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I made the mistake of reading something yesterday that I really should not have. I mean, I really do know better. The person whose words I read is known for such rants and I don't even rightly know how I ended up there to read them in the first place, but once read, words cannot be unread and I was put off much of the day by being called, indirectly, a fake tatter whose chosen craft is apparently false and driven by profit. I said indirectly because I wasn't named or anything, but it sure feels like it was specifically aimed at me. If you don't know who or what I'm talking about I'm not going to subject you to it, but if you do, well then you probably understand. Suffice it to say that I don't believe that needle tatting is fake, their definition of tatting is unnecessarily narrow and belongs only to them and few others and they use so many beads that their admittedly pretty work it should be called beading not tatting because I can rarely see any lace. Okay, I'm done now.
No more effort shall be wasted in that direction because it is my birthday. Now, to be honest I have fallen out of love with my birthday over the years. Not because I'm getting older, I'm okay with that, mostly. It's the days themselves that haven't held any wonder in fact they've held a lot of stress and annoying events including, most memorably, the year we moved into this house which was horrible. The last truly awesome birthday I can remember was in high school when my mother took us to Great America and we saw the Star Trek TNG Earth Tour thing and I got my picture taken with a couple of Klingons. Sure, I've had good, happy birthdays since then, but that was the 'I'm not going to forget this experience' birthday. Though I'll likely remember something else awesome before the day is out...all these added years are clouding the memory a bit.
So just as a small token and even though they rarely get used, I've created a coupon code for the shop. Use the code HAPPYBIRTHDAY25 at checkout for 25% off your entire purchase today only and give me the gift of sales. Each sale today will also get a surprise free gift with purchase, but I haven't decided what yet...probably a nice pendant, but I might just make something to match whatever is bought. It'll be a surprise. So here's to a good day with no big plans and no big disasters and no reading anything mean on the internet.
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13 comments:
You taught me to tat through your videos. For almost a year I tatted with a needle only, then after attending tat days I decided that I would learn to shuttle tat as well. I now do which ever seems the easiest for the pattern I want to follow with this thought in mind, (borrowed from someone on Intatters)...."the knot doesn't care how it is made."
Please don't be discouraged by someone that is what my daughter and I call a "candle blower"---that is someone who is constantly trying to blow out your candle to make theirs shine brighter. Have a Happy Birthday.
Happy Birthday! And I completely agree with Louine. I've learned tatting through you and I've done shuttle tatting but needle is so much easier on my hands. There are always those people out to undermine what you do, speaking from personal experience, so don't let it get to you! I can't believe what has become of this society, criticism of one's work is bad enough but now how they do it their work! Oye! Anyway, enjoy your day, hope you have something memorable to take away but at least take away the knowledge that you've brought tatting to many, many new people and are keeping this art alive! Again, have a Happy Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday! And many more!
I think your work is very beautiful, and I admire the energy that you put into your designs.
I agree with louine and Denise. I wasn't really serious about tatting until I came across the photograph of your mask and collar. My mouth dropped open, and I thought to myself OMG! I was absolutely stunned. I began searching the internet for patterns, and I started taking classes at The Online Tatting Class. Fake tatting! If it has a core thread it is tatting. I've seen tatting with too many beads, too. If I wanted to do that, I might as well learn how to bead. Anyway have a wonderful Birthday and many more.
Rosemarie
Happy Birthday Pamela! I can relate to the shine of the candles dimming as the years pass. Plus when you have kids, it seems that the adults don't matter because you focus on making theirs special. Remember that there are plenty of people who think your are special.Please don't let one woman's ranting bother you. We all rant in one form or another, and the only tatting that isn't real is the new embroidery fad that has recently hit the scene. Your work is beautiful and it makeyou happy. That's all that should matter, that your tatting makes you happy.
i read what you read and was also angered by it. how ignorant that person is...anyway i hope your birthday is full of love!
As we've said before, you and just a few others (Jane E for example) have single-handedly done more for tatting with your beautiful, unique and wonderful tatting. I have been shuttle tatting for 35+ years and just learned how to do a Josephine chain from you this week-thank you by the way), I guess since I learned from you, mine doesn't count either even with a shuttle. What utter nonsense!
Makes me want to take up needle tatting...
And happy birthday!
Happy birthday! Many happy returns of the year!
Happy Anniversary of your 21st birthday!!! I hope you had a wonderful day! ♥
As for the other thing, I think I know what your talking about and I, too, disagree with it. I do, however, think they may have been referring to someone else. ;-) I'll not say my thought as to whom nor why here, but I'm pretty confident that it was someone else.
That said, I've already stated that you were one of the driving forces for me to learn tatting, too. Does it really matter how we make our stitches so long as we make them? (I'll try to remember that next time I have to finger-tat so that I can stay calm, LOL).
♥,
Stephanie Grace
Happy birthday! I hope continued support from your true friends help to get you through this rough patch.
I was going to say something sarcastic about how real your "fake tatting" looks, but sarcasm doesn't transfer well without facial expressions and I don't know any emoticons for that. So I'll tell you a story instead.
I'd heard of tatting, and had actually seen it done once by a coworker; it looked really complicated (she was using a shuttle). Then someone on Craftster posted a picture of a necklace they made using a needle and your fleurette pattern. I was so impressed I looked up your videos and when I saw the flower one I thought "that doesn't look hard at all!" So I decided to try it. It wasn't quite as easy as I'd thought but it was definitely not as hard as what the coworker was doing. So I tried it, and can now tat with both a needle and a shuttle (depending on what I want to do). I think it's safe to say that you are the source of my interest in tatting. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have learned it at all.
One more thing: I know of three ways to produce a knitted fabric: needles, a knitting machine, and now those Knook crochet hooks. They all use different methods but the end result is the same. Is any method less viable than the other? No. And it's the same with tatting.
I recently read a post on InTatters (I think it was from the moderator) about there not being many tatters out there; the impression I got was that she was afraid tatting was a dying art. Well, I don't know about that, but you're certainly helping to keep it alive.
And finally - I know I'm late here, but the Happy Birthday wishes I'm sending are sincere. I hope you had a lovely day, and will have a lovely year to go along with it.
Belated Birthday wishes to you - I hope you had a lovely day that is the start of a great year!
Regarding the other subject matter of your post, let me say this. I learned to tat in about the most difficult way you can do it. I inherited some books (vintage 1920), thread, and shuttles from a great-aunt who passed away when I was a teenager. I didn't have anyone to teach or show me anything and had to figure it all out from just the few illustrations in those old books. I can shuttle-tat with the best of them, and I favor the really fine threads and vintage patterns that I imagine are favored by purists.
And I *wish, wish, wish* I had the facility with needles that you do. I would just love to be able to whip up thread snowflakes by the bushel (very time-consuming with shuttles), and tat with fine wire that is difficult or impossible to wind on a shuttle. But my needle tatting is clumsy and uneven, nothing like your lovely pieces. Both aspects of the art of tatting have their advantages and their own unique elements. Don't apologize for specializing in one aspect. There are plenty of us who specialize in the other, and nobody's after us to apologize for not being generalists.
You are an artist. Make your art without apology, and know that the people who sneer down their nose at you do so because they envy you your talent. That's petty and mean and a bit sad. Only thing to do is dress it up with lace in your own style. You are both generous and very successful with your gifts, and I admire you for that. Please don't let other people's childishness force you to change.
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