Tuesday, March 04, 2008


Every week we visit a local auction. Sometimes, we visit it twice a week. It is a wonderful auction house complete with a colorful cast of characters. Some are dealers and some are collectors who just enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

Within a few months, we made friends and began to understand who collects or buys what. Occasionally, I find a doll but more often than not, it is sewing related that comes home with us.

Although I am not a person who tats, this sewing box was particularly irresistible. It is as if someone closed it and walked away. The colors are not faded on the many packages of snaps, pins and needles. It is like peeking into the owner's soul. The bright colors, the old tatting tools, and even the box are an expression of the former owner's personality.

There are complete sets of the tools required to tat including shuttles and tools we don't see any more, some in bone. The bone rings on the card are the kind that I remember were tatted and used on shade pulls. My relatives had those on every window shade.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to know who the tatter was? Not many people still tat today but I know two people who do make beautiful tatting and I admire their ability. So many lost arts....so little time to preserve them!

3 comments:

Eileen said...

I just want to stir around in there and see what's underneath. What a treasure!

Gina said...

Actually, there are tons of us who tat and who have revived this so-called "dying art". There are several online groups devoted to tatting and the blogs are beginning to show up. I had one of the original tatting blogs,Threads of a Tatting Goddess. You do have a lovely treasure there - I'm envious!
:-) Gina

Katharine's Creations said...

I want to climb into the picture and have a good rummage in the box, any chance you could spread out the samples so we can get a better look? I am working on a bit collage piece at the moment and I am looking for inspiration for a gap in the image. I recently won 4th place at the Royal Highland Show with two snow flake coasters, I will put them up for you to see.