Paperclip Bookmarks

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I had seen a project in a craft store, where you cross stitched a design, and then attached it to a large paperclip to use as a bookmark.

I decided to try it with a tatted motif, and came up with this.

I used 4 inch paperclips for these, but you can use smaller paperclips and motifs if you wanted too.

These are simple as long as you keep a few things in mind. They are two motifs joined back to back, with the paperclip in between them. If the motif pattern you are working with isn't symmetrical, then you need to make sure you are joining the same points on the two motifs.

The other thing to keep in mind is where you join the two motifs around the paperclip. In the rough diagram of the cat face, the black represents the motifs, the yellow the paperclip, the blue where the motifs were joined outside the paperclip, and the red where they were joined inside the paperclip.

The paperclip has to be secured as far into the motifs as it is wide, or the motifs will be able to roll side to side too easily. I learned this the hard way. The first time I did this sample, I joined the motifs so that the highest the paperclip reached into them was the face rings, and it would fall off to the side when used. You also want to make the joins between the motifs as close to the paperclip as possible, so that they are snug over it.

The joins are done through the base of rings, once the rings on both motifs are finished, but before the next chain is started. If anyone out there figures out a different or better way of joining the two motifs, please let me know.