Crafters Anonymous: Tatting intricate lace, one knot at a time
OGDEN -- Cherie Freeman of Ogden uses these shuttles to create tatted lace creations.
OGDEN --- Cherie Freeman of Ogden tatted this lace name decoration for a denim purse.
OGDEN — Wrapping thread around shuttles, then guiding the shuttles to form knots to make intricate lace patterns sounds to me like an excruciating, time-consuming effort to create objects of beauty.
But according to tatters Cherie Freeman of Ogden, K. Dale Pomeroy of Orem and Jeanie Schekel of Centerville, the finished projects are well worth the many hours spent tatting.
One project can take up to eight hours to create just one inch of lace, said Pomeroy, who is a certified tatting instructor and tatting historian.
All three are members of the Bonneville Tatters, which meets from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. the first Saturday of every month at the Weber County Library’s Pleasant Valley branch, 5568 S. Adams Ave.,Washington Terrace. The meetings are open to the public. Those in attendance learn and share techniques, as well as the history of tatting.
When it comes to the history of tatting, Pomeroy is the expert. He has more than 1,300 publications in his home from all over the world about tatting. The earliest publication is dated 1843.
Tatting is a modern form of lace making, Pomeroy said. It dates back to the middle of the 19th century. The oldest form of lace making is formed from knots like what fishermen used to make nets.
LORETTA PARK/Standard-Examiner
OGDEN — Cherie Freeman of Ogden tatted this lace decoration for a pullover shirt.
“Lace making is not difficult, it’s extremely just time consuming,” he said. “What you can make is absolute infinite, but it just takes time.”
People today want instant gratification and are not willing to take the time to create something, Pomeroy added.
“We’ve lost the pleasure of creating for ourselves,” he said.
When Pomeroy, who is a retired Army sergeant first class, moved to Utah in 1997, there were no tatting guilds. That has changed.
Pomeroy teaches tatting classes at The Needlepoint Joint in Ogden, Hemstitched Heirlooms in Bountiful and Heinseleman’s Yarn, Needlework and Gifts in Provo.
Freeman considers herself a beginner even though she has been tatting for the past five years. She saw a woman tatting at a luncheon, asked her what she was doing and became fascinated with the craft of using a shuttle to tie thread into tiny knots and picots, or loops, to create intricate lace designs.
Freeman has created tatted lace for a pullover top and has also made a badge attached to her purse.
LORETTA PARK/Standard-Examiner
OGDEN — Cherie Freeman of Ogden shows on Tuesday, May 24, 2015, her small pouch that carries her tatting projects.
Schekel, who is 70, teaches tatting classes at Hemstitched Heirlooms in Bountiful, K&H Quilt Shoppe in Kaysville and meets with tatters from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Thursday at the Davis County Library Farmington branch, 133 S. Main St. — aside from the Bonneville Tatters’ meetings.
She began tatting 62 years ago at the age of 8. Her parents both worked and she was cared for by “a spinster” who tatted all the time.
Her first major project was a blue doily she started when she was 11 and finished at 12. Interest in her project from her friends was lackadaisical, while her mother and older women were amazed. But by that time, her tatting mentor had passed away and she had no one to consult.
It was when she was in her 20s and after she joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that Schekel agreed to teach a tatting class. Schekel searched the local library for information, but found nothing on the subject. So she decided to write her own instructions.
“Twenty-one people showed up and the class was a total disaster, a complete flop,” Schekel said, even though several people continued to learn.
Schekel said she is in the process of putting together a glossary book, complete with pictures and step-by-step instructions of tatting terms. So far she has 433 terms for her book.
You can reach reporter Loretta Park at lpark@standard.net or at 801-625-4252. Follow her on Twitter@LorettaPark SE or like her on Facebook.