Marsha Buckner and Tammy Phillips
Story Published:
Jan 7, 2009 at 5:03 PM CST
Story Updated:
Jan 7, 2009 at 5:03 PM CST
The craft of tatting is said to be a dying art. But, with the help of a couple of teachers, it will remain alive up on the mountain.
Tatting is making a kind of knotted lace of cotton or linen thread with a shuttle or needle. According to the dictionary, tatting can be used to “make lace edging as well as doilies, collars, and other decorative pieces. The lace is formed by a pattern of rings and chains formed from a series of cow hitch (or half-hitch) knots, called double stitches (ds), over a core thread. Gaps can be left between the stitches to form picots, which are used for practical construction as well as decorative effect.”
Marsha Buckner and Tammy Phillips will be keeping the craft alive in classes at Purple Mountain Quilt Shop, 107 West Commercial Ave. in downtown Monterey on January 10. Its one of among many classes the new quilt shop gives each week.
Neither Marsha or Tammy knew the other did tatting until they both took them to ballgames to work on. They both use different techniques. Marsha likes to use what is called a shuttle. Tammy mostly uses a very thin needle.
Tammy learned from the late Kathlyn Reese. “Mrs. Reese,” Tammy said, “was 98-years-old when she first taught me to tat.” Marsha learned, she said, pretty much on her own.
She said she met a little lady at Murfreesboro, who was tatting and she asked what it was. The lady had gotten several first place ribbons at the Tennessee State Fair, Marsha learned. While she learned on her own, Marsha said her inspiration was her two grandmothers Vi (Viola) and Hazel.
Both Tammy and Marsha are first-place ribbon winner, themselves. “Marsha took my stuff,” Tammy said, “to the fair and entered it along with her own. Is that not a friend, entering my tatting when she was competing, too.”
The tatting class is one of many classes being offered at Purple Mountain Quilts. Other classes in the next few weeks include quilt piecing by Orpha Lusk, T-Shirt/Memory Quilting by Carol Guinazzo, “Yellow Brick Road,” by Debbie Melgar, Quilt in a Day Log Cabin, Quilting as you go placemats and more by Jane Tavernier. Contact Purple Mountain Quilts at 931-839-9665 for even more classes.
