My work showcased at Boundless 2026

 

My artwork 'Suspension' is now being showcased at Boundless - 2026 exhibition, organized by Exhibizone and powered by @Biafarin platform.

To learn more, please go to:

https://www.exhibizone.com/boundless2026?AW=AW127176824

What happened when the idea evolved

 

My original triangle art project wasn't happening, so I found a triangular shaped stone in my stash, which had been there so very long I didn't remember what kind of stone it was. I do remember it was not expensive, so it's probably not turquoise or agate. Just an unknown pretty stone. The photo above shows the back side of it. I made a peyote stitch bezel around it, and am actually quite pleased that it securely fits! That was a challenge in itself. Whew!

Then, I designed a tatted necklace around it. For the neckline, I began with a pearl tatting edge similar to what I did in the "Beguile" set in my "Up and Tat 'Em" book. After that, I just tried to come up with a suitable way to suspend the stone within the tatting, for which I used size 10 Lizbeth thread in dark charcoal color.

I'm very pleased with the final results, but I'm not going to show it completely finished here (worried about AI and online piracy, you know). I entitled it "Suspension" and have already submitted it to a juried art exhibition and am waiting to hear if it gets accepted. 

I estimate it took me about 30 hours to make. A lot of that time was spent thinking "what do I do now? How many double stitches to make it fit? How do I join it? Do I need to add more beads? What color and size of beads? So on and on. 

Celery but a different project already in progress

 

A new batch of "Celery" has been added to my Etsy shop. I have wrapped a sample onto a spool and I like it, though I already have another project in yellows in progress. Hmm, maybe I'll decide to add some green!☺ What, exactly, is the project? Actually, I am not sure yet but I've started with triangles from my own "Amoeba Triangle" pattern and we'll see.

"Celery" hand dyed thread

The "Celery" batch being painted with dye - the colors always look darker when wet.

By the way, one of my artworks has been featured in another exhibition!

My "Leaves of Lace Garland" has been showcased in the Earth - 2026 exhibition organized by Exhibizone distributed by Biafarin 

Tatting through designer's block

The "harlequin" and "stars" elements were finished weeks ago (or has it been months?) and were placed in a container to await inspiration for finishing. In the meantime, life went on. Then, earlier this week I used the "just do one thing" approach by moving the container to my work table. There!

On another day, I took the motifs and supplies out of the container. Another accomplishment!

Yesterday, I wondered about which thread to use for tatting the various elements together. Nothing suitable! But then, I remembered that I had some of the new Liz Metallic size 40 Icy Blue. So, I put that on a shuttle and tatted a ring, then a chain, counting the stitches to reach the next picot, and then to reach the next motif leaving what seemed to be enough space... and now a start on putting it together has been made. Yay!!!

The rest will come - I hope. ☺

My artwork has been selected

Detail photo of "Exuberance"

 Today I received confirmation that "after an inspiring and highly competitive jury process" my artwork "Exuberance" has been officially selected to be published in the 63rd issue of Artistonish Magazine!

I'm actually surprised and very much thrilled! There will be promotional badges and social media features to come when the October 2025 issue is published. Upon entering, I did make it clear that this is my original design, so it is a unique expression of my distinct ideas and artistic interpretation, making a unique work of art. 

Tatting on nylon netting

Here are some examples (from a long time ago!) of my own attempts at putting tatting onto nylon netting. I first saw examples of the technique in Priscilla Tatting Book 2.  Here's a link to the overview page from the Antique Pattern Library. 

This pink necklace is my own design, completed many years ago, but as I recall the tatting was made first, then I arranged it with pins onto nylon netting cut roughly to shape but leaving plenty of net outside of the edges of the tatting. After that, sewed the tatting on using "invisible" nylon thread. When all that was done, carefully trimmed off the excess netting around the edges.

This teal green necklace of tatting on netting is also my own design, completed a long time ago.

In the photo above it's easy to see the edges of the netting, showing that it doesn't need to be cut perfectly!

The white collar design was copied from an example shown in the Priscilla Tatting Book 2. 

Each of these examples took a long time to make, and naturally are my special treasures. But, this same technique can be used to make small items that don't take so long and will still impress!

Slow lace and beading

Slow art piece in progress

A little peak at what I'm working on. The colors in the harlequin shapes as well as the bright yellow beaded crystals were inspired by The Starry Night painting by Vincent van Gogh. I'm at the stage of "Now what!" But, eventually an answer will come, a little at a time.

