We hadn't worked out how to get a picture of it for all to see so it is a very detailed description of how to work the pattern.
A butterfly brooch, wired to make it 3DBack to the Free patterns main page
From Rosemarie Peel to all tatters on the InternetMaterials
One ball of No.40 thread. My finished butterfly was about 4cm long.
One shuttle fully wound from the thread and not cut.
1 metre of soft thin wire which will be doubled.
A tiny safety pin about 2cm long matching the colour of the wire ie silver colour or gold colour.
A fine crochet hook.
To give you a mental picture of what you will be doing get a pencil and paper and make a rough sketch of the butterfly (which will not be to scale) from the following instructions:-
An upright line 5cm in length. (This represents the body)
Two circles 2cm in diameter either side of the lower half of the line. (These represent the two small lower wings).
Two circles 3cm in diameter either side of the upper half of the line. (These represent the two larger upper wings).
Label your circles - lower left wing, upper left wing, upper right wing , lower right wing.
The butterfly is worked all in one from beginning to end but in four phases.
In another colour pencil, map it out over your sketch.Phase one = the skeleton = a ring for the lower left wing, a chain for the left hand side body, three rings (a trefoil) for the upper left wing, chain ring chain for the shoulders and head, three rings (a trefoil) for the upper right wing, a chain for the right hand side of the body and a ring for the lower right wing.
Continue working clockwise round the butterfly without cutting.Phase two = with just shuttle thread the wire is added all round the butterfly with reverse tatting and lock joins.
Phase three = the ball thread is used again with the shuttle thread to add a decorative chain edging all round.
Phase four = add safety pin and fasten off.
Abbreviations
As in all tatting pattern books from LACET PUBLICATIONSThe Skeleton:
LOWER LEFT WING: Ring A 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 close, RW,
LEFT BODY: Chain 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2, RW,
UPPER LEFT WING: Ring B 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 6 close,
Ring C 6 + (to last picot of Ring B) 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 6 close,
Ring D 6 + (to last picot of Ring C) 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 close, RW,
SHOULDERS AND HEAD: Chain 2 + (to last picot of left body) 2, RW,
Ring E 8 - - 8 close, RW, Chain 2 - 2, RW,
UPPER RIGHT WING: Ring F 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 6 close,
Ring G 6 + (to last picot of Ring F) 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 6 close,
Ring H 6 + (to last picot of Ring G) 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 close, RW,
RIGHT BODY: Make the joins to the picot on the right shoulder then each picot down the left body
leaving the bottom one free. Ch 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 - 2, RW,
LOWER RIGHT WING: Ring I 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 close, RW,
THE BASE: Chain 2 + (to last picot of right body) 2, RW,Add the wire:
Tie ball and shuttle threads in a single knot to swop them over.
Lock join the shuttle thread to the first picot of left body.
Do not cut away the ball thread but put it aside for the moment.
Fold the wire in half and hang it on the picot just used.
Have the two strands of wire together, work over them both in reverse tatting (as for the second half of a split ring).
Keep the reverse double stitches pulled up on the wire and shape it as you go along.
Lock Join to each free picot on the adjoining ring unless otherwise stated.
Start with Ring A and continue in a clockwise direction all round the butterfly.
3, LJ, 3, LJ, 3, LJ, 4, LJ, 4, LJ, 4, LJ, 4 , LJ, 12,
Leave the last two picots of Ring A. With the covered wire now shaped round the lower left wing bend the bare wire in a `V' ready to go round the upper wing.
At the point of the `V' LJ over the ds in the middle of the left body.
4, miss first three picots of Ring B, LJ, 4, LJ, 4, LJ, 8, miss the next picot on Ring B and the next two picots on Ring C, LJ, 4, LJ, 4, LJ, 8, miss the next two picots on Ring C and the next picot on Ring D, LJ, 4, LJ, 4, LJ, 3, LJ, 3, LJ, 3, LJ, 3, LJ, 3.
With the covered wire now shaped round the upper left wing bend the bare wire to go across the shoulders and up over the upper right wing. (For now keep the head folded down on the side facing you, this is the underside of the butterfly).
LJ over the first ds of the left shoulder, 6, LJ over the last ds of the right shoulder.
For the right half of the butterfly repeat the left half in reverse. Finish with an extra 3ds* to reach the ball thread.
Cut the bare wire to 2cm long and fold it up the underside of the body.
Tie ball and shuttle thread in a single knot to swop them over.Decorative chain edging:
Here keep LJs quite loose so the chains will butt onto the edge of the covered wire.
With ball and shuttle thread: Chain 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2, pull it up to make it curve, LJ over just the covered wire between the second and third picot of Ring A. Leaving a similar gap make three more of these chains followed by LJs round the lower wing.
Chain 4, LJ over the covered wire at the point of the `V'. Make seven chains round the upper wing LJed a similar width apart finishing before the two last picots of Ring D. Chain 4, LJ to the left corner of the shoulder, Ch 4, LJ to the right hand corner of the shoulder.
Complete the right side to match the left side.
Finally LJ over the last 3ds at * and fasten off while attaching a brooch or safety pin to the underside of the body incorporating the end of bare wire.
Shape the butterfly, The upper wings can overlap the lower wings. Cut the large picot on the head to form the antennae.
The end.
Pages last updated February 2007.