Doily with an Antique Motif

I mentioned last week that I have been working on a doily based on an old pattern. I’m finally done! There was a lot of mind changing and retro tatting due to mistakes as well, but finally, finally it’s done! I’m calling this #12 in my 25 Motif Challenge – I did make 13 of the medallions for it!
This doily is 8 x 8 inches (about 20 cm) made with DMC Cebelia size 30 in ecru. The large medallion is a pattern from Priscilla Tatting Book No. 1, copyright 1909. The way patterns were written back then makes it a lot harder for me to decipher than the way many patterns are written today, so at first I just used the picture as a pattern, then I read through the written text. And, yes, this pattern uses two shuttles (“For convenience’ sake call one shuttle A and the other B” page 5, Pris. Tatting Book No. 1). I didn’t follow it quite like it was written as I climbed out of the center by a picot and went on to the next round without a cut and tie and used size 30 thread instead of the specified size 50. As this medallion has long picots and I was going to be making quite a few of them I made myself a set of picot gauges from a plastic lid, which helped a lot after I got used to using them.

Another way I didn’t follow the pattern was not using the size 150 thread to go around each of the medallions. According to the pattern you should make all your medallions and go around each of them with the small thread, not joining them to each other yet. You then place them all on a piece of material in the order you want them, THEN you stitch them together. You also use ‘simple rings’ (which are the same as the center of the medallions) between the medallions, which you stitch in at this time, too. Okay, I wanted an old fashioned looking doily, but I didn’t really want to go to all this trouble. So I did it my way, joining them together as I went, and the simple rings became small medallions made of the center two rounds of the big medallion, just with slightly shorter picots, to fit in the spaces between medallions. The outside rounds of the doily were not part of the 1909 pattern at all, they are something I came up with. Both rounds were started and restarted several times. I’m still not real sure about them, but for the moment I’ll leave it like this. The question is, did I succeed in making an old fashioned looking doily?

It’s funny, I thought I did a pretty good job of blocking this – twice – but looking at the picture now I see where I didn’t do as good a job as I thought. I made this with the Cebelia thread because I have several balls of it as I used to tat with it a lot. After tatting with Lizbeth and Manuela threads this seems to be soft and fuzzy. I know that when I was retro tatting I had more trouble doing it without messing up the thread that I’ve become used to lately.

I was inspired to make an old fashioned-looking doily by the Ice Palace Bed and Breakfast that we stayed at while in Leadville, Co. According to the owner, the B & B was built using some of the lumber from the original Ice Palace, which was built in Leadville in 1895. The B & B is furnished with a lot of period pieces and I enjoyed the Victorian look of the whole house. On the way home I got to thinking about a doily that would fit into that decor. So when I got home I started looking through my vintage pattern books as well as on-line, including the Knots pattern page, which has a lot of vintage patterns. I chose the one I did for several reasons: 1) I liked the look (obviously) and 2) the picture was good enough that if I couldn’t figure out the written text I was pretty sure I could figure it out with just the picture. As I mentioned, I did a little of both. I actually have an idea for another doily using the same medallion. Except that I have a couple of other pieces that I need to do first, I’d already be working on it!

For today’s Tatting Tea Tuesday I displayed part of a miniature tea set I had as a little girl on the doily. I think it adds a little bit to the old-fashioned flavor of the doily. The shuttle is a wooden one from The Shuttle Shop my husband bought me. And to really set the mood, I’m enjoying a little mint tea with my tatting today, another old-fashioned flavor.

Thinking on the age of things, I looked back at my old posts and realized that I will have been blogging for two years in a couple of weeks, which got me thinking of having a giveaway. If anyone is interested please leave a comment on this post to be entered in the drawing. I’ll announce the winner on October 26th in my Tatting Tea Tuesday post.

Now on to newer things: I did finally get my homework done for the Design-Tat class and I’m working on a bookmark for The Tatting Forums bookmark-a-month challenge. That’s coming out a little different than planned (again!) but it has a nice fall look to it. I’m almost done and ran out of thread (!) and now have to add some, but it should be done soon.

I did say I would post the pattern for the previous bookmark/bracelet, so here it is. I’ve gone through it for errors but a few might still be lurking. (I’m so hoping that when I’m done with the Design-Tat class that I can diagram patterns!)

