Things that annoy you about tatting

[Kersti]

From the archives

Posted by DragonLord on 27 May 2008

I couldn't see a thread about this sort of subject, so i figured I'd start one with one of my pet annoyances.

I hate that it can sometimes take longer to close a ring that it does to tat it due to the knots twisting round the core thread.

What are your pet hates, and solutions to others pet hates if you have one...


Dr TLT Reply by Dr TLT on 27 May 2008 at 2:59pm

1. Retro-tatting (taking apart something you just tatted due to an error)!
2. The tedium of tatting in a piece of magic thread, but I love the results to I do 3. Errors or omissions in patterns.
4. Running out of thread and having to add more.



Suzanne M. Reply by Suzanne M. on 27 May 2008 at 4:56pm

I hate that the tatting has a mind of its own and totally minor inconsistencies or irregularities (like the purl bar of a join obstinately wanting to sit at a slight angle, rather than lining up like a little soldier with its neighbor ds) only stand out like a sore thumb when you are another ring and chain down the road.



PattyD Reply by PattyD on 27 May 2008 at 6:08pm

Solutions to the ring closing problem:
1. ALWAYS hold the DS of the ring in the pinch when closing a ring.
a. If the ring has a large number of DS and you can't hold the
whole ring in the pinch, fold the line of DS into a horseshoe
shape and hold that in the pinch before closing the ring.
2. Prevent extra twising on the thread:
a. Before you start a ring, release enough thread to work the ring
b. Drop the shuttle and let it hang, if it twists as it hangs
i. Wait until it stops twisting or reverses direction
ii. Pick up the shuttle and check the loop of thread
If the loop twists back on itself, repeat step b.
If the loop doesn't twist, start tatting

3. To prevent twisting thread problems learn to walk the shuttle
up the thread. Instructions here: How to walk the shuttle

4. If twists pile up on the core thread behind the first DS,
simply pull the core thread back and try again.



Melissa Reply by Melissa on 27 May 2008 at 6:45pm

Thread burn where the thread rubs from tatting! If anyone has solutions I'd love to hear them, I did try one of those sticky things that quilters put on spots but it was to stiff and the thread just slipped to the nearest skin......... Most recent experiment is using the thin latex gloves by cutting out parts of the fingers and slipping them on the spots like a ring...seems to work ok.



Wally Sosa Reply by Wally Sosa on 27 May 2008 at 7:43pm

This happens to me a lot. I got a Clover's Yarn Divider that works extremely good!!! Let me see if I can find a photo of it.



I cut the little cover and slip the "ring" on my middle finger. I think everyone that have seen me tatting had notice it. :-) I have been using them for years!!! They're like $3.50 a piece and you can buy them where knitting stuff is sold. It also helps you if you're tatting with 2 strands of threads at the same time and want to keep them separate in certain order or so.

I keep several of them 'cause I'm always misplacing one of them when working. So I have one in almost all my baskets.



Wally Sosa Reply by Wally Sosa on 27 May 2008 at 7:51pm

I think my mayor pet peeve is when I'm closing a ring and the thread breaks!!! Argh!!!! It even give me chills just thinking about it. This happens a lot if the thread I'm using is old. The only solution I have for this is trying to get a looser tension on the ds and "talk" to the thread so it doesn't get angry with me. lol

Ah... Other that makes me "argh" is those small rings that are like 5 ds big (like in mignonette) and they don't want to completely close. I pull and pull the thread and sometimes I just give up! But that doesn't happens a lot.



Dr TLT Reply by Dr TLT on 27 May 2008 at 7:53pm

I have used a band-aid, but am currently using a nice thick piece of surgical tape. I shuttle tat and the only place that ever really bothers me is the cutical area on my left ring finger. This has worked thus far.



Dr TLT Reply by Dr TLT on 27 May 2008 at 7:53pm

Great idea, Wally! Thanks for sharing this.



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 28 May 2008 at 1:19am

The thing that worked for me.. RELAX. keeping my hands relaxed and just enough tension on the thread so the DS are even.

