A Family Treasure

I lost my Aunt Martha this past week who succumbed to cancer. She was a wonderful woman who loved her family. All of us converged onto Northwest Ohio to memorialize and celebrate.... which we do very well.

It is spring in Ohio. The temperatures are warmer and the flowering bulbs are beginning to reach for the sky. The crocuses are out and almost spent for the year. Below you see the wonderful clusters of crocuses in my Aunt Mariann's front yard.

As we sat at the wake on Tuesday, my mother bragged to other family members about her tatting son....(geeeeshhh). Having been self-taught, I never knew whether there were any other tatters in my family. One of our cousins described a shuttle she had from our Great Aunt Lucy Freyenberger (1878-1979). Surprisingly, she stated that she wanted to give it to me. I know how important