The Crafts and Lace Site

A Bag for my Tatting

© Gillian Buchanan 2001

This little bag won first prize at the 5th Surrey Tatters Garden Party in 1999. The competition was entitled A Bag for my Tatting. It was also used as one of the Finished Items in my Lace Guild Assessment in the Year 2000. It is quite a complex project for its size and took a month to make. The reason the instructions are in a different style from the others on this site is that at the time I wrote this pattern up I was using the old style of written out patterns. I hope they are clear - if not, please let me know.

It was necessary to use a wider page for this pattern in order to have the strip diagram clear enough. You may need to reset your printer to Landscape format.

MATERIALS

• 2 tatting shuttles (preferably of similar size and weight)
  
• Hook for joining (this has to be very fine because of the tiny beads used at each join - I used a size 0.40 mm hook which was originally made for sewings in Honiton lace!)
  
• 2 balls DMC Special Dentelles 80 in Noir Shade 310 (or colour of your choice). As this is a 2 shuttle design, two colours could be used to create stripes running down the bag.
  
• 2 packets Seed Beads (I used Beadesign Beads in Gold but any colour combination of thread and beads can be used). Beadesign beads are the same size as Mill Hill beads and are used in cross stitch embroidery on 14 count aida.
  
• 1/8^th inch gauge which is held parallel to the Shuttle thread to measure the length of the picots between two double stitches. You can see where to make measured picots by looking at the drawn out diagram of the bag which was done by hand before I had a computer.
  
• A piece of lightweight dress cotton or patchwork fabric measuring 18 inches by 22 inches (otherwise known as a Fat Quarter).
  
• The bag itself is made up of a number of strips in different patterns using both one and two shuttles. Two side gussets are made first, then strips are worked right round these, leaving one end open. Note that Strip A Reverse is worked in exactly the same way as Strip A but is joined in the process of working to Strip B. The bag is closed with two small flowers joined by a chain of spiral tatting. A sixth strip forms the handle. Please see the diagram above showing the layout of the strips for further information.

SIDE GUSSETS (MAKE 2)

1. Fill one of the shuttles but do not cut off from the ball.
   
2. 1ST RING
   5 ds, 3 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
3. 1ST CHAIN
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
   
4. 2ND RING
   5 ds, thread bead onto last p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, 2 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
5. Repeat 1st Chain and 2nd Ring until there are 16 rings and chains in total.
   
6. NEXT RING
   Small Ring of 5 ds, thread bead onto last p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
7. NEXT CHAIN
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
   
8. NEXT RING
   Small Ring of 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
9. NEXT CHAIN
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
   
10. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, thread bead onto central p of last large ring, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
11. Repeat the last Ring and Chain until the other end of the strip.
    
12. NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
    
13. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto last p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
14. NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
    
15. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto 1st p of 1st r, j to this p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
16. NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, tie to base of 1st ring and finish ends.
    
    Please note that when the main strips of the bag are joined to this gusset, the top three chains are left to form a scallop on each strip.

STRIP A

1. Fill one of the shuttles but do not cut off from the ball.
   
2. 1ST RING
   5 ds, 3 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
3. 1ST CHAIN
   5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of the 1st ch of one of the side gussets (this will be the chain between the 1st and 2nd Large Rings of either side of the gusset), j to this p, 5 ds, rw.
   
4. 2ND RING
   5 ds, thread bead onto the corresponding p of the 1st r, j to this p, 5 ds, 2 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
5. Repeat 2nd Ring and 1st Chain right round the side gusset. There will be 34 Rings and Chains.
   
6. NEXT CHAIN
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
   
7. NEXT RING
   5 ds, thread bead onto last p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
8. NEXT CHAIN
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
   
9. NEXT RING
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
   
10. NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, thread bead onto p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, thread bead onto p of opposite large r, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
11. Draw 10 armfuls of thread from the ball, and fill the 2nd shuttle at this stage of the work.
    
12. *WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, rw.
    
13. WITH 2ND SHUTTLE
    NEXT RING
    5 ds, 3 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, cl. r, do not rw.
    
14. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, rw.
    
15. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of adjacent r, j to this p, 5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of opposite r, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
16. Repeat from * all round the bag until the 1st large r has been joined.
    
17. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
    
18. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
19. NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
    
20. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of 1st r, j to this p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
21. LAST CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, tie ends to 1st ring and finish off.
    

    Work strip A reverse in exactly the same manner.

STRIP B (WORK 1)

1. Fill both shuttles to capacity.
   
2. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
   1ST RING
   5 ds, 3 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
3. 1ST CHAIN
   5 ds, do not rw.
   
4. WITH 2ND SHUTTLE
   2ND RING
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of Strip A, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, do not rw.
   
5. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
   2ND CHAIN
   5 ds, rw.
   
6. **3RD RING
   5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of 1st r, j to this p, 5 ds, 2 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
7. 3RD CHAIN
   5 ds, do not rw.
   
8. WITH 2ND SHUTTLE
   4TH RING
   5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of 2nd r, j to this p, 5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of opposite r, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds,cl. r, do not rw.
   
9. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
   4TH CHAIN
   5 ds, rw.
   Repeat from ** right round the bag.
   
10. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
    
11. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of adjacent r, j to this p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
12. NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, small unmeasured p, 2 ds, make one lock stitch, 2 ds, j to previous p, 40 ds, p, 10 ds, j to lock stitch, 10 ds, j to previous p, 40 ds, p, 2 ds, j to lock stitch with shuttle thread, 2 ds, j to previous p, 5 ds, rw. This sequence forms the loops to thread the flowers for the tie.
    
