I taught myself to tat from Barbara Fosters Needle Tatting Books 1 & 2 that my mother-in-law bought me at a church rummage sale. I had never heard of tatting before, but it soon became my obsession! I learned my grandmother used to tat and I mourned the years I could have been knotting lace with her! In addition to needle tatting, I am proficient at shuttle tatting, teneriffe lace, netted lace and am currently learning bobbin lace - but needle tatting remains my true love! I teach and/or demonstrate tatting at local yarn stores, our senior center, civil war/living history events (in costume using period shuttles of course), the county fair, libraries, museums, elementary schools, and even at the Smithsonian Museum of American History! One of the true joys of my life has been meeting Nina Libin at Tat Days and being blessed in test tatting and working with her in bringing her true vision of BEANILE lace to needle tatters, for which she graciously gave me coauthor credit for Lace of Beads #21 Essential Bead Tatting Part III-2/Symmetrical Beaded Split Rings and Lace of Beads #24 Advanced Bead Tatting -11a Beaded Maltese Rings. I am the current President of the Piedmont Lace Guild of VA, and a member of the Chesapeake Region Lace Guild and IOLI. I am the first needle tatter to complete Apprentice -Phase I of the Tatters Across Time Proficiency Program and I am currently working on Phase II!
Bonnie Swank