Saturday, April 19, 2008

Southern Belle's Tatting Society

These ladies from the Southern Belle's Tatting Society of Columbia, Tenn., demonstrate the fine art of tatting during the Battle of Selma Living History Tour. The tours are planned especially for school students.

Tatting goes back a couple thousand years ago when fishermen used the technique to strengthen their nets. Smaller thread and shuttles resulted in the creation of lace for doilies and edgings that were sewn onto handkerchief, collars and pillowcases.

Today's battle events include tours of Confederate, Union and civilian camps, troop drills, a demonstration of Civil War tactics against fixed fortifications and the Battle of Selma Grand Military Ball at Sturdivant Hall.

Gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.

13 comments:

Petunia said...

What a lovely shot:D
Awesome!

Destitute Rebel said...

a lovely colorful shot and some history to go with it.Thanks.

smilnsigh said...

Love the photo! But shouldn't that fair Southern Belle, have a parasol over her? :-)

Juneau Alaska Photos said...

Great photo. I'd love to see a demonstration of how tatting is done.

Thanks for visiting Juneau Daily Photo and leaving a comment. As for your question about eagles, you can see them year around here. We live near a river and they often are in the trees along the edge watching for food. We're very blessed.

magiceye said...

very intersting indeed!

Jilly said...

The lady's sunglasses even look authentic but I suppose they are not? Perhaps such things didn't even exist? Fascinating to see how it all used to be.

Jane Eborall said...

Actually it's a Victorian craft - hate to dissapoint you!!! Lovely picture and write up.

Janet said...

Thanks for your visits to the living history tour.

Jane, I appreciate your comment and enjoyed looking at your tatting site. What a neat craft to do! I can crochet, but that's about it.

I wonder if tatting might have become more popular during the Victorian Era, since the ladies of the Southern Belle's Tatting Society declare they were tatting for years prior to that!:)
Wikipedia and a few other sites put documented tatting back to at least the early 1800s. I wonder if some of these ladies brought the craft to America from their home countries or picked it up through shipments from Europe, especially France. Antebellum Southerners loved anything from France.

vero said...

Patricular photo, very nice

Bursa Daily Photo said...

Very nice photo. In Turkey there is the tradition, when a girl gets married, of giving small handkerchiefs decorated with tatting.

The D in D & T said...

fantastic photo, really lovely. my grandmother tried to teach me to crochet once but soon gave up. and she was a very patient woman. :) i admire people who have these skills.

Anonymous said...

Hello all, I'm a Southern poet and in my new book, Telling Tales of Dusk, there is a poem called, "Queen Anne's Lace" that was first published in the Christian Science Monitor, that mentions the great art of tatting. Please look up my website at http://terrikirbyerickson.wordpress.com. to find out more about it! Happy tatting, ya'll! Joy and blessings, Terri Kirby Erickson, NC

Gina said...

Nice to see the Southern Belle's tatting! As Jane said, it's a Victorian craft. Knotting has been around for a millennium or so but it's not tatting. Tatting, as a needlecraft, is not nearly as old as others. There is a website by the Tatmeister who has researched the history of tatting in depth and documents the misunderstandings that have developed along the way.