Variations on the Simple Celtic Earring Pattern

The simple Celtic earring pattern I posted yesterday is very easy to vary and enhance.  Here are a couple of examples I tatted up this morning:

This is a design that I have altered and expanded to be used as a foundation for pendants, brooches, bracelets, fascinators, hair ornaments, shoe clips, etc.  It is particularly wonderful as a foundation for the Czech art buttons I favor as it allows the button shank to be centered and anchored, giving support to the button and a framework for additional tatting.

The key is to have fun and experiment- find what works for you and the way you tat.

Hope you enjoy the pattern posted yesterday and have fun playing with beads, picots, and other goodies to make it unique to your taste.

I'm off to run a number of errands, so until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

Piney Woods Dragonfly

As I strolled through my Piney Woods this morning, I caught a whiff of the mock oranges.  They are blooming like crazy and smell wonderful!  I cut a couple of branches and made my way back to the atelier.  By chance, I happened to have the perfect thread to tat a little something inspired by the mock oranges- Sulky Blendables 12 wt. quilting cotton #4017 "Lime Sherbet".  I then filled a butter pat with various beads that compliment the thread- 15/0 rocaille seed beads in ceylon pastel butter yellow, a few 3mm jonquil Swarovskis, and some 11/0 seed beads in silver lined shamrock green.  For some reason, I thought about a pattern I had designed many years ago- a Celtic dragonfly.  This is what I tatted:

It is a very simple pattern.  To begin with, string the beads on the thread in the following order: 1 yellow rocaille, 1 green seed bead, 2 yellow rocailles, 1 green seed bead, 1 yellow rocaille, 11 green seed beads, 1 3mm jonquil Swarovski bicone.  Run the needle back up through the 11 green seed beads and tat the following counts:

R 15 - (with 1 yellow rocaille, 1 green seed bead, 1 yellow rocaille) 5 - (with 1 yellow rocaille, 1 green seed bead, 1 yellow rocaille) 15 CL.  At this point, I cut a length of thread from the spool to allow for weaving the thread for the Celtic effect.  Continue tatting R 45 CL, R 45 CL, R 30 CL (NOTE: before closing R completely, weave through one of the longer Rs previously tatted), R 30 CL, weaving through the other previously tattes longer R.  Tie & cut, hide ends.

Here is a view of the little bugger by himself.

Another count version of this is on my Atelier website and can be found here:

http://www.pineywoodsatelier.com/bugs.htm

This page also includes counts for a Celtic butterfly. 

I have used these patterns for many pairs of earrings, bobbypins, brooch accents, scrapbook & crazy quilt accents plus many other instances where a small tatted accent was useful.  I hope you will enjoy this pattern as much as I have.

Jocelin is out of school today and we are going to have a movie afternoon.  Have a wonderful day and don't forget to comment either on Saturday's post or on the Facebook posts for your chance to win the Button Brooch Giveaway!  The winner will be announced tomorrow.  Until then~

Happy Tatting!