I have a hard time with a thimble so using anything on my finger just did not work for me....

Wally's gizmo is cute but would not do for me....



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 28 May 2008 at 1:21am

Wally on my older threads I will often use "Magic Thread" It seems to help the rings close smoother with less breaking. Talking works wonders too.....



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 28 May 2008 at 1:26am

My bugger is when I have only one ring or chain left on the pattern and not enough thread on my shuttle... drives me crazy.. This has happen a lot with bits and piceces, when I am try to make things out of partially filled shuttes. I hate to just pull the thread off and not use it..... But I just pix up another partial fill and come out with some funny looking butterflies or bookmarks.....



Suzanne M. Reply by Suzanne M. on 28 May 2008 at 1:31am

I'm glad you made this comment, Susan. I could not for the life of me figure out how one could get thread burn from tatting (but then I don't tend to go for prolonged sessions, or work very tightly).


Reply by PattyD on 28 May 2008 at 2:15am

On Closing Itty Bitty Rings

Rings that are made of just a few DS can be very resistant to closing. What I do is:

1. Keep my tension just a little bit looser.
2. When I have completed the 4 or 5 or 6 DS, I curve them around into a U shape and hold the DS in the pinch, then I pull the excess core thread through DS. Since the action of the core thread doesn't have to shape the DS into a ring, everything is much easier.
3. Especially for 4 DS rings, I allow the the last bit of core thread to stay on the outside of the ring. It gives the illusion of an extra cap and makes the ring look rounder.
4. The final tug on the core thread as I close it is directly toward myself. During the first part of closing the ring, I pull straight out from the bottom of the ring to the right, so the last tug is a quarter circle turn toward myself. I make this direction change on every ring I work, not just the itty bitty ones.



Tara Reply by Tara on 28 May 2008 at 2:29am

I can sum it up in one word "blocking". I absolutely hate blocking a piece but still I know it's a necessary evil. (sigh)



Marty Reply by Marty on 28 May 2008 at 3:37am

I use Curad brand flexible fabric bandage strips. I cut off the part with the gauze pad and use one end on my left middle finger and the other end on my left pinkie finger at the first joint. These are the only ones that work well for me. Bandaid brand flexible fabric is too thick and too sticky, and plastic ones won't work at all. Wally's solution in interesting, but I think I would get my thread caught on it.



Marty Reply by Marty on 28 May 2008 at 3:38am

The one that bothers me the most is adding in a new thread. No matter how carefully I do it, the place I added it STILL looks thicker than everything else. That bugs me.



Wally Sosa Reply by Wally Sosa on 28 May 2008 at 5:17am

At least for me the thread doesn't get caught on the ring. I'm pretty fast and may be is because I'm so used to the ring that I tat like it's not there. :-) Now I feel "naked" when I'm tatting without it.

I used the bandages (different ones) several times but the thread even burn them and sometimes the glue of them transfered to the thread. I think I'm an extreme tatter. lol

[Kersti]

Melissa Reply by Melissa on 28 May 2008 at 6:28am

Thanks everyone! Marty it sounds like we get similar thread burn spots, I think my pinkie is the worst spot though I'll try those Curad brand fabric ones! I only have this issue with the thicker threads though the wonderful thing about the tiny (size 80) is that it is so gentle to tat with! LOL I'm currently using a size 30 for a doily and it's really doing a number on my pinkie doing those chains!



Kaira Reply by Kaira on 28 May 2008 at 9:54am

Seewing in ends. Yes, I know this could be avoided with a little magic, but I just tat to tightly to make that work.
Winding the shuttles ........ boooring!
Oh, and of course the variegated-thread-problem.



TattingChic Reply by TattingChic on 28 May 2008 at 1:10pm

Melissa, I don't get thread burns, but I think a piece of moleskin would work well for that. It's like a tiny felt like bandaid you can find at a drugstore. I don't know why it's called moleskin that's kind of gross ,but it's a nice thing to preven rubs or burns on skin like that. people sometimes where them on pokey outy parts of their feet...LOL so the shoes don't rub a blister.



