Maybe you’ve seen those gorgeous tatted snowflakes, angels or crosses hanging on a Christmas tree. Maybe you have a memory of your grandmother clicking shuttles and making beautiful strands of lace. Or maybe you just stumbled across tatting by accident! So what is tatting? And where did it come from?
Basically, tatting is just a fancy word for lace making. Shuttles or needles are used to form knots which are put together to form gorgeous lace. It sounds so simple, but the result is absolutely amazing.
Tatting history
Early history of tatting
No one is exactly where and how tatting began, but knotted lace artifacts have been found in Egyptian, Chinese and Goth and Visigoth remains 1.
One of the most popular theories of how modern tatting came to be is that it came from ancient sailors. If you know anything about sailing, you know that it involves knots, and, guess what? That happens to be the same thing that makes tatting. Over time, people realized how beautiful the knots are and they figured why not make some decorative pieces from the knots?.
The sailors had hours of time with nothing to do, so they started making lace. Then they took those pieces and traded them in town. Or maybe they gave them to some “special friends” they met in port.
After the sailors started trading their wares, local artisans began to start tatting. The artisans taught the common people and, suddenly, everyone was tatting! Well, maybe not everyone but a lot of people. There are even stories of nuns in Ireland learning to tat and then taking the proceeds from the sale of the lace to help the poor2.
But it wasn’t only the common folk who were tatting. It also became the preferred handicraft for a lot of royalty, including Queen Mary of England who was a huge fan. She and her ladies of the court were seen with their shuttles often3.
Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg (namesake of the city of Charlotte, NC!) was also painted with shuttles.
19th century and beyond
By the 1800s, tatting was a worldwide phenomenon. What we know as tatting was spreading into America, England, France, and around the world. Patterns started showing up in common magazines like “Harper’s Bazaar” 4.
After that, it became common to see housewives around the world wrapping thread around a shuttle and making beautiful lace. Tatted lace was used to embellish clothing, pillows and create household decorations like doilies.
After World War II, the whole world started trying to find simpler and cheaper ways of doing almost everything, and tatting almost became a dead art. It was easier to make lace in a factory than making it by hand.
Luckily, newer generations have rediscovered the art, whether from older family members or the internet, and tatting is experiencing a new life.
Types of tatting – shuttle vs. needle
There are two main types of tatting - shuttle tatting and needle tatting. Both make gorgeous lace, but the techniques are pretty different.
As you might have guessed by the names, the biggest difference between the two are the tools used to create the lace. Most people say that needle tatting is the easier of the two.
In needle tatting, you make the lace by wrapping the thread around the needle, and more thread is pulled through the knots to create loops. Many people who already enjoy knitting and crocheting also love needle tatting since it’s pretty similar.
In shuttle tatting, you make lace using a shuttle, usually about 2-4 inches long. The thread is wrapped around a bobbin in the shuttle and the knots are made by moving the shuttle back and forth across the thread. This is the older form of tatting and considered “true” tatting by many5. Shuttle tatting is also more durable than needle tatting.
Tatting shuttles can be made of plastic, metal, or even bone! Some of them are incredibly fancy and beautiful. Some even have intricate designs etched or painted on them.
There’s a third type of tatting that’s less popular than the other two called cro-tatting. As the name suggests, cro-tatting combines crocheting techniques with tatting techniques. The cro-tatting hooks are smaller than normal crochet hooks. A lot of people with experience crocheting think this one is the best because it uses familiar tools, but it might not be the most durable.
Let’s look at some tatting examples!
Tatted lace can be added to almost anything to add some beauty and class. It can be used to add a decorative edge on a dress or a shirt. Here is an example of tatted lace collars by Michele Glover of Chele’s Lace.
Another gorgeous use of tatting is to create snowflakes. These snowflakes can be used as Christmas tree decorations. Here are a few snowflakes from Chele’s Lace.
Tatting can also create beautiful bookmarks or other small decorations like angels and crosses. Let’s take a look at some of Chele’s Lace’s versions.
There are so many gorgeous things that can be done with tatting. It almost became a lost art, but thanks to the magic of the internet, and people like Michele Glover, it’s having a renaissance. Thankfully, this beautiful artform is here to stay.
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