Wearing My Jacket Embellished With Tatting

 Epic fabric art? A try anyway, and fun to do. The designs are my own, except the top round motif on back. That pattern is from Priscilla Tatting Book No. 3.

The bottom motif is from my new pattern "Daylily Dance". I sewed all the tatting on by hand using sewing thread to match the jacket color.

I also have an olive green cotton jacket that needs embellishing! That one will need a different color scheme. Plenty of uses for tatting, putting more creative beauty into the world, one knot at a time.

New Original Tatting Pattern: Daylily Dance

 

My new original pattern is done! 

I've listed the PDF in my Etsy shop. 

It's actually triangular motifs, each inspired by colorful daylily flowers such as this. 

There's a good measure of "cut and tie" as each motif is made in 3 rounds. The triangles can be joined together along with the narrow filler motif to create larger projects. I joined 6 of them to make the doily featured.

In size 20 Lizbeth each triangle motif measures about 3 and 3/4 inches (9.5 cm). 

In size 10 Lizbeth each triangle motif measures 5 inches (12.7 cm). 

The doily shown is in size 20 Lizbeth thread and measures 7 and 1/2 inches (19 cm) across. 

The tatting techniques used: ring, chain, picot, floating ring, join, lock join, lock stitch. I've written the pattern from my shuttle tatting perspective, but I think needle tatters will enjoy it too. The pattern has diagrams also.

The color combination possibilities are endless!

Hand dyed "Knitty Gritty"

 

The autumn leaves on the left side of the photo montage were seen during a recent visit to the Boerner Botanical Garden in Milwaukee County Parks. Immediately the thought occurred to me, "Those are 'Knitty Gritty' colors!" So, a fresh batch has been added to my Etsy shop.

Another project that I've been working on the last few weeks will become a new original doily pattern. Well, actually it's a motif pattern that can be repeated and arranged to become a doily or a larger item. For now, just a teaser photo of the work in progress. The pattern will be a bit challenging, however rest assured there are no split rings or Catherine Wheel joins in it! I've already begun the diagramming, so probably it'll be ready within a few weeks.

More Tatting Added to the Jacket

 Using the medium shade of green thread left over from the center leaves (plus yellow and orange), I made up the 1st long floral side motif as I went along. Then, I used the finished piece as a guide for tatting the 2nd motif to match. The techniques included are encapsulation, daisy picot, Josephine rings, and a little bit of spiral chain near the bottom.

After pinning the tatting in place I sewed it on using white thread to match the jacket. 

For the jacket lapel, I wanted a 3 dimensional button look, so I sewed around the center of the flowers only, leaving the petals free. Pattern is Double Flower Celtic.

Butterflies on the shoulder. Pattern is Flutterby Heart.

I'm already happy to wear the jacket as it is. But it will continue to be a work in progress.

Jacket Project and Easy Weaver's Knot

 

With the doily finished (knot stitch pattern from Priscilla Tatting Book No. 3), I've decided to sew it onto a white jeans jacket. I'm planning to continue adding more and more colorful tatting onto the jacket until it's a totally fabulous art-to-wear garment. ☺

I pinned the tatting in place, and am in the process of sewing it on with white thread, catching the outer picots of the round motif, then the outer picots of the leaves. I decided to not use any adhesive because I want the tatting to be safely removable in the future, when the jacket eventually wears out.

Since I used a dark green as the ball thread for tatting the chains (the edges of all the leaves), and sometimes a different color thread for the rings (the centers of the leaves), I'll share here the way I tie a weaver’s knot (smallest knot to connect 2 threads).

Loosely tie a slip knot in 1st thread, then put the 2nd thread through the loop.

Pull both sides of the slip knot until 2nd thread “pops”.

Voilà! ♥

Old Tatting, New Tatting

 

New doily in colors on the right, old doily in white on the left, both tatted by me 40+ years apart. Pattern from a library book. I don't have the book, just the 1970s tatting I did from it. Yes, I am old.

All that I could remember about the book was that it was small, hard cover, the title was "Tatting" and it was already time-worn in the 1970s. So, I did an online search something like "mid 20th century small hardcover tatting book" and found this picture on eBay:

It was described as having been common in libraries, so I thought this could be it and purchased it. I've been waiting for it to come but received a message from the seller with an apology and a refund. The seller didn't actually have the book; it was a "drop ship" arrangement that apparently didn't work out. Oh, well.

Moving on to the mysterious origins of the House of White Birches Tatting Book No. 5 that's sat on my shelf for years. Turns out, it's actually a reprint of Priscilla Tatting Book No. 3 (published 1924) which is available as a free download at The Antique Pattern Library. Scroll to about the middle of the page to find it, look for a greenish cover.

I'm doing the Knot Stitch pattern from that book. I interpreted knot stitch as split chain. It's used only in the round medallion. 

The leaf pattern is now one of my favorites! The original directions indicate that the leaves were to be sewn on separately, but I've decided to join them while tatting. It's resulting in overlapping, closely crowded leaves, but I like it!