Of vintage and new

Remember this intriguing mat from the Lace Museum collection?

Mat with tatting from the
Lace Museum in Sunnyvale

 My interest was pricked not just by the use of lace with a cloth mat, but by the question of, “could this be tatted by a machine?” Since Santa Clara County has ordered all museums closed, I was not able to examine it in person. The photographs shared were very well done and gave me quite a bit to go on. After hours of searching online, thank you Google Scholar, I concluded that there were patents applied and granted for tatting machines. There is excellent research work out there. More should be done.

I kept going back to the mat. From the photograph, it looked like it was tatted with only chains, no rings. How would I choose to tat it? I sent emails, studied the photo, made notes, picked up my shuttles and created a sample. The staff at the Lace Museum in Sunnyvale is interested in offering a class to recreate this piece. So, I’ve been creating the written pattern with diagrams, tatting samples, and pulling together a kit list for them. Target date is in July. Anyone interested in joining the fun?

Why beads matter

I stated in the previous post that I hold the opinion that a tatting pattern should be pleasing to tat in many combinations of materials. I also stated I use beads intentionally in some patterns. BWV 549 is one of those intentional patterns. 

Beads represent when the pedal states the subject and/or motif. You see, Bach used the pedal division of the organ to highlight a compositional idea. On the organs he played, some of the lower pipes (read tuba, double bass viol) spoke very slowly. They always remind me of the lumbering elephants; not unimportant, not without emotion, not flashy or piercing. Other lower pipes (read horn, bassoon, trombone) spoke quickly and pierced through the sound of the rest of the organ. They could accent the piece and be memorable. Bach often used the pedal division to sum up his fugues. The last statement of the subject is powerful and memorable.  

In BWV 549 (Prelude and Fugue in c minor) Bach extends the last fugue subject into a flourish of sound with the pedal leading the way. So beads….

Just enough to be memorable.

Preparation is key

Musicians get it. 

Without regular practice or play-through, things don’t go smoothly in performance. Without careful choice of thread, beads, even shuttles, tatting doesn’t end up as pleasing. 

I’m preparing for the second Ice Drop session. With each workshop, you discover things that you didn’t quite prepare for adequately. Success is responding to the unexpected. Success is when all learn. Success is smiles and requests for more.

So, I’ll be amending my pattern handout, preparing samples to demonstrate tricky spots, and gathering next step samples.

 After a cup of tea…….

Cro-tat progress

This cro-tat technique is growing on me. I like the thought that I could collaborate with someone accomplished in crochet. Here’s the best of what I worked on Tuesday:

The sample on the bottom in both pictures has some crochet stitches between rings. The sample on the top in both pictures is shown with top side and bottom side. The one document I found on line suggests using rings with the bottom side up as the picots look better. I think that’s because the rings in that pattern were to represent flowers.

I used some thread left over from a previous project. I think it was tatting to put on a card. The leaf color reminds me of that series. It’s Cotton Perle in size 8. I used the cro-tat hook that I was gifted. I think it was sourced from Annie’s Attic, but not sure.

I’m going to continue to play with this.

Twill sampler sample

The twill sampler is off the loom. It’s always intriguing to see what the different treadling combinations look in the different threadings. 

For instance, the straight twill in the left section looks very different from the M’s and W’s section (which is next to last to the right). When they work out looking nice here, I try to make a note next to that treadling combination.  

Now the decision of how to finish it. Leave it plain? Practice my hemstitching? Tat an edging? Fringe or no fringe. It’s a sampler, so I’m leaning to just leaving it.

Incidentally, I’m partial to M’s and W’s as those are my initials prior to marriage.

Still working.....

I’m still working on the edging. 

I got distracted yesterday trying to pick drapes for the studio. It’s a task you only do every once in a while…like every 20 years or so if you get it right. So, I want to get it right! 

I did get around the 3^rd corner, so I will be finishing the tatting today, washing everything to encourage shrinkage BEFORE I sew the edging on. Yes, lesson learned with a previous project!

Oh! I should mention that we made it through step 4 of 5 in the process of getting a Historic designation on the house. I can’t wait to get things in place for the completion of those projects.

Back to working on… 

oh yeah, the edging. 

another bookmark experiement

I’ve been mulling over a pattern found in an old Workbasket magazine. These publications are always interesting to flip through. I feel a bit like an archeologist as the pages turn. A pattern for a flag caught my eye several years ago. I feel it’s time now to update the pattern. The first puzzle for me is the join between rows; just a bit counterintuitive for this tatter. But, I was able to persevere and figure it out:

tatted American flag sample

Now I need to figure out exactly how many rings and chains to do in each row to make the proportions correct. And then there's the stars to dream about.

I think this sample will go to my chaplain friend for her stash of bookmarks to give out.