|
Tatting Lessons Index Logs - Previous Sessions Class Chats Links in this Lesson: PDF from Katia on Needle Tatting True Rings Hiding Ends in Single-Thread Tatting Hen and Chicks Tutorial (2meg)
|
Lesson 2 Welcome back! Glad you could join us again. Goals this lesson:
Reverse, Turn or Rotate??There are several different motions you may have to make to position your work properly when transitioning between the element you just made and the next one you'll need to make. Georgia Seitz explained this very well in an On-Line Tatting Class some time ago. Click here for that lesson.JoinsIn your tatting, you will want to connect elements together. You'll make these connections between the element you are tatting to a previous element's picot.Needle tatters join to a picot by poking their needle through that picot, then casting on ds's after as usual. Shuttle tatters will need to pull a loop of ring thread from above their pinch through the picot. Pass the shutttle through that loop, then pull out the slack of the ring thread until it is as tight around the core (shuttle) thread as a regular half stitch. The shuttle thread will be in the position it would be as if you flipped it; so be careful that you don't unflip when tensioning this join. The shuttle tatter's join counts as one half stitch, so make the second half of the ds after the join to complete the first ds of the next set of ds's in your pattern. For a series of photos showing a join from one ring to another, click here. Folded JoinSometimes you'll hit a spot where a bunch of rings will be made one after the other with their bases touching. Joining the first ring to the last ring in such a flower is kind of challenging because of the angle that your current ring approaches the first ring. The picot is not in the position it should be for easy joining. Check out Tammy's explanation of how to make the folded join.
ChainsGuess what! If you practiced double stitches like we asked in the meet-and-greet lesson, then you've made chains! Chains are the nice arcs of double stitches that you see connecting rings.To make a chain after a ring, you will need to reverse your work so that the base of the ring will be up and the back of the ring is facing you. The ball thread will be the thread on the left, and the thread coming from the ring (shuttle or needle) on the right. Make your ds's tight to the base of the last element made. Gapsosis is to be avoided, so watch your starts carefully.
Transitions to/from a True Ring (needle)Click here for a pdf from Katia.
Ways to deal with thread endsContinuous thread methodYou may have already seen "CTM" in patterns. This means starting to tat with the working thread continuously connected to the ball (or other shuttle), rather than cutting the thread and knotting the two together. You will save yourself dealing with 2 thread ends to deal with each time you start CTM.To wind 2 shuttles CTM, wind the first shuttle as full as necessary. Then pull enough thread off the ball to wind the second shuttle as full as you need it to be. You can wind onto a thread holder first (or the outside of the first shuttle), then onto your second shuttle. That way you will avoid dealing with knotted thread during winding of the second shuttle.
Tatting over tailsInevitably somewhere you will find that you must start with ends knotted together (such as when working with 2 colors, or you have to add a thread when running out). You can hide the ends as you go by tatting over the tails - that is to say, get those thread ends to follow the core thread to be hidden inside the double stitches as you make them (so you don't have to sew them in later).Needle tatters will need... (content from Katia) Shuttle tatters can deal with them in 2 different ways. Long ends: use adhesive tape or other favorite removable adhesive to attach the thread end to your shuttle, then tat as normal. That way, your thread end will automatically wind up in the core when you flip each stitch. Remember, tension more tightly because you have two threads instead of one to squish in there. Ends too short to tape: each time you flip a half stitch, use the pick on your shuttle (or your crochet hook or your fingers) to guide the thread end through the flipped stitch. On the first half, you will guide from the back and up through the stitch; on the second half, from the front and down. Then tension the stitch - and tension harder than normal due to the double thickness inside. Last, either can hide ends in single-thread tatting
Sewing in thread endsYou will need to add another item to your tatting tool kit: Tapestry Needle (a needle with a big eye for your thread, and a blunt end so that you do not split your threads when sewing in). Tammy Rodgers did an excellent job illustrating how Lily Morales explained how she sews in her ends in Hiding Ends Lily's Way.
How far should you sew in or tat over tails?This is difficult to answer, but depends mostly upon the tatted item, the size of the rings/chains, and its intended use (heavily laundered? framed and not handled?) How far should you sew in or tat over tails? This is a difficult subject, and one that will take you some experimentation. It varies based upon the use of the object. There is basically one rule of thumb: try not to allow the thread end to exit from a picot (meaning between the double stitches of a picot). I try to go 6 double stitches at least.
One last tip:For best results, avoid stopping your sew-in or tatting over tails between the double stitches before and after a picot. Stop 1/2 stitch short or go at least 1/2-1 stitch past. Otherwise, you a) risk cutting the picot threads when trimming (yikes!) and b) the thread ends clipped at this location can sometimes loosen and poke out at you.
Patterns for PracticeHave fun, We will see you in class.
Mimi: ntrop at ix dot netcom dot com |
