Emptying my shuttle After a bigger project there is always some thread left on the shuttle. This is how the flowers of the butterflies pile up in our boxes. In mine come shreads of ideas and some if them are not that bad. Like this one: The pattern is more than simple: all rings, increasing the double stitches amount by every petal. R1: 4 - 8 - 4, close, do not turn. R2: 4 + 10 - 5, close, do not turn. R3: 5 + 12 - 6, close, do not turn. R4: 6 + 14 - 7, close, do not turn. R5: 7 + 16 - 8, close, do not turn. R6: 8 + 18 - 9, close, do not turn. R7: 9 + 20 - 10, close, leave a decent am ..read more

I posted some time ago a Christmas bauble and I promissed to share the pattern. It is not dificult to do... except you want to do it the way I did it: with 3 shuttles and using padding tatting. The pattern is just rings and chains and at the first glance, one can say: 1 shuttle and a ball, 2 different colours would do it. But if you search for neat work, no knots to change directions and smooth finish, then I would still chose the 3 shuttles solution. Trust me, I have tried the easy way, I was not happy with the result: the elements were twisting and the lace did not bend but just fold at the ..read more

It  sounds long and scarry... But it is a join done with the shuttle thread, just a lok join, since all rings are worked with only one shuttle. In the old patterns, before Ann Orr taught us to work a split chain (1916)  you find this chain of rings with some bare thread behind. Today we would work this with 2 shuttles and make split rings.  But going back to the roots, can help. You love beads? Any bare thread can carry beads and this piece is no exception. Nina Libin is also using is. I also like the pulled loop join because it allows you to pass at the top of a ring with a n ..read more

Too long... waited too long to make the pattern for the earrings. For some I just gave the rough written pattern  over Facebook. There you have it: One shuttle pattern. String some seed beads in the shuttle. No turn work what so ever. 20 minutes tat. Promise. Start R1: 10 - 10. R2: 10 + 5 - 10 R3: 15 + 5 - 20 R4: 20 + 5 - 25 R5: 25 + 38 - 2 (or how much you want, but keep the 2). Rb: take a bead in the loop for the ring. work 2 + o large ring) 6 - 2 close. The bead stays at the base of the ring. Continue until you have the nice curve needed for your bead. As y ..read more

It was time maybe to let it go. Since 2012 I saw a lot of versions not only of the finished, but also of the pattern itself, in so many forms. I like to think that a lot of technical questions will be answered by the pattern itself. I never expected this pattern to raise so much interest and I thank everyone on who once had a look at the original before I made it public. The pattern is simple, so simple that is is boring. But do not rush while working it. Simple things can punish pretty hard the impatient hand. To the English version: here. For the French one: here. Instructions for the nee ..read more

I do have a huge shortage in time. I do not have the time to make a tatting tutorial the way I like it. Lately I made some baubles. But one of the patterns used especially is pretty versatile. I will post the picture and the written pattern. It is a very easy one. No idea, I may have been seen something similar. Anyway, did not copy voluntarily anyone. If so, Please let me know. You can work it with a shuttle and a ball, CTM, of course. I prefer though the 2 colours version. No trick, simple sequence ring, chain, ring. I worked this patterns with a Penny 30 thread and Finca Metallic thread ..read more

Corina tried to get in the snowflake mood. Toke a pattern tried to work it. Then she finds a lost thread of gold metallic Finca thread and the pattern gets forgotten. It is again one of the "Lets start the party" moments. It did this:   See those threads? No picots cut at the end. Easy to see that the golden thread stay on the core thread. I do not know if this is already dowe and how. I am sure someone did it, but I did not see it yet. Please, if you identify a known technique, let me know, to give the right credits.  My first test was done with simple macramé knots done on the core ..read more

Necklace “Bows”pattern I played with 2 shuttles and some self closing mock rings, love it. Then I wanted to climb to the top of the SCMR with both threads and this is how the beads got in play. Made some elements, drunk some coffee, watched TV and then it hit me. Maybe you know it: take a small break, think that you are watching TV (tennis for me) but the brain is still tatting. Then the finger starts to draw in the air (this amuses my husband always) the the pattern starts to build itself. 2 shuttles, CTM, fine crochet hook, 5 mm rice mother of pearl beads. This is all you need. Skills req ..read more

This is about the small black rosette I published some days ago... Love to tease you, love to make you find solutions. This helps a lot to get out a bit outside the box. One box we are stuck in sometimes is the way to add the beads. They must come from the thread from the hand, from the shuttle or the needle or is has to stay on a picot. Really?? Not this time. I tricked it. I am not the first one and there are more than 1 way to have this effect but the simpliest one, at least for me, will be described today. This rosette has 2 rounds. The inner one as pretty easy. Image Steps and r ..read more

Remember this one? Bracelet I played with the idea and the last one I uploaded. The basic idea is the same: 1 shuttle, all the beads strung previously. And with a crochet hook and some decorating beads, this is all you need. Remember the small rings? You take 1 bead in the loop before you start the ring, work the ring and close it. The bead will remain on the core thread, at the base of the ring. If you are needle tatting, just work the ring and before you close it, take 1 bead and then close the ring.  The left diagramm indicates the order of the work, the right one: the ds ..read more