Saturday, March 15, 2008

Mystery Motif Revealed!

Here is the original photo and application of the motifs. They were made into a border on a linen center.

The tatting itself is pretty easy but the directions were a little unclear without the photo. I found using 2 shuttles easier and I knew that the first long picot was meant to join the other small rings into.

The yellow and blue version is done by Gale Marshall. I kept thinking that my motifs looked larger than Gale's but didn't really look too closely until today.
When I looked at my motifs, I noticed I had a picot missing on one ring and then I noticed that I had one more picot on the side rings of the clover than Gale did so of course mine looked bigger. Three picots showing free on each side ring of the clover is correct.

When I first started to do the outer part of this doily, I realized I had tatted the last round of the center incorrectly so I had to cut it out and do it over putting two picots in each arch.

I've started the next round here....I actually retro-tatted 3 times. The first time was when I realized I had incorrectly tatted the center. The next time I joined in the wrong picot and was going the wrong way. The next time I made a mistake in the rings or something - I don't remember now, but the FOURTH time....I got it right! I thought the thread was going to fray at that point. This is size 20 thread and it's going to end up a rather large doily. Maybe I'll enter it in the fair this summer....we'll see what it looks like after blocking.

5 comments:

  1. It is nice to see what you did without the picture and the comparison between your work and Gale's. I think the doily is coming along great and should be a winner at the fair!

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  2. Actually, I do have the photo because I find the pattern and transcribe it word for word for everyone. I tat it up as a sample of what it should look like and to get an idea of how hard it will be to do without referring to a photo or diagram. I only look when I have to so that also gives me a clue as to where people will run into problems and then I can give hints around the issue. For this one I said it would be beneficial to use 2 shuttles which implies a need to do the shoelace trick or switch shuttles or a split ring. I also mentioned reading to the very end first because it did mention at the very end to join the other rings into the long picot, a fact that would have been nice to know at the beginning.

    :-) Gina

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  3. You are a real peach. That's a lot of work. But then, tatting is always worth it! I can almost always manage if I have a photo to look at, but tatting blind is difficult for me. I am also bad about not reading to the end first. I must learn to do that. The design I am working on now has lots of shoelace tricks. I hope people don't mind.
    Thanks again Gina.

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  4. it is amazing how udsing 2 colors for the 2d motif cpmpletely transforms it. congratulations on your eye

    aplgis 4 typing the drama queen is drapec over shlder

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  5. Well...alrighty then....I have to say that I could not complete mine because I had no picture in my head. It was a great excercise and I did well until that crazy sm center ring...Now that I can see the pattern the lightbulb is turned on!
    Thanks for doing this!

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