Summer Challenge

Have you seen those pretty crocheted vests? Do you ever wish you had one, only maybe tatted? Maybe now is the time to get started. If you break a big project down into manageble parts, it is more likely you'll finish it.

Here's a challenge for you. All you need is a square motif that can also be halved, or tatted in a triangle. I'm going to give you the basic measurements that I've taken from a crochet project and a template...and see if you are brave enough to give it a try! Here's the template:



The crocheted vest was made in 3 sizes: small, medium and large. This is nice because so many that I see only come in one size. The small measurements are 36" bust, garment length 21 1/2", armhole depth 9 3/8". Medium is 39" bust, garment length 23", armhole depth 9 3/4". Large is 42" bust, garment length 25", armhole depth 10 1/2".

The size of the square motif to correlate with the size of the garment is:
small 3 1/8", medium 3 1/4", large 3 1/2"

I counted 62 squares and 8 triangles. If you make one a day, you could have it done by summer's end.

Looking at the template, I think it would be reasonable to break it down into 4 major parts. The two sides of the front and you could break the back down in half. By that I mean focus on completing those sections independently. I would begin with the back, making one half, then making the second half from the outside in and joining to the first half as I got to the last row. Then tat each front half from the front to the inside, joining as you go.

You could make a muslin model to check out the measurements before you actually tat. You could even make a fabric base to attach the motifs to, if you wanted to go that route instead. You could even do this...make every other square fabric, which means less tatting..but then you would probably have to sew the fabric to the tatting to join. There's lots of room for creativity.

Once you determine your measurements, you need to find a motif that will fulfill the size requirement. What is your favorite square motif? What size thread will it take to get it the size you need? Can you tat it as a triangle?
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I've had this in drafts for quite awhile. I got stuck trying to find that perfect square motif, in the right size or potentially in the right size with adaptations in thread and tension AND which could also be halved to make a triangle.

I've also found a few variations on the arrangement of motifs but this one still seems the simplest.

I'd be interested in knowing if anyone finds a motif or ~ gasp ~ designs one! If anyone takes this challenge on, I'd love to know about it.
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I got another fabric postcard from Bonnie Peters the other day! This one has a delicious looking ice cream cone on it. I haven't had a chance to scan it yet but at the weekend, I bookmarked some tutorials on making fabric postcards. I also found this pdf tutorial for making a fabric box to hold fabric postcards.

I forgot to mention that I almost bought a table topper that appeared to have tatting all around the edge. Upon closer inspection, something didn't look right and I finally realized this was machine embroidered lace, the kind that is electronically generated. I've seen it in magazines but this was the first time i saw it in person. I'll take real tatting any day!

An interest in applique embroidery found me here:

Needle Turning tutorial


For quilters or anyone who loves fabric, here's a free online quilt magazine - Cotton Spice! Warning...some of the pdf files are HUGE! - up to 38.9 MB.

Acutally, I found all these wonderful links while blog surfing. One link took me to this site where the sculptor has created life like baby dolls. Click under "Ashton-Drake" and you'll see they even have one that appears to BREATHE!