If you're European American, your great-grandmother probably had a tattoo, and if her great-grandmother was a class woman, she probably had one too.
Although some believe that tatting has nautical origins, it is a relatively new lace-making technique that was put into practice a little more than 200 years ago and briefly became popular in women's magazines and parlors. It's making a comeback and threatens to become as popular as it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Tatting on public transport is perfect. You can keep the lace and shuttle in your skirt pocket, take it out as needed, work on just a stitch or two, and then put it back in your pocket.
Tatting has always been an aristocratic pastime. Ordinary women did not have time to sit down to make lace. This was the 19th century equivalent of the “fidget spinner” for women who hosted parties with fancy tea utensils, and was especially suited to chatty women who liked to keep their fingers occupied.
Ketra Hickman
aristocratic fidget spinner
One of my most prized possessions is a bookmark supposedly inscribed by my great-grandmother, Mary Ann Wheeler. It was given to me by my maternal grandmother, who taught me about 4 years ago when I asked to learn tat. It took nearly three days to make just one inch of lace. I then hand sewed about 10 yards of cotton lace border for the quilt.
For me, shuttle tatting is certainly similar to a fidget spinner, but I feel good after “spinning” when I have something to show, such as a lace.
Ketra Hickman
Ketra Hickman
shuttle diplomacy
For the past few months, my husband and I have been living out of our backpacks and on the go. Tatting has a better shelf life than knitting or crocheting. It's lightweight and takes up little space. I also keep a few extra shuttles on hand to use whenever I meet someone I want to learn from.
Great for public transport. You can keep the lace and shuttle in your skirt pocket, take it out as needed, work on just a stitch or two, and then put it back in your pocket.
Tatting is difficult to master if you have not learned other crafts. You need to tie a series of knots using either a shuttle or a straight needle, and you need perfect, taut tension to flip the knot from one thread to another and keep the knot intact .
slide instead of stick. The size of the lace is determined by the needle for needle tatting and by the weight of the thread for shuttle tatting.
If you have hand or finger problems, needle tatting is a good option. I personally prefer shuttle tatting simply because shuttles are so beautiful and fun to use. Shuttles come in a variety of sizes to hold more or less yarn. Traditionally made from sterling silver, they are also made from bone, shell, wood, steel, and plastic. Tatting is often done with thin thread, but you can tat with any type of thread. I used embroidery floss and thread.
It's tat time
You can make all kinds of things with tatting. All the lace of the wedding dress was made from silk thread. I also made barefoot shoes, earrings (I don't have pierced ears myself, but earrings sell well on the go), bookmarks, collars, lace trim, and doilies. There are various Instagram accounts that sell tattooed jewelry.
Ketra Hickman
The combination of lace cuffs and collar is also popular. The little old woman is best known for her doilies, but she also once made the beautiful lace trim for priests' vestments. I have an ambition to make a lace parasol. The great thing about tatting is that once you master it, creating lace doesn't take as long as you think.
When I hosted Living Room Academy, an immersive program for girls, I didn't teach tatting. Because it just takes longer to master the basics than other general skills, and I didn't consider it a “need” skill to prioritize learning. Includes sewing and baking. However, if you feel like making lace just for fun, it's worth the time and effort to learn tatting.
My husband used to joke that if I opened a tattoo shop next to my tattoo parlor, I would be able to offer 'no-regret tattoos.' There's something about a piece of lace. Perhaps it was popular among the aristocracy at some point in history. But now… we all have time to make a little lace if we want.
Ketra Hickman
