The 'Jelly Bean' Tulip and the Magic Triangle

(Sounds like the title of a chldren's book!)

 MOTIF #24,

Second Round

'Jelly Bean' Tulip

created by joining Vintage Triangles,

together, specifically using Size 20 Lizbeth 'Jelly Bean' thread

This is one of those optical illusions where you can't really tell that this
tulip is actually created with little triangles; and in this case, the colors

were very much controlled, almost giving the impression that I started this tulip 'motif' with six purple rings, but those are really the 'tips' of six triangles. I'll explain below how that 'color control' came about - quite by accident!

I must give credit to Sue from Michigan, who last October posted about her experiments in creating fabric 'shapes' by connecting the little vintage triangles edge to edge, rather than point to point. Jane Eborall has done something similar in the past, using a diamond shape, and has recently posted about a similar new project!

Links to Sue's posts are here:

http://hiskid66.blogspot.com/2010/10/25-2-motif-15-diamond-triangles.html


http://hiskid66.blogspot.com/2010/10/12-triangles-makes-starso-far.html

http://hiskid66.blogspot.com/2010/10/triangle-hexagon.html

The little triangle itself is a vintage pattern from long ago. This past January, Gina (Tatting Goddess) wrote several in-depth posts about them, starting with this post.
http://threadsofatattinggoddess.blogspot.com/2011/01/2-in-25-motif-challenge.html

As mentioned above, usually the triangles are joined at their tips, which then creates triangle-shaped 'open spaces'.

 

This is the basic triangle,
except I have added a picot on
all the small rings to more tightly
join the triangles together.

The fact that each tip in this triangle is a different color happened by chance, as explained below.

First circle - random colors

When I first began tatting and connecting the triangles, I wound Jelly Bean thread on the shuttle, and started making a ring, without any thought to the color coming off the shuttle.  

With each triangle I started the first ring with whatever color was 'next'. After joining the six triangles as I tatted them, I ended up with the above interesting circle. (I might add that tatting the triangles gives one a lot of practice with the 'no-twist join' on the last ring of each triangle, and especially on the last triangle! And, of course, there are ends to hide.)

Second circle - controlled colors

When I began to tat a second circle, I just happened to start the first triangle with the purple thread.  And as I tatted, it amazed me that the next large ring was orange, and the last, green.

I wondered if that would happen consistently, and it did, by starting with the purple thread. (Doing this eliminates the reddish color thread.)

Then I wondered what the circle would look like if I attached the triangles with all the purple rings in the center. (I actually drew it in color on the computer first!)

It looked cool on the drawing, with the purple center. Then I added more triangles on the drawing, to form a six-pointed star, and I determined that the tips of the star would be purple also.

But after tatting three points, a tulip shape emerged, and i decided to stop there!

I have no idea if every ball of size 20 Jelly Bean will create this same result. (And the other question is whether it would work with size 40 and 80.) Because Lizbeth threads are commercially manufactured, I assume they all have the same pre-programmed lengths of color, but I may be wrong! On this particular size 20 ball. I'm so pleased it worked out this way

Finding a Frame!

It's taken me awhile to find the right frame to showcase the tulip, and I finally found one this past weekend. Fortunately, it was on sale at Jo-Ann Fabrics. I wish I had had it in time for the Maple Festival, but I 'll have opportunities to display it at Vicary House and Old Economy.

The frame has a 5 x 7 oval opening, and is 8-12" tall and 6-12" wide Of course, I added my black velvet paper as the background. The frame can be hung on a wall or used as a standing frame. That's what makes these kinds of frames worth the cost.

I added some 'bling' to the frame by adding the gold beads to the inner area of the frame. (The beads come connected together on thin adhesive strips).

At some point I might add tatted leaves, but for now these leaves (clipped from a large plant in the house!) are substituting.

This is what I love about tatting - the variety of things you can create with it!!

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In my next post, (before Easter?) I will show my coffee table, which is covered with my egg displays - mostly of the tatted variety, but a few others as well.