Off the Shuttle: Teal Tatted Handkerchief Edging

Here's another vintage handkerchief from my collection with a just-finished tatted edging:

The pattern is "Asters" from Mary Konior's Tatting with Visual Patterns. The teal thread is size 70 made in Thailand. I bought it many years ago from Lacis back when there were very few sources for colorful tatting threads. I'm not sure what the brand is since I can't read Thai script, but the thread is very smooth and strong and held up to multiple (many, many multiple) unpickings and unknottings before I finished. Like a lot of the threads in my stash, I'm sure this brand is no longer available.

Here's a closeup of the edging before pinning and blocking:

Off the Shuttle (FINALLY!): Beaded Tatted Edging for Scarf

My friend and fellow tatter Jane gave me this scarf a few years ago and I decided to add an edging to it. I've been working on this project on and off for a couple of years, but this year I finally decided to make a big effort to finish it. My original plan was to do one of the long sides and the 2 ends, but my daughter convinced me to do the entire circumference. The scarf is 70" by 12" so I needed 164 inches of edging or over 4 yards.

The pattern is "Edging No. 10" from Tatting with Anne Orr (Dover Publications, 1989), a reprint of two tatting books from the 1930s. I substituted beads for 5 of the picots in each motif repeat.

I already had the Delica-type beads in aqua that matched well with the scarf. I used white thread from my collection of size 70 vintage thread and went through several balls of thread of different brands. Luckily, I had enough that matched close enough to finish the project.

Here's a closeup of the edging:

Although I have a lot of patience to do handkerchief edgings, this project pushed the limit of my tolerance for repetitious work. I just got another scarf that I plan to put an edging on, but this time it will be only the ends!

Off the Shuttle: Simple Tatted Flower Edging with Beads

This is an edging that I came up with this week. It's a very simple pattern, but my first attempt at creating a design on my own. I've had the hand-dyed variegated purple thread for years and finally found a way to use it. I'm still fiddling with my camera...this photo doesn't really do justice to the finished piece. The pattern is available at the link above.