TattingChic Reply by TattingChic on 28 May 2008 at 1:12pm

Susan, help me understand what you mean by magic thread. I understand that as a method for pulling ends under the DS after a tatted piece is finished. How does that help the ring close? We must have different definitions. I'm thinking of Debbie Drakes Magic Thread method.



Melissa Reply by Melissa on 28 May 2008 at 5:05pm

I've thought about moleskin but it's kinda thick, I like to be able to feel the thread but it not hurt me. I should try a bit though just in case it's the best thing ever and I'm passing it up! LOL



Melissa Reply by Melissa on 28 May 2008 at 5:09pm

Oh Oh I got a good one "Jumping Shuttles" LOL when you go to do a stitch and the silly thing jumps right out of your fingers! LOL And especially if it happens repeatedly!
(doesn't happen to me all the time, and is more likely when using a larger shuttle)



Wally Sosa Reply by Wally Sosa on 28 May 2008 at 5:26pm

I think she means "Thread Heavens", a wax thingy that you pass the thread thru and make it smoother. I haven't seen it here in PR. Will have to check in a shop (not too near home) to see if they have it. If not I'll order some online.



Reply by Wally Sosa on 28 May 2008 at 5:31pm

Oh, what about the "evil picots"? lol The pesky picots that twist alone when you close the ring or tight the chains. Sometimes these give a nice touch but other times I just want a pretty round picot and they keep twisting. :-( I know is about the extra twisting of the thread. *sigh*

Or the "mini-evil picots" that are picots that suddenly appear where there's suppose to be none. That happens with the tension of the stitches. Usually if I'm tatting and watching the TV without looking what I'm doing.



Dr TLT Reply by Dr TLT on 28 May 2008 at 5:37pm

I agree, Marty. I have come to believe it's not possible for it to look the exact same size as it isn't because there is more thread running through the core in those spots. The same is true of magic thread trick spots. If I look closely, I can usually tell where I put the thread ends. However, I still prefer it to cutting and tying. :)



TattingChic Reply by TattingChic on 28 May 2008 at 6:44pm

OH, thread wax...gotcha. I got one of those at a Mount Vernon gift shop once. It worked great with cross stitching, but I didn't like the way it discolored my white tatting thread. Okay, I get it.



Sandra Reply by Sandra on 28 May 2008 at 7:54pm

If I tat a lot, I get ragged cuticles and 'hang nails' - those little pieces of skin that stick out on your finger and have to be cut to the quick. And if I have to spend a lot of time undoing a mistake, I'll poke my fingers so often with the point of my shuttle that my fingers will bleed. Yuck!

But it's worth it...



Dr TLT Reply by Dr TLT on 28 May 2008 at 8:01pm

I have that same problem with my cuticles, Sandra. I've been using a tiny piece of surgical tape on that cuticle and it's worked well. :)



Michelle Reply by Michelle on 29 May 2008 at 12:49am

Lucky you that you can get Curad bandages. I discovered them years ago in Canada, but couldn't find them when I moved to the UK. And my last couple trips home no one seems to stock them any more. I found them so much better than any other brand. [green with envy]


Maureen L Reply by Maureen L on 29 May 2008 at 2:07am

Susan...you "Talk" to your thread??? I've heard of talking to plants, but talking to thread is something else. Hmmm, let's see - I seem to have a lot of pink threads, perhaps I could arrange an afternoon to get together with the green ones!

Adding thread in the middle of an element is horrible, I am coming to the conclusion that perhaps those larger Sew Mate shuttles would be a very good idea - insurance! I don't mind adding at the beginning of a round.



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 29 May 2008 at 2:19am

That right... thread Heaven comes in a little blue plastic thing.
But it is magic when I put it on my thread and it does not break.
sorry for th wrong wording... Consider it a senior moment......



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 29 May 2008 at 2:20am

I have not had problem with any of my whites... but it is not a bees wax base. which will discolor thread.



