Gearing Up

Since I really enjoyed doing my last interview, I asked my friend to recommend more talented crafters. I was impressed by TotusMel’s unique offerings on Etsy and approached her for an interview.

Tatting lace is not a craft I’ve seen much lately. How did you become interested in it?

I’ve been an avid knitter and crocheter since childhood, but I eventually bored of making scarves and blankets and I didn’t have time to do more elaborate projects with a toddler running about. I thought I would look for something new to try and discovered tatting. I first attempted shuttle tatting and after many a failed attempt I ran to the internet for help. I found needle tatting, taught myself in an evening and I was hooked.

Where do your designs come from? Do you create the patterns yourself?

Initially I was just making simple patterns for bookmarks, but I realized that this art could lend itself to jewelry and I started modifying to make bracelets, then chokers. I really enjoy finding old patterns for edgings and tableware and turning them into elaborate neck pieces. I do write a lot of my own patterns now as well as design with the needle in my hand. You’d be amazed at how many pieces form organically with very little forethought.

Tatted lace seems like it would be a very old fashioned look. How do you keep it fresh and hip?

I am so not old fashioned and most tatting patterns I’ve found are best suited to that aesthetic. It was always my intent to update the patterns so they would be modern and wearable. The simplest change I’ve made is color. Most tatting is done in white and ecru, but change that same piece to black and it becomes perfect for a Victorian or Gothic outfit. I also make many simple pieces that work well for everyday wear. I think tatting can position itself for a revival if people see it as not only classic, but modern as well.

Your style seems ideally suited to the neo-Victorian steampunk look. How do you envision it being worn?

My exposure to the Steampunk movement has mostly been through literature, comics and film, particularly anime. I was a bit of an Industrial Goth(social reject) in my younger years and though I grown out of it a bit, the styles embraced by the Gothic, Industrial, Neo-Victorian and Steampunk movements has always appealed to me. When you see one of those amazing Victorian inspired outfits, it’s easy to imagine them wearing a gorgeous lace neck piece. One of my very first designs was inspired by the more popular chandelier style necklaces. I tried to mimic the style with tatting chains and it has proved to be one of my most popular designs. The movement seems to be a perfect fit for the craft of tatting, it has a very classic look and can be done with an edge that speaks to incongruous nature of Steampunk.

‘The Lady Loves Absinthe‘ is a particularly striking piece. What inspired it?

The Lady Loves Absinthe was a piece designed for a beading challenge I participated in. The base design was inspired by a pattern found in a 1941 tatting booklet. It began as one half a collar meant to be applied to a jacket. I am by no means a beader, so it was a true challenge to work them into the design. In the end I imagined the piece worn with an amazing fairy costume in a dark ballroom and there is only one green fairy.

What would you say to someone who wants to learn an “almost lost” art like tatting?

Tatting has a very strong following online so there is a wealth of information on both shuttle and needle tatting available and it’s not as hard as you think it is. I suggest picking up the needle first. It’s easier to learn and you will get to create a real piece faster. Every time I explain tatting I think back to the game Othello. It’s tag line was, A minute to learn and a lifetime to master. This is one of those skills that can be easy to learn, but can become infinitely complex as you grow.

Pamela can be found on Etsy and at her blog, Needle Tatting and Other Nonsense.