Special order this bracelet in your size and your favorite color by contacting me at shadetreeart.com@gmail.com

• The cover is one of my pieces and 4 from other artists.  The swirls are couched recycled sari yarn that go from the front cover over the binding and onto the back of the book.

• This back piece is a quilted square that my friend Roc gave me a few years ago.  I believe her grandmother quilted this block, which makes it a special piece in my book.

• On the inside of the front cover and back are my initials.

• The bits are attached to the page like you would tie down a quilt, which is simple and makes each piece easy to remove for use in future projects.

• For the pages I cut a fabric front and cotton batting. Next I quilted strips and sewed them right onto the batting.  I would sew down all three pieces in areas for the quilting.   Then I folded over the edges as done in Teesha’s tutorial.

Yarn used was Lion Brand Yarn Wool-Ease Thick & Chunky in a Wheat color and a size N crochet hook.  I started with a chain of 45, this gave me an overlap of about 4 inches.

1. Row 1: dc in second then the following sts.
2. Row 2:  ch2, dc 2, chain 2(this creates the button hole, smaller buttons only chain 1 or none if your button fits into the dc) dc in following sts.
3. Row 3:  ch2, dc in following sts.
4. Edging: ch 3,  sc 1, ch 3,  sc 1 *repeat around 3 sides leaving the edge where your button is sewn undone.  I found that with the edging there it looked really bulky.

They were made with Sugar’n Cream cotton.  The pattern is the best with the double thickness makes a great potholder.  You can find this free pattern at The Boring Knitter.  The white ones I made bigger by chaining 43 instead of 33.

The frame is by Mary Konior, Tatting with Visual Patterns.  The binding is in just about every other book used in many different ways.

Here is the binding piece sewn onto the book.

This is the first time I have ever tried tatting something like a picture or scene.  I worked from a picture in Tatting Technique & History by Elgiva Nicholls.   There were a few instructions in the book but after reading it I decided to just work it out myself.  It was an interesting process.  I started from the bottom and added every piece except the large flower as I went.  I made the flower in one piece.  Here is a tutorial on how I made the large Queen Anne’s Lace flower.  I added the stems by joining the chains like you would join rings.  When I was done I had what looked like a dried weed.

I pinned the center stem piece down first then sewed it into place.  The worked from the center out.

The center stem thread is Lady Shuttle Makers Coffee and Cream HDT in size 20, the flowers are DMC white size 60, the stems and leaves are silk threads that I picked up at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

I am counting this center piece as #1 for my 3rd round in the 25 Motif Challenge.

I have created a section on my site to link everyone who uses the fabric book.  It doesn’t have to be tatting, the book lends itself to be used for anything.  So let me know what you have made with the fabric book pattern I will link your lovely work.

This challenge has been enjoyable, it keeps me tatting up a storm.  I love seeing what everyone is tatting, it provides endless inspiration.

Now I am ready to start on round 3.

This piece measures 10.5″ x 2″.  Thread used is DMC 30 in Ecru.

The issue didn’t have instructions on how to make the fabric book itself .  I couldn’t find anything on the internet that would work as a sampler book.  So I set out on my own and made one that works for me.  Here are step by step instructions on how to make a “basic fabric book“.

I made my book with 100% linen but any fabric will work.   The pages measure 8.5″ x 11.5″.  My book has 5 pages.  One yard of fabric will make 8 pages.  I will end up adding the 3 pages later.

Next step was to sew in all the tatted pieces.  I carefully pinned them in place then stitched them into the book being careful to only go through one layer of fabric.

The only thing missing are the dates the pieces were made.  I am thinking that stamped fabric with a date next to the piece might work but then it takes up space.  The same problem comes up with where the patterns came from.  But I guess as a sampler only having tatting in the book would work.  I am undecided on that part of the book.

Hope you enjoy my tatted sampler book.  More than anything I hope others start making them as well.

So I am thinking about a little book of altered fabric pieces.  The book will need a back, which I have a wonderful quilt block that Roc gave me some time ago that her grandmother made,  that will be the back and misc pieces to complete the front of the book.  I will need to create a bridge to bind the book that will allow me to sew in pages as I make them.