Sunburst Bowl
How do I design my tapestry crochet pieces? Sometimes editors request specific projects. They choose the fiber and colors, suggest the shape and size, and often provide a picture for inspiration. This is what happened with my Sunburst Bowl pattern in the September/October issue of Crochet Today!
This coiled basket inspired my Sunburst Bowl.
As usual, I didn’t copy, but created a new piece based on the original inspiration. Copying is not only illegal, but also disrespectful to the original designer. The design usually changes anyway when translating from one medium to another.
I usually only carry one or two colors, but the (size 3) J&P Coats Royale Fashion Crochet Thread was too fine to produce a large tapestry crochet bowl using this method, so I decided to carry five threads to reproduce the coiled look of the original basket and to give it some structure. Carrying so many colors allowed me to play with color placement, too!
The Sunburst Bowl before ironing it with a steam iron.
After supplying the thread, the assistant editor asked me to write the instructions following Yarn Standards abbreviations and guidelines. The editor sent a contract that specified the date the project was due, the price, and the publication rights. I titled it “Mandala Basket,” but as editors often do, they changed it to “Sunburst Bowl.”
The blocked 10″ wide by 1.25″ high Sunburst Bowl.
This project is not for beginners - it’s definitely advanced tapestry crochet. A few intrepid tapestry crocheters have met the challenge, though! Lisa started the bowl below, but on Sept 13, she posted, “Okay, so the circle is done in the middle and I am carrying all 6 yarns at once. Now that I have done 8 rows, I am wondering how to keep all the yarn from turning into a nest. Everything was fine until I had to set it down!” I hope she picks it up again! I’ll post the photo with this thread if/when she does! (BTW, if you separate the balls of thread and allow the twist to happen next to the fabric when you change colors, the carried threads will not tangle so much.)
Lisa’s bowl.
Here are Sheri Kelley’s bowls - before blocking - with fabulous color choices!
I’d love to hear from you and see your Sunburst Bowls!
October 17th, 2008 at 12:51 am
Beautiful works, so inspiring.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
wow, this is really lovely. really creative. i truly love it
November 10th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
What a beautiful bowl Carol ! Such tight stitches and straight lines of the triangles and petals, Exquisite !!!
December 27th, 2008 at 10:40 am
I love the colors that Sheri used. These are beautiful. It is good to see what they look like before they are blocked. I wasn’t sure if I had done it right. Mine aren’t as wonderful as yours or Sheri’s but I am practicing. Thanks!
March 26th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Hi Carol,
I’m getting close to finishing the bowl (after a couple months of work, ha ha!) but I’m a bit worried about blocking, as I’ve never done it before. When you “block with a steam iron,” how exactly do you do it? Do you hold the iron over the bowl or actually iron it? Do you need to put the bowl over a form? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me. This project is a toughie for me but it will be the most satisfying thing I’ve ever crocheted when I’m done!
March 26th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I place the iron right on the project (making sure that it won’t melt - be careful with acrylic). If it’s delicate, then I place a towel between the project and the iron, but I press down pretty hard with the steam iron. Set the iron for the type of fiber, then steam iron it from both sides. I hope you’ll post a picture of your bowl!
March 29th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Thank you so much for the advice! I think I got it right.
If you’d like the see the results, here’s the post on my blog:
http://jenmadestuff.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/crochet-challenge-1-sunburst-bowl/
March 29th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Jen’s bowl turned out fabulous!!! I hope you’ll take a look!