bottom of the frame. There are waterlilies on a mirror and a vase of daffodils that you've seen on my blog before. At the back, hidden, is my butterfly picture and hanging at the back the train and carriages. They don't show up very well in this photo but the flowers for the wall hanging were made by the ladies in my groups.

A Heart for St Valentine's Day

2010-02-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for something quick to tat for St. Valentine's Day I've put the patterns for two fairly easy ones under 'patterns' on the left.

January was a very busy month, the snow slowed me down a bit when it came to getting out and about so I spent nearly all the time working on the computer. I had plenty to do because The Ring of Tatters is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and we're publishing a book of new patterns to mark the occasion. Last May we decided to ask thirty members of the Ring, who create tatting patterns, if they'd design something for this book. They've all been so generous and we've been given a really lovely selection of designs.

The sad news that Mary Konior had passed away on 16th January made me look again at her books, well, the two that I'm lucky enough to own. What an example she set to people writing tatting books - or any craft book for that matter. It is obvious from reading them that Mary believed if something was worth doing it was worth doing well.

Snowdrops

2010-01-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

I have about 20 - 25 tatters who come to my groups every month and at Christmas, instead of Christmas cards, I like to give them something tatted that they can use every year. The first year I made them Christmas crackers. I remember sitting in the waiting room at the garage while the car was in for its annual service, as this took over two hours I tatted about eight of the sprigs of holly to go on the crackers.

In 2008 I thought that I'd give them a diary for 2009 with a pattern for each month throughout the year. In the dark days of winter I like to look for the first snowdrops so this is what I did for January.

If you'd like to tat my snowdrop click on the link on the left for the pattern.

The National Christmas Lace Fair, Solihull, UK

2009-12-07T04:58:00.000-08:00

I had a busy day last Saturday. It was the day of the National Christmas Lace Fair and the Ring of Tatters had a stand to display some of our tatting for Christmas. The table was only 6' X 2' 6'' so we didn't have much space. As we hadn't been represented at this event before we wanted to show the bobbin lace purists that tatting is not inferior to bobbin lace, it's just a different form of lace.

There were four of us on the stand, demonstrating how traditional tatting works and generally promoting tatting to anyone who was interested. At all of the other exhibitions that we attend we're asked how much the different items are but at this one we were asked where they could buy the patterns so watch this space (for next Christmas).

3D Snowman

2009-11-15T00:31:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be fair to the ladies who were on my Missenden Abbey course for me to release the patterns just yet but I'll give you the link to the 3D Snowman pattern that Jane Eborall has converted into a pdf for me.

I write my patterns in a drawing programme called 'Serif' and export them into 'word' This pattern is four pages long so it'll take a while to download.

The link for the pattern is on the left hand side of the page.

Christmas Tatting at Missenden Abbey.

2009-11-13T00:12:00.000-08:00

I had very busy couple of days last weekend at Missenden Abbey in Buckinghamshire. The course was called 'Tatting for Christmas' so I'd taken patterns for snowflakes, baubles, embellishments for cards and an angel.
Four of the students were absolute beginners so their first challenge was to learn how to 'turn' the stitch. As anyone who teaches tatting will know, some people achieve this quicker than others but it isn't a race and they were all pleased with their progress. Two made at least one simple decoration to take home and the other two were well on the way to finishing their first tatted project. They all did very well.
On the first evening I gave all the students, who could tat, a fairly easy pattern to work but from then on each lady decided what she'd like to make next, with a bit of advice from me when necessary. When they found that the pattern used a technique that they didn't know, or had forgotten, we had a learning session. The most popular designs were the little angel and a beaded snowflake (not shown in the picture). Some tutors of tatting courses move on to a new pattern each session but from what I've been told by students what they don't finish on the course usually ends up as a UFO and they all chose to finish one project before moving on to another.
I wouldn't usually do the choirboy, choir girl or snowman on a weekend course because there is too much tatting or sewing to be able to complete just one of them in the time. These projects I've done with my groups at home where we do part at each meeting and there is time between classes for my ladies to catch up ready for the next stage.
I've got two more tatting events before Christmas so my bungalow has boxes of tatted decorations in most of the rooms because it isn't worh putting them away.

Snowflake with mock rings

2009-10-25T04:17:00.000-07:00

An easy snowflake

2009-10-22T04:25:00.000-07:00

One or two of my ladies found the 'daisy picots' a bit difficult last month so instead of making the butterfly I gave them the option of doing this snowflake instead. It is quite easy and uses mock rings instead of normal ones in the second row.

When they had all gone home last night and I was tidying up I noticed that there weren't any of the patterns left on the table!

A butterfly using the 'daisy picot' technique

2009-10-22T04:17:00.000-07:00

I promised I'd give them a pattern this month that used their newly acquired technique so here's a picture of the little butterfly we did.

Daisy picots

2009-10-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Last month I did 'daisy picots' with my groups and they made these little flowers.

I suggested that instead of throwing away the thread left their shuttles they could make these little flowers and either use them on cards or send them to Jane Eborall to go on the bookmarks she makes to be given away at the Ring of Tatters' stands at exhibitions.

2009-10-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

I'm into baubles this year and I did this one for the workshop in Bristol at the beginning of October. I'd taken red and purple baubles so that the ladies could choose. The pattern uses self closing mock rings and for the workshop it was worked without beads. I showed them the beaded version and gave them all the written instructions, with diagrams, for adding the beads so they could do that version at home.

Do you, or someone you know want to learn how to do traditional shuttle tatting?

