What is cluny tatting?

'Cluny' describes a style of lace design which contains tallies, leaves, petals or wheatears. The term Cluny comes from the name of a museum in Paris where such Italian bobbin laces of the C16th and C17th were kept --> 'Cluny laces'.

Over time tatters tried to reproduce the style of Cluny bobbin lace, giving rise to Cluny tatting. However, the term ‘Cluny tatting’ is a slight misnomer in that it is not tatting per se. It is the inclusion of woven tallies in an otherwise tatted design. As these tallies are also known as petals or leaves (NOT clunies), some contemporary texts also use the term ‘petal tatting’.

While tallies are decorative elements in Cluny designs, they may be used as continuous thread methods, bridging from one section of lace to another. They can replace split rings in many instances, while some tatters incorporate ‘hanging’ petals or leaves in their designs.

There are many Internet sites currently devoted to lessons and designs for Cluny tatting. Most incorporate oval tallies. However, there are designs where square or triangular ones can be used. Put simply, ‘Cluny Tatting’ is a design style which incorporates tallies, leaves or petals.

Thank you for starting this thread, Judith :-)

'cluny' has become so prevalent that I add 'tally/cluny' in order to not have to explain each time !

I have a couple of questions ...

1. How does one count the warps (is that the right term?) .
   eg. Right to left weave is 1 count or
   is it 1 when we Return back to starting point (right to left, back from left to right) ?

2. I'm racing way ahead, but how would one make a loom for 4 or 5 thread weaving ? I was unsuccessful at locating any resource, although it has been mentioned in the 3-thread look tuts/videos.

3. Can one use reverse stitch instead of flipped ds when starting the tally ?

By the time I reached my 3rd tally, in fact midways through it, I altered my hold & then it worked much better for me. Wanted to put this through for new learners who might be discouraged when managing their finger loom becomes difficult. Make it suit Your style.
I hold my tatting pinch between middle finger & thumb. For tallies, I initially went with index finger & thumb. It was only after I switched back to middle & thumb, that I could keep the loom taut easily.
Secondly, I removed the wrap of ball thread round my finger. Instead, I let the shuttle suspend down, & held the shuttle under my thigh. Another comfort factor for fingers & hold.

Lots more Qs might be in the reckoning ....

Attempted triangles & squares ....

1 & 2 - triangles starting at tip.
3 - triangle starting at base
4 & 5 - square wannabes turned into trapezium when pulled ....

Here are a few more Qs :

Why is there a 'loose' thread at the broad base of square & #3 triangle ... rather, how to avoid it ?
I tried to avoid a ds at base, not wanting to begin at a point. Is that the reason ?

I sense that it should be possible to make picots within a tally, using a paper clip. Any suggestions ?

There were a couple more Qs, which escape me now ... bedtime amnesia ;-P

Hello, Muskaan. #1. The use of the term 'cluny' for tally/leaf/petal is an oddity of 21st C tatters, probably used by those who are unaware of the origin of Cluny tatting, though there are many books available for checking.

• Rebecca Jones, 'Complete Book of Tatting' (1985) calls it a 'tally'.
• Mimi Dillman, various patterns circa 1996, calls it a 'leaf'
  as does Joy Botchlet, 'Clever Cluny Designs' (1993).
• Judi Banashek, 'Advanced Tatting Patterns' (1998) calls it a 'petal' as does Lorraine Eisbrenner of Clever Cluny fame (c. 2000), and Aunt Ellen (Workbasket). #2. The 'warp threads' are the ones you lay along the loom or around your fingers in readiness. The 'weft threads' (weave < weft) are the ones woven across them using the shuttle.

Usually each 'pass/wrap' is measured across AND back. So tallies of 8 passes will have 16 woven threads. #3. As you need to keep the thread free to 'run' as you close the tally, a flipped double stitch will be necessary.

Here's a braid where tallies have been substituted for split rings - you could say 'petal tatting' :-).

Very helpful, informative, and inspiring, Judith :-) As usual .

Serendipity ! An hour back, it occurred to me that tallies made on 4 or 5 warps could be done by using the hanging cluny tatting method .... use an auxiliary loop (thread or floss threader) for the extra warps ! But how does one Finish it off ... need to figure that out. And, of course, need to First make the hanging tally ;-P

Thank you, once again, for all your info :-)

ps. Do you mean Judi Banashek ? Heard she recently passed away . Georgia Seitz shared the sad news.
I am still not familiar with pioneering or creative work of many tatters & designers, although when I do come across names , I try to look up their work on Google.

I've yet to try cluny but I do find this discussion fascinating. Thank you for starting this thread.

This thread has me motivated to try some tallies. Does anyone have a favorite online tutorial to share?

@Truittka
Here's the one that I viewed first .... I found it Very basic, clear, & thorough. "CLEVER CLUNY" in Beginning Tatting Video Series. Cyn shows how to form the loom on hand very clearly. Although she moves on to a cardboard loom, the video gives you the necessary information & technique. And like Judith, she also suggests making a ds to start.
Here's the link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3nSE3TVhPM&feature=em-subs_digest

Other videos/resources are listed here :
http://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.in/p/tatting-resources.html
Here, madtatter80's technique is a bit different, in that she positions the central warp (as in all other tuts) to the extreme right. And her technique of suspending the shuttle ensures tensioning.

@kcabrera74 also has videos for normal as well as hanging tallies. Lessons 30, 31, 32
Here's the list of all her Wonderful videos : http://entrelanzaderas.blogspot.in/2010/10/clases-de-frivolite-tatting-lessons.html

http://home.netcom.com/~ntrop/mimi/cluny.html -- Mimi Dillman’s Cluny Tatting Page with more resources.

I still suggest you start with Cynthia Stevenson's video (the 1st listed). You will Never forget how to make the loom on your fingers :-)

Found this great post that I had saved ... @PattyD shares her great tips for shaping clunies : http://www.craftree.com/forum/threadfs/1?page=1

Hoping to see your trials soon :)

Thanks, Muskaan re the typo mistake. I am sorry to hear the news of Judi Banashek's passing. She was a very creative tatter when it came to techniques.

The Clever Cluny Loom of Lorraine Eisbrenner was also known as 'big foot'. It could be made in cardboard or flat plastic. Quite large for carrying in your tatting bag. I modified it to a smaller rectangle for local tatters. It would be possible to make a loom from an old credit/loyalty card.

One tip: When using the loom, place a 6-sided pencil under the warp threads (like a violin bridge) to raise them for weaving, AND to provide enough slack when you have to move these thread-loops as you close the tally.

Once I have wound the warp threads, etc, I prefer to place my loom on a table as both my hands are then free to shape the leaf.

Here's an edging in two colours.... one of Joy Botchlet's patterns, I think.

Thank you for all of the resources @muskaan! I'll be sure to check them out as soon as I finish my current project. :)

in reply to JudithConnors's post:

Hello Judith :-)
That is a beautiful piece (as also the one shared earlier). I don't know which came first, but the edging was converted into a medallion : http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/tatting/clunymot.htm This one has been tatted by Sue Hanson & the pattern is shared, too.

http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/tatting/images/RedGreenCluny.jpg (image link)

Thanks, Muskaan. Quite a few edgings-cum-medallions were shared online in the late 1990s. Joy Botchlet self-published her booklet of Cluny designs in the early 1990s as well. Many designs with split rings may be adapted to suit tallies/leaves/petals.

Tatters who have Monica Hahn's book, Christmas Angels and Other Tatting Patterns, Dover Publications, N.Y.(1989), will find a couple of designs with Cluny tatting.

On 28 June 1927 (almost 88 years to the day), a Cluny edging by Natalie Vandenbergh was published in The Australian Woman’s Mirror. This tatted design illustrated how to form the tallies using the tatter's fingers. Cluny designs have been around for some time.

I've posted a tutorial page here: http://www.craftree.com/tutorials/244 describing the manufacture and use of a loom.

Thanks for sharing Judith :). I had a couple of goes using my fingers but they were not great. Now to try again with a loom :).

Jenn,

You'll find the loom so much easier to use. Let me know if there is a problem downloading it, as I can mail you a copy.

Here's a design (truncated) for a braid/bookmark, where tallies have replaced split rings.

The threads have been antiqued using coffee.

in reply to JudithConnors's post:

@ Judith - I've sent you a message :). That braid/bookmark is beautiful and I like that colour. I wonder whether my hubby will let me use his organic coffee to colour some of my white thread :).

in reply to JudithConnors's post:

Thank you for posting the tutorial, Judith.
Although the print is too small to read , the diagram is large enough.
I have practiced a few more leaves & the tension is improving. Takes some time & manoeuvering still, though :-) Happy to have made one hanging tally !

That truncated design could so easily be made into a beautiful medallion/coaster !

Muskaan,

Would you like me to email the page as an attachment? Then you can enlarge it with your printer?

in reply to JudithConnors's post:

Hello Judith :-)
That is so kind of you ! Yes, I would love to have the entire page to print out & read. It won't be shared without your explicit consent.
I kinda enjoy my finger loom, but also know that I'll require an artificial loom eventually.

Will be sharing my little finger loom-making tips soon (once I get into photography mode) .... a kind of collating of various tuts kindly shared online.
For instance, ( @jenninbrissy ) I hold the loom shuttle behind the fingers, once I have the right length for a taut centre warp. Saves winding around pinky, etc -- it had literally turned Blue the first time !!!

Thanks again :-) You have my email address
((( Hugs )))

I made 2 more hanging tallies yesterday ! Took me almost an hour. The tallies, themselves went pretty fast; it was while closing that it would get all knotted up & I'd have to undo the last weaves & try again --- Not easy !!!
Finally realised what I was doing 'wrong' : I loosened my grip on the tip of the tally when closing :-((

Lesson learned : keep a good grip/pinch on the tally, Especially the tip, when closing a hanging tally.
Then it went Very smoothly :-)))

Whatever the cost in time & patience, the resulting 3-hanging leaf piece came out looking great (even though I say so myself) ... Haven't taken pics yet (part of a 'larger' reveal) .

Here are my latest tallies using Judith's loom (thank you so very much for sending the instructions :-) ) ... the loom made it so much easier to handle, see, manipulate ...

In chronological order :
1. The tallies are not identical ; made with size 40 thread ; for the shorter tail I had used a reverse stitch (instead of ds) to start, but don't like the tell-tale spike, hence for longer tail, weaving was started directly. So though not identical, I did get a lot of practice.

1. Trying my hand at making a picot on a hanging leaf/petal. Worked great, I liked the shape of the petal, too. Made a chain around the tally & joined to the picot. But I didn't like the shape of the chain & decided to re-tat. Simply pulled the core thread, resulting in a knot in the tally ;-(((
   
   

2. Playing around with different shapes, now that I had a better feel & grip on the loom ;-P
   The bottom 3 pics are of the same coupled tally.
   

I have used 2 thread colours to highlight the deficiencies in my weaving.
One area I still need to work on : the tip of the tally. After it is formed & closed, I can sometimes see some spots of the loom thread colour.
Any tips on how to overcome that ?

Thanks, again, Judith, for this wonderful opportunity & all your help & encouragement.
((( Hugs )))

I love your experiments, muskaan! You have taken Cluny tatting one step further with triangles and rectangles. The 'double tally with bead' is really attractive. All great for 3D designs!