10/07/2026
TATTING...A LOST ART?
Tatting is a beautiful lace-making art that uses a small shuttle to create intricate designs for doilies, table runners, collars, handkerchiefs, and other household linens. During the 1800s and early 1900s, this skill was commonly passed from mother to daughter and grandmother to granddaughter throughout the United States.
In North Louisiana, where families often lived in close-knit farming and rural communities, tatting was one of many needlework skills taught at home. Women gathered at church socials, quilting bees, and family visits, sharing patterns and techniques while teaching younger generations. Many treasured pieces were carefully stored in hope chests and passed down as family heirlooms.
Learning to tat was more than mastering a craft. It was a way of preserving family traditions, strengthening relationships, and creating beautiful handmade items that reflected patience, creativity, and love. Today, surviving tatted pieces offer a glimpse into the lives of the women who kept this delicate art alive and ensured it would be handed down from one generation to the next.
Before you put down this article, we hope you'll make plans to visit our Museum's Textile Room. There you'll find beautiful examples of tatting, quilts, vintage clothing, and other handcrafted textiles that connect us to the generations who came before us. These pieces are more than fabric and thread; they are reminders of family traditions, hard work, creativity, and love.
We invite you to come see these treasures up close and enjoy a journey into our community's past. The museum is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. We look forward to your visit!
