I had a serious bout of tatting during most of May, after ordering heaps of lovely tatting thread in various colours and thicknesses.
I really wanted to make some of those old fashioned handkerchiefs, with tatted lace edging, but wasn't really sure about what size of thread to use, and what size the handkerchief itself should be. I asked around online, and got answers from some nice ladies who owned antique ones. I wasn't even sure if the edging should be tatted directly onto the fabric. I opted for making the edging first, and then making a customised piece of fabric. That way, it is easier to get the corners to sit right.
The fabric is cotton batiste, densly woven, lovely and feathery light!
All edges are hemmed by hand.
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| Dainty little flowers, they look complex but they were rather quick once you got going. |
The thread most commonly used are size 80 to 100, which are very fine threads, and you get very dainty lace. It is also a pain to see in a poorly lit living room, and if you loose concentration, and make mistakes, they are harder to correct than thicker thread tatting. But the end result is stunningly beautiful!
Tatting has been around since the beginning of the 19th century, and it was very popular in the Victorian era. I would imagine every Victorian lady would have loads of these delicate embellishments on their undergarments, in their living rooms on small tables, tatted bookmarks and small beaded doilies over their milk jugs to keep flies off. And they surely had handkerchiefs!
This border pattern is free online, and is called "Iris". Designed by Joelle Paulson.
You can find it here, along with other lovely patterns on Le Blog De Frivole.
After making the edging, my shuttles were still half filled with thread, so I tried my hand once again on the Frauberger doily I made earlier. It is such fun to see the differece in size just by sizing down the thread!
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| The first Frauberger doily on the left measures 6.5". The small one is only just over 3" across. Stitch count is the same. |
I love the tatting. I enjoy making samples, but since I never wear frilly clothing, I've never been sure how to incorporate the tatting.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do agree. Often tatting is just used for things that are purely ornamental. I mean, how many doilies does one need? I am trying to think of some use that is a bit more useful :)
DeleteThese are fabulous! I have just bought a few more bobbin lacemaking books and am hoping to get back into that a little bit. I have been finding it quite hard to get my head around the instructions in my other books so hopefully I will find some new inspiration. I have yet to make anything anywhere near as pretty as these.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Bobbin lace, to me, looks SO complex and confusing. Kudos to you for doing it!! It too, is so feminine and lovely. Excited to see what you make :) Hope the books are helpful!
DeleteThis is so quite!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anthea!
DeleteÅh, så fint! Du har jo blitt kjempeflink. Jeg har så vidt prøvd meg på nupereller, lagde blondekanter til en skjorte til en barnebunad en gang. Men aldri noe så avansert son dette!
ReplyDeleteTusen takk!! Syns nupereller er kjempeartig, og veldig fint. Jeg syns det så veldig innvikla ut når jeg begynte, men det er jo faktisk ganske enkelt når man har dreisen på buer og ringer og greier å holde skyttelen riktig :) Gøy å ha deg tilbake igjen!
DeleteWow! This is absolutely gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lynne ;)
DeleteAll that work is just so gorgeous! I love seeing it, but my hands hurt just thinking about it ;-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I know what you mean... My hands are starting to hurt a bit, but I have found that switching things up, and not doing the same craft for a long time really helps. If I haven't tatted for a couple of weeks, my hands hurt badly the first two days or so, and then it settles down. Actually, my eyes struggle more when using this small thread. I must be getting old!
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