First, a little about how I am going to organise this site. There will be the Workshop section which is where we are now, and a Pattern section, where I will list the patterns which can be accessed from the list. Most of the patterns will be illustrated unless they are just variations, and the instructions will follow. If both illustration and instructions will fit on a sheet of A4 paper when printed out, they will be on the same page. If not, the illustration will be on one page and the instructions on the next. O.K.?

I used Flora No.10 cotton for the coaster for two reasons. First, I thought it best for you to see as clearly as possible how to work the pattern, as it does not follow the usual way of working a round, breaking off the cotton and restarting, instead working towards the centre and out again, finishing with an edging. In this case the edging consisted of only one round as the shuttle thread was just about running out. And second, I wanted a nice, firm coaster.


In Pattern 2, I use DMC No.20 cotton. Once again fill the shuttle bobbin fully so as to complete the motif without having to join threads and do not break off the cotton when the bobbin is filled nor when going on to the edging. There is one other thing. I used rings and arcs in the diagram on the previous page to keep it looking similar to diagrammatic instructions which you have probably already used. Now I am going to use solid circles of colour to indicate the tatting rings and thicker arcs. The picots will be small, solid black dots. I hope these changes will make it easier to follow the instructions. To see the coaster instructions, in this format, click here. You will notice how short the instructions are.