Sunday, June 24, 2012

Bitter Over Autumn Apple Pie?


I feel compelled to offer apologies to anyone in Tat Land who purchased Lizbeth® #169 Autumn Apple Pie and is disappointed with the way the colorway tats up in projects.

My post from September 15, 2011, described Autumn Apple Pie as one "of the most desirable (IMHO) color mixes in the Lizbeth® line." On the ball this thread is gorgeous.

I wrote, "This thread makes me want to eat a warm slice of apple pie," and seeing it does make me want to eat a warm slice of pie. But, as I have said, I am not so sure it tats up as beautifully as other variegated colorways.

Is this colorway one of the unfortunate ones — a "crap-tastic" composition doomed to the dusty recesses of the tatting closet or worse...the dust bin?

After TIAS in January I intended to put this colorway through a series of tatting trials. To tat:
  •  a Martha Ess bookmark
  •  a Heart's Desire heart by Susan Fuller 
  •  a Mary Konior Spinning Wheel Glass Mat
So far I have only completed Martha Ess' broomstick tatted bookmark and one other bit of edging.


But I have made a discovery. This thread comes up aces when used for single-shuttle patterns, for example Mary Konior's Curds and Whey.  (I was tatting in the car.)



And Martha's Broomstick Tatted Bookmark looks terrific too. No final verdict has been made, but I can tell you that all hope is not lost.  Heart's Desire and a Spinning Wheel Glass Mat are up next.

[Psst, see the peacock feather tail I added to Martha's Broomstick Tatted Lace Bookmark?  I love it! The pattern is from Peacock Feather Bookmark © 2008 Wally Sosa.  Two more examples of Wally's bookmark are:
I think the peacock feather complements the central rings in a pleasing way.  Don't you?]

Please email me privately (my email addy is listed at the top of this blog) with your comments/concerns/complaints about this thread. I want to know what you think.

5 comments:

Jane McLellan said...

Curds and whey especially looks fantastic, I love it. Variegated threads do work better for some patterns than others, especially when there are markedly different colours, not just different shades of similar colours.115 //c

Sally Kerson said...

I am not really commenting on Autumn Apple Pie, as I do not have that particular thread. However, I do find that all varigated threads that contain white in them seem to break up the colours so that when something is tatted the colours don't blend.
But I do like the peacock feather on the bookmark

Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ Diane said...

I love Autumn Apple Pie, both on the ball and tatted up. I really think the love/hate aspect depends on the pattern, but I find that to be true with any of the hand-dyed threads, so why would it be different for the Lizbeth threads?

I love using variegates or multi-colors with patterns that weave in and out, such as the Spinning Wheel. I'm usually disappointed with the results when the design goes in a simple circle or square. I also think the length between color changes makes a huge difference.

All in all, I'm happy with my purchase of Autumn Apple Pie!

Marilee Rockley said...

It's a very high contrast between the colors - very light to very dark, plus a medium hue from a different place on the color wheel. I think the high degree of contrast is why it's sort of "iffy" when mixed together in a design. It does look nice in the Curds and Whey sample, though.

Margarets designer cards said...

I have a ball which I was given but as yet nit used it, I like the curds and whey in it but as everyone else has said it depends on the pattern with the variegated threads. I can't say if I like the colour way yet as I said I have not used it yet. I am interested in how the peacock bookmark works up

Margaret