The large yellow beaded crystal is built around a center called a "cushion" 10mm across, not really round (a square with rounded corners) but it looks round enough with the peyote beading around it and the tatting.

In between working on that art project, I've added some more things to my "Marilee's Tatting" shop. At the top of this blog there's a tab labeled "Online Store", click on that and it takes you there.

Adelia pendant in teal and purple

Hand dyed thread "Pond"

Harlequin in progress

Where did this motif come from? 

Actually, it's a small design element that I had used in my "Nexus of Joy" necklace, which I was very surprised to find that when repeated, it fit together to form a harlequin diamond shape! So what to do with this? Well, I don't know! But, now that I've gotten past the "all those ends to hide" annoyance, I quite like it and will probably add more in different colors to find out what happens.

Yes, I bought a physical copy of the magazine just to admire my work in print! Well, as a friend told me, "We are at the age where the warranty expires!" so I'm just going to keep going while everything still works, and do it with joy!  :-) 

 To learn more: https://www.artistonish.com/may2025?AW=AW127248630

To read the magazine online: https://www.artistonish.com/may2025

My original patterns are not AI

 

"Ripple" tatted necklace Marilee Rockley 2012

Some of you may have heard about the miserable thieves who are using Artificial Intelligence technology to "make" books to sell. Really horrible, fake books loaded with wrong information (lies) and stolen photos. They're so bad it would be laughable except they hurt a lot of innocent people who are looking to learn a new-to-them craft. 

I refer you to Karen Bovard-Sayre's YouTube video about AI Generated Scam Tatting Books https://youtu.be/Plh6jnrC0Ho?si=3C4YQMu4hf3gm0AD 

In case you didn't know, I have a free patterns page (2nd tab at the top of this blog) also here's the link: https://yarnplayertats.blogspot.com/p/my-free-patterns.html

All the patterns there were designed by me, and these took many, many hours of experimentation, trial and error, and re-tatting to get the final results. I offer these for free because I sincerely care about tatting and want to encourage people to enjoy tatting and feel the fulfillment of creativity. 

Thanks for your support of designers that are real human beings.

Leaves of Lace Garland is finished

 

"Leaves of Lace Garland" by Marilee Rockley 2024

My leaf project is done! 

I'm quite happy with the results, and since I'm already a subscriber to Fiber Art Now magazine I've gone so far as to sign up for a CaFÉ account so that I can enter my fiber art into exhibitions. Maybe this will give me incentive to do more larger "art" pieces.☺ Of course, we know that all tatting is an art (not lost!) 

Details: There are a total of 32 tatted leaves in this garland. I started with a vintage leaf pattern and modified it to make leaves of varying sizes, adding an edge to the branch end of each leaf so that they could be joined together later. All of the leaves are in size 20 thread, using Lizbeth, Flora, and my own hand dyed to get a variety of colors.

To join the leaves together I chose a dark charcoal gray thread, and tatted 2 rows of chains only, the first row to connect the leaves, and the 2nd row to stabilize the arrangement. The leaves are still free to "flutter". No stiffening was added to them, but my lace is quite firm as I naturally tat tightly.

I made a clasp of polymer clay in a branch and leaf shape to finish the garland.

The tatted leaf project in progress

 

What I've got so far. I'm not sure about adding that stone. Actually, looking at it today I'm thinking it doesn't work with the leaves at all. Apparently this project is becoming an artsy necklace. So, I'll tat more leaves! I do like the colors.

I did finish the "grape" "raspberry" "coral" earring projects that I had mentioned in a previous post, so here's some pictures of that:

Pattern for Victory necklace and more Snowflake

 

The story behind this necklace is that I saw a picture of a vintage tatted collar (I think it was from the 1940s) and decided to embellish it. I'm sure that I've seen other variations online based on the same collar pattern, but I think mine is different enough to call my own. Someone actually asked me to write up my version of the "Victory" pattern some time ago and I'm sure the message is somewhere in the vast array of messaging services we have these days but I couldn't find it. Anyway, the pattern is done!

The pattern is listed in my Etsy shop so you can read all the specifics there. Although I use size 20 thread to fit with the beads chosen, of course any size of thread can be used without any beads, the tatting will just turn out larger or smaller. 