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 29 May 2008 at 2:25am

Melissa.. do grease the little things and you can hold them better... rofl.
This happens to me sometimes when my rhythm is good and the the shuttle just flies any way it wants to go......



Melissa Reply by Melissa on 29 May 2008 at 2:28am

OH and I think new shuttles (other than the normal one you tat with) come pre-greased ready for shuttle jumping! LOL Better watch em...they might fly out and poke an eye! LOL



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 29 May 2008 at 2:37am

I talk to everything.... and it does not talk back.. like a human would.. it is great....

Adding a thread does not bother me.. after the wedding hanky in mignonette tatting, got very good at adding a thread to single shuttle tatting.... so that is not a problem.



Reply by TattingChic on 29 May 2008 at 1:05pm

Yes, Susan, the stuff I got probably was bees wax because it was suppose to be "vintagey" being at the Mount Vernon place...everything was supposed to replicate George and Martha Washington's times.



TattingChic Reply by TattingChic on 29 May 2008 at 1:06pm

So, it's called "thread heaven"? I'll have to try it... I hate it when my thread gets all twisted...does it prevent that, too? Because I think that when the thread twists too tightly it lends itself to breakage.



TattingChic Reply by TattingChic on 29 May 2008 at 1:07pm

I detest that, too, Susan



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 30 May 2008 at 12:24am

It really does not help the twisting... you need to walk the shuttle when you wind it and the let it "hang" and untwist if you are having a big twisting problem.

But is is great on old thread and thread the is not a tight twist or has a slight "fuzz" about it.....



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 30 May 2008 at 12:28am

Too undo tatting get you some tapastry needles. they are blunt, not so sharp and pokey.... Always count your stitches befor you close.....

If you get a spot of blood on your tatting... before it dries... stick your tongue on it....you saliva will neutralize it, much better than water or peroxide.....

[Kersti]

Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 30 May 2008 at 12:33am

Okay... this is my number ONE....... TIME!!!!!

I do not have enough of it.... with work, my home... doing much for my 85 year old Mom, which I do not regret for one minute, who still lives in her own home. My most wonderful husband who does so much for me... An hour on the computer each day.......
I do not have as much time to tat as I would wish..

Could we make each day 26 hour long and each week 8 days with a three day weekend in each????? then I could have more time to tat......



Paul Reply by Paul on 30 May 2008 at 3:39am

That's interesting. I think my split rings have a much more "perfect" circle shape than my regular rings.



Paul Reply by Paul on 30 May 2008 at 3:42am

I guess it's just because I'm a beginning tatter, but my loathsome foe is the *other* shuttle...the one I'm not using while I make a ring with the other shuttle; see also, the one I've dropped, wrapped around my wrist or finger, tucked into my watchband, or generally tried to keep out of the way. What a pain in the a$s. Either there's too much slack, not enough slack, or it slips and unravels incredibly, mysteriously much more easily than when I'm trying to unwind it. Meh.



Kaira Reply by Kaira on 30 May 2008 at 11:45am

This has probably been mentioned before, in that case it still deserves another mention. So here goes...
Winding that second shuttle. First you have to guesstimate how much thread will be enough, but not too much (starting to get pretty good at this), next you have to prevent all that loose thread from becaming a big ball of knots (not so good at this, to impatient I guess...... grant me patience. NOW!). I thouroghly detest this.

For finer threads I guess I just have to temporary wind it on something before transfering it to the second shuttle *sigh*



Sewicked Reply by Sewicked on 30 May 2008 at 1:35pm

I often wind it around the 1st shuttle. It's not a perfect solution, but it does help.



Kaira Reply by Kaira on 30 May 2008 at 2:24pm

That's a great idea. Thank you for the tip.



Suzanne M. Reply by Suzanne M. on 30 May 2008 at 2:41pm

First, I use Dr. TLT's trick of tatting a test ring of 10 ds and then cutting it apart and unpicking it to obtain an average amount of thread used for 10 stitches in the thread weight I am using (for example, in size 20, I count 1/2''/10), and then work out how much thread I am likely to need for that shuttle. I find that measuring it out in a loosely draped 'S' curve alongside a tape measure on a table helps prevent tangling.



