This is an attempt to create butterflies by colouring half fans.
Pattern:
Bobbins: 20 pairs (2 bronze metallic, 18 white)
Style: Torchon
Stitches:
half stitch
cloth stitch
cloth stitch and twist
twist pair
Details:
half stitch diamond (blue)
cloth stitch heart (red)
cloth fan headside (red)
half stitch fan headside (blue)
rose ground (green)
Description:
Follow the links above for explanation of how to work the different parts of the lace. This pattern starts at points, which are four diagonals, so each starting pin has one pair. False pins are marked.
This is a conventional Torchon pattern apart from the butterflies themselves. These are made from fans, but the fans are split into two. Half is half stitch, and the other half is cloth stitch. This is simple to do - just change the type of stitch half way through the fan. To highlight the butterflies, the cloth stitch part is coloured with metallic bronze thread workers. These workers start at the top point, then travel to the start of the first butterflies through the other pairs (using cloth stitch and twist). They colour the first edge butterflies, then they move to the hearts in the centre of the lace to make the centre butterflies. This repeats. You will need to be careful at choose the right direction for the pairs at the start and end of the fans and hearts to get the workers to move in the right direction. This is marked, through colour, on the pattern. You also need to be careful to change from cloth stitch to half stitch at the right point in the fans. This change needs to happen when the coloured threads are inside the lace and within reach of the central hears, not when they are at the edge!
I'm not sure what kind of butterfly it is. There are brown butterflies in the UK, but they don't normally glitter! Choose whatever colour you want.
© Jo Edkins 2016 - return to lace index