Snowflakes, Bookmarks, Letters, Leaves, Doilies, Hearts, Wreath, Hummingbirds, Windmill, Ornaments, Snowman

Administrative note

As we say goodbye to 2014 there has been some tidying up completed. The 25 Motif Challenge exists to encourage us to keep on tatting by keeping track of what we have accomplished and goading one another on to greater successes. By making 2 bits of tatting in a month you can easily tat 25 things in a year, but when several months go by with no tatting at all, it's harder to tat 25 things in a year and most people just give up. So when a blog doesn't show any new tatting in 5 or 6 months it gets dropped off the list of links in the side bar on the right and I stop checking it for tatting content. Sometimes a blog becomes inaccessible and these too will be dropped off the links list. Anyone who has been dropped off the list, but continues to tat and wants to get added back on, only has to email me at sharon at rsbriggs dot com to be added back on. However, some people ask to be added back on, tat one motif and then don't tat again for several months, so they will again be dropped off the links list. Anyone is welcome to join, but occasionally someone will ask to join but fail to give their blog location and that makes it impossible to find their work for display here. So, please, if you want to join, let me know where to find you.

Muskaan made Jessica Snowflake based on Kersti Anear's Jessica Bookmark in white Red Heart size 20 and shares the pattern, which coincidentally finishes her first 25 Motif Challenge. She jumped right back into another challenge with a new snowflake design she has named Neemiss. She discovered that it was easy to design in needle tatting because mistakes could just be unravelled, instead of having to cut and discard, so the name comes from NEEdle tatting MIStake. She used Anchor Mercer Size 20 White and variegated Navy Blue/White and shows all 3 rounds of the snowflake, although it looks pretty in 1, 2 or all 3 rounds.

Erisnyx tatted Frivole's Flowering Quatrain in Lizbeth size 20, #684 for a birthday gift. She used letter patterns from The Tatter's Paradise in shades of blue, the favourite colour of her cousin to make this birthday present. She made a few leaves using Frivole's La Feuille Frivole pattern in Lizbeth size 20, #100, to put on the front of letters that she was sending out.  Robin Perfetti's First Snowfall pattern was done in Lizbeth size 80, #601. She tatted part of one motif of Jane Eborall's Diamond Patchwork pattern in a Christmas red and green as a white elephant gift for a Christmas party she was attending.

Claire tatted the Kiss Curl Heart by Nicola Bowersox and this charming design makes 25 motifs completed. Once was not enough so Claire has decided to take the challenge again. This snowflake pattern comes from a Polish web site and is the first motif for her next challenge.

Grace is making progress on the Jan Stawasz doily from Robotki magazine. This is one of those designs that is worked in pieces with a centre section, a row of individual motifs and a row of tatting to join them together, followed by more rows of tatting. It's also one of those designs where you work for hours and then ask "Are we having fun yet?" As tedious as it might be to tat, it is a glorious design.

Fox tatted another Jan Stawasz pattern, this time in white, #60 DMC, which is what her daughter ordered.

IsDihara tatted the Christmas berry wreath by LaRae Mikulecky and the pattern is still available through the Way Back machine.

Margaret recently bought Mastering Tatting by Lindsay Rogers and made the Daisy Bookmark in Lizbeth thread No 20 in white and Summer Fun, adding more daisies because it didn't seem long enough. These two hearts are part of a Doily called Love in the mist, and she used Purple and white and white and summer fun Lizbeth thread no 20. She used Lizbeth thread no 20 in white and red burst to make this wreath and she has plans to make more for next year.

Marie found Jane's hummingbirds so entertaining she had to make a bunch of them. The windmill is another pattern by Jane Eborall that Marie made for her aunt. This is one of her Christmas ball designs that she wrote for needle tatting.

Phyllis tatted the unfolding Heart by Marilee Rockley, adding silver beads  for a little bling, which was given to her daughter.  Ars Colaris "My Wonderful Tree" is in the process of being stiffened.  The recipient will have to attached the pieces into a tree.  The last are shuttles her wonderful husband made for her out of exotic woods he found.

Wanda created a wonderful snowman doodle, but it didn't want to sit still to have it's hat and scarf put on. Have you ever tried to tie a scarf on a teeny tiny bit of tatting?

Edging, Ornaments, Bookmarks, Doilies, Snowflakes, Wreath, Bell, Pendants, Train and Birds

Muskaan coaxed some straight edgings into a circular shape as you can see from the decorations on these pillows. By adding & subtracting a few stitches at strategic places along the Down the Garden Path bookmark pattern by Pam Palmer she created a curve instead of a straight line. The Jessica bookmark edging was curved just by making the joining picots very small. Happy-Go-Lucky Frolickers edging in different sizes was the result of very small joining picots used in the inner sample and normal size picots on the outer sample. She notes that smaller picots used in the one shuttle edging used for her caftan helped to created the oval shape she needed.

Sue shows some of the tatting she is sending off in various swaps. These Christmas ornaments are sure appreciated.

Claire used Mary Konior's Black Magic pattern to make this bookmark in Lizbeth 20, with the colours, Scottish Thistle #175 Purple Iris Fusion #162 and Springtime #115.

Fox is thrilled to approach the finish line on the Monster Doily and at this point she only has three more curved elements to tat on the last row. After 5 months of tatting here is the final product, a 27 inch monster doily designed by Jan Stawasz and tatted in size 12 DMC Perle. After all that work Fox blocked it, filmed it, packaged it up and put it out of sight because she's seen enough of it. It may have been tedious to tat, but WOW isn't it just gorgeous!

Kristen tatted the 4th, 5th and 6th of December from Lene Bjorn's 24 Snowflakes in Tatting. Since her blocking materials are already packed she improvised by pinning out her snowflake on the seat of a chair. The sixth of December was fun to tat with lots of interesting techniques. The seventh of December was tough to do with the onion rings, but very satisfying to tat. The block tatting on the 8th of December just doesn't seem to work out and she's wondering if anyone has managed to tat it, so while she's waiting for a response, she's moving on to the 9th.

Margaret made this wreath pattern designed by Lady Tats which is done with one shuttle with red thread and one with green, where the berries are Josephine rings. Last year she used Red Burst thread by Lizbeth and Green  Flora thread, but this year she used white for the berries. Christmas bells are from a pattern by Wanda Salmans 2007 tatted using white Lizbeth thread no 20. Dew drop Pendant was tatted in white Lizbeth thread no 20 with varying sizes of clovers to form the shape. The same little pattern tatted in Lizbeth Purple thread no 20 has a Tibetan silver owl in the middle.

Marie tatted Double O Cross by Dee Powell which was a nice easy tat. She had to tat another train from Lady Shuttle Maker's TIAS.  Here is Jane's hummingbird pattern. It was so much fun she had to make more.

Wanda's customer was very happy with her bookmarks in school colours. Bethel College was done in Maroon and Grey and Oklahoma State University was done in Orange and Black. She added the ingredients for a simmering potpourri that called for orange rind, apple peel, cloves and cinnamon sticks to a bag decorated with a bit with burlap, lace, and buttons, then added a sprig of evergreen and a bow and a detachable tatted ornament for a perfect little gift for one of her neighbours.