I’m finally getting around to posted links to the following two internet resources for two reasons: 1. Whenever I want to find these websites, I have to rediscover for myself what they are called, where the are. So I decided that if I posted it to my website, I would have a permanent place to go to find this information in one place; 2. These two sites are waaaay too wonderful to keep to myself. Everyone who enjoys tatting, lacemaking, needlework or fiber arts in general SHOULD know about these sites!

These 2 internet sites are libraries/repositories for books, articles, manuscripts, patents, periodicals, etc. that are in the Public Domain.

A work of authorship is in the “public domain” if it is no longer under copyright protection or if it failed to meet the requirements for copyright protection. Works in the public domain may be used freely without the permission of the former copyright owner.

Thus the following two websites (one called the Antique Pattern Library and the other called The Digital the Archive of Document Relate to Lace) house digital copies of publications in PDF format that can be downloaded by an individual for personal use only. I understand that one is not allowed to profit from these documents.

However, if you frequent either Etsy or Ebay, you will find people selling digital/PDF files (instant downloads) of books possibly acquired from one of these two sources.

It is my understanding though that if you own a physical copy of a public domain book, you could also create a digital copy (from scanning or photography) of it that would be your own property, allowing you to sell your copy.

https://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/

The following image is a snip image of the homepage of the Antique Pattern Library. If you click on any of the topics in the red boxes on the homepage it will take you more directly to just those publications of the genre/topic that you are interested in. There’s a lot of topics, huh?!

The second internet site to find a large collection of lace public domain publications is housed/collected at the University of Arizona. The following link will take you directly to the ‘Digital Archive of Documents Related to Lace’ (as seen in the image below) but if you go back a level (to …./patterns/weaving) you will find another archive dedicated to publications related to weaving (not lace). I think that this site started as a weaving archive and then added the lace archive later.

https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/lace.html

The following image is a snip image of the homepage of the Digital Archive of Documents Related to Lace. If you click on any of the topics in blue text on this page it will take you more directly to just those types of publications that you might be interested in. I would recommend starting with the ‘books’ link.

This is a compilation of the 2 (or more)-thread Glass/Enameled Tatting Shuttles that I have made through the years. Since I cut them out, I can do whatever I want, including more holes/slits for more threads. These shuttles were made with a variety of enameling decorative styles.

If you are interested in having one custom-made for you contact me: k.bovard @yahoo.com or call: 402-960-7370. You choose the shape, colors, etc.

I am constantly trying to analyze how to get fiber arts such as tatting and other lacemaking techniques recognized as ART.   Thus, I am starting a series of articles in which I explore various fiber artists and their work.

The artist that comes to my mind (immediately!) as who should be first to be highlighted is Agnes Herczeg. Agnes is a Hungarian artist who combines needle lace with small pieces of ‘found’ wood to create small but powerful pieces that can only be described as ART!

Please do take the time to explore the following links to see more images of her work as well as her work explained by various sites including The Metropolitan Museum in NYC. Look her up also by her name on FaceBook.

http://www.agnesherczeg.com
This is Agnes's personal webpage/site.  Check out pieces for sale under 'SHOP'.  
Also view her pieces from the past under 'GALLERY'.   Each one is amazing!!!

https://www.mrxstitch.com/adventures-in-time-lace-agnes-herczeg/

With Spring here and Summer just around the corner, I thought I would showcase some of my The ShuttleSmith’s Glass/Enameled Tatting Shuttles that feature bee and ladybug designs.

I don’t think that I have any of these styles for sale in my Etsy shop (TheShuttleSmith) currently but if you want one, I can custom make them for you–you choose the design, color, etc.

Contact me at: k.bovard@yahoo.com or call: 402-960-7370 (Mountain Time Zone)

Last year, I pulled out a unique thread from my collection, using it for a project other than tatting and was wondering what size/kind of thread it was. Then I notice that the label had either yards or meters per weight of the ball printed on it. This started my ‘Thread Size Comparison’ Quest that I continue to this day. This was the original chart that I was somehow able to create to show my quantitative/scientific analysis of thread size based upon length (yards or meters) per weight. I chose to illustrate my charts with YARDS per 50 GRAMS.

The above chart has 54 threads charted but on my current Excel spreadsheet I have 107 threads charted. Threads included are crochet cottons, perle/pearl cottons, and other threads commonly used in tatting. Some are now longer available, but were pulled out of my stash of threads that I have from 40+ years of tatting and buying threads.

My problem with showing the full-range of threads I have in my spreadsheet are that I don’t know how to graphically publish them–I’m fairly Excel ignorant. I can figure out how to put the threads and numbers (yards/50 grams) into my chart, but can’t figure out how to export them into a usable graph. Can anybody help me with that? If so contact me at: k.bovard@yahoo.com or call: 402-960-7370 (I’m in Mountain Time Zone).

It’s really interesting to see how threads that we use relate to thread sizes of other manufacturers. The 20’s are fairly consistent/in the same size range but the 80’s are statistically different size-wise.

I use this chart to determine unique threads/fibers I find in such places as high-end yarn shops (specifically Personal Threads in Omaha, NE). Just recently I found & bought a skein of Indian silk lace-weight thread that I’m going to use for a new fiber-art venture I’m working on: Teneriffe Lace (More to come on that project.) The label said the skein was 800 yards per 100 grams. Thus, the thread/yarn is in the 400 yards/50 grams range and is very similar to Lizbeth 20 (both are slightly on the thicker-side of the 20’s range).

When I was going through my own website(s) (yes, I have several!) I realized that my ‘Karen’s Keltic Tatting’ page had alot of views.  Thus I started thinking about how I really haven’t showcased my form of Celtic Tatting here. 

I call my version of Celtic Tatting:  Karen’s Keltic Tatting.   It is based off those ‘tattoo necklaces’ that were popular in the 90’s and are enjoying a comeback a little bit lately.  I just did a Google search and found that you can buy a simple one from Spencer’s. (Spenser’s was my favorite store to shop in when I was growing up and lucky enough to get to go shopping at a mall in Omaha.) 

Probably 10-15 years ago, I was looking at my tattoo necklace collection and realized that ‘it was tatting!’  and thus Karen’s Keltic Tatting was born!

I have more designs sketched out that need to be tatted up.  This form of design work is alot more time-consuming than my Split Ring Tatting designs.  These Karen’s Keltic Tatting designs require alot more ‘trial & error’ to get right.