Lost art of lace tatting hangs on by a thread
by Lisa Wuertz
genre:
Home & Garden
description:
The Northwest Voice Sept. 12, 2007
chapters
chapter 1:
Bakersfield tatters seek to preserve craft
Bakersfield tatters seek to preserve craft
chapter 1
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updated 02/29/08
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Northwest resident, Nancy Randall, loves lace and loves to make it.
Randall was just 18-years-old when she first learned how to do lace tatting.
A retired next door neighbor taught the mother-to-be how to do the craft. Randall was hoping to attach lace to the new baby clothes she was receiving.
“I liked old-fashioned things. I thought it would be pretty to put on the baby’s socks,” she said.
She sat up until 2 a.m. after her first lesson making lace rings around handkerchiefs.
“Most people don’t even know what it (tatting) is or how beautiful it is,” Randall said.
Randall, now 68, never did wind up tatting lace for her children’s clothes. When her children finally came along, she did what any other busy mother would do and simply bought the clothes with lace already on them.
Later in life, Randall made church caps, doilies for her tables and a wedding veil all through her knowledge of tatting.
The craft will always be something she can be extra proud of in her life. Having suffered many difficulties — polio, a damaged spinal column, cancer, and more — she has never been able to participate in sports or other activities that got her peers noticed.
“It was something that I could be good at,” Randall said.
She still continues on with the art form in an attempt to preserve it for future generations.
“I do not have any surfaces left to put lace on, so I do it to give it away,” Randall said.
She also gives lessons to people free of charge so she can pass on her love of tatting to others.
“It’s a dying art. Now I’m really dedicated to it because I don’t want it to die,” Randall said.
Another local tatter, Don Ricketts, has also found this to be true.
“There are probably about four to five people here locally that tat. Not too many,” he said. “Most people I talk to when I demonstrate at the fair just say, ‘Yeah my grandma used to do that.’”
Ricketts judges the tatted pieces that are entered in the Kern County Fair each year.
He picked up the craft from his father. Most members of the Ricketts family are versed in other fiber crafts, too, such as macrame, crocheting and knitting.
“I wanted to do it because it is a lost art,” he said. “It was one of the biggest things I wanted to inherit from my dad, to keep the heritage alive.”
There is some disagreement over where and when tatting originated. Most of the evidence suggests that tatting originated in the early 19th century, as there are no examples of tatted lace that date prior to 1800. However, 18th century paintings of noble women — including Louis XV’s daughter, Madame Adelaide — holding the shuttles used in the craft do exist.
It is believed that like many other fiber crafts, including crocheting and knitting, tatting was originally developed by sailors for the construction of fishing nets.
Older designs, especially through the early 1900s, tend to use fine white or ivory thread and intricate designs. Designs from the 1920s to the present use a thicker thread in many colors.
“There are just now some new books out published in other countries,” Randall said. “These younger tatting designers are doing things I wouldn’t have even thought of and I am learning new things through their books.”
Some of the new designs construct the lace into flowers and other forms not typical of the craft.
Currently, tatted lace is the only type of lace that cannot be duplicated by a machine.
There was some talk of starting a lace guild in Bakersfield, according to Ricketts. This is something that Randall would love to see, too.
“I’d like to see it thrive in Bakersfield and have groups get together like the other craft groups do,” Randall said.
For those wanting to learn the art, Ricketts suggests picking up a book.
“There is plenty of material from books to learn,” he said.
Most of the local yarn and craft stores in town also carry materials that can get a person started on the craft.
Serious tatters collect the shuttles used to create the patterns. Ricketts has between 130 to 150 different shuttles made out of wood, metal, shell and more. Randall also has several prized shuttles.
Finer materials can be found on the Internet and in specialty shops throughout California.
For more information about tatting or to inquire about lessons, contact Nancy Randall at 588-3039.
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Randall was just 18-years-old when she first learned how to do lace tatting.
A retired next door neighbor taught the mother-to-be how to do the craft. Randall was hoping to attach lace to the new baby clothes she was receiving.
“I liked old-fashioned things. I thought it would be pretty to put on the baby’s socks,” she said.
She sat up until 2 a.m. after her first lesson making lace rings around handkerchiefs.
“Most people don’t even know what it (tatting) is or how beautiful it is,” Randall said.
Randall, now 68, never did wind up tatting lace for her children’s clothes. When her children finally came along, she did what any other busy mother would do and simply bought the clothes with lace already on them.
Later in life, Randall made church caps, doilies for her tables and a wedding veil all through her knowledge of tatting.
The craft will always be something she can be extra proud of in her life. Having suffered many difficulties — polio, a damaged spinal column, cancer, and more — she has never been able to participate in sports or other activities that got her peers noticed.
“It was something that I could be good at,” Randall said.
She still continues on with the art form in an attempt to preserve it for future generations.
“I do not have any surfaces left to put lace on, so I do it to give it away,” Randall said.
She also gives lessons to people free of charge so she can pass on her love of tatting to others.
“It’s a dying art. Now I’m really dedicated to it because I don’t want it to die,” Randall said.
Another local tatter, Don Ricketts, has also found this to be true.
“There are probably about four to five people here locally that tat. Not too many,” he said. “Most people I talk to when I demonstrate at the fair just say, ‘Yeah my grandma used to do that.’”
Ricketts judges the tatted pieces that are entered in the Kern County Fair each year.
He picked up the craft from his father. Most members of the Ricketts family are versed in other fiber crafts, too, such as macrame, crocheting and knitting.
“I wanted to do it because it is a lost art,” he said. “It was one of the biggest things I wanted to inherit from my dad, to keep the heritage alive.”
There is some disagreement over where and when tatting originated. Most of the evidence suggests that tatting originated in the early 19th century, as there are no examples of tatted lace that date prior to 1800. However, 18th century paintings of noble women — including Louis XV’s daughter, Madame Adelaide — holding the shuttles used in the craft do exist.
It is believed that like many other fiber crafts, including crocheting and knitting, tatting was originally developed by sailors for the construction of fishing nets.
Older designs, especially through the early 1900s, tend to use fine white or ivory thread and intricate designs. Designs from the 1920s to the present use a thicker thread in many colors.
“There are just now some new books out published in other countries,” Randall said. “These younger tatting designers are doing things I wouldn’t have even thought of and I am learning new things through their books.”
Some of the new designs construct the lace into flowers and other forms not typical of the craft.
Currently, tatted lace is the only type of lace that cannot be duplicated by a machine.
There was some talk of starting a lace guild in Bakersfield, according to Ricketts. This is something that Randall would love to see, too.
“I’d like to see it thrive in Bakersfield and have groups get together like the other craft groups do,” Randall said.
For those wanting to learn the art, Ricketts suggests picking up a book.
“There is plenty of material from books to learn,” he said.
Most of the local yarn and craft stores in town also carry materials that can get a person started on the craft.
Serious tatters collect the shuttles used to create the patterns. Ricketts has between 130 to 150 different shuttles made out of wood, metal, shell and more. Randall also has several prized shuttles.
Finer materials can be found on the Internet and in specialty shops throughout California.
For more information about tatting or to inquire about lessons, contact Nancy Randall at 588-3039.
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