3rd Motif

I started this challenge as a learning exercise fully determined to work motifs designed by others, but last evening, after finishing motif 2, I started fooling around with left-over thread on my shuttle and actually designed a simple motif for myself. I have no illusions about it being an original design, but it is a product of my shuttle with no other human intervention. I decided to write out instructions for it in case some beginning tatter would like to try it. If you find any errors in the pattern - remember this is my first attempt at pattern writing - please let me know.

MOTIF THREE

Shuttle only. Short picots: 3/16". Long picots: 1/2"

Work ring of 5 DS - short picot - 1 DS - long picot - 1 DS - short picot - 5 DS
Close Ring

Start next ring and all subsequent rings without leaving space between rings

Work 7 rings of 5 DS - Join to last picot of previous ring - 1 DS - long picot - 1 DS - short picot - 5 DS

Work ring of 5 DS - Join to last picot of previous ring - 1 DS - long picot - 1 DS - join to first picot of 1st ring.

Second Motif Accompli

The second motif is finished. I actually found this one more difficult than the first one because of having to join six rings into one picot - that's assuming I actually did it correctly.

The first time, the last join was really sloppy as you can see from this scan.



Then I made one more attempt - not perfect, but "good enough for folk music".

2nd Motif: Magic Thread Revisited

Well, I've gotten some wonderful comments from two expert tatters who don't use the magic thread trick so I think I'll follow their advice the get out my sewing needle. I'd tried another time - this time with dental floss - only to put the ends of the floss with the loop in facing the wrong way. Yes, that's twice. Here's the result if you need a good laugh for today:

Second Motif Fiasco - So Far

Well I started on the second motif which is also motif number two in MiniTats. This is the motif I planned to use to master the art of using "magic thread" to hide the ends of the piece. I'd like to show a scan of the result, but I pulled out the threads in disgust after realizing I'd put the loops on the wrong end and so couldn't pull the ends through. Wish I'd gotten a scan because it really looked pathetic. Am I the only tatter who finds this method terribly awkward? Or maybe it gets better with practice. First I tried heavy quilting thread as the magic thread. It got all tangled up. Then I tried dental floss and it got in the way of the tatting - plus as I said - I put the loop end in backwards. So it's back to the drawing board. I'm going to try again with dental floss.

ta-DUM - First Motif Finished!

Well, the first motif is finished and I'm pretty pleased with it. The picots could probably use some more work and I haven't learned how to use the magic thread (or whatever it's called) to hide the ends so I had to try to weave them back into the tatting with a needle, but it's my first motif and twenty-four to go.

To chart my progress I've added a progress bar to the right below the Tatting Links Section of the blog.

First Motif

For the first motif I'm using #20 DMC in a dusty pink color. Well, first to measure off the thread. Ok, about six feet on the shuttle. Cut shuttle from ball. Oh, wait. Rats, you are supposed to keep the shuttle attached to the ball. Hate to waste thread so I use this six feet to practice picots with a picot gauge. No problem. An exciting ball game is on the tv so I'll just load six more feet on the bobbin - Eric Byrnes executes a spectacular catch followed by his characteristic sommersalt - cut thread from ball. Oh no. I can't believe I did it again. Write note to self "DO NOT CUT THREAD AFTER WINDING BOBBIN!"

Pre-Challenge Practice Piece

Ok, for my first motif I've chosen motif #1 from Minitats by Patti Duff. Hmmm, according to the author a minitat is a small motif completed in one round that takes from 30 to 60 minutes to complete so I'll plan to it taking ME about 30 to 60 hours as I'm getting back to tatting after a bunch of years.

First I get out the notes from the tatting class I took back in 1992 and review how to make rings and chains. How about a practice piece before I go for the first motif which will require a tricky (for me) join at the end of the circular motif where the last ring is joined to the first? I start a practice edging to be applied to the sleeves of a t-shirt.

Sources for Tatting Motifs

I've collected several books that include patterns for motifs. These will be the sources for the motifs selected for the 25 motif challenge although I reserve the right to choose other motifs that come along and strike my fancy:

Easy Tatting by Lyn Morton. Tatting & Design, 2006.
Minitats: 69 Petite Motifs by Patti Duff. Spokane, WA: Simply Tatting, 1999.
Tatting Collage by Lindsay Rogers. Guild of Master Craftsman Publications, 1966.
Tatting Patterns for One Shuttle by Mark Myers. Self-published, 2006.

The 25 Motif Challenge

I learned to tat several years ago and - once familiar with basic chains and rings - life got in the way and I stopped tatting. The 25 Motif Challenge has inspired me to start tatting again with the goal of learning more about this fascinating form of lacemaking. Ok, here's the deal. In the next year I will complete 25 motifs from published tatting pattern books. At this point I'm really too much of a beginner to design my own patterns.