Welcome to the Meet and Greet Session
of the Online Beginners Tatting Class!
Goals for this lesson
Use your favorite Internet Browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc) to open the chatroom page. You can have other windows open to refer to the lesson if you like, or just print it out.
It is your choice on whether you learn needle or shuttle tatting or both, if both which order. We will be teaching both of these �side by side� in the beginners� class. Needle tatting is faster to learn; shuttle tatting is more commonly found.
Supplies are very simple and as inexpensive or as expensive as you want to make it.
- Thread: two colors of cotton crochet or tatting thread such as DMC Cebelia size 10. Please no smaller than size 20. (The higher the number the thinner the thread - save that size 80 for when you have more confidence).
- Scissors (or a favorite cutting implement for your thread)
- Notebook to keep printouts/samples in
- Tatting implement: shuttle or needle and threader(see below)
Needle Tatters need to select a needle to match your thread. Substitutes: Any long needle (such as a doll needle) the same diameter as your thread with straight shank and eye no wider than the shank. You may have to blunt the end.
Shuttles - get at least one if not 2. They can be post type, bobbin type, or flat. You can make your own flat ones from any sturdy material that you can cut, for example, quilting template, or from shrink plastic.
Tatting supplies can sometimes be found at JoAnn's, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Mary Maxims and or even local yarn or sewing stores. You can find more by mail from the Internet.
Here are some places
From EHow for post or bobbin shuttles.
Tatting is composed of what are referred to as double stitches on a core thread. Double stitch is most frequently abbreviated as "ds." Let's just make double stitches in a "chain" (straight line) for now.
Needle tatters make chains of double stitches by casting them onto the pointed end of the needle over and over, then pulling the needle through the tube when complete. Thread your needle, pinch a place about an arm's length away from the needle with your left hand, and start casting on. Links to see the Double Stitch being made in moving images with written description:
Shuttle tatters will need to wind about 1 yard of their ugliest color on their shuttle and cut it from that ball. Tie a pretty ball of thread to the end of that ugly thread dangling from the shuttle (any knot). Make the 2 halves of the double stitch as you see in the instructions below. You'll know you have done the 'flip' correctly when the stitch is the "pretty" color. Don't let it change back to the ugly one!
Many left-handed people say that they prefer to tat "right-handed" (methods illustrated above) because actually, the left-hand has the more difficult job (smaller adjustments). If you're left-handed, we recommend you try the above way first; if it's not working for you, here are left-handed illustrations:
You may also try viewing illustrations and videos in a mirror..
Concluding note: as we go through these links and others, if you're confused, speak up. You will find that most authors use different terms for the same thing, and sometimes their methods are a bit different than others. We're happy to explain the differences.
There is definitely more than one way to tat! There are no tatting police either, so you can choose what works best for you to produce tatting that looks good to you.
Have fun, we will see you in class!
Suppliers
How to...
Wind your tatting shuttle (EHow)
How to wind a fine wooden shuttle
Double Stitch, Needletatting
Double Stitch Shuttletatting, left- and right-handed tatters
Double Stitch Shuttle tatting, left-handed tatters
Videos