Celtic Teapot by Martha Ess

 

Martha's book, "Tea is for Tatting", is wonderful! I had so much fun tatting this Celtic Teapot. I learned new things and hope I got them right. I think there are a couple of places that could have been smoother, but I'm pleased with it. I'm not altogether pleased with my color choices, but I think it will work in my bedroom with all of the Rhubarb Pie. The light pink and green are Flora size 20. The darker rose, almost red, is a hand dyed solid from Marilee's Rhubarb Pie.

If you haven't ordered the book, I hope that you will have the opportunity to.

Sharon's Suncatcher

 

I printed this pattern months ago and just now made time to tat it. It was designed by Sharon Briggs and she has shared the pattern on her blog.

The thread is size 20 Flora in lavendar and the beads are royal blue. Don't ask! Next time I tat it, I will use nice, glass beads as the design deserves it. I loaded 7 yards of thread on each shuttle and almost emptied both of them.

This is a fun, easy design that you can easily remember and not have to refer to the diagram.

Thank you Sharon!

Iris' TIAS steps 1 - 12

 

This is going to be fun! I hope I have it right so far. I had tatted the last clover in the dark color and had to redo that, but no problem. I'm using Flora size 20.

Thank you Iris for doing this for us. I, for one, always enjoy them.

Karey Solomon's Dragonet

 

Here is my very feeble attempt to tat Karey Solomon's Dragonet. I love Karey's dragons, but they don't seem to love me. I've had this book for some time and finally decided I must brave at least one of the dragons. I seem to have made the belly to small and the claws are too close in and not defined sufficiently for me. If any of you have any suggestions or insight to these patterns, please let me know. I think my brain cells found out where Jane's were vacationing and have joined them there! If they were present before I started this project, they have certainly deserted me now.

Dragonet is tatted in size 20 Flora with size 11 purple beads.

Dragon #2 "Spring"

Ann Bruwold's dragon again, this time tatted in green Flora size 20 with size 11 pink, glass beads. This maybe a little "girlie" for a dragon, but I want her for my room. I think she will have her own little frame.

I tried to think of a particularly clever name for her as she was inspired by a favorite outfit from my senior year of high school. I had an a-line skirt and sleeveless blouse made from green and pink material that was a kind of plaid I guess. The background was green with tiny pink stripes in both directions, to the best of my memory. I loved that outfit. It also had a canvas belt that was cream colored. My mother and grandmother made most of my clothes, but this one was "store bought" and very special. I don't know where Mother found the money to buy it, but I loved it and must have worn it out. I don't remember what happened to it. If only we realized how special our memories would be, we might hang onto some of the things at the root of these memories......

Round Robin Heart #3

This pattern is from Be-stitched Copyright 2007 by Nancy Tracy. It was originally found at Be-stitched. This is a very nice pattern that only took a couple of hours to tat. And, I did it watching television! I don't usually do so well on auto pilot. Since this is for the round robin and the hearts are supposed to be around 3", I added the white row around the outside of the original pattern. I hope Nancy won't mind. It makes it a little bigger and I think it looks like an old Valentine - the ones with the white doily behind them. The thread is size 20 Flora.

Thanks for the pattern Nancy. I enjoyed tatting it.

"English Country Garden Heart" round robin #1

I can't believe it, but I actually designed this one all by myself! It's not perfect, but I'll get there. I have to thank Martha Ess for inspiration. I tatted one of the hearts in her book "Tat's Amore" last year that this reminds me of, but I promise I wasn't copying or using her flowers, as you can tell! LOL I hope she will be flattered.

Georgia Seitz pointed me to a technique called the Bach versus Beethoven method of designing. You either tat the outline and fill in or tat the inside and then outline it. I did the former.

The outline is size 20 DMC Cebelia white dimpled split rings. Then, I just started making fantasy flowers and stems to fit inside. Viola! The flowers and stems are Flora, DMC and hand dyed thread. When I started working on the dimpled split rings and saw that they weren't all that uniform, I intended to just practice a while and then go back and start over. I guess I got carried away!

I am excited and encouraged that maybe I can learn to design tatting after all!

Two more tatted snowflakes IN COLOUR!

The first one is Sherry's hand dyed "grapefruit" with DMC pink for the rings. I'm going to have to work all of my DMC and Flora threads into my tatting somehow. I can't just waste them and they are lovely in their own ways. However, I have joined the club of "Addicted To Hand Dyed Threads." I guess we just need to abreviate it to ATHDT! The pattern is from Bestitched. There is a link to their website on my sidebar.

The second snowflake is Flora variegated with DMC chains around the outside. I had the,(I think), bright idea to do the block tatting in the Flora. I really like the way it looks. Bill said that it really looks like a flower.

I'm still having fun!

Snowflake Rose in Rhubarb Crisp & Flora

After tatting this one, I think I have enough Rhubarb Crisp to tat one more snowflake rose (center part.) I used DMC for the starting ring and core thread on this one, then green Flora for the last two rows.

I guess most of you are too busy for tatting right now, but I sure do miss seeing posts and hearing from you!

Happy Holidays to everyone,

Laura

Snowflake Rose #1 in Yellow and Green

I am glad that some of you talked me into tatting more snowflakes in colors. I like the pink and green better, but this yellow and green is pretty too. The variegated green is Flora size 20 and the yellow is DMC Cebelia size 20.

Tatting these rose snowflakes of Denise Munoz's is so much fun. The outer rings on this one tat up real fast. Of course, I've got the centers memorized and can knock them out pretty quickly.

Happy Tatting everyone!

Snowflake Rose #5

I tatted this one in the same Flora thread as the others, size 20. Denise' instructions for block tatting were different than the way I learned and I couldn't understand them. So, I just did them the way I knew. The tatting doesn't look the same as her's, but it's still pretty.

One more snowflake on the pile!

I think I am going to tat Sherry's leaf again with some thread I got from Marilee.

Snowflake Rose #1

I tatted this design from Denise Munoz in size 20 Flora, both the green and the pink. All three of the ones I have tatted from this book work up very smoothly and quickly, once you get the hang of the center medallion.

Tatting is such a job in my life and gives me a great purpose in an otherwise confined environment. I am very thankful for my internet tatting friends!

Snowflake Rose #3

I'll have to ask Karl to scan this one in for me tomorrow. This picture in no way does it justice. Denise Munoz, wherever you are, thank you for these lovely designs.

T think this one is particularly lovely. You probably can't tell in the photo, but I somehow got two different threads tatted in this one. I don't know if it is two different lots of Flora white size 20 or one Flora and the other DMC. The center is a little less white from the picot row out to the points. I kind of like it. It seems to have more depth. Maybe a mix up for the good.

I might tat the next one in a rose color with green points. We'll see!