Colonial Lady Applique from 'Aunt Ellen's Tatting Handbook'
tatted by Wanda Salmans
I have a lot of old Workbasket magazines. You remember those, don't you? Quite a few of them have a least one tatting pattern in them, along with all kinds of other crafts. The problem, of course, it knowing what patterns are in which edition. I usually end up spending a lot of time getting lost in looking through a stack of them, forgetting what I was looking for in the first place. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I loose a lot of tatting time that way.
Over at Craftree/Intatters there is a library that is being compiled, which has a lot of patterns in it. I'm not sure how many from Workbasket magazines. If not many yet there probably will be eventually.
I came across another place that has a large (make that huge!) bibliography of tatting. There are a lot of books both old and new listed, some with reviews. And a list of Workbaskets and what patterns are in which edition. That place is
Something Under the Bed. I am in awe of how much work Leigh has done here and not just for tatting but for several other crafts as well. I highly recommend this sight if you're looking for information on a book or pattern.
The pattern for the Colonial Lady above in the picture I found in 'Aunt Ellen's Tatting Handbook' copyright 1982, but was originally in a Work basket from 1954 (I know this because I made a note of it on the pattern in the book.) I talk about making this lady in a
post several years ago. She still looks good.
The Workbasket magazine in the picture is the June/July 1994 No Vol. 59 edition. It has a tatted "Independence Day Pin" in it - which I've made but can't think of where I put it right now. I actually made several of them to give to family one year. But if you wanted to make it and didn't know which edition to look in, you could find it on Leigh's site.
What are you waiting for? I know you have a pattern you need to find.
I have no affiliation with Leigh or her website, I just found it a fabulous place.
"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry."
Richard P. Feynman
www.brainyquotes.com
Labels: patterns
