Of course, it had to be a little different. Instead of tatting around buttons I edged a small piece of material instead. I planned the material to be white with white tatting. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my white thread. (Can you believe I couldn’t find white thread???) My solution was using Lizbeth #602 Natural in size 20, sewed to a corner of an old tea towel, then stained in coffee. The lace bits I had were different shades of white/off white which worked well with the material piece.
I have a jar of old buttons that I sorted through to find accents for the cuff. I tried newer buttons as well, trying to find just the right ones for the look I was after. It’s amazing how hard it is to find just the right buttons and just the right places to put them. I also added randomly placed seed beads over the whole thing.
You might notice that the ends don’t have the obvious stitching like my daughter’s had. I used invisible thread this time. It gives a nicer, finished look to the cuff, but it’s a lot harder to use than regular thread. Instead of using a hair band for the closure I braided thread to make the loop.
I’m tickled pink at how it came out. I probably won’t wear it much until the weather cools off, but I’m already planning what I’ll wear it with this fall.
I’m still working on my clunies, but also a few other techniques that I don’t use often, like split chains. I’ve done split chains before though only rarely. I had to go on-line and refresh my memory. I have a very strange-looking piece of tatting where I practiced this over and over. Maybe, maybe, I have this down a little better.
My biggest concern right now is not what I need to know at Tat Days but what tatting should I take with me to do on the plane? Something not too complicated, without beads, and easy to put down and pick up. Hmmm.
What do you take with you to do when you fly?
“Denim has always been an everyday symbol for style” Ritu Kumar