In addition, I posted a video on YouTube demonstrating putting a bead in the center of a ring, showing how it's done in the pattern.

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New batch of  "Snowflake" hand dye thread just listed in my Etsy shop also.

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In bobbin lace, I finished my first try at a pattern I'd been wanting to figure out for years! It's from a French book Bijoux En Dentelle by Colette Varet and the pattern is called "Pareis". 

The original in the book was made from wire. I made mine using Liz Metallic size 20 and some Lizbeth size 20 thread. My collar has flaws but it's wearable! I learned a lot from working the pattern. 

I used Google translate to understand the little bit of written instructions that were in the book. The diagrammed pattern is excellent, but since it showed just half of the collar it needed to be photocopied from the book with the 2nd half reversed and put together to prepare a printed pattern. I think I enlarged my copy 104%. I'm pleased with the results and the Liz metallic is nice and stiff so it seems almost like wire. Now I have the pattern so I want to make another!

The new tatted collar

 

For several weeks I've been obsessed with designing a new collar, and here are pictures of the result. I'm mostly happy with it. The one thing I want to change is how it lays around the neck, to be a bit looser fitting without causing the 2 front points to overlap. But, that should be do-able, now that there's physical piece of work as a starting point.

I made a 1 minute video for TikTok and Instagram showing some of the process (very edited for fast speed), with music added from Wednesday plays cello "Paint It Black". 

Well, now that's out of my system, time to get back to hand dyeing thread! Next batch coming is expected to be "Mardi Gras".

Collar designing in progress

 Still in the rough draft stage, I'm finding some elements for my new pointed collar that I really like but putting all together is a challenge. I'll keep going! 

Sneak peek at my design work in progress

The cello solo "Paint It Black" is the inspiration for this project. The first set of sheet music that I tried for it made it clear that it's way, WAY beyond my playing level. But fortunately an easier arrangement was prepared by cellist Wendy Law. I purchased it and wow! I can actually play it and it still gives the effect of awesome cello playing... at least I can pretend!

Celtic Mardi Gras and Working on a Collar

The "Loopy" Mardi Gras items sold out immediately, but of course the pattern is still available at my Etsy shop. In the necklace shown above, I added 3 small charms using jump rings around 3 of the center front tatted chains. Seed beads on the Celtic chains weaving through the purple were strung onto the thread before tatting. These extra embellishments are not shown on the pattern, but are easy to add.

In life outside of tatting, I play the cello a bit. Well, I recently became aware of the social media buzz about "impossible arpeggios" in an amazing cello solo played by the TV character Wednesday Addams. Naturally, I searched online for the sheet music to "Paint It Black" and purchased it! 

More to the point, since this is a tatting blog, I noticed her white pointed collar and at times it's a lace collar. That excited me, so I'm in the process of designing a tatted pointed collar but with the front part mostly, finishing with necklace chain. Less work than tatting a full collar. Nothing to show yet, but will post photos when I have made progress!

Hand dyed "Snowflake" is back

Hand dyed thread "Snowflake"

Just a coincidence that the weather around here brought the first snowfall the same week that I listed a batch of hand dyed thread "Snowflake" in my Etsy shop. (By the way, more "Poinsettia" will be the next batch.)

The snow covered the last of my late autumn flowers. This picture of purple "Sweet Alyssum" reminds me of the colors of spring crocus in the snow, so I will look forward to spring! (No worries in Wisconsin climate about Alyssum becoming invasive, as our cold winter freezes it out.)

I ran across this photo of my pattern of "Gear Earrings" and I decided to continue work on the pattern. I'm in the process of designing a variation with a tatted "gear" center in place of the metal one. This will make the pattern do-able for tatters who don't have access to, or don't want to use the metal gear finding. Hoping to finish this pattern before the end of 2022, otherwise it will be ready to list on Etsy in early 2023!

"Loopy" pattern writing is underway

 

A funny thing happened on my way to tatting a pointed collar. 

Some folks made it known that what they really, really wanted was the pattern written up for my "Loopy" set, which is difficult to explain and tricky to tat, requiring a narrow Celtic shuttle. (Needle tatters could probably easily work it but I can only write it up from the shuttle tatting perspective.)

So, I'll be finishing the pattern up maybe this week. The plan is to list it as a PDF in my Etsy shop.