2009-10-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Learn to Tat with the Ring of Tatters’ DVD

** Members of the committee have used their knowledge and experience acquired from teaching in schools and colleges along with their many years of tatting to compile this DVD.

**It is aimed at absolute beginners and covers the basic techniques.

**The student is shown slowly, step by step, how tatting ‘works’ and included are the instructions for how to make a simple edging.

**It also explains how to follow a tatting pattern.
-----------------------------------

If you can already tat you could buy our DVD for that friend, or family member who keeps asking you to teach her – but you just haven’t got round to it.

The DVD costs only £3·00 (UK) including p & p

Add two balls of size 10 thread (in contrasting colours) and a shuttle and it will be a perfect Birthday or Christmas present.

Email Lynne : Resources@ringoftatters.org.uk for overseas cost and for details on how to get your copy (PayPal available)

2009-08-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything for a while because I've been house and cat sitting for one of my daughters. Sadly, one of the cats, Bobby, was found dead outside near the park one morning. It hadn't been run over by a car or poisoned so the vet said that it must have had a heart attack. The other cat, Charlie, missed his company and followed me everywhere. I found it very difficult to use the computer with him trying to sleep on my lap. Another way he got my attention was by walking across the keyboard; I can't spell at the best of times but he added odd symbols that even spell check couldn't have sorted.
The friend I mentioned in the first post on my blog stayed with me for the first week and we tatted some of the flowers for her daughter's wedding. The second and third weekends I had 'Tat Inns' at the house and as the weather was warm we took our tatting, and food, into the garden. I was a bit of a slave driver and part of the time was spent proof tatting patterns for the Ring of Tatters' Newsletter.
My other daughter, and one of my grandsons, joined us on the second of these weekends but she did her knitting and Matthew did what thirteen year old boys usually do - played on the computer. They spent all day Saturday in London and got tickets to see Billy Elliot.
Now I won't show you what we were tatting until it's been in the Newsletter but, in true 'Blue Peter' fashion (a children's TV program), here's something I did earlier. I designed and worked these daffodils and narcissi for the same lace exhibition as the Buddlia and butterflies picture.

Buddelia and butterflies

2009-07-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

Last year the 'Lacemakers' Circle' held an exhibition of laces with the theme "Flora and fauna". There were some exquisite examples of all types of lace and I was honoured to have two of my pieces of tatting included in the display.
I had already created a buddleia as part of a bookmark and added butterflies in the same colour to make it more 'bookmark' shaped. Well, the butterflies didn't show up very well so I decided to cut them off and use the buddelia as the centre for this picture. I Googled 'British butterflies' and then from all the images I settled on three that I 'd try to interpret in tatting. The 'Orange-tipped' and the 'Purple Hairstreak' butterflies are quite near but I wanted to add some contrasting colour to 'the mix'. Eventually, for the third type of butterfly, I combined the markings of a 'Tortoiseshell' and a 'Painted Lady.

2009-07-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

This one of Jane Eborall's patterns that I made this week to match what I'm wearing to a party tonight. My son-in-law, Martin, was 50 in April and Marguerite will be 40 next week so they decided to have one big party to celebrate their 90th! Family and friends are coming from different parts of the UK and from across the pond.

Celtic picots

2009-06-29T23:32:00.000-07:00

I like designing patterns for flowers and butterflies but I also do little mats for my groups, who meet monthly, and for workshops. This is one of the patterns I did for a workshop on 'Playing with Picots'.
You have to use a picot gauge for a Celtic picot (see www.paradisetreasures.com/okp.html) and it has to be just the right size. If it is too big the 'knot' will be droopy and if it is too small it won't show properly and could pull the design out of shape. I found that a round picot gauge worked better than a flat one( cut from a piece of card or plastic). For this pattern I used wooden dowelling 3/16th inch (.4cms) diameter and cut it into pieces about 2 inches (5 cms) long for the ladies at the workshop.

2009-06-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

I didn't have much time to get on with the tender, carriages and guards' van last week because I was busy preparing for my two tatting groups but here they are at last. I was in such a hurry to get them photographed that I've only just noticed that the hand rail on the guards' van isn't straight!
There are three different carriages and I could use them to make a frieze for a play room if my grandchildren were younger but as they're 13 and 8 I don't think they'd appreciate it.
When I did the train I hadn't thought of doing the carriages until Jon suggested it. When I wanted to mount them I found that I had only one more piece of card the same colour so I had to photograph each part one at a time. Sorry about that!

Another wild flower - the daisy

2009-06-14T03:39:00.001-07:00

I've been working on carriages to go with the train engine since last week but they aren't quite ready. I decided to do three different size carriages and a guards' van so I have a lot of tatting to do.

I thought I'd show you the pictures of my daisy which goes with the poppy and cornflower. Very patriotic when put together being red, white and blue.

2009-06-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

One of my friends belongs to a tatting group and the members have decided to make a cot quilt and use tatting to decorate it. Each member will tat a pattern or picture to fit on a piece of fabric measuring 5 1/2 inches by 6 inches, (14 cms by 15.5 cms) then they'll all be sewn together to make the quilt.
To cut a long story short I said I'd design a train for her to tat and this is the result.

2009-05-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

The poppies set the size for these wild flowers. I used size 20 thread and size 15 beads for the poppies and for these cornflowers. The petals are worked in one row (pass) and not as separate layers placed one on top of the other which would result in too many ends to hide.

Just tatting!

2009-05-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog, though a friend has been nagging me to do one for ages. I've been asked to design a wild or field poppy for a friend's daughter's wedding next year, she also wants a cornflower and daisy. This is the poppy.