Victorian Tatting the Weldon’s Way: Loop and Leaf Border

Weldon’s Practical Needlework houses a wealth of information on Victorian tatting. Here’s our 21st installment in this series fromWeldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 4. The following are instructions for how to tat a “Loop and Leaf Border.” The material is reproduced here just as it appeared in England in 1889. No alterations or corrections were made.

Illustrations from Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 4.

LOOP AND LEAF BORDER.
CROCHET cotton, No. 12, or No. 8, according as you desire the border to be fine or coarse. Make a loop with the shuttle thread, work 7 double, 1 picot, 7 double, and draw up; reverse the work, and with a second thread, work 3 double, 1 picot, 9 double; reverse, make a loop with the shuttle thread, do 7 double join to the picot of the small oval just done, 3 double, 1 picot, 4 double, draw up; make another loop, do 4 double, join to the picot in last oval, 3 double, 1 picot, 3 double, 1 picot, 4 double, draw up; * make another loop, do 4 double, join to the picot in last oval, 8 double, 1 picot, 4 double, draw up; make a loop again, do 4 double, join to the picot in last oval, 3 double, 1 picot, 3 double, 1 picot, 4 double, draw up; again make a loop, do 4 double, join to the picot in last oval, 3 double, 1 picot, 3 double, 1 picot, 4 double, draw up; these five ovals form a “leaf;” reverse the work, and with the second thread, work 9 double, 1 picot, 3 double; reverse, make a loop with the shuttle thread, do 7 double, join to the picot in the last oval of the leaf, 7 double, draw up; reverse, and with second thread, work 3 double, 1 picot, 9 double; reverse, make a loop with the shuttle thread, do 7 double, join to the picot in the last oval of last leaf (where join is already made), 3 double, 1 picot, 4 double, draw up; make another loop, do 4 double, join to picot in the last oval, 3 double, join to picot in the last but one oval of last leaf, 3 double, 1 picot, 4 double, and draw up; and continue from * for the length you desire the border to be. For the crochet heading, as shown in the illustration, 1 double crochet in the picot to the right of the top oval, 3 chain, 1 double crochet in the next picot, 4 chain, and so on.

Find out more about tatting in our video download Shuttle Tatting with master tatter Georgia Seitz.

If you have created any items from this series, we would love to see them. Please email us at <a href="mailto:piecework@longthreadmedia.comave.com" rel="noopener" target="blank">piecework@longthreadmedia.com._

Featured Image: Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 4, offers up a wealth of information on Victorian tatting.