When it is so hot inside and out that we can barely stand the warmth from the tatting thread in our hands, a few hours in a cool room surfing for tatting history is just the remedy. Continuing the summer series on tatting tidbits, I draw your attention to Belding Bros. purveyors of silk threads. Belding Bros. founded in 1860 began making silk thread in 1866 in Rockville, CT. This expanded to mills in Belding, MI, Northampton, MA, Petaluma, CA, and Montreal, Canada. Apparently their mills were first class and the care of the workers was paramount. They established well maintained dormitories for the women workers and included a corporate hospital, too.

As with other thread makers, Belding Bros. also developed crochet, embroidery and needlework pattern books in order to tempt needle workers to try their thread. Read more about it at:
http://www.belding.michlibrary.org/our-history-1/belding-brothers-company-silk-manufacturers.html

Belding Brothers & Company merged with Heminway Silk Company in 1925 and did business as Belding-Heminway. Soon after, the company was acquired by Corticelli Silk Company and did business as Belding-Heminway-Corticelli. The last mill in Belding closed in 1932.

The antique pattern library has two Belding Bros. books for free download. Although these two have no tatting patterns, their flower diagrams are inspirational. http://antiquepatterns.dreamhosters.com/BeldingRevisedNeedleHook3.pdf,
http://antiquepatterns.dreamhosters.com/BeldingSelfInstructor.pdf

The one Belding Bros. Booklet with tatting patterns is being posted on BellaOnline in the free tatting patterns section over the weeks of July 17 through August 7. This book is broken into 4 sections. Enjoy.




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

Belding Bros. Silk Tatting Book Pt. 2
Belding Brothers Silk Tatting Book. This manufacturer of silk thread published an instruction booklet with patterns. This antique public domain booklet is presented in parts. Here is Fig. 4 through Fig. 9. It is an interesting example of the multiple illustrations used for tatting.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38598.asp

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Georgia Seitz, Tatting Editor
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