And here's how I do it

 

It occurred to me shortly after my last post went live that I’ve never really posted about how I prepare tatting for framing. So, here’s an in-process photo.

After finishing tatting the pattern and blocking, I visit a trusted framer to decide how it will look hung.

After a quick iron and lint-rolling, I place the black cotton fabric in a frame or hoop. If it’s too large, pinning on an ironing board or something works well. The idea is to make sure the fabric doesn’t move and the tatting can be tacked down easily.

Next come the guidepost basting. I do baste in a contrast thread. My eyes do not see square. They see very fluidly. So, I never, ever trust them to see if things are aligned. With the software I use to create diagrams, it’s easy to print out grids. Using a sharp needle as small size as I can limits the marking of the black fabric.

Next I baste the tatting down with help from that guidepost basting again using contrasting thread.

Now comes the slow part.

I pick the densest part of the piece and proceed to tack it down with a cotton sewing thread that matches as close as I can get. If I’ve used a variegated thread in the tatting, I match each section. That can leave a few knots on the back of the piece, so I try to make as small a knot as possible using a quilter’s knot to start each thread piece.

From there I work to tack down the rest of the tatting.

I do not trust myself to use self-sticking mat board. I know many people swear by it, but I trust a good framer more than my eyes.