Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was not made until the late 15th and early 16th constructed by a series of knots A knot is a method of fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or several segments of rope, string, webbing, twine, strap, or even chain interwoven such that the line can bind to itself or to some other object—the "load". Knots have been the subject of interest for and loops. Tatting can be used to make lace edging as well as doilies A doily is an ornamental mat, originally the name of a fabric made by Doiley, a 17th-century London draper. They are crocheted and sometimes knitted out of cotton or linen thread. Openwork allows the surface of the underlying object to show through. In addition to their decorative function doilies have the utilitarian role of protecting fine-wood, collars In clothing, a collar is the part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck. A collar may also be a separate or detachable accessory worn around the neck, and other decorative pieces. The lace is formed by a pattern of rings and chains formed from a series of cow hitch The cow hitch is a knot . The cow hitch comprises a pair of half-hitches tied in opposing directions, as compared to the clove hitch, where the half-hitches are tied in the same direction. This hitch has poor security unless both ends of the rope are loaded.[citation needed], or half-hitch The half hitch is a simple overhand knot, where the working end of a line is brought over and under the standing part. Insecure on its own, it is a valuable component of a wide variety of useful and reliable hitches, bends, and knots knots, called double stitches (ds), over a core thread Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or other lubricants to withstand the stresses involved. Gaps can be left between the stitches to form picots A picot is a loop of thread created for functional or ornamental purposes along the edge of lace, ribbon, crocheted, knitted or tatted material. These loops vary in size, according to their intended function and to their creator's artistic intention, which are used for practical construction as well as decorative effect.

Tatting dates to the early 19th century. The term for tatting in most European languages is derived from French frivolité, which refers to the purely decorative nature of the textiles produced by this technique. The technique was developed to imitate point lace.[1]

Contents

Technique and materials

Shuttle tatting

Vintage tatting shuttles from the early twentieth century.

Tatting with a shuttle is the earliest method of creating tatted lace. A tatting shuttle facilitates tatting by holding a length of wound thread Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or other lubricants to withstand the stresses involved and guiding it through loops to make the requisite knots. It is normally a metal or ivory pointed oval shape less than 3 inches long, but shuttles come in a variety of shapes and materials. Shuttles often have a point or hook on one end to aid in the construction of the lace. Antique shuttles and unique shuttles have become highly sought after by collectors — even those who do not tat.

To make the lace, the tatter wraps the thread around one hand and manipulates the shuttle with the other hand. No tools other than the thread, the hands, and the shuttle are used, though a crochet Crochet is a process of creating fabric from yarn or thread using a crochet hook. The word is derived from the French word "crochet", meaning hook. Crocheting, similar to knitting, consists of pulling loops of yarn through other loops. Crochet differs from knitting in that only one loop is active at one time (the sole exception being hook may be necessary if the shuttle does not have a point or hook.

Needle tatting

Needle tatting in progress. A completed closed ring of 5ds segments with a picot loop between each is shown. Another uncompleted loop is still on the needle. Tatting pin

Traditional shuttle tatting may be simulated using a tatting needle or doll needle instead of a shuttle. There are two basic techniques for needle tatting. With the more widely disseminated technique a double thread passes through the stitches. The result is similar to shuttle tatting but is slightly thicker and looser. The second technique approximates true tatting because a single thread passes through the stitches.

Needle tatting originated in the early twentieth century, but did not become popular until much later. A tatting needle is a long, blunt needle that does not change thickness at the eye of the needle. The needle used must match the thickness of the thread chosen for the project. Rather than winding the shuttle, the needle is threaded with a length of thread. To work with a second color, a second needle is used.Although needle tatting looks similar to shuttle tatting, it differs in structure and is slightly thicker and looser because both the needle and the thread must pass through the stitches.

In the late twentieth century, tatting needles became commercially available in a variety of sizes, from fingering yarn down to size 80 tatting thread. Patterns are written specifically for needle tatting, although shuttle tatting patterns may be used without modification. There are currently two manufacturers of tatting needles.

Cro-tatting

Cro-tatting combines needle tatting with crochet. The cro-tatting tool is a tatting needle with a crochet hook at the end. One can also cro-tat with a bullion crochet hook or a very straight crochet hook. In the nineteenth century, "crochet tatting" patterns were published which simply called for a crochet hook. One of the earliest patterns is for a crocheted afghan with tatted rings forming a raised design.[2] Patterns are available in English and are equally divided between yarn and thread. In its most basic form the rings are tatted with a length of plain thread between them, as in single shuttle tatting. In modern patterns, beginning in the early twentieth century, the rings are tatted and the arches or chains are crocheted. Many people consider cro-tatting more difficult than crochet or needle tatting. Some tatting instructors recommend using a tatting needle and a crochet hook to work cro-tatting patterns. Cro-tatting is most popular in Japan.

