Plate 1, Figure 3 Final!

It's taken me so long to finish this last bit up that I feel I need a reminder of where I started with this specific part. This is the original Plate I, Figure 3 insert in Therese de Dillmont's Tatting D.M.C. which is found at The Antique Pattern Library along with a host of other vintage publications for free.

I started this project as part of the 25 Motif Challenge and this is a continuation of motif 6. You can see the bags I made from the first inserts HERE and HERE.

I wanted to play a little more with the pattern, adding more beads and in different ways. The beads I used in the pink insert were at the top of the ring where the crochet header joined. This time I decided to put them in the bare space between small rings. I only used 2 beads, size 11 seed beads and when I was done, I wished I'd used 1 more bead. I also used a smaller thread for this one, size 30 I think. I don't think I made notes anywhere since I thought I'd be writing them here (bad decision) and now I don't remember the other changes I made. I'm pretty sure I made fewer single and double crochets in the headers and that made it fit much better.

I really wanted to see what it looked like with another bead so I tatted this one with 3 beads in the bare thread space. I liked it. I also liked the strip as it was, before I tatted the other side so when I tatted the other side, I did not join them. I'm not going further with this right now but I can see making this into a necklace, but it would take some manipulation of the stitches, a change somehow, to get it to curve into a shape that will drape nicely around the neck. For you jewelry designers, feel free to take off with the idea.

I also only used single crochet for the headers. You could probably use some form of block tatting to get a similar effect.

I've had this part done for a long time and knew I would showcase them in a pincushion this time instead of a bag but was having trouble coming up with the time and energy to follow through. Life has a way of taking over.

I visualized this little pincushion with pin tucks but once I started pinning, I felt it was too bulky to look nice. Pin tucks look better on lighter fabrics. So I just stitched the two pieces, which would correctly be called edgings now instead of inserts, using the end threads to baste them down on the backside. Then I folded the fabric up over the crocheted header and machine stitched it down. The rest is simple pillow construction.

It seemed very plain as it was and I've mulled over adding an edging or tassels or buttons. I may still do so later but for now, a skinny ribbon did a good job of dressing it up. The fabric produced such a shine when I photographed it that I probably took 30 some photos just to get these few. It really is pretty and elegant looking in person but it doesn't like camera flash!

I decided to just use this insert as a surface trim. Again, I used the end threads to pull through the back and tack it down there. It's secured well. I didn't really want to make another pincushion so I decided to turn this one into sachet. Here's the bag of scented salts going in.

I spent all evening yesterday trying to tat an edging for this. All of my finer white threads are more ivory colored compared to the insert so I finally found a purple thread that will work. It's very slow going and I keep asking myself if I really want an edging on there. It's a Coats hand quilting thread which must have some polyester in the outer wrap. It tends to grab when I close a ring so it's taking longer. It's very crisp too and I'd kind of like it to drape a bit instead of standing out so stiff. My brain is tired of thinking about it though!

Next in line is figure 4 which is a floral based insert. This one will be very interesting too!

Experiment aka Playing

I saw the idea in a Japanese book of tatting. The corner in contrasting color at least, but the one in the photo had some tatting over the corner. I didn't really like the design and made up one of my own and continued with an edging. I ran out of thread on the shuttles before the edging was done and I still couldn't decide what to do with it. At the moment, I can't find it. One of my kitties was having a seizure and I was pushing and shoving things out of the way as she was caught between a box and my chair. She's fine but I have no clue where that piece ended up.

I had already changed gears yesterday and threaded a bunch of shuttle endings in the corner. I was actually going to do a needlelace buttonhole lace on the outside edge and quickly decided I didn't like that. I've got thread wound to tat an edging but after kitty katastrophe, I decided to knit instead.

Anyway, this was an experiment, a spur of the moment whim. On the print, there is a basket of something which now looks upside down because of the corner that I put the red in. Should have thought more about placement. Also, by the time I threaded in all the little ring-blossoms, that corner tended to flatten out. I need to do whatever embellishment I'm doing before I stitch and stuff.

But I still like the idea and I even like this little pincushion and will probably keep it just the way it is!