"But, really, why does anyone create? You feel a... a restlessness inside, a need to make something new, something no one has ever seen before. You want to add to the beauty and the richness of the world with a gift, an offering that is uniquely yours. It's an act of selfishness and generosity, all rolled into one."

-- Bruce Coville,
The Last Hunt

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Lotus Lily

I've now got a water lily to go with the lily pad.


The pattern is Jane Eborall's Lotus Flower. For the petals, I used DMC Cordonnet in white, with pink vintage beads; for the leaves, the same green Lizbeth as I used for the lily pad (684 Leaf Green Medium) with darker green beads; and for the stamens, Lizbeth 170 Pineapple Parfait. I also added some beads to the rings that form the base of the stamens, even though the pattern doesn't call for them.

So Jane calls this a lotus and I'm calling it a water lily. They are, in fact, two entirely different plants which happen to look somewhat alike due to convergent evolution. A few seconds on Google led me to this this handy site to tell the difference between the two. However, since the flowers do look so similar, and tatting conveys only an impression of the flower, I believe this could pass for either. In the finished piece, I'm going to place it sitting directly on the water, which according to the website makes it a lily. Also, I'm planning to make another in purple; lilies come in purple but lotuses don't. So there.

Squijum doesn't care what you call the flower, so long as you show him sufficient admiration.




I've scrawled out the basic directions for the lily pad, too. Once I finish the whole project, I'll refine it to a publishable pattern.

5 comments:

  1. This is going to look great with the other items you make I think it is perfect!

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  2. Lily or Lotus, it is pretty.

    I never thought I would see the words "convergent evolution" in a tatting blog. As a former biologist I have to say, "Wow, I love it!"

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  3. Beautiful water lily flower, and will look gorgeous with the leaf.
    Margaret

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  4. Your tatting and creative skills are so impressive! Beautiful flower for the lily pad. And Squijum is so adorable.

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