Tatter of the Month-March 2013

Donna B., shuttle tatter, guild member since 2006.

When did you first learn about tatting, when did you start tatting, and who taught you?

 Years and years ago there was a lady who said she would teach me how to tat, but she suddenly lost her vision and was unable to do so. I learned from Patti Duff in 2006 with my daughter, Erin.

What tatting skill do you want to learn?

I want to be able to close a cluny.

What is the largest project you have tatted?

A six-foot piece of lace and several insertion pieces for my sister in ecru (which is not my favorite color to work with).

Who is your favorite designer?

 Martha Ess and Jan Stawasz

Favorite tatting book?

 Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konoir

Favorite thing to tat?

 Dragons

Favorite thread color?

 Caribbean

Favorite thread brand?

 Lizbeth

Have you ever made your own pattern?

 Not yet, but I have a few stored in my head that I plan to try.

What is your favorite thing you have tatted thus far?

A doily made with Caribbean thread.

Donna’s favorite tatted piece.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Sewing, hiking, reading, and more.  I used to knit and crochet, but tatting is the only thing that doesn’t bother my hands.

Earrings and A New Technique

 One of my friends at church loved the butterfly earrings I made my sister in law so much – that she requested I make a pair for her in brown.  This was my first tatting sale.

 

 

 

I loved the blue earrings I made for my mum-in-law so much that I decided to make a pair for myself with some silver seed beads.

 

 

At Saturday’s Shuttlebirds Tatting Guild meeting, I learned how to make flowers branch up off a chain.  The chain pictured starts with playing around a bit with pearl encapsulation.  Then it moves into the flowers and a branching encapsulation technique.  I love this technique and look forward to using it in many future pieces.

 

The pattern we worked from during the meeting is “Thicket of Flowers” and can be found in Sherry Pence’s Branching Encapsulation book.  The pattern is very well written.  She clearly explained each step.

 

I went away from the meeting knowing the following:

* how to work with three shuttles

* how to spiral tat

* how to encapsulate the stem of a flower so that I ended up back down at the chain

 

I will be tatting this afternoon with my mom.  She is working on making a flower and getting the closing join down.  I plan on trying some branched off elements on the flowers (following the part of the pattern I didn’t get to on Saturday).

– Natalie