Motif #8 in 25 Motif Challenge

Moving right along slow-as-molasses, I'm up to motif #8 in the 25 Motif challenge and this is Plate 1, figure 5 in D.M.C. Tatting.

This is a galoon, which is a surface trim as opposed to an edging or insertion. I couldn't get too excited about this one. It's very simple.

And in my mind, ugly. At least it seemed so in the DMC Cordonnet Special size 20 that I always tat the first sample in.

But then I tatted it in some Lizbeth size 20 thread I dyed last May and I thought it looked a lot more intriguing. For one thing, the negative space between the Josephine Rings popped out.

So then I tatted it in some Perfect Quilter thread which is probably around size 60. I also decided to substitute the Josephine Rings with the Puff stitch demonstrated by Bina Madden in the I.O.L.I. Bulletin. This is done by pulling up loops in a picot with a crochet hook and then pulling a single loop through all the loops and the shuttle through the end loop, very similar to a cluster stitch in crochet.

I didn't think it showed up too well in the finer thread so I tatted another sample in size 20 Aida including the puff stitches.

I got to wondering how clunies would look in place of the Josephine Rings, but I'm not really fond of doing clunies and didn't really have the time to learn them all over again so I asked Fox to give it a go. Of course she also had to add beads and you can see her wonderful sample HERE.

Only thing is, this is a rings only pattern so doing clunies deviates considerably since you need two shuttles. Of course, I've made some radical changes in the past with these vintage patterns so it's not any different from what I've done.

Even with the fun changes, I didn't feel inspired to come up with a practical application but I hope someone else feels moved to do so.

Here's the original pattern. It never once mentions that the next set of "leaves" is on the opposite side of the first set. Since you "turn" and make the JK, it assumes you know to continue in that direction and then continue going back and forth. It's not that hard to figure out with a photograph to refer to, but if you didn't have one, I think it would be very confusing.


I've used the first scan to insert the numbers for the stitch count and tell you where to start (A - G) and the direction to go in. Please note I've changed the stitch count slightly since I posted. Fox kindly pointed out the numbers I gave her were different and so was the pattern!

Happy Tatting!