Long time readers of this blog, and those that work with me on projects, know I am the Queen of Repurpose. I like playing Baroque music for many reasons. One is that, like jazz, music of Bach and Handel is intended for whatever instrument(s) are at hand. I tat with whatever thread is available a lot of times.
This is one of those times:
The shuttles came to me by way of a friend I know through
the organ world. Most of the thread was wound on the plastic shuttle. It’s
vintage. Rough feeling and uneven. I’ll use it to sample. The tatting will go
into my bin of samples to let student finger and ponder. Maybe a sample will
end up in a pop quiz….
This center is to a lovely doily that mixes mignonette with ring and chain. I like assigning it as the book (Learn to Tat by Jeanette Baker) has lots of basics. Directions are clear for the most part. A student is working on this doily. The way the pattern is written out, the size picot matters. Her version was cupping badly by round 2. She’ll start again using a smaller size picot. Another student insisted that if she just used the size thread called for, it would lay flat. Well, they’re both correct. My question: will this sample lay flat?
It’s surprising that more attention is not paid in tatting to tension and picot size, that can affect whether a piece lies flat or not. Trial and error the only solution, as you imply.
ReplyDeleteIt is significant what tatters pay attention to. In music, with have tools of metronome or conductors. I think it is a testament to the brilliance and diligence of tatters that we CAN tat patterns designed by others sitting with us and long passed.
Delete