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.

Off the Shuttle: Pink & Lavender Tatted Carnation Boutonniere

Here's the second boutonniere I made using the Carnation pattern. This one is tatted with Lizbeth size 20 thread in color #114, Sea Shells. I paired it with a stick pin from my costume jewelry collection.

Off the Shuttle: Tatted Carnation w/Beads

I saw a white version of this on the Tatting Facebook page, and since I owned the book that held the pattern, I was inspired to make one of my own. The pattern is "Carnation Boutonniere" from New Things Happen to Tatting, Book 159 (The Spool Cotton Company, 1941). I used Lizbeth thread, size 20, color 652 Royal Blue. The beads are Czech seed beads in pearl blue. The button is silver plastic with a rhinestone from JHB International. The completed project in that size thread is 3.5 inches (nearly 9 mm). I sewed a small piece of felt on the back to accommodate a bar pin.

Off the Shuttle: Tatted Button Bracelet

Recently, I've been buying buttons that I thought might be fun to combine with tatting. I thought these little white flowers would look good with yellow thread. I didn't really have a pattern to follow. After several starts that didn't work out and much un-tatting, I started again with a trefoil edging (cribbed from Lyn Morton's Tatting Patterns, p. 43) to connect the buttons. The ends were pretty much trial and error (again, much un-tatting) till I got something that worked fairly well. I think if I were to start this project again, I might have planned it out better so the result would be more symmetrical. But I tend to be a more just-plunge-in and fix-it-later kind of gal...not necessarily a recipe for success.

The thread is Lizbeth size 20 in color 170 (Pineapple Parfait) and the buttons are Belle Buttons by Dritz, Item # BB445 ($2.95 US for a card of 4 from Joann's). The closure is a gold-tone lobster claw clasp and a gold-tone split ring (NOT the same as a split ring in tatting).

Off the Hook: T-Shirt Yarn Bowl

Once again, I'll be displaying and demonstrating how to use recycled materials in fiber crafts at the annual Carolina Fiber Fest. I made this to show what you can do with old clothing. I crocheted this bowl from strips cut from old white t-shirts. I then dyed the bowl a tan color by soaking it in black tea. I dried the bowl over a plastic bowl of the same size to retain the crocheted shape.