Let's see! What can I moan about today?
Well, not a lot. I do have one or two moans and this is one of the smaller ones.
Front side/back side tatting. Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and when I learned to tat there was no such thing as front side/back side tatting. Well, if there was it was NEVER mentioned in ANY of the publications I ever had and they varied from Mrs Beeton's Book of Needlework to the entire series of Coats and Penelope booklets and via Norma Benporath's book too. Now it may be that the designers 'presumed' that you'd know about this 'method' but I very much doubt it as in none of the 'how to tat' sections of any of the books was it ever mentioned. Indeed I'd never heard of it until I was in my 50's and had the pleasure of meeting Gary Houtz (ooooh, I do love a bit of name dropping) at Rosemarie Peel's (another name I have great pleasure in dropping) house.
He showed me this method and I was totally unimpressed. I didn't see the point. This (I might add) was in the very, very early days of the internet and before I ever dreamed I'd be able to use it as much as I do.
Anyway, I did finally adopt this method of tatting - BUT for only one very simple reason. I like my work better when it's done that way and scanned to show you guys.
I DO NOT believe it's essential to tat that way and if I'm making a gift like a coaster, a doily or an ornament for somebody I don't use it. People who don't tat would never know which way was the 'right' way or the 'wrong' way to place something down on a table. I therefore don't think it's essential to tat that way at all. After all what a person sees is the overall design and not the intricacies of whether a piece is upside down or not!!!!
Now for a picture to brighten the blog post up. Why a banana? Well, why not?!?!
16 comments:
If I were to do front/back I'd forget and end up taking more back!! Life's too short for anything except correcting glaring mistakes!! I'm bad enough without causing more work!!
I don't do front side/back side tatting. Actually, I like that normal tatting doesn't have a right side and a wrong side. I do see that crochet has a right side and wrong side, but even in crochet it's sometimes necessary to go back and forth, so they can't be kept on the same side, and it doesn't seem to matter that much.
I get all discombobulated when I try to front side/back side tat. I have done it for certain pieces, but I'm not a fan. I agree with you that most people wouldn't be able to tell the front from the back. Besides, if I just carry on I can make the choice about which side I like best!
WOW! You really did start way back with the dinosaurs!!!
I also started doing FS/BS tatting a few years back because I personally liked the way it looks more finished and uniform... I also agree it is totally unnecessary... but, that being said.... I do ALL my tatting FS/BS (even the unnecessary stuff!) for the simple reason that I tat a lot on auto-pilot & if I tried switching back and forth between projects it would totally screw me up and I wouldn’t know WHERE I was or WHAT I was doing..... the knots would be totally out of control!!!
Pigmini - it is actually easy to do FS/BS but not necessary at all.
Jane - I must look out for that when crocheting. Never dawned on me there was a particular FS/BS!! Perhaps I don’t ‘do’ complicated patterns, though!
Good word, Diane - discombobulated!!!
Not quite, Marla. Only 63 years ago if I’m honest!!!!
I like bananas.
Would you like to examine my stitches in King Tut thread for FS/BS? Thought not. I don't bother. Only a tatter would know and they would have to be examining pretty close to tell anyway.
Whether or not to do FS /BS is the free choice of each tatter, of course. I use this method because I am so used to it. But I've only been weaving for 12 years. This is a very short time. Maybe someday I will want to "make my tatting process easier". haha!
Well, Tim, you’re NOT having MY banana!!! I’d not want to examine your stitches in King Tut - too fine for my old eyes!
FairyLaceAndMore - this is just one of the things that has been ‘invented’ (FS/BS) in recent years. I don’t think either way is ‘easier’ because it’s what you get used to. Neither is better either. Notating FS/BS becomes a nightmare when you design the mad things I do - like animals but it also often makes it easier too!!!
I’m with Marla. I use FS/BS by choice on everything that I tat because I like the look. It was a struggle to retrain my brain after tatting traditionally for so long but it helped to always use the same colour shuttle for the front side and a different colour for the back side. Now I don’t have to think about it, unless of course, you are tatting some of the fiendish Eborall patterns that turn every which way!!! I just wish someone could come up with a better name.
The banana! Jane, is it showing it’s front side or it’s back side?
Fiendish? I’ll take that as a compliment, Bev!!!!! I’ve been called many things in my lifetime but not sure if fiendish has been used before!!! Now as you’re an expert on FS/BS I’m going to challenge YOU to tell ME whether the banana is showing it’s front or it’s back!!!! Thanks for the giggle!
Well Jane. Bananas are usually shy and retiring, unlike pineapples. So this banana is showing it’s other side!
Well, well, well, Bev. The things I'm learning from having a tatting blog. Research is needed into both the sad case of shy bananas and the opposite problem with pineapples!!!!
FS/BS tatting dates to 1865, featured in the Bath Tatting Book. Apparently, it didn't catch on at the time and got rediscovered later.
I almost always tat FA/BS. Once I taught myself how, it became second nature and comes naturally.
Well that’s interesting, Martha. What did it actually say in the Bath book?
Thank you Martha. I found it very interesting too. (The book can be read online through Project Gutenberg and it gives a very simple explanation of a Reversed Double stitch and when and why it’s appropriate.)
Have you made any of the patterns?
I agree with Martha. Directional tatting has been around for ages. It comes and it goes with trends, like upward and downward picot joins. Jan S. tried to confuse us all with it in his books too. It's all a matter of choice.
Post a Comment