My Tatting Inspiration
This is my Aunt Merc, and she continues to be my inspiration for tatting. I used to watch her tat when I was a child. She was almost blind and tatted mostly by feel. It was fascinating to a little girl to watch yards of lace appear from within her fingers, just like magic. It is still magical to watch the things I can make now appear within my own fingers as I transform plain thread into beautiful lace creations. I think of her often and wish I could talk to her about tatting and everything it has become.
I didn't have the opportunity to learn from her. I had to teach myself. But she inspires me to keep this lovely craft alive.
(L to R, my sister Jennifer, Aunt Merc, me) This is the only picture I have of me and Aunt Merc together
Some History about Tatting
Tatting is an old form of lace making that dates back hundreds of years and has been practiced in one form or another in many countries. There has been a recent resurgence in popularity of this craft, mostly on the Internet, because it is an international art. The French call it �Frivolitee�, the German call it �Schiffchenspitze or Occhi�, the Italian call it �Chiacchierino�. There are also many talented tatters in Japan.
Tatting was sometimes called �poor man�s lace�, being an economical representation of the finer laces made and worn at Royal Court. Real lace required a pillow, pins, bobbins, needle and thread, and a net foundation. Tatting requires only the hand, with the stitches formed over the fingers using a shuttle, or over needles.
Tatting is often confused with crochet, as they are similar in appearance. Tatting is a row of knots that slide on a core of internal thread that are then formed into rings and chains. Crochet forms new stitches hooked onto previous ones in intersecting loops.
Tatting began hundreds of years ago and the way it is practiced has changed dramatically over the years. The end result of tatting, however, is a beautiful look of rings and loops and chains laid together in a graceful manner. (References from Tatting Techniques & History by Elgiva Nicholls)