Enjoy a free tatted square medallion pattern from PieceWork’s “Trimmings.” This column offers a collection of patterns, charts, and instructions that have been gleaned from old magazines and books that are no longer generally available. Most of the patterns and instructions for these small needlework articles are worded exactly as they appeared in the original publication.
The techniques vary and include knitting, crochet, tatting, and more. Use them as they are or adapt them to other techniques—but do have fun with them! The following pattern for a tatted square medallion is reproduced here exactly as it appeared in Weldon’s Practical Needlework,_ Volume 4._
Tatted square medallion from Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 4.
Fill the shuttle, and make a loop on the fingers with the shuttle thread, do 8 double stitches, 1 picot, 6 double, 1 picot, 3 double, and draw up; make a loop close, do 3 double, join to the last picot in the oval just worked, 2 double and 1 picot alternately six times, 3 double, draw up; make a loop close, do 3 double, join to the last picot in the last oval, 6 double, 1 picot, 8 double, and draw up; you now have a corner of three ovals or leaves resembling a trefoil; reverse the work, take the reel thread and make with it a loop round the fingers, and work a bar of 10 double stitches; * reverse the work, make a loop with the shuttle thread, do 8 double, join to the last picot in last oval, 6 double, 1 picot, 3 double, draw up; make a loop close, do 3 double, join to the last picot in last oval, 2 double and 1 picot alternately six times, 3 double, draw up; make a loop close, do 3 double, join to the last picot in last oval, 6 double, 1 picot, 8 double, and draw up; reverse the work, take the reel thread and make a loop, and work a bar of 10 double stitches, repeat from *; join the last leaf of the fourth trefoil to the first leaf of the first trefoil, and when the square is complete, cut the cotton, and tie the ends securely in a knot. When working successive squares, join by corner picots, or the picots next to the corner, to the corresponding picots in the squares already worked.
Featured Image: Square medallion from Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 4, tatted by Trish Faubion. 1¼ x 1¼ inches (3.2 x 3.2 cm). Tortoiseshell tatting shuttle courtesy of Loene McIntyre Colorado. Photo by Joe Coca.
Find this project and more in the May/June 2016 issue of PieceWork—our 9th-annual Lace issue. Plus, tat another free vintage pattern in our blog post “A Vintage Tatted Edging from Needlecraft Magazine.”