Reply by Sandra on 30 May 2008 at 2:57pm

I know what you mean. I love doing split rings and can do them almost as fast as regular rings, but I can't pull the knots on the split side as tight as I do the regular tatting side. This makes the split side look slightly lumpy. I guess if I tatted everything loosely it wouldn't be a problem.



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 31 May 2008 at 3:23am

When winding two.. If I do not need a lot, I just wind it around the out side of S 1. I sort of measure as I go, nose to tip of fingers. counting and winding as I go.... so I know I will have about the same on S 2, If I need a lot and it will not say nice on the outside of S1, I will wind it on one of the the plastic embroidery thread holders.... works great and does not that up space in my tattting bag.



AnneB Reply by AnneB on 1 June 2008 at 9:29pm


I have found a solution on the boring part of winding shuttles: I have converted to Aero shuttles with bobbins. I newer thought I’d buy one as I did not like another “bobbin and hook” shuttle I got from my auntie, but a fellow tatter let me try hers – and now I am hooked. A winding machine for weaving shuttles that I bought for winding bobbin lace pins (when I get to learn how to do that) also works for Aero bobbins. Now I wind my bobbins and bring along when travelling, and the hook is always readily available and not hiding somewhere else than I last put it – as my other hooks does. And the best part is how you can use the shuttle as a handle when winding the shuttle by hand :-)



Wally Sosa Reply by Wally Sosa on 1 June 2008 at 10:53pm

Oh got another pet peeve. When inadvertently you make and unflip stitch or a stitch flip backs and you don't notice until you're going to close the ring. Argh! Several times that have happened to me, specially when I'm tatting in a hurry and then I have to un-tat the whole thing or simply snip the area if I can't find the culprit.



Connie Angeline Reply by Connie Angeline on 3 June 2008 at 5:58am

Sometimes when you don't have enough thread on a shuttle the perfect solution is to take the thread you have left off the shuttle and finger tat with the rest of it. It has saved me many times.
Connie



Susan B. T. Reply by Susan B. T. on 5 June 2008 at 1:01am

Connie, I cannot finger tat... it confuses me, I do not know if it is a dyslexia thing or just a mental block....I now it sounds weird but I just cannot do it... have had it demoed by couple of different people, but alas I cannot do it.....



Connie Angeline Reply by Connie Angeline on 5 June 2008 at 1:46am

Susan
I'm going to do a finger tat video. Just waiting for the boyfriend to hold the camera. That said I had the same difficulty. I went to the social shuttle site read their instructions and it clicked. The trick for me was on the first half of the ds to take what would be the shuttle thread and lay it to the left of the core thread and proceed from there. Also folding about one inch of the thread end over and grasp that while tatting instead of poking a limp thread thru works better.



Michael Reply by Michael on 16 June 2008 at 8:54am

I used to get the thread burns on my pointer finger and the pinky as well, What I did was put on a couple of thin leather thimbles. I got two pieces of thin leather and just sewed them closed so that they would slip over my finger to keep the threads from cutting into the skin. I live in a place that the AVG humidity is 11% so dry hands cut easier.



Michael Reply by Michael on 16 June 2008 at 8:58am

Has anyone considered using silcone fabric spray on their threads? it comes in an aerosol can you just spray it on and it creates a slick coating on the fabric or thread. I have a can of it and if the thread I use is TOOO finicky I use it and it works wonder. you can get it at hancock fabrics and walmart. so its pretty easy to find.



Lynn Reply by Lynn on 17 June 2008 at 3:34am

I know this could be avoided if I just paid closer attention, but my biggest peeve is to find a mistake when I thought I was finished and am in the process of blocking a piece. This happened just last week, so it's fresh on my mind. Fortunately it does not happen very often, but even once is enough to make it a nuisance one is in no hurry to repeat!



