I am so pleased that last week's Legacy newsletter struck a chord also with many of the readers. To review that newsletter: (http://www.bellaonline.com/newsdtl.asp?name=tatting&date=11/26/2013%203:05:32%20PM). I have received several notes from the tatters. I would like to share a few of them with you.



Ann K. wrote:

"I loved your Bella essay on the traditions of tatting. I only wish I had kept in contact with all the tatters I have taught to see how many continued. Many were campground trainees and moved on before they fully mastered the basics. Some were computer savvy, but others had no way of help."

ED. I understand your feelings, Ann. I have been teaching tatting since 1985 and have lost count of how many thousand tatters I helped get started. Fortunately, through the books that I have published and by teaching online for 14 years now, I still have contact with so many of them. My greatest thrill is starting out a new tatter but the deepest emotions are generated when I learn of a former student who is now teaching! Truly ripples on a pond.



Jane H. wrote:

"50 years ago, I learned to tat as a student nurse. We had a Panamanian nursing instructor. She could tat a yard of lace a day. I found some great patterns in "Workbasket" Magazines. My collection goes back 60 years. I began tatting small gifts for my mom and aunts. I did not keep anything for myself. I especially liked a cross pattern from 1952, and made quite a few of those. I am now receiving them back as my mom and her generation are slipping away from us. This bittersweet treasure will a lasting memory of a time long past in my life as well. I keep my tatting shuttles close by but rarely find time to concentrate on the patterns I know so well. I am thinking about trying needle tatting next. This lace we create will outlast us by a 100 years."

ED. I know that The Workbasket helped keep many tatters in tatting patterns for decades before the internet, Jane. I marvel sometimes at the great number of tatters who are also in the medical and engineering fields. Your note reminded me that when I began teaching tatting I did not have any samples to show. I gave away everything. Now I make sure to photograph and keep copies of any tatting.

Susan C. wrote:

"Thoughtful post,...and especially apt with the passing of Jan Stawacz this week. May the number of new tatters continue to grow......."



Taerie K. wrote:

Unfortunately, I don't have anyone to pass my crocheting, sewing or tatting projects on to. I never had children and my nieces do not like anything "handmade" as they are too wrapped up into wanting "name" brand items. So my husband will probably throw everything out. What a waste!!"

ED. Taerie, you were not the only tatter who mentioned this problem. After we are gone, sometimes our families don't recognize the art of tatting and its importance to our lives. Items we treasured might be discarded. May I suggest some prior planning. For tatted pieces, please consider leaving instructions in your will to have them donated. The organization New Borns in Need (newbornsinneed.org) prepares burial layettes for newborns who do not make it home. If you have antiques, perhaps you will donate them to The Lace Museum (http://www.thelacemuseum.org/). The items there are made available for teaching and study purposes for lacers of all types. And books and supplies would be welcomed by the Palmetto Tatting Guild (http://palmettotatters.org/) and can be auctioned off to raises fund for their tatting scholarships.

Anita B:

"What a great thought! My legacy will be the tatted American flag (from a pattern in The Workbasket 1976, Bicentennial year). I tatted it for my retired US Air Force husband. But, I have 2 sons who I knew would argue over the tatted flag. So, I tatted 2 American flags. I used the same brand tatting thread for both flags so they are alike. I hope to promote tatting to people who would not have known of it. I tat everywhere. I have taught 2 people to tat through the years.

And……drum roll…..I am tatting the last project in the IOLI proficiency course! Woo-hoo! Let it be known that a person can survive the course! I will have to think more deeply about the legacy thing….. does it matter that I save the world on a daily basis? :) But, that’s just my full-time job…. Not a legacy. Hmm...I will have to think about leaving a legacy."

ED. Congratulations on working your way through the IOLI Tatting Proficiency Course. That is a legacy all by itself.



The photos brightening this newsletter are part of the tatting legacy of Dagmar Pezzuto from Brazil.

Here's the latest article from the Tatting site at BellaOnline.com.

Tatting Lace - CreAtor6 Tatting Lace by CreAtor 6 (sic) is a collaboration of ten tatting designers. It is large in size, 9" x 11.5" or 23 x 30 cm and fully half an inch thick! The 88 pages are all high quality heavy stock paper. Half the book is in full color showcasing the patterns while the other half has black and white.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art61289.asp

Please visit tatting.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Tatting. To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Tatting located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=39

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback! Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Georgia Seitz, Tatting Editor
http://tatting.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com