#9 in 25 Motif Challenge

Surprise! I finished figure 6 of Plate 1 in the D.M.C. Tatting publication.

This is the last one in Plate 1 and it is defined as a galoon. Remember a galoon is a surface trim, like braid, instead of an insertion or edging.

I tatted it in DMC Cordonnet Special size 20. I didn't do a very good job with closing the gap in the clover on this one but I paid special attention there later. I blocked this one a second time to open it up so you could see the chains. It has a tendency to pull in towards the center but the chain is an important element of the design, I think. A diagram is at the end.

I had some Lizbeth size 20-108, Sherbert Delight sitting on my stand. I love this colorway on the ball but I'm always disappointed in the way it looks tatted up. The colors change enough to keep it interesting and the changes are on a regular basis, but the dark is too dark for me. I've been trying to use it up in things I don't care about so it got elected for this.

I tried to make sure I pulled the clover together before tatting the chains on this and I added yellow beads between the clovers. The piece is 9 inches long and I was tatting it specifically to put on a headband. I didn't pull this one out in the blocking so the chains don't show up as much.

At the moment, it's just pinned on the headband at the ends but when I stitch it down, I'll make sure the strip is pulled outwards so that the chains show up.

I have so little hair that I'm not sure I can wear this but I tried it on anyway. I could find a home for it but will probably keep it in my samples for this challenge. I think some very narrow ribbon and perhaps a few small tatted blossoms on top of the galoon will give it more dimension but it's good just like this.

Here's the diagram. The sequence of tatting starts at "A" and ends at "H" and then you start over again.

Clover:
R1: 6-3-3
R2: 3+9-3
R3: 3+3-6
Reverse work
Ch: 3-3
Using the ball thread, make another clover. You're going in the same direction and do not reverse work until the this clover is complete and you're ready for the chain.

This means you use 2 shuttles wound CTM (continuous thread method). Initially I started out with a full ring shuttle which was around 9-10 yards but I only put 6 or 7 on the ball shuttle because I had it in my head that most of the rings were from the ring shuttle, but you are actually going back and forth. I had to add another yard to the ball shuttle so I think 9 yards on each in the size 20 would produce 9 inches of galoon. Beads are optional and you could use them any way you want in your own creative style.

Next up in this challenge are a series of edgings which look very pretty. They include crocheted headers so we'll see what happens there.