Thursday, February 15, 2007

Needle Tatting

I did some more needle tatting by doing a pattern from the book to practice the Ring and Thread Method. I like it they have an example with a ribbon woven through the middle which I think is what I'm going to do. Then I'm going to turn it into a bracelet! It looks nice and lacy!
The first photo is the piece on a 8 1/2 x 11 paper so you can see the relative size. The other photos are close ups because I'd like to know if I'm doing things right or if there is anything I can do to improve. It looks a little lumpy to me...is that me? Or is it the thread I'm using or am I not making the stitches tight enough? Or is this just how it is? I have no clue.Here are the little flower and butterfly patterns from the book. Aren't they cute?! They will be nice to do for adding into CQ, very simple and fast.
Next I'm going to move on to learning the Ring and Chain Method.
I really enjoy doing needle tatting! The motion is nice and it's enjoyable like embroidery is to me. I'd also like to try nicer thread. This thread I have is learning quality only and is really rough and not very soft. Maybe I'll try the next size smaller or a different brand thread. Oh I have some DMC Perle Cotton Size 8 in black so maybe I'll try that.

4 comments:

Sharon said...

You're tatting looks just the way it should. Better thread will give you better results and you will find that the pearl cotton will work much better. BUT, black is very hard to work with, it makes the stitches hard to see. One way of improving back to back rings like the ones shown is to use a gauge for the thread spaces between rings. You can use a piece of cardboard, a popsicle stick or a plastic card or even a proper picot gauge. Anything can be used as long as you keep the length of thread between the rings the same length.

coral-seas said...

Well done, Melissa. You said that you found it difficult to follow patterns, but it doesn't look like you had any difficulty with these. I'm amazed at how quickly you've been able to get results. (not because I didn't think you could do it, LOL, but I'm trying to learn with a shuttle and can't master the flip!)

CA

Charlene ♥ NC said...

Great job, Melissa. Did your book come with the set of different sized needles? A tip I was given for needle tatting is to use the needle that Just Fits the thread for smoother, even tatting.

Thelma said...

You are doing fantastic.