My mother has a quilt she calls the “Ugly Quilt”. Her quilt group made a bunch of blocks of one particular pattern, and somehow she ended up with them all. I’m not sure of the story, actually. But she laid them all together and decided it looked awful. She didn’t like the colors, or the overall design.
Still, she put the top together. She showed it to the family, and we encouraged her to continue. I thought it was an attractive quilt myself. Once it was all quilted and finished, she decided she actually liked it.
So it goes with this medallion for me. It’s tricky to stitch, and before it was blocked, I thought it was terrible. My son and husband told me to finish it anyway, and now I think it’s rather nice. Go figure.
I hope you like it, too!
This is an intermediate pattern and requires two shuttles. The pattern doesn’t use any fancy stitches, but it’s tricky to make the joins without twisting the piece.
I used Lizbeth size 20 thread, and the medallion is approximately 3.5 inches (9 cm) in diameter.
Printable pattern (52K. Opens a new window.)
Patterns are available for download as a PDF file and are readable by using Adobe Reader. Download Adobe Reader free.
You will need:
Thread in your choice of color and size. I used Lizbeth size 20 white.
2 tatting shuttles
| ds | double stitch |
| p | picot |
| j | join |
Instructions:
Wind one shuttle, leaving the ball attached.
*Clover: R: (2ds p) 7 times, close, do not turn
R: 2ds j to last p of previous R, (2ds p) 6 times, close, do not turn
R: 2ds j to last p of previous R, (2ds p) 6 times, close, turn
Ch: 15ds p (1ds p 1ds p 4ds p) 5 times, making the center p in the third set a long picot, 15ds, turn*
Repeat between * three more times. It will be a long string of clovers and chains with no shape. Here is where I started thinking this is going to be ugly, but I still held out some hope.
R: (2ds p) 7 times, close, do not turn
R: 2ds j to last p of previous R, (2ds p) 6 times, close, do not turn
R: 2ds j to last p of previous R, (2ds p) 2 times, 2ds j to center p of first R in first Clover, (2ds p) 3 times, 2ds, close, turn
Ch: 15ds p (1ds p 1ds p 4ds p) 5 times, making the center p in the third set a long picot, 15ds, turn
Pull a few yards (meters) of thread from the ball and clip it. Wind onto the second shuttle.
R: (2ds p) 7 times, close, do not turn
R: 2ds j to last p of previous R, (2ds p) 6 times, close, do not turn
R: 2ds j to last p of previous R, (2ds p) 2 times, 2ds j to center p of first R in first Clover, (2ds p) 3 times, 2ds, close, turn
Pass both shuttles through the space made by the first Chain.
Ch: 15ds p (1ds p 1ds p 4ds p) 5 times, making the center p in the third set a long picot, 15ds, turn
** R: (2ds p) 3 times, try to refrain from cursing as you j to center p of third R of the same Clover you previously joined to, (2ds p) 3 times, 2ds, close, do not turn
R: 2ds j to last p of previous R, (2ds p) 6 times, close, do not turn
R: 2ds j to last p of previous R, (2ds p) 2 times, 2ds j to center p of first R in first Clover, (2ds p) 3 times, 2ds, close, turn
Pass both shuttles through the space made by the first Chain.
Ch: 15ds p (1ds p 1ds p 4ds p) 5 times, making the center p in the third set a long picot, 15ds, turn**
Repeat between ** around. Cut and tie.
By this time, I was totally disgusted and had to wait a day before I blocked it. I’m glad I didn’t just toss it out!
Copyright 2012 by Nancy Tracy, All Rights Reserved.
