Instructions for Tatted Bookmark from Wedding Card

I find it difficult to throw away exorbitantly priced wedding invitations.

I have always wondered why some people think it is important to spend so much on such cards knowing that it's going to serve no purpose once the wedding is over

I have saved up quite a few such cards. Now, I am trying to find ways to use them up. I have come up with the idea of using them as embellished books marks (they are more exciting and definitely more personalized than simply cutting the cards into book mark sized strips). Besides, I have a lot of friends who will treasure such personalized book marks.

Here is one such book mark embellished with split ring tatting. It does make a cute book mark.

Here are the instructions:

Step 1: Ring of 5 ds, 3 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, close ring.

Step 2: Ring of 5 ds, join to the 3rd p of prev ring, 5 ds, 2 p sep by 5 ds, 5ds, close ring.

Step 3: Repeat step 2 more times.

Step 4 (Split ring): Ring of 5 ds, join to the 1st p of the 1st ring, 5 ds/ 5 ds, join to the 3rd p of the last ring, 5 ds close ring.

Step 5 (Split Ring): 5 ds, p 5 ds/ 5ds, p, 5ds, close ring.

Work 3 more split rings.

Motif #15 - Beaded Bookmark

Here is another beaded bookmark. 
I've always wondered how to get beads into rings - we usually see beads in picots.
I tried and the result is what you see here.

I got a few beads into the ring. I realised after sliding the beads from the ring thread close to the ds that a length of shuttle thread was bare. So I slid in the same number of beads from the shuttle thread before making the next ds.

Looking at the bookmark now, I wonder if maybe I should have used 1 bead less for the inner ring formed by the shuttle thread.


The pattern itself is very simple - just the basic rings and chains.


I have written down the instructions for working the basic ring and chain with beads - the rest, I am yet to write down.

Ring: 12 beads in ring thread and 12 beads in the shuttle thread.
[1ds, slide 3 beads from the ring thread and 3 beads from the shuttle thread close to the ds, 1ds, p] 3 times, 1 ds. slide 3 beads each from the ring and the shuttle threads close to the ds, p 1ds, close ring, rw - the extra p at the end is to join the chain to the base of the ring when working chains on the other side of the rings.

Chain: 8 beads each in ball and shuttle threads. * 1 ds slide 4 beads each from ball and shuttle threads close to the ds, 1 ds, * p, rep from * to * rw.

Bead Count:
- for 1 ring - 24 beads - 12 in the ring thread and 12 in the shuttle thread.
- for 1 chain - 16 beads - 8 in the ball thread and 8 in the shuttle thread.

Criical comments on this pattern, and any pointing out of mistakes will be apprec

Motif # 14

Tatted Bookmark

Click on picture to enlarge.

Here is a bookmark I designed. Most of my projects start out as one thing and end up as something else. I started this as a heart in Teri Dusenbury's book Tatting Hearts. I made a mistake and thought I could convert it into an edging. It finally became a bookmark with split rings and beads. 

The beading has not turned out as well as I would have liked. I should have added fewer beads for the diamonds and a few more for the hearts. I do hope the hearts look like hearts. The picots to which the beads are attached should have been smaller.

BTW, Teri Dusenbury had a blog Lover's knots with some wonderfull beaded tatting. Does anybody know whether she has moved it or totally removed it from the web?

Motif # 6

So, here is motif # 6.

I wanted to do something simple and challenging. With so much going on about Celtic tatting, I decided to give the basic ring and chain a Celtic twist. This bookmark is the result.
I worked this pattern using 2 balls and 2 shuttles. Putting the balls threads into separate little bags and sealing the ends, leaving just enough space for the thread to pass through, saves time. ( No need to waste time constantly untangling threads.)

I thought placing it on red velvet will look very good. But it looks gaudy.

I am back to good old scanning. The scanned image is on the right.

Split Ring Tatting