Materials

Older designs, especially through the early 1900s, tend to use fine white or ivory thread (50 to 100 widths to the inch) and intricate designs. Newer designs from the 1920s and onward often use thicker thread in one or more colors. The best thread for tatting is a "hard" thread that does not untwist readily. DMC Cordonnet thread is a common tatting thread; Perl cotton is an example of a beautiful cord that is nonetheless a bit loose for tatting purposes. Some tatting designs incorporate ribbons A ribbon or riband is a thin band of flexible material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily for binding and tying. Cloth ribbons, which most commonly includes silk, are often used in connection with dress, but also applied for innumerable useful, ornamental and symbolic purposes; cultures around the world use this and beads A pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells, approximately 100,000 years old, are thought to be the earliest known examples of jewellery.

Patterns

Older patterns use a long hand notation to describe the stitches needed while newer patterns tend to make extensive use of abbreviations and an almost mathematical looking notation. The following examples describe the same small piece of tatting (the first Ring in the Hen and Chicks pattern)

Ring five ds, three picots separated by five ds, five ds, close, turn, space
R 5ds, 3 p sep by 5ds, 5ds, cl, turn, sp
R 5-5-5-5 cl rw sp

Some tatters prefer a visual pattern where the design is drawn schematically with annotations indicating the number of ds and order of construction. This can either be used on its own or alongside a written pattern.

History

Some believe that tatting may have developed from netting A fishing net or fishnet is a net that is used for fishing. Fishing nets are meshes usually formed by knotting a relatively thin thread. Modern nets are usually made of artificial polyamides like nylon, although nets of organic polyamides such as wool or silk thread were common until recently and are still used and decorative ropework as sailors A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses. Etymologically, the name preserves the memory of the time when ships were commonly powered and fishers Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping would put together motifs for girlfriends and wives at home. Decorative ropework employed on ships includes techniques (esp. coxcombing Categories: Nautical terms | Ropework | Decorative ropework ) that show striking similarity with tatting. A good description of this can be found in Knots, Splices and Fancywork.

Some believe tatting originated over 200 years ago, often citing shuttles seen in eighteenth century paintings of women such as Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the queen-consort of the United Kingdom as wife of King George III, Madame Adelaide (daughter of Louis XV of France Louis XV ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death on 10 May 1774. Coming to the throne at the age of five, Louis initially reigned with the aid of the Régent, Philippe, duc d'Orléans, his great-uncle. He took formal personal control of the government of France on his thirteenth birthday, 15 February 1723), and Anne, Countess of Albemarle. A close inspection of those paintings shows that the shuttles in question are too large to be tatting shuttles, and that they are actually knotting shuttles. There is no documentation, nor any examples of tatted lace, that date prior to 1800. All of the available evidence shows that tatting originated in the early 19th century.[3]

As most fashion magazines, and home economics magazines from the first half of the 20th century attest, tatting had a substantial following. When fashion included feminine touches such as lace collars and cuffs, and inexpensive yet nice baby shower gifts were needed, this creative art flourished. As the fashion moved to a more modern look and technology made lace an easy and inexpensive commodity to purchase, hand-made lace began to decline.

Tatting has been used in occupational therapy to keep convalescent patients' hands and minds active during recovery, as documented, for example, in Betty MacDonald's The Plague & I.

Notes

  1. ^ Beeton, Isabella Isabella Mary Beeton (12 March 1836 – 6 February 1865), universally known as Mrs Beeton, was the English author of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, and is one of the most famous cookery writers (1870). Beeton's Book of Needlework. Chancellor press. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15147/15147-h/15147-h.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  2. ^ Caulfeild, S.F.A (1972 (reprint of 1887 edition)). Encyclopedia of Victorian Needlework (Dictionary of Needlework). New York, New York: Dover.
  3. ^ Pam Palmer, Tatting, Shire Publications Ltd, 2000

