Weldon’s Practical Needlework houses a wealth of information on Victorian tatting. Here’s our 20th installment in this series fromWeldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 4. The following are instructions for how to tat an “Eyelet Insertion.” The material is reproduced here just as it appeared in England in 1889. No alterations or corrections were made.
Illustrations from Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 4.
EYELET INSERTION.
THREAD the shuttle with Evans' crochet cotton, No. 16, and work with the shuttle thread only. Commence with a loop, work 3 double, 1 picot and 1 double alternately six times, 1 picot, 3 double, draw up; reverse the work, make a loop, do 4 double, 1 picot, 4 double, draw up; * reverse, make a loop, work 3 double, join to the last picot of the last large oval, l double, 1 picot and 1 double alternately five times, l picot, 3 double, draw up; reverse, make a loop, do 4 double, 1 picot, 4 double, draw up. Always leave a. space of ⅛ of an inch of cotton between the loops, and repeat from * for the length required. To turn the corner work 6 of the large ovals successively; and when tatting along the opposite side join the eyelets together, as shown in the illustration. A length of coloured ribbon run in and out through the eyelets gives a pretty finish to the insertion.
Find out more about tatting in our video download Shuttle Tatting with master tatter Georgia Seitz.
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Featured Image: Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 4, offers up a wealth of information on Victorian tatting.