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Learn Needle Tatting

video Learn Needle Tatting

This is the companion video to my learn needle tatting instructable. I start slowly and build to full speed to show what tatting the flower pendant looks like.

29 comments

Feb 13, 2012. 11:06 AMXavienne says:

I'm going to have to hunt for a tatting needle now. You make this look so easy!

Apr 6, 2011. 10:40 PMNaturalCrafter says:

I have a bunch of tatting shuttles and tiny hooks that I got at a yard sale. I kept putting off using them but now here is a simple project I can start with. I love it!

Feb 26, 2011. 9:21 PMjsadams03 says:

Ha you know you rock right!

Feb 13, 2011. 12:45 AM

lw119 says:

After purchasing a couple of you beautiful masks off Etsy, I was inspired to try learning this technique. Your instructables are fantastic. The photos are excellent and the instructions are very easy to follow. Thanks!

Oct 8, 2010. 10:35 AMRaven1962 says:

I have wanted to tatt for ages. My father tells me his mother and aunts and grandmothers were great tatters, but as I lived on the other side of the globe ot them they could not teach me. I tried to tech myself with shuttle and library books but it didnt quite click.

Doing this tutorial and being able to see what you hands are doing and replay it made it all make sense. My first flower is beuatiful. Ok not perfect (middle is too loose and picots are little bit fifferent in size but it all worked and looks like a flower so I am thrilled.

I could not find a tatting needle so based on Pope's information of using a doll making needle I went out looking. I am in Norway so asked at the craft shop and they said they had needles for making dolls eyes "Dukkenåler" got a set with 89-130-174 mm needles. I am using the smalleset of these with cotton that recommends size 3 knitting needles, Seems to be working well, beyond me needing to get consistent :) which will come with practice now I know what I am doing.

Many thanks for the tutorial.

Aug 29, 2010. 11:44 AMcutekitten says:

that is really cool

Nov 25, 2009. 7:54 AMbad ass pope says:

Hi, I've asked around a bit, but nobody here in Englad seems to have heard of needle tatting, so I've had a hard time finding a suitable needle. I eventually settled for a doll-making needle, it's about 5in long and looks to be about the same width as yours. It has a sharp end though, so I'm stabbing my fingers quite frequently :-P

I was mainly wondering how the eye of your tatting needle was shaped, because mine sometimes is really hard to pull through. It goes wider at the eye like a reguar needle and I didn't know if that was the problem of whether I was tatting too tightly. I've had tightness problem with my crocheting so it may have transferred. Does yours go wider at the eye or is it straight up and down?

Thanks for teaching us though, it's great!

Dec 13, 2009. 12:25 AMRozMinis says:

I bought my needles from Roseground http://www.roseground.com/18/44

Needle tatting is so much easier than shuttle tatting. I found the size 5 needle and 10/20 cotton way too thick for my liking, the finished item looked ugly to me, not what tatting should be all about. I dropped down to the size 7 needle and DMC Coton Perle 12, the resultant butterflies looked so much neater.

Yesterday I dropped down again to the size 8 needle, I've only been needle tatting for a couple of weeks by the way, and used 50's crochet cotton. There was only a slight difference between that and the Coton Perle, but when I tried the DMC 80's/Turkish 70's tatting cotton the results were quite stunning.

My aim now is to try a beading needle, minus it's tip, and bobbin lace thread. These butterflies are breeding!

Nov 25, 2009. 8:07 AM

TotusMel (author) says:

The eye of the tatting needle is what makes it special actually. It's the same width as the needle. Though tatting too tightly might cause the problem as well. i've heard tale of others using doll needled & sanding the tip to stop the stabbing as well.
You can get tatting needles online through amazon as well as http://hhtatting.com
Hope that helps!

Nov 25, 2009. 9:24 AMbad ass pope says:

Thanks for replying so quickly! Sadly, the amazon UK site holds no tatting needles that I can find and to get one from hhtatting would cost me $31.30!!
I'll sand the tip down and try and tatt a little less tightly for now, I'll keep my eyes peeled though and inform you if I find a UK based needle tatting retailer :-)

Thanks anyway!

Nov 25, 2009. 9:37 AM

TotusMel (author) says:

Yeesh, I can ask around w/my tatting friends too & see if there's one there.

Dec 4, 2009. 5:27 AM

TotusMel (author) says:

I've been given a UK site for tatting needles! You can find them here http://www.roseground.com/ for a reasonable price.

Nov 9, 2009. 7:18 PMsmile--x says:

I duno about threads and needles stuff but...what kind of needle and thread are you using?

Nov 9, 2009. 8:01 PM

TotusMel (author) says:

I use a size 5 tatting needle and size 10 crochet cotton thread for most of my work. The needles can be found at http://hhtatting.com and the thread can be found almost anywhere that carries yarn such as Michaels of JoAnns.

Nov 9, 2009. 11:38 PMsmile--x says:

Thanks^^

Aug 4, 2009. 5:57 PMjsadams03 says:

The needle looks WAY easier than the shuttle. Your mask has inspired me to learn this art and i was trying to learn from videos but it makes my hand hurt the way they tell you to hold the thread (ha i made a shuttle out of cardboard to try to pick up the basics lol)

Aug 4, 2009. 6:29 PM

TotusMel (author) says:

It is WAY easier...the shuttle bested me as well. Good luck with the needle.

Jul 30, 2009. 5:24 AMThe Man From Nantucket says:

I take it you've done this once or twice? This looks like I would either severely hurt myself, or it would take me years to complete even the simplest design.

Jul 30, 2009. 5:43 AM

TotusMel (author) says:

Ha! Well you don't need to work that fast...anyone can get it the hang of it really!

Jun 6, 2009. 9:24 PMwireworksbeading says:

I appreciate all that you do for people making these. I just cant wait for more _{, big or small ones... all of them are appreciated.. thank you}
marla

Jun 7, 2009. 7:37 AM

TotusMel (author) says:

You're very welcome. There will be more, but I'm swamped right now so it might be a while!

Apr 17, 2009. 2:06 PMmajeral says:

There was no sound ? I took a class 100 years ago and by time I got home I had put my wrist out !! so I forgot. If you could put this on a DVD with sound I will buy one thanks for keeping an old craft alive

Apr 24, 2009. 10:16 AM

TotusMel (author) says:

All you hear on the video was my breathing so I just cut out the sound altogether. There are other peoples videos for sale at hhtatting if you're interested, mine's not worth that much effort!

Apr 24, 2009. 6:26 PMmajeral says:

thanks for getting back ...Vie