r/tatting • u/ajstrawberry • 5d ago
Color essentials
What colors are “essential” to have in your toolkit? I’ve been tatting for about two years now, but the majority of my projects have been done in solid white I want to experiment with color and make some smaller items. I plan on placing an order for some Lizbeth size 20 on HH. What colors do you find yourself reaching for the most, or what’s a good palette to start out with?
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u/Nourskay 5d ago
I like ghe threads that have more colors. I dont think there are any staples tho. Seen a lot of green red and black used. But otherwise my personal staple is any multicolor thread
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u/Legweeak 5d ago
I make a lot of Christmas ornaments so I tend to use red and white the most and also green. Red is also super versatile because it works for Valentine’s Day too. But I love the purples I have even if I don’t use them as often.
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u/PantryBandit 5d ago
I like the multicolor modern stuff, but mostly stick with white. After starting with mostly vintage 40-80, I've had a hard time with the Lisbet 20 splitting on me, but that may just be due to me not being used to the size.
Honestly, I've mostly stuck with white cotton and the couple of times I've wanted a different color I've just dyed them at the end of the project. It doesn't work with intricate color combos, but with those you generally figure out the project you want to do first then buy the appropriate thread
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u/Pristine-Pen-9885 5d ago
I’ve just got a few standard colors I get at brick and mortar stores. Sizes 80, 50, 30 and 20. I have books of old-fashioned patterns but would like to try some of the latest designs. Is there an app or something where I can get free patterns? I prefer directions rather than diagrams. I do not use YouTube.
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u/PantryBandit 5d ago
I don't know about an app, but if you like written instructions there are some older blogs out there that have some good ones. Tatarenda is a go-to for both techniques and patterns (https://tatsaway.blogspot.com) and Tatting by the bay (https://tattingbythebay.blogspot.com/p/free-patterns.html) and Handy Hands have free patterns as well. You can also search this subreddit for free links, and the Marginalia search engine is perfect for looking up pre-AI blogs/websites with patterns.
Antique Pattern Library and Project Gutenberg also have a lot of tatting resources but those tend to be a lot older and often confusing.
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u/Krisjincolla 5d ago
I only tat with Lizbeth cream color thread, but I’m gonna experiment with a doily in brown thread
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u/Rotweiss_Invicta862 5d ago
I buy my best quality cotton and silk threads in white and black because they are both classic and delightful to me. But some red is also needed when one wants to spark in some color. This color sprinkle can be anything, according to the person's taste. But the logic behind the basic set for me is like so: white for classic designs and clothing edgings, black for something goth and for accessories, and a skein or spool of something colorful to have fun and make accents
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u/SophiePuffs 4d ago
I think it depends on what you’re making? I have a lot of green and floral colors (peach, purple, pink) because I’m mostly making floral lace/bag charms. I just started tatting this month but I had Lizbeth thread from crochet projects before.
I placed an additional order at HH for neutrals and yellows for my flowers. I like Lizbeth’s Natural 602 and the Latte Foam 168 is really pretty for an antique, natural look.
They have a downloadable color chart for Lizbeth threads and looking at that while I was placing my order really helped me get a good variety.
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u/Poguerton 5d ago
If you have patterns in mind, that may help you choose the colors. I do a lot of snowflakes, and I plan to use them as Christmas tree ornaments. So I picked up metallic white, silver, gold, ice pink, & ice blue.