Hanging the Cluny Cluny or Petal Tatting, aka Death-Grip Tatting The lace element known as a tally is used in many styles of bobbin lace. In bobbin lace it takes 4 bobbins to create. The weaving thread goes back and forth over the other 3 threads. Most tallies are created with points at the beginning and end and look like a leaf or petal. In tatting this "leaf" element can be created with only 2 threads. Called "Cluny or Petal" tatting, it is a type of weaving process done with the ball thread (or shuttle 2) wrapped around the "left" hand and the shuttle or needle carrying the thread over and under the loom threads. Traditionally this construction substituted for a chain. Today, however, the tatted tallie can tumble free of its confines and flutter leaflike freely in the breeze.

So how do we progress from:

to:

Like many of you, I started here: AKTATTER's first cluny tatted piece. In this piece, the white tallies were created using just the hand for a loom; the green tallies were created using a plastic loom to hold the threads. Tammy Rodgers has posted these directions for making your own cluny loom" Plastic Cluny Loom and Pat Tizzier has shared her directions for a loom also.

Mimi Dillman has a special fondness for cluny tatting and she has developed a series of photos to help us master this technique. The instructions link is on this page, Cluny with Mimi, with a cluny tatting bibliography and links to more cluny patterns online.

Wally Sosa has prepared illustrations for those using the tatting needle, also. Cluny with Wally

With these and aids from many tatters posted online, the study and use of the cluny tally is tatting has become more popular. Here a just a few patterns referenced in the online tatting class archives.

Cluny tatting has by no means stopped evolving. Although studying with Mimi certainly enhanced my appreciation of the cluny tally, it was Tim TenClay that made me realize that the tally need not be anchored at both ends after all. Tim's step by step photos of the HCL, Hanging Cluny Leaf. Wow.

So I began paying more attention to the cluny tally and noticed that one of Edda Guastalla's (visit Edda's website) students/colleagues, Cinzia Gabrieli was using it. She was inspired by Tim's work also and she added a little twist to it to add more color to the element also. She has shared this wonderful array of patterns with the online tatting class. Many thanks to her!

When preparing lessons to share with the online tatting class, I often rely on members on the class to help prepare models. However, when I called for models for the cluny, hanging cluny, and 2 color hanging cluny, I was underwhelmed with volunteers. Not knowing what was the obstacle, I studied the online work, the texts, the explanations, the diagrams, the patterns. I came to the conclusion that we had too much info and the how-to part needed to be condensed or simplified.