Sweet Pea Arrangement

I thought you would all like to see a little arrangement of sweet peas, for which the pattern can be found in my latest book Summer Collection of Tatted Flowers.

I have now added the sweet pea pattern to my free list and here is a link to the PDF.

New book now on my web site

Just to let everyone know that My new book Summer Collection of tatted Flowers is now available to purchase from my web site or click on the link in the list of Items For Sale.

To purchase Summer Collection

I am having a few problems with my website at the moment and therefore cannot upload my new book for sale "Summer Collection of Tatted Flowers. Anyone wishing to purchase it (the price is £6) just email me here with your PayPal email addy and I will send you an individual invoice. As soon as I receive the funds into my account I can send the PDF for the new book.

Summer Collection of Tatted Flowers Book is almost ready!!

My new book Summer Collection of Tatted Flowers is almost ready for sale! As some of the flowers in my new book were submitted to the Birthday Flower Book that was launched at the Palmettos Tat Days, I have been unable to publish my own new book until now. It was one of the conditions of the submissions that the designs had to be completely new and never been in the public domain before!

Even though I didn't know if any of my patterns had been used at all (and I still don't know!) I still couldn't publish my own new book until the other one had been published.

The Summer Collections will be available within a few days time.

Can you imagine how difficult it was? Designing brand new flowers and not being able to shout about it! LOL

Starburst Doily All Finished!!

Here it is at last! It took three attempts to get the outer rounds to lie just right but it was worth it! I shall photograph it tomorrow in natural light and then I can complete the pattern.

Here is the link to the PDF pattern, all test tatted by Clyde.

It's getting there!

At last I think I have got it! Round 11 is lying beautifully flat instead of cup shaped and I think round 12 will be just fine! Just have to work out the last 2 rounds now!

Unfortunately the qualitiy of the photo is poor....today is a dark rainy day, but if I use the flash I find that it alters the colours drastically!

Have you noticed how I keep alternating the colour scheme? On every row of split rings I change the order of shuttle 1 and shuttle 2 and on the other rows I alternate the colours of the rings and chains. Neat hey?

It's not right yet!

It's still trial and error with the outer rounds of this Starburst Doily! I had re-designed the outer rounds on a small sample piece but when I did the new stitch count on the full size it wasn't right, there were too many rings and it ruffled. I changed round 11 again, but again as you can see from the picture it still isn't right! Now the round is too tight and is cupping. Also the next round is too full and if I carry on it will just ruffle and not lie flat! Arrgghhh! Back to the drawing board!

Two-tone Starburst Doily

Here is my first offering of the Starburst Doily in two colours! I have done the first 8 rounds in size 20 cotton and it measures approximately 8 inches in diameter. I shall now continue with the rest of the doily (with my edited instructions) to see how it pans out.

Starburst Coaster

I decided I needed to re-tat my Starbusrt Doily only this time I used size 70 white cotton instead of size 40 ecru. You know how it is, you think you know your own pattern and don't take a lot of notice of what is written down. Needless to say I did it wrong, but oh happy event, it turned out well! I forgot to repeat a couple of the rounds before I did the first scalloped roound, but it shows that the pattern works well as a motif/coaster. The doily can now be done in three sizes, 6 rounds makes the coaster, 8 rounds makes a small doily and 14 rounds makes the large doily!

Gold Medal!

Some of the members of Here-be-Tatters have been joining in the Olympics by doing tatting events like the Motif Marathon, the Handkie Edging Hurdles and the Snowflake Slalem, to mention but a few. I have been doing the Snowflake Slalem and am so pleased with the amount that I have made (in spite of life getting in the way) that I have awarded myself a gold medal! LOL

Another snowflake & a ruffle!

The on-line tatting class will be doing "ruffled" tatting this evening and this is my practice piece! Pretty looking but quite labourious to do!

Also another snowflake for the Olympic event.

Snowflake Slalem

For the Olympics I am tatting some snowflakes to deocrate my Christmas tree this year. So far I have completed 4...3 of my own design and one an adaptation of an Anne Orre pattern.

Peregrination of a design!

This picture shows how I altered the stitch count and combinations of stitches in my Starbusrt Doily. As I said in a previous post I was not happy with the outside rounds....I think they are too busy.....and it is near impossible to make it lie flat! These new outside rounds should make a huge difference and as soon as I finish my Olympic tatted snowflakes I will re-tat the whole doily!

Notice in rounds two and four how I tried two different ways to do the chains.

Stitch re-count for Starburst Doily

I have now re-designed the Starburst Doily with a new stitch count for the rounds after the first set of scallops. I feel quite sure that this will make a huge difference and allow the doily to lie flat properly. Wonderful Clyde is test tatting the doily (with the new instructions) and so we shall see what it looks like when he has finished!

I named it Starburst Doily!

Now that the doily is completed I have named it "Starburst Doily". I am not 100% happy with it, as the outside rows are a bit too full and don't let the doily lie flat without a lot of pulling into position! I shall have to have another look at the stitch count to see if I can adjust it. In the meantime, Clyde has graciously agreed to test tat it for me and hopefully he will be able to help me to rectify it.

The first 8 rounds fitted perfectly and indeed the doily could end here, but I wanted a larger doily. The pattern repeat idea, I think, was good, but I just need to get the stitch count sorted out!