The name Dexter Yarns is perhaps less well known to tatters than other vintage publications, but at least one of the Dexter booklets featured tatting. N.G.B. Dexter 1788-1866 (aka Grandpa Dexter)founded Dexter Yarn Company in 1820 in Pawtucket, RI. Dexter Yarn Company made high quality crochet and knitting cottons. As we have read this summer about other thread companies, Dexter Yarns also had a marketing tool. This was to publish instruction/pattern books ("Dexter Art Books"), leaflets, and packets in various areas of needle arts such as knitting and crocheting, in order to create a need for the threads.

In 1927, Dexter Yarn was acquired by Collingbournes. During that time one marketing gimmick was the use of the name "Grandma Dexter" in advertising. They did business as Dexter Thread Mills until it was bought out by LeeWards. And in the 1990's LeeWards was bought out by the chain of Michaels. How the threads intertwine!

Dexter No. 3 Filet Crochet and Tatting

Copyright 1917 by Lillian Frances Brown, Boston, MA, this antique needlework booklet was produced by the Dexter Yarn Co. Pawtucket, RI whose introduction featured a description of their 100 years of progress. Five pages of the booklet contained tatting patterns, pages 10, 12 -15. It may be freely copied and shared.

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http://www.georgiaseitz.com/dexter3/pg10.jpg

http://www.georgiaseitz.com/dexter3/pg12.jpg

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

Padded Tatting
A brief explanation of padded tatting using an illustration from the Needlecraft Magazine of May 1929, page 10.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38514.asp

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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

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