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tatting
Lace Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was not made until the late 15th and early 16th types
Needle lace Needle lace is a type of lace created using a needle and thread to stitch up hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself Punto in Aria Punto in Aria is an early form of Needle lace, devised in Italy. It is considered the first true lace because it was the first meant to be stitched alone, and not first onto a woven fabric · Point de Venise Point de Venise is a Venetian needle lace from the 17th century characterized by scrolling floral patterns with additional floral motifs worked in relief (in contrast with the geometric designs of the earlier reticella) · Point de France · Alençon Alençon lace or point d'Alençon is a needle lace that originated in Alençon, France. It is sometimes called the "Queen of lace." Lace began being manufactured in originated in Alençon in the 16th century. The local industry was promoted by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, during the reign of Louis XIV, who established a Royal Lace Workshop · Argentan · Argentella · Armenian Like Lacis, Armenian needlelace seems to be an obvious descendant of netmaking. Where lacis adds decorative stitches to a net ground, Armenian needlelace involves making the net itself decorative · Hollie Point Hollie Point is a flat needlepoint lace with rows of knotted buttonhole stitches worked over stretched threads. Simple designs are created by holes left in otherwise plain cloth work formed by the buttonhole stitches. Noted for its appearance in baby clothes in the 18th and early 19th century, particularly in caps, the shoulder seams of shirts, · Halas lace · Point de Gaze · Youghal Youghal lace is a needle lace inspired by Italian needle lace developed in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland · Kenmare Lace Kenmare Lace is a hand made needlepoint lace originally made in Kenmare, Ireland. In the 1800s, sisters of the Poor Clare convent introduced needlepoint lace to the women and girls of the locality. It was a response to the poverty that followed the Great Famine. The initiative was of immeasurable help to the people of the area in those difficult · Limerick Embroidered: Reticella Reticella is a needle lace dating from the 15th century and remaining popular into the first quarter of the 17th century · Buratto Buratto is an Italian needle lace made by darning on a net. It is quite similar in appearance to filet lace but with one important distinction—it is darned onto a woven net, rather than the knotted net used for filet. Buratto tends to also be heavier in appearance due to the woven nature of the netting used · Filet/Lacis Filet lace is a Needle lace created by darning on a ground of knotted net or netting · Ñandutí Ñandutí is a traditional Paraguayan embroidered lace, introduced by the Spaniards, that is related to Teneriffe lace. The name means "spider web" in Guaraní, the official, indigenous language of Paraguay · Needlerun net Needlerun Net refers to a family of laces created by using a needle to embroider on a net ground. Along with Tambour lace this became more popular with the advent of machine made netting · Tambour Tambour lace refers to a family of lace made by stretching a fine net over a frame and creating a chain stitch using a fine hook to reach through the net and draw the working thread through the net · Teneriffe Teneriffe lace is a needle lace from the island of Tenerife. Sometimes called Sol lace, sun lace, similar to a lace from South America called ñandutí . In the 1930s - 1940s it was sometimes called Polka Spider Web Lace Cut Work: Battenberg · Broderie Anglaise Broderie Anglaise is a whitework needlework technique incorporating features of embroidery, cutwork and needle lace that arose in England in the 19th century · Carrickmacross Carrickmacross lace is a type of needle lace. Originating in Carrickmacross, Ireland in the early 19th century, it is still practised today
Bobbin lace Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually determined by a pattern or pricking pinned on the pillow Ancient: Antwerp Antwerp lace, is a bobbin lace distinguished by stylized flower pot motifs on a six point star ground. It originated in Antwerp, where in the 17th century an estimated 50% of the population of Antwerp was involved in lace making. Antwerp lace is also known, from its familiar repeated motif, as Pot Lace— in Dutch Pottenkant or Potten Kant. It is · Ecclesiastical · Freehand The very early bobbin laces were probably made freehand, as pins were scarce, coarse, and expensive. At first, the laces were purely utilitarian: “seaming” laces joining narrow widths of fabric, and toothed or scalloped laces reinforcing the edges (edgings). Many of the later freehand laces were also functional, but some areas produced very · Torchon Torchon lace is a bobbin lace that was made all over Europe. It is continuous, with the pattern made at the same time as the ground. Torchon lace is notable for being coarse and strong, as well as its simple geometric patterns and straight lines. It does not use representational designs. Torchon lace was used by the middle classes for edging or Continental: Binche Binche lace is a Flemish bobbin lace that