Embroidery Floss in Tatting

Years ago, when I started tatting and read every tat list post ever written (internet was new too!), there were references to tatting with embroidery floss. I was tatting with whatever I had on hand, not having learned about "good thread" yet, so I was using perle cotton in size 5 and bedspread crochet cotton size 10 for a lot of my EARLY work. I could barely see the knots on that big thread because my eyes didn't know yet how to see the tiny stuff. So when someone mentioned embroidery floss, separated, I couldn't imagine tatting with it.

Did I mention I broke a lot of those big threads because of my poorly made knots?

It took me a few years to try embroidery floss out but when I did, I tried it all! This entire elephant was tatted using 2 strands of rayon floss. It adds shine, depth and texture, but rayon is slippery. The newer rayon floss is not so bad. I often use the metallic floss for jewelry, especially earrings, but these days there are other very strong threads that are easier to tat with. A single strand of metallic would break but more than 2 strands was often too heavy for beaded earrings. It does add some sparkle though.

Here is an excellent reference shared by Sheron Goldin for the 2008 online tatting class. It covers everything you want to know about using embroidery floss for tatting.

Here's a quick visual - I separated the 6 strands of cotton floss, pulling out one strand at a time for the first 3 strands. Then I wound 1 strand on a floss holder and the other 2 on another. The remaining 3 were wound on another. Then I tatted (yes, last night after I said I wouldn't tat anymore!) a sample of each. I wound the shuttle 20 turns which was too much just to show a single ring so I tatted til I ran out of thread on each one. I thought I joined in that gap of rings in the single strand sample but ....that's just another example of how my tatting was going yesterday.

Here are the samples without the distraction of the floss holders.

Yes, I've had a much more productive day in tatting! Here's the pear in that same embroidery floss. I'm not sure which partridge looks better in the "seat" of it and I've added the extra element of changing backgrounds.

At first I wasn't sure that the lighter partridge looked right but now I think so. Wish I'd scanned this set up on white, but I can try that later. The way this one is done, you would almost have to frame it or stitch it down or even glue (gasp!) it down. The directions do not attach it to the partridge but now that I've made it, I think if I make it again, I will attach the pear to the bird.

Backgrounds are funny. I wanted to tat on this wire with black thread and silver beads but decided I needed a test tat first. I found it looks really striking on a black background too but that was from laying it on top of the scanner.

Here it is with the scanner's white background. See how much "lighter" in texture it feels? This one is going in the dye bag so you'll probably see it again when I've played more.

I'm also painting wooden snowflake shapes for thread holders. It's only 5:12 p.m.! I suppose I could take a nap too. It's pretty chilly out - just enough to have me dressing warmly inside and looking for things to bake in the oven. I've got beans in the crockpot. What a nice Autumn weekend!

Partridges and Hearts

I had to chuckle. For some reason, this one looks better in the scan than in real life. This is thread I dyed last May, from some vintage unknown thread. Well - "Daisy" by Belding Lily Co, which is not a known brand these days. It's a 3 cord thread and tends to be fuzzy compared to 6 cord. This colorway is a subtle blending of green and blue shades, a bit on the muddy side but I like it. It almost looks like bits of white showing through but there isn't any white at all. Maybe a reflection?

I needed a little thank you gift to tuck into a card so I tatted this up this morning - Heart's Desire, by Susan Fuller, in Lizbeth Caribbean size 20. It appears my scanner is the source of the white highlights. They were not there before I edited and then once I resized, they magically appeared. I don't remember that happening before. I wonder if I accidently changed a setting of some kind?

This has got to be the largest version of Heart's Desire that I've ever tatted! Since most of my Lizbeth tats up slightly smaller than DMC size 20, I was suprised. Maybe I've just always done this heart in size 30 or 40. Or maybe I've been using smaller threads so much lately that this just seems bigger. I've never added a bookmark tail to this pattern either but even before I did that it seemed quite large. Did you notice the last ring on the tail is heart-shaped? More picots on the tail split rings probably would have matched the heart better, but I was getting tired of it, believe it or not!

I took a vacation day to attend a job fair in Indy and then decided not to go. This does give me the opportunity to make some calls about my house repairs from the tree incident. I just got the final numbers last Thursday and have not had time to set anything up since. One thing I've been noticing in recent years is that I'm getting so tired of making ALL the decisions. I wonder if anyone else who is single ever feels that way? Or even not single - sometimes all the decision making falls on one person simply because the other won't. I think I procrastinate sometimes just to avoid having to do that. I do prefer having choices, don't get me wrong, but I just wish the best thing would automatically happen sometimes. Especially in areas I'm not that proficient in.

I managed to tat something this evening! This is the partridge from the partridge in a pear tree in Pam Palmer's Twelve Days of Christmas. Checking an entry from back in May, I know this is thread I got from Karey Solomon. If I make the pear, I think an old gold would be good for the pear. I'll see what I have in my stash. I'm not too keen on making the pear right now, but I can always make it in the future. I really have wanted to make this bird for a long time though.

Maybe I need a place to put all my flying tats! Dragons and dragonflies and butterflies and birds! I ran across Mark Myers Tinkerbell diagram recently too. Unfortunately, I have to make up my own stitch count first. I should make up a sample sheet with rings in assorted stitch counts so that I have something to refer to in terms of size when I get around to that pattern. Also in different thread sizes. I think I've even seen something like that in one of my books but it seems like it was only one thread size.

I got quite a bit of home stuff done today. Laundry, changed sheets, swept floors, even cleaned the toilet! I spread it out and watched some Quantum Leap DVDs and did some needlelace. The tatting was last today.

I'm out of town for a good bit of tomorrow, driving to Nashville, IN to do some ergonomic assessments in a regional home extension office. They are part of the University so we offer our services there too. I hope it's a nice drive and I do love Nashville, having family roots from both sides there. Decades ago, either Felix or Chris Brummett was the local law enforcement person there. DECADES ago. I've only seen photos of the brothers. Actually, it was almost a century ago now that I think about it. I can't drive and tat so no new stuff to post tomorrow unless I'm really energetic when I get home after four or five hours driving total.

Oh hey! Well...my calendar says the first day of Autumn is September 23rd. What happened to the seasons changing officially on the calendar on the 21st of each quarter? I was going to say....Tatting Tea Tuesday and the First Day of Autumn are on the same day but I guess not. I just might celebrate it anyway!