Tatting: It’s Not a Lost Art, It’s Waiting to Be Rediscovered

I love it when people find a handicraft and say, “Oh! That’s a lost art!” Handicrafts aren’t lost, they are hidden in layers of history and disuse until someone finds a unique piece that fascinates them, or until the world cycles back to it. Everything is circular.

Being Left-Handed

Tatting is one of those crafts that pops its head up occasionally, which makes people stop and wonder about it. I first learned about needle tatting through a library book, and as a left-handed crafter, trying to follow the right-handed diagrams made no sense! A few years later, a friend gave me a craft book on shuttle tatting, and once I gave it a try, I haven’t stopped. While needle tatting and shuttle tatting create the same effect, the movement of the tools is different. With needle tatting, the needle is stationary with the dominant hand creating loops to place on the needle. In shuttle tatting, the shuttle holds the thread, and its movement creates the tatting, which I found easier.

Katrina shows both left- and right-handed views of each main step. In shuttle tatting, you hold the shuttle in your dominant hand, either left or right, as shown above.

A Video for Everyone

One of the trickiest parts of learning the craft was finding online resources for learning left-handed. That is why I’m happy to say that in our new beginner shuttle tatting video, I show both right- and left-handed views of the pesky flip and how to read pattern instructions for each. I hope that seeing the techniques from both sides will give a greater understanding for all makers involved, regardless of which hand you use.

What Will You Find?

In the video, I explain how thread size affects the finished piece, demonstrate the double stitch, which is the heart of tatting, and share a pattern for you to try on your own as an introduction to this fabulous craft.

You’ll also:

• Learn about the types of tools needed, from shuttles to thread and scissors.
• Ways to tension your thread for ease of movement and consistent stitches.
• The main event—the double stitch, shown both left and right-handed, along with the pesky flip.
• Making rings, chains, and picots, the three building blocks to a tatted piece.
• Reading charts and diagrams that need no language translation.

Two Ways to Watch and Learn

1. Click play or watch the video on YouTube (and be sure to share with your friends).
2. Enroll in this course FREE on Learn.longthreadmedia.com and get not only the video but also the pattern PDF, a large diagram, and bonus shuttle information.

No matter how you watch, I hope you’ll join me in (re)discovering the joy of shuttle tatting.