Tatting
The making of a form of knotted lace using thread and a small shuttle.
| Status | Currently viable |
| Historic area of significance | |
| Area currently practised | Tatting is practised throughout the British Isles and world-wide. |
| Origin in the UK | 19th century |
| Current no. of professionals (main income) | 0
There are no known professionals tatting as their sole income. A few will have remuneration for teaching or publishing books, mainly of patterns |
| Current no. of professionals (sideline to main income) |
|
| Current no. of trainees | There are no ‘trainees’. There are numerous people who wish to learn tatting as an interesting hobby |
| Current total no. serious amateur makers |
|
| Current total no. of leisure makers |
See other information |
| Minimum no. of craftspeople required |
History
Tatting possibly developed from knotting, an activity practised by aristocratic women from 15th century, though it may have developed from the fishermen’s netting technique. As tatting is a domestic craft details were never written down .
Tatting as we know it today emerged in the first half of the 19th century. The new availability of fine mercerised threads from 1835 encouraged a burgeoning of lacecrafts of all sorts. In the 19th century and well into the 20th century, tatting was used like crochet or knitted lace mainly for edgings, collars, doyleys, traycloths and so on.
Techniques
There are several different tatting techniques. Tatting using a shuttle is assumed to have developed from the large knotting shuttles of the aristocratic ladies, however needle tatting developed at the end of the 19th century using a long needle. A different size needle is required depending on the thickness of the thread or yarn used and this can be anything from a fine 80 cotton to thick Aran type wool. There are other techniques including hooked tatting developed by a Japanese lady and cro-tatting.
Within these types of tatting there are many (150!) techniques deviating from the basic ring and chain. These include Cluny tatting, split-ring, Maltese rings, pearl tatting, Josephine rings extended picots, triple picots, crossed picots, adding beads to the ring thread, adding to the ball thread, adding other hard objects etc.
Local forms
Sub-crafts
Issues affecting the viability of the craft
Availability of materials and equipment: Unfortunately with the demise of local needlecraft shops the shuttle or needles needed for the craft are not easily available. The thread for traditional tatting is unavailable and sadly many manufacturers are no longer making the suitable thread and certainly not in the range of colours. People are not walking into a craft shop, seeing the craft and inspired to ‘have a go’. Instead they can only see tatting at craft shows which have certainly not happened this year!
Support organisations
Craftspeople currently known
Other information
There is no way the number of ‘amateur’ or ‘leisure’ makers can be assessed. The Ring of Tatters had nearly 2000 members 20 years ago but this number has sadly greatly diminished as people find all they need, numerous patterns and technique help on line with countless videos on the various techniques giving different appearances to the final piece. So many folk are very computer literate that they do not want to go out to a class. Hence the classes are sadly decreasing and mainly supported by older, retired folk who want the social company.
References
- Palmer, Pam, Tatting (Shire Publications)
- Palmer, Pam, (2003) Tatting Shuttles: Related tools and Accessories
- Nakayama, Heidi, Tatting Shuttles
- Auld, Rhoda, (1974) Tatting
