This is Nancy's "Magnolia Bloom". I did the center in LadyShuttleMaker's "Magnolia" HDT, which really is the perfect colorway for it. The HDT is size 50, and for some reason I don't have any size 50 white thread in stock, so I went with size 40 for the petals. I tried to compensate by tatting the center a little bit looser and making the picots a little bit longer, then I used my normal tension and made smaller picots on the petals. It seems to have worked out fine.
What do magnolias have to do with Christmas, you ask? Not a thing, they bloom in June (at least in Georgia where I grew up). But it's a very pretty design that captures the spirit of a magnolia flower beautifully, and it's going to be sold in Georgia, where magnolias are always popular. When I was a kid, we had a magnolia tree in our backyard. It was never much of a bloomer, but it was the best climbing tree ever, with good sturdy branches low enough for a kid to get to which continued almost all the way up to the top. There are frankly not many things I miss about living in Georgia, but that tree is one of them.
This is the first time I've thought to put a 3D piece on one of these satin balls. What do you think?
That flower looks fabulous and that green ornament really makes a perfect background for it!! :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's gorgeous! My granny has a magnolia tree in her yard. When we were up there last month, I actually picked one of the petals because it just smelled so heavenly. :o)
ReplyDeleteIt really is amazing that you were working on this Nancy Tracy pattern during the fabric episode!
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to try this, and now I realize she provides the drawings, which make it easier to 'see' how each section is done. I think it's quite natural to put this on a Christmas ball!
Yes, this is actually about the easiest 3D piece I've ever done. The way she does the center, working it flat and then running a gathering thread through it, is really ingeniously simple. Just read the directions for the petals carefully before you start.
DeleteI love magnolias! This is very pretty. I just might have to try this one...
ReplyDeleteFox : )
Beautiful magnolias flower in the spring here in the uk, they are a beautiful flower but can be ruined with frost, which usually happens then they flower
ReplyDeleteMargaret