Vacation Bookmark/Bracelet Sept. 2010
p = picot += join RW = reverse work DNRW = do not reverse work
prev = previous CL = clover leaf
1 Shuttle and ball. If wanting chain color for center
ring of cloverleaf, 2 shuttles.
All picots on clover leaves are for joining only,
make as small as possible.
CL R 6-3-3. R 3+6-3-3-6-3. R 3+3-6. RW
*Ch 9-9. RW
CL R 6+ (to 2nd p of prev R)3-3.R 3+6-3-3-6-3.R 3+3-6. RW*
Repeat between * for desired length, then
Ch 9-12 RW
R 6+(to 2nd p of prev R) 6. R 6-6. RW
Ch 20 join to base of last two rings DNRW
Ch 12-9 RW
R 6+ (to p of prev R)3+(to 4th p of facing R) 3.
+ (to 3rd p of facing R. R 3+(to 2nd p of facing R)3-6.RW
*Ch 9-9. RW
R 6+ (to 2nd p of prev. R) 3+(to 4th p of facing R) 3.
+ (to 3rd p of facing R). R 3+(to 2nd p of facing R)3-6.RW*
Repeat between * for length, then
Ch 9-12 RW
R 6+(to 2nd p of prev R) 6. R 6+ (to 1st p of starting R)6. RW
Ch 20 join to base of prev two rings DNRW
Ch 12-9 Cut and tie, finish off the ends.
For bracelet:
Put the thread through the chain at one end before wrapping
it around your hand for a ring.
*R 15 ++ to toggle clasp 15. Cut and tie, finish off ends.*
Repeat for the other end.

21 thoughts on “Doily with an Antique Motif”

  1. It is ASTOUNDING! Truly a gorgeous piece of lace and yes, indeed, it looks like a vintage piece of tatting. Absolutely.

    I an certainly understand why you did not follow the original pattern exactly – would have taken forever to finish! Imagine!

    You do have patience. I am in awe!
    Fox :O

  2. Will you also announce what you are giving away or are you just holding us all in suspense for fun? 😉

    I really love the look of this doily when seen from a distance — the 'macro-pattern' that emerges is really effective.

  3. You have been busy! The doily is very pretty – definitely a vintage look. This would take me FOREVER 🙂 I still have trouble following the actual pattern, but I can see why one would want to change those old ones a bit. All that cutting and tying and hiding ends – ugh. Nice work!

  4. I'll echo all the above sentiments: An exceptional 'vintage' doily, and you finished it off beautifully around the edge. This is just amazing and reminds me of all those doilies I see in old publications that I can't believe anyone would actually make!

    This post is amazing too! Wow – that ice palace was something! I'm a little envious of your recent travel adventures(I'd LOVE to go out West! , PLUS you continue to tat up a storm! Thanks for sharing all your experiences.

  5. Now that must have been a lot of work!! This is not just a doily, this is the REAL THING!! And thanks for sharing the pattern, I will certainly give it a try.
    Inrid

  6. The doily is beautiful and its taken a lot of hard work to work on a very old pattern, well done. The is the first time I have seen your blog and I have become a follower, thanks for doing a giveaway and may I be entered into your giveaway. Tatting Margaret

  7. My goodness that is absolutely GORGEOUS! WOW! I ♥ how you have it displayed, too! You are so sweet to share the pattern, too! How generous of you! So kind!
    Loving it! I wish I felt better, I'd lavish you with more adjectives…oh, wait….I feel some more coming on….it's beautiful, pretty, lovely and adorable, too!

    There, now it got what it was deserving of…all that work, too! I'm still drooling over that eye candy! I may have to copy the photo and share it on my blog with a link to have people come over here and lavish you with comments…is that okay with you??? And on my FB profile, too????? Okay okay???? Come over to my blog and tell me it's okay…Okay??? LOL! ;D
    ~TattingChic ♥

  8. This reminds my of a tatted tablecloth of my great grandmothers. It is circa 18?? So I believe you achieved the era you wanted. I hope you got to browse the antique store in Leadville there were so tatted edging table linens when I visited. Of course I got overwhelmed and didn't purchase any.
    Beautiful work Thank you for posting.

  9. All those frilly picots and the ecru thread definitely make it old-fashioned looking. I love the patterns created where the medallions come together, and I think that your little medallions probably look better than the "simple rings" would have. This is a very eye-catching piece!

  10. You did an awesome job? We all make "changes" as we go along when we feel things need a something different. That is one way new patterns come about. Your drawing sounds great. We all like surprises.

  11. That doily is truly stunning! Very well done. Congratulations on nearly 2 years but as I won last year you don't need to put me in the draw this time round!
    You really are such a generous person & I thank you so being you.
    Trayna

  12. I first read about your magnificent, majestic doily last week, but didn't get to post a comment until now. It is truly a marvelous piece of lace, an heirloom! (Having never tatted anything larger that 4 x 4, I am in awe of it and you.)

    You are an inspiration, that's what you are.

Leave a Reply to Margarets designer cards Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.