Hands on: Close up of Goldfields Tatters creating a lace pattern.
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The Goldfields Tatters are heading to Rochester for their monthly lace-making meet-up.
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The event will be held on Monday, April 4, at The Cafe Rochester on 61 Mackay St from 9am.
The original event has been postponed from March.
“The numbers attending each meeting can vary and this is why we had to cancel our March gathering — it would have been a meeting of one,” organiser of the group Angela Quittner said.
She formed the group after she moved from metropolitan Melbourne to Bendigo three years ago and wanted to meet new, like-minded people.
“I thought it might be a good idea to meet people through my love of tatting,” she said.
Ms Quittner said tatting was one of the oldest forms of lace making and was created with a shuttle and thread producing a knotted lace.
Close up: One of the Goldsfields Tatters lace designs.
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In terms of how Ms Quittner initiated the tatting group, she said local craft groups, such as the Country Women’s Association and the Bendigo Branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild were great starting points.
“I was thrilled to meet a few fellow tatters this way,” she said.
“I approached some of my tatting friends who also lived regionally and we agreed to start a group called The Goldfields Tatters with the idea being that we would meet once a month in different locations within the goldfields district.”
Ms Quittner hopes to spread the craft of tatting and to bond with others through their common interest.
“So far, we have met to tat in Bendigo, Castlemaine, Shepparton, Sunbury, and Rochester,” Ms Quittner said.
Ms Quittner said some members of the group lived in these towns.
There are usually between three and five members who participate in the monthly meet-up.
Ms Quittner said she and other members of the group were keen to teach anyone who might be interested in trying this craft, which why they tat in public at libraries or cafes, by arrangement.
“If anyone would like to come and try this craft, we’d be happy to provide basic tuition on this day, and we’ll supply the shuttle and thread,” she said.
“Learning a new skill can give respite from one’s worries, and is great for your mental health as well as for your creativity and dexterity.”
Follow Goldfields Tatters Facebook page if you are interested in getting involved with the group.
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