Michael Reply by Michael on 17 June 2008 at 4:16am

You know, if the piece is for someone who does not tatt, it is likely that if you missed it initially, they will never see it and be happy for the gift. :D



Kersti Reply by Kersti on 17 June 2008 at 1:14pm
Try blister block bandages - they're almost invisible and have a gel section that the thread can sit into



Reply by Lynn on 17 June 2008 at 2:17pm

Sometimes, maybe, but not in this case. I missed out a whole repeat, and the motif was so puckered, it pulled the whole row out of shape. It was also the last motif I made for the doily, and was easy enough to repair, but still a nuisance. How could I do that, you may ask. I was in a hurry to finish a gift for a friend who was leaving Hong Kong permanently. I finally got it to her the day before she left.



Melissa Reply by Melissa on 18 June 2008 at 1:38am

You know I never had the thread burn issue in the higher humidity area and now that we are in the desert I do! Interesting! Does moisturizer help or just using something to protect the skin?

[Kersti]

Michael Reply by Michael on 18 June 2008 at 1:59am

It truly is the humidity levels Melissa, I live in the high desert in colorado. I never had problems with threads cutting skin when I lived in San Jose or hawaii or South Carolina. Once I moved here and things dried out I started having problems with it. I use hand lotion, udder cream or hemp lotion, and neither helps much. I drink a gallon of water a day and still that does not help either. So the last resort was leather thimbles. :D



TattingChic Reply by TattingChic on 18 June 2008 at 2:14am

Melissa the ladies at the needlecraft store and in my lace guild recommend a special moisturizer called "Udderly Smooth udder cream" It does not go on greasy, it soaks into your skin and doesn't muck up your threads. I just got a 2 oz. tube for $1.99 and it lasts forever. They have bigger sizes,too. I rub it on after I've washed my hands and let it soak in good before tatting, but it hasn't soiled my threads. It's sold at the needlecraft specialty store just for that reason. It's also sold at regular stores too. It's a white tube with black cow spots on it and a red label. Try it! I highly recommend it.



Melissa Reply by Melissa on 18 June 2008 at 2:33am

I've tried it before, and I should again just to keep my hands more moisturized but I think Micheal is right and I'll still have to use something as a barrier for my pinky! LOL Ever since it started happening I've been trying to keep moisturized but it's difficult for me to stay in the habit.



Melissa Reply by Melissa on 18 June 2008 at 2:37am

Michael, I know you are right and I'll have to use something as a barrier from the thread to my skin. I'm in the CA high desert and I'm all for dry heat instead of humidity but I guess it's one of the things you have to deal with instead! LOL In humidity I would have trouble with my hands sweating and now in the dry heat I instead have thread burn! LOL Still I'd much rather have dry heat!



Michael Reply by Michael on 13 November 2008 at 6:43am

Recently I was working on a hat for a friend. I was doing round after round and on one of the tedious rounds I ended up attaching the next picot to the same row I was doing instead of the previous row. I do not know HOW I did it but I did. MADE ME SO MAD!!

I had one picot that JUST WOULD NOT LAY FLAT!!!
no matter what I tried to do to make it lay right, letting the thread hang to let the tension out of it to tightening the thread in the opposite direction to make it stay.

Thread ONLY breaks when you are making a ring.. It NEVER BREAKS when you are making a chain.. ugh!!! Maddening I tell ya..



felicia Reply by felicia on 13 November 2008 at 7:49am

yaikss..it's been said.
All the problems, along this year, I thought I were the only one ^_^
To sum up :
1. Ring can be difficult to close if it's too big or too small
2. When I keep trying to close the ring, the thread will break
3. Run out of thread at the very last ring and chain
4. Cutted little middle finger (esp when I doing many chains). I even quite depressed using 40 size thread
5. Hiding end is quite a challenge. I can't finish my work without glue :((
6. Undo the DS, join, and especially : open a ring (never done this before...I choose the cut and rejoin where ever possible)
6. And my biggest problems : not many vendors here in Indonesia. Almost imposibble to find nice threads and other supllies.



Leeanne Boyd Reply by Leeanne Boyd on 10 January 2009 at 2:29am

I have a can of this. I have had it for about 6 years now. Do you think is still any good?



Leeanne Boyd Reply by Leeanne Boyd on 10 January 2009 at 2:29am

Yes I hate that!!!1



Leeanne Boyd Reply by Leeanne Boyd on 10 January 2009 at 2:31am

It took me a while to understand what the term meant until I actually had to do it. I felt soo stupid afterwards but now I refuse to allow any thread go to waste.



Leeanne Boyd Reply by Leeanne Boyd on 10 January 2009 at 2:46am

I have used an idea I believe I got from the net can recall where since it has been a while. What I have done is taken my thread and I pull out a strand the length of the exent of both my arms spread out and then I wind my thread around my shuttle to see how many strands I would have to make. I have found that 3.5 to 4 strands (the size of the length of my arm spand) is enough thread to fill a Susan Bates shuttle. For the Sewmate, I can fill my shuttle up 5 five strands. I love how it works, only thing is it is hard to do on a bus. :0)



Reply by Leeanne Boyd on 10 January 2009 at 3:01am

I have one more to add. I hate it when the second half of the stitch overlaps the first half of the stitch. This usually happens when I try to act like I can tat without looking lol.



Allison Reply by Allison on 18 February 2009 at 3:53am

my tatting class was talking about this and we all said that we hate that we can't eat while we tat! lol! but i totally agree with twisted threads while trying to close a ring!!



Diane Lawrence Reply by Diane Lawrence on 19 February 2009 at 11:55pm

Wow! This is a long thread! The thing I hate the most is when I'm trying to wind a shuttle (which I hate anyway) and the thread keeps "missing" the shuttle and I have to wind really slow to get it to go in the shuttle. Very aggravating!

One thing I have discovered recently (from one of the eTatter forums) that REALLY helps is when I finish a ring, drop the shuttle through the ring before closing. The ring lies flatter, closes much better and when I have had to open a ring (several times) it works almost 100% of the time instead of almost never. One of the best ideas I've seen. (Thanks to whoever it was I heard it from) :-)



barbara Reply by barbara on 20 February 2009 at 6:08pm

I hate it when I get a knot in my thread (size 80 or smaller) as I am trying to close the ring, or at the end of a project.I never seem to be able to remove the knot,so I end up either having to start all over or add in new thread which I also hate.



Linda S Davies Reply by Linda S Davies on 20 February 2009 at 8:51pm

Peggy and Allyson I have a video on my blog on how to avoid a twisted picot at the end of a motif, here is the link to it.

Allyson said:

Peggy said:

I hate when you do the last join to finish a round and the picot is twisted when you close the final ring.


I'm glad I'm not the only person who has this trouble! ;) I think I've finally figured out how to keep this from happening, but I still have to work super slow to make sure it comes out right. :)



Diane Lawrence Reply by Diane Lawrence on 20 February 2009 at 11:11pm

Linda S Davies said:

Peggy and Allyson I have a video on my blog on how to avoid a twisted picot at the end of a motif, here is the link to it.

Diane said: I finally learned how to do the folded join, but this method does look like it may be a little easier. Thanks for sharing!



Phyllis Rhodes Reply by Phyllis Rhodes on 21 February 2009 at 1:13am

1. mistakes in patterns (especially since i'm learning!)
2. confusing directions/drawings

[Dawn]

"I think my mayor pet peeve is when I'm closing a ring and the thread breaks!!! Argh!!!! It even give me chills just thinking about it. This happens a lot if the thread I'm using is old."

I learned a trick in my quilt group for old quilting thread which might work for old tatting threads: Put the thread into a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for a few days. I don't know exactly how it works but the threads seem to be revitalized by the humidity in the freezer.

Just a thought!

[KathlynB]

I've just spent the best part of two hours blocking a piece I did a good ten years ago - Rita Weiss's Whip Cream Frill. ERG!

I am never going to tat anything with so many free picots again, and I don't think I ever want to wash a piece of tatting ever again. :w00t: