Tatting Little Shapes

This is beginning to look like a tatting blog! When I get into something new, I really get into it!

Yesterday I began to play with tatting small shapes. To get me started, I purchased a pattern book from a fellow Etsy seller, Heather A. Johnston. Her collection, Tatted Earrings & Things, looked just like the kind of little motifs I wanted to try.

This pair of earrings shows her pattern for side view butterflies. I love how delicate they look and the variegated, size 20 tatting thread worked out well. The do look a bit like hummingbirds though. She has another pattern for hummingbirds which is very similar and of course gives the birds tail feathers. I'll try that one next.

I've also been playing around with a few shapes of my own. Well, there's one more butterfly in there, but the rest are mine. So far, the silver earrings are my faves. I love making the Josephine Knot chains. The spirals make me happy.



I used both shuttles and needles when I was working on these. I found myself liking the shuttles better for the butterflies, but I used tatting needles to make the other earrings. I'm getting more and more comfortable as time goes on. I think what I need most now is just plenty of practice. I plan to keep picking out patterns so I can become comfortable with the way they are written. I think it's good to be able to follow a pattern even if my goal is to create my own designs.