13. NEXT RING
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
14. NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, rw.
    
15. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, thread bead onto p of opposite r, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
16. NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, do not rw.
    
17. WITH 2ND SHUTTLE
    NEXT RING
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of opposite r on Strip A Reverse, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, do not rw.
    
18. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT RING
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, thread bead on corresponding p of opposite r on Strip A Reverse, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, do not rw.
    
19. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, rw.
    
20. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto free p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, thread bead onto free p of opposite r, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
21. ***
    NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, do not rw.
    
22. WITH 2ND SHUTTLE
    NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto free p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, thread bead onto free p of opposite r, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r.
    
23. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, rw.
    
24. NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto free p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, thread bead onto free p of opposite r, j to this p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.

    Repeat from *** and complete the remainder of the strip exactly as before, making the finishing scallop as on the previous strips.

FLOWER TIE (WORK 1)

1. Thread 30 beads onto the shuttle thread before filling Shuttle 1 with 3 yards of thread. Fill the 2nd shuttle with the same amount but do not fill with beads. Do not separate the shuttles.
   
2. To make each of the rings on the flowers which are made with the 1st shuttle, slide three beads along into the circle of thread round your hand, ready to form a picot on the outer edge of each ring. Each picot which does not have these groups of three beads has to be measured as before.
   WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
   1ST RING
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, slide three beads to form p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, do not rw.
   
3. 2ND RING
   5 ds, thread a bead onto the last p of the previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, slide three beads to form next p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r.
   
4. Repeat the 2nd ring until there are 5 rings.
   
5. Work a split ring of 5 ds, thread a bead onto the corresponding p of the adjacent r, j to this p, 5 ds/5 ds, thread a bead onto the corresponding p of the adjacent r, j to this p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
6. Work a strip of spiral tatting making only the 1st half of the double stitch and pushing up the stitches so that they form a twist round the core thread. It does not matter how many stitches there are - just make sure they are worked firmly and pushed up well). The final length should be about 2 1/2 inches.
   
7. NEXT RING
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, j to p of central chain of scallop of Strip B, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r.
   
8. Work spiral tatting as above for about 2 1/2 inches.
   
9. NEXT RING
   Split Ring of 5 ds, p, 5 ds/5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, do not rw.
   
10. Work 4 rings as for the 2nd Ring of the 1st Flower.
    
11. LAST RING
    5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of previous r, j to this p, 5 ds, slide 3 beads along to form p, 5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of split ring, j to this p, 5 ds, cl. r, tie ends and finish off.
    
12. Thread the two flowers through the large loops of Strip B on the main bag. It will not be necessary actually to tie them to close the bag - sliding them back and forwards through the loop is enough!

HANDLE (WORK 1)

1. Fill one shuttle to capacity but do not cut off from the ball.
   
2. 1ST RING
   5 ds, 3 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
3. 1ST CHAIN
   5 ds, small p, 5 ds, rw (chain ps do not need to be measured).
   
4. 2ND RING
   5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of previous r, 5 ds, 2 p sep by 5 ds, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
   
5. Repeat 1st Chain and 2nd Ring until the strip contains 20 rings and chains (or is the length to suit you!), finishing with a Chain.
   
6. NEXT RING
   5 ds, thread bead onto corresponding p of previous r, 5 ds, cl. r.
   
7. Fill the 2nd shuttle at this point.
   
8. WITH 2ND SHUTTLE
   NEXT RING
   5 ds, p, 5 ds, j to base o fsmall ring on side gusset, 10 ds, cl. r.
   
9. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
   NEXT CHAIN
   5 ds, thread bead onto free p of corresponding ch, 5 ds, rw.
   
10. WITH 2ND SHUTTLE
    NEXT RING
    10 ds, j to base of next small r, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, do not rw.
    
11. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT RING
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
12. ****
    NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, do not rw.
    
13. Repeat from **** to the opposite side of the handle, finishing with a Chain.
    
14. NEXT RING
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, j to base of appropriate small r, making sure the handle is not twisted, 10 ds, cl. r, do not rw.
    
15. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, thread a bead onto the free p of the corresponding ch, 5 ds, do not rw.
    
16. WITH 2ND SHUTTLE
    NEXT RING
    10 ds, j to base of appropriate small r, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl. r, do not rw.
    
17. WITH 1ST SHUTTLE
    NEXT RING
    5 ds, thread a bead onto free p of 1st r, 5 ds, cl. r, rw.
    
18. NEXT CHAIN
    5 ds, p, 5 ds, tie ends and finish off.

LINING

1. Make the lining by hand using traditional English patchwork piecing over papers or by using any method you prefer.
   
2. Cut two pieces of fabric measuring 4 3/4 inches by 3 5/8 inches. These will measure 4 1/4 inches by 3 1/8 inches when mounted and finished and will form the front and back of the bag.
   
3. Cut one piece measuring 3 5/8 inches by 1 1/4 inches for the base of the bag. This will measure 3 1/8 inches by 3/4 inches when finished.
   
4. Mount all these pieces onto appropriate sized papers using basting stitches (if using English piecing). This is also called tacking. Use white thread so that it will not mark your fabric.
   
5. Join the front and back of the bag to the base first, using small hemming stitches 1/16 inch apart and catching just two threads of the fabric at a time.
   
6. Sew the side gussets in a similar manner.
   
7. Finally, you can finish the top of the bag using a fine double fold hem, or by buttonholing round the scallops (catching them in place as you go with both methods) and then trimming the fabric away afterwards.