originated in Binche, Belgium. It is continuous, meaning it is made all at once, in one piece. It is generally made in strips 2 inches wide. Though typically it has no cordonnet outlining the design against the ground, occasional pieces are made with a very fine one, about the same thickness as the thread · Flanders · Mechlin Mechlin lace is a bobbin lace originally produced in Mechlin. It is one of the best known Flemish laces. It is fine, transparent, and looks best when worn over another color. It was made in Mechlin, Antwerp, Lier and Turnhout. It was used for coiffures de nuit, garnitures de corset, ruffles and cravats · Paris · Valenciennes Valenciennes lace is a type of bobbin lace which originated in Valenciennes, in the Nord département of France, and flourished from about 1705 to 1780. Later production moved to Belgium in and around Ypres. The industry continued onto the 19th century on a diminished scale. By the 19th century valenciennes lace could be made by machine Point ground: Bayeux · Blonde Blonde lace is a continuous bobbin lace from France that is made of silk. The term blonde refers to the natural color of the silk thread. Originally this lace was made with the natural-colored silk, and later in black. Most blonde lace was also made in black. It was made in the 18th and 19th centuries. The pattern, which is generally of flowers, · Bucks point Bucks point is a bobbin lace from the East Midlands in England. "Bucks" is short for Buckinghamshire, which was the main center of production. The lace was also made in the nearby counties of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. Bucks point is very similar to the French Lille lace, and thus is often called English Lille. It is also similar · Chantilly Chantilly lace is a handmade bobbin lace named after the city of Chantilly, France, dating from the 17th century, though the most famous are silk laces introduced in the 18th century. Though called Chantilly lace, most of the lace bearing this name was actually made in Bayeux in France and Geraardsbergen, now in Belgium · Tønder Tønder lace is a point-ground type of handmade bobbin lace identified with the Tønder region of Denmark since about 1850, although lace of many types has been made there since as early as 1650. The term is also used more broadly, to refer to any bobbin lace made in Denmark · Beveren · Lille Guipure: Genoese · Venetian · Bedfordshire · Cluny · Maltese Part laces: Honiton · Bruges · Brussels Brussels lace is a type of pillow lace that originated in and around Brussels. The term "Brussels lace" has been broadly used for any lace from Brussels, however the term strictly interpreted refers to bobbin lace, in which the pattern is made first, then the ground, or réseau, added, also using bobbin lace. Brussels lace is not to be Tape: Milanese · Flemish · Russian · Peasant
Tape lace Mezzopunto · Princess · Renaissance · Romanian point
Knotted lace Macramé Macramé or macrame is a form of textile-making using knotting rather than weaving or knitting. Its primary knots are the square knot and forms of hitching . It has been used by sailors, especially in elaborate or ornamental knotting forms to decorate anything from knife handles to bottles to parts of ships · Tatting
Crocheted lace Broomstick lace · Irish crochet · Hairpin · Filet crochet
Lace knitting Lace knitting
Machine-made lace Warp Knit · Bobbinet · Leavers · Pusher · Barmen · Curtain Machine · Chemical Hand-finished: Hand-run Gimps
Decorative arts, handicrafts, arts and crafts
Textile Banner-making · Canvas work · Cross-stitch · Crocheting · Curve stitching · Embroidery · Felting · Friendship bracelet · Knitting · Lace-making · Lucet · Macrame · Millinery · Needlepoint · needlework · Patchwork · Quilting · Ribbon embroidery · Rug hooking · Rug making · Sewing · Shoemaking · Spinning (textiles) · String art · Tapestry · Tatting · Tie-dye · Weaving
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Griego: Colorado Starlites Drill Team an ongoing shout-out for Mrs. Jackson - Denver Post
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Denver Post ... no award-winning team, no straight-backed young women marching, drum line rat-tat- tatting , whistle calling out beep, beep, Mrs. Jackson died in January. ...
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Re enactors engaged museum goers through tatting demonstrations in the front parlor and discussions of Civil War era medical practice in the upstairs hall More information here

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hu, 22 Jul 2010 21:22:00 GM

Includes 11 patterns, and some hints on . tatting. with beads. Not all of the patterns require beads. This is a book for someone who already knows the basics of shuttle . tatting. . Price of $24 USD includes shipping to anywhere. ...

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'Tatting' Answers
where in India can i get metal tatting shuttles?
Q. Can you give me the address,,
Asked by superbgirl - Mon Mar 1 16:08:39 2010 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. You can pretty much get them in any good shop that sells art and stitching products.It is hard to give you the address without knowing which part of India you stay in.
Answered by Vidya - Mon Mar 1 23:27:50 2010

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