Tatting to Escape the Old Biddies

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Today’s Blog Post


Tatting to Escape the Old Biddies
In my post yesterday I committed a severe or an almost unforgivable sin… I stated that “tatting is a dieing art form”.

Here I quote myself…
“On the side… Tatting is a dieing art form. The people that knew how or know how are dieing. Very few have found anyone in their family that would want to learn. Worse yet… out of 100 people that pass my demo table… there are likely 99 that wished they would have learned from their grandmother before she had died and took the knowledge with her.” End quote

The post was about my great opportunity to display the Tatting that I do.

Now the “severe or an almost unforgivable sin” came on when I posted the link to this article to a world of tatters out there – from all over the world. This group of people are amazing. They live anywhere from New Zealand through to Hawaii as you travel west – all the way around the world.

I received posts from a few of the Tatters that seem to want to tangle with me. Some scolded me for making a negative statement suggesting that Tatting is possibly dieing.

I reacted and sent back a response after thinking about it for six hours… but that brought on more reactions from other folk that took the side of my opposition.

Gad… for a while it felt like I was back in the church work again with haggling old ladies snipping at each other over very stupid things. Then in turn they would go after me…!!! Which back in my working years, happened too many times!!!

If some one meets me today and tells me their name… which possibly could be like some of the old ladies that shot their jabs so often… I will actually break into a cold sweat. No kidding! The old biddies had that much power and control!

Back then I had to be careful to treat dear Sister So and So with kid gloves… or else she would cause even more trouble for me. And there was more than one nasty old lady to deal with. Most of the old men had died. These old ladies had killed them.

So here I go again… ducking and dodging old (or at times younger) folk that oppose and lash out. God help me. I am scared silly of these folk.

Now I still stick by my “tatting is a dieing art”. People may know what it is but they are not able to – or want to commit time to sit and concentrate on the actual art form. And when one or all of us old folk die – the craft will die as well.

But I will say that plugging in the word “tatting” to the browser you will get about 2,500,000 responses on a Google Search.

But putting the words “tats”or “tat” in brings a response about a certain group of people in Persia or Iran. And the other response is that “Tats” refer to your tattoos.

I have taught about 800 people how to Tat – over the time since 1975 – when I began to tie small knots. I encouraged the folk that I taught that they needed to teach at least one more person… that way it may survive the cultural shifts that take place.

But few people need or use doilies on their table tops anymore. And taking the time to make tatting for the edge of pillow case, and edge of a handkerchief… just doesn’t happen any longer.

There is little use for tatting in this day and age. In fact I could compare it to just about anything that was once needed but no longer has any reason to exist.

I am designing things where tatting can be used and included in the design… where it will catch someone’s eyes and come alive again. That is the reason for my tatting designs on tea pots and in love spoons.

I don’t want a fight and I will not be posting anymore of my nonsensical ideas to any strong opinioned folk… on any group day too soon. It just brings back a whole lot of horrific thoughts of old ladies that try to kill you… sorry – that only happens in my dreams with dear Sister So and So sitting with her arms folded and glaring at me… shudder.

I think I had better go Tat up and storm and then use it as my escape! Whew!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/