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I want to make a food cover with tatted sunflowers. I started with my own pattern, Sunflower In Maltese Tatting; there's a link to the pattern on the right of this blog page. I couldn't find Martha Ess's instructions for Maltese tatting, but my pattern is clear enough that I didn't need an update. It took me a few goes to get it right, but I did. I think my thread isn't ideal though. I don't like the way the picots tend to twist. Can anyone tell me how to avoid that? Letting the shuttle dangle didn't solve the problem.
I decided that I want a more substantial sunflower. I used the method for the centre of the Maltese flower, more or less, with the petals from the daisy I've been using for food covers. I had to make a few changes, but it works, I think.
Picots do tend to twist. I don't remember exactly what I did, but you may try different motions with your shuttle to form the DS, paying attention to how you wrap your hand for the ring, or keeping your tongue out of the right side of your mouth. Seriously, some threads on some days just twist more.
ReplyDelete:) I do notice in the photo that the longer picots twisted more, so maybe avoid excessively long picots.
ReplyDeleteI like your sunflowers! :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy tatting sunflower patterns. Every one I see, I want to create! They are colorful and expressive.
ReplyDeleteLove the evolved sunflower!!! 😍 When I had tatted your original sunflower, some of my picots had twisted too (happens in other projects as well) and I had to block them to get a good shape. I think sometimes it has to do with the picot gauge (which is why some tatters prefer a round pencil, etc.) and sometimes the inherent twist of the thread is not in sync. I close the ring as much as possible, dangle the shuttle, then reopen the ring loop and finish tatting it. If even this does not work, then blocking is the only solution I have.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions. I do think the thread is inherently twisty, blocking and sewing in place are probably my best bet.
DeleteSunflowers are great and the beads in the middle are the best. Could there be more petals so they could be joined by each other?
ReplyDeleteHave you seen Tiina's flower, which is a Finnish design without beads? https://pitsibaa.wordpress.com/paid-patterns/
I have seen Tina’s sunflower, love it with its woven centre. I did one sample with more petals but I didn’t think it looked as good. But joining the petals would make it more stable , perhaps necessary if I wasn’t sewing it on to net.
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