1st side with Alligator Join |
1st side with modified Alligator Join |
But, then I ran into issues with the joins. On one side, considering the direction the threads were going, it seemed logical to do an "Alligator Join", which resulted in a smooth curve around the central beaded ring. But, when I reached the other side, my only option there was a Lock Join, which breaks the curve. The 2 sides don't match - that's unacceptable!
I experimented some more, and discovered that a regular Lock Join at the 1st side just looks messy. So then I tried doing the 1st half of an Alligator Join, followed by the 2nd half of a double stitch unflipped, to lock the curve. The 2nd photo shows how this makes the 1st join look more like a regular Lock Join, while keeping the tatting going in the direction that I want for the design.
Well, I've now re-read this post and it all sounds very tedious! Maybe I'll go back to tatting it in 2 halves, after all.
10 comments:
However you work it, the colour is glorious!
Thanks, Fox :)
The color is actually Lizbeth #131 "Vineyard Harvest", which looks very similar to my hand dyed "Tourmaline" batch. Not sure if I will bother making Tourmaline HDT anymore when the Lizbeth color looks so close.
I think it looks good with the modified Alligator and the idea of doing it in one continuous round is wonderful!
I would have never guessed this is vineyard harvest, I have some and it looks so different to me, though I love the color, it seems different in your piece. I absolutely love your piece here, and think it really is incredible, and the beads are such a perfect match it is like they were made specific for this .
I thought for sure this was your tourmaline HDT! I just ran out of my supply.
However you plan it and then try it will look gorgeous, sometime the easy way is not always the best. I think you are getting there by way of tatting it in one piece.
Margaret5
I appreciate all the research you (and others) do in your search for perfectionism! I admit I'm not 'up' on a lot of the different techniques, but I sure learn a lot by reading your blog! Great post!
I thought the thread looked like Vineyard Harvest, one of my favorites. It looks excellent on your design! You can at least 'practice' with it!
Thank you all very much. I think I will write the pattern up as tatting the center in 2 parts, since it's easier to explain, and to join that very long beaded picot.
Yep, writing patterns involves many, many hours of seeming to accomplish nothing:
tatting, re-tatting, photo-taking, discovering I did it wrong after looking at the photos...sigh. And I can't even show most of what I'm doing, because it's for a "mystery" collection...to be revealed sometime in the future...possibly....
The process of discovering it probably was tedious with all that trial and error, but now that you know how I don't think it will be tedious at all. Just an alligator join, unflipped half stitch, and keep going. That sounds way better than more ends to hide!
I agree with Bri, Tourmaline does look different from Vineyard Harvest in real life. Yours has more pink, and the Lizbeth has more purple.
I like your creation 'motif'
and the thread very beautiful
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