"The Workbasket Magazine has its origins as a ready to sew quilt block company in 1930. It went through different incarnations over the next 5 years, as it was not until September 1935 that the first true "Workbasket Magazine" was issued. From a small 8 page foldout leaflet, it grew to a trade-sized magazine which included crafts as well as needlework such as crochet, knitting, tatting, embroidery. Workbasket remained in print until 1996. But it continues even today as a wonderful resource for tatters and other needle workers everywhere.

Vintage issues are sold and traded amongst collectors and tatters who repeatedly call for the compilation of the patterns and their reissue. There is even a club for collectors. I have spent many a happy hour rummaging through antique stores in hopes of finding a copy of an issue for my own collection. I have heard that more than one tatter has set out to tat every pattern they contained. But it is a hard goal to accomplish as the early years are very hard to find. One day they may be in public domain and we can all share them.

The Workbasket October 1956 issue had a tatting pattern, "Scallop Lace in Tatting", in which a set of nine rings with picots of varying lengths and chains were tatted unjoined and flopping in the breeze. Then a second shuttle created a single ring which joined in turn to each of the original nine rings, and which was closed only half-way and then (gasp!!) cut free and the end left dangling. Horrors!

I have drawn a two sets of diagrams. The first shows the Double Stitch count and the half-closed ring as described in the original pattern.

The second set of diagrams indicates a method of working by tatting a strip of split rings first and then turning back to do the ring and chain repeat joining to the picots of the large split ring and each repeat ending between the side by side smaller split rings.

Several tatters from the Online Tatting Class volunteered to experiment with this pattern. You can view their experiments here: http://www.georgiaseitz.com/classes2001/fall2001/scallop.html
Here's the latest article from the Tatting site at BellaOnline.com.
Workbasket Pattern List 1935-44
A list of the issues of the Workbasket Magazine and the tatting patterns in them from the first issue 1935 through 1944.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32031.asp
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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