:: Butzy’s Biz ::

Every year around the end of January, the Quilting & Sewing fair comes to Phoenix. And every year, I attend. It’s a madhouse! Crafty-types come from surrounding states to attend this event. Parking is a nightmare and the crowd that first day — THE day any respectable crafter must attend, you know — rivals that of any Super Bowl.

As one might guess, rarely a year goes by that I don’t purchase something. It can be as small as a couple of watercolor brushes or as large as, well, I won’t mention the name brand but that new iron if fabulous!

The world is full of abbreviations, thanks to the wonderful world of fast-paced living. Even though Tatting is hundreds of years old, it is no different.

Sometimes, the biggest stumbling block to beginning a project is interpreting pattern abbreviations. For the most part, shuttle tatters use the same "shorthand" over and over again.

Just to get you started, or refresh your memory, I’ve compiled a list of abbreviations that are most commonly found in older Tatting patterns.

What about newer Tatting patterns, you ask? I’ll show you that in a simple pattern I’ve prepared for you. Stay tuned!

There is only one "type" of shuttle; it’s the material they’re made of that differs.

If you’re fortunate enough to have inherited a shuttle from a family member, it’s probably made of wood. Treasure it! If you’re not that fortunate, you can readily purchase a shuttle at most craft stores.

Tatting is a technique for handcrafting lace constructed by combining a series of chains and rings. If you can make a knot in thread, you can Tat. That’s about all there is to it!

Tatting is used to make lace edging for handkerchiefs as well as doilies, lace collars, decorative pieces on clothing and accessories, and, more recently, tatters have used their craft to make jewelry.

This little ditty took quite a bit to get online. Oh, no — the process is hardly difficult! I’ve had the domain name for years waiting for just this moment. No, no, registering a new domain name with godaddy.com wasn’t the issue at all.