Bracelet in blue and white

This is another bracelet experiment inspired by a vintage edging pattern. The thread is Lizbeth size 20 in color # 656 Wedgewood Dark, which is a more intense color when viewed in person than the photos show. I added white seed beads size 11/0 and 4mm crystal pearls, and closed with a medium toggle clasp that measures about 10mm across. Personally, I find this type of clasp easiest to put on, both with attaching to the tatting, and in putting it on my wrist.

This pattern had a picot on the other side of the chain at one point, to be joined to a ring later. Funny how I had never run across this issue before in over 30 years of tatting, and now it's shown up twice is less than 2 weeks. Anyway, I dealt with it using the technique described in a previous post.

I'm having a good time turning vintage designs into beaded lace bracelets, so there may be more to come!

Classic Edge bracelet tatted in "Tourmaline" HDT

 This bracelet pattern is one of the lessons in my Shuttle Tatting course on Craftsy. All of the patterns there were designed exclusively for the course, so the only way to get them is to sign up for the Shuttle Tatting course. They are included in the course materials. So, even if you already know how to tat, you might consider it worthwhile, just to be able to get the patterns. The patterns include 2 bracelets, 2 earrings, a necklace, snowflake, and simple flower decorations.

This time I tatted the bracelet in my own hand dyed thread (HDT) from my latest batch of "Tourmaline". I chose a medium size toggle clasp for the fastener.

Vintage edging inspired bracelet

 New bracelet which I developed from a vintage edging pattern. In this I've used size 20 Lizbeth thread in the color "Fudge Dark", size 11/0 seed beads in dark bronze, and size 4mm Swarovski Crystal Pearls in bright gold.


The pattern has an unusual placement of a picot that I've not seen before in a vintage pattern (the pattern was found in an old Lily Mills Crochet and Tatted Edgings book). The only way that I can explain it is to show you what I did.

 The tatting proceeded normally until the point in the chain where it was supposed to lock join to a ring. But, the ring didn't exist yet! So, a picot needed to be placed there in such a way that the join would be locked, and the picot sticking out from the lower side of the chain. I don't think this is the same thing as a "drop picot" or "inverted picot" according to what I could find on the subject in a quick Internet search. So, not exactly sure of what to do, I opted to make the first half a a double stitch unflipped, followed closely by the second half of a double stitch flipped, with a picot formed between them.

 Then, I resumed normal tatting. The chain had the desired break in the curve to follow the design, with a picot waiting for the yet to be tatted joining ring.

 When the ring was joined to that picot, the design had the desired mirror-image effect.

Shuttle Tatting Course now live on Craftsy!

I'm so excited that my Shuttle Tatting course has launched on Craftsy! If you're not familiar with Craftsy, it's the fastest growing craft community on the web, and tatting is there, too!

The advantages to taking a Craftsy course is that it's available to watch whenever you want, as many times as you want. You can ask questions and receive feedback from the instructor and other students. You can post photos of your projects and be inspired by seeing other people's projects.

In my regular live, in-person tatting classes such as held at craft fairs, I can only teach maybe 5 beginners at a time. But, in my online Craftsy course, there is the potential to teach thousands of students - yet, each student can see close-up views in HD quality video and audio to see exactly how the tatting is being done.


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One Small Candle

The inspiration for this candle design came from the quotation, "It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." (An ancient Chinese proverb and motto of The Christophers, Inc.) A really thought-provoking quote, but hey -- so as to not get too deep about it, I've designed a new, original, free pattern for you!

 Click here to download the free pattern as a PDF file.

The pattern is sort of intermediate tatting level. It uses 2 shuttles (except for the base of the candle, which needs only one shuttle and the ball). The candle part is block tatting, with some tatted rings simulating "wax drips". The rings are joined to the block tatting. The flame on top sits at sort of an angle as if a slight breeze is blowing.

Lots of possibility for color play here, with 3 distinct sections to the motif. Shown at bottom is my "cookin' with gas" blue version :-) 

I hope you'll enjoy the pattern, and that it helps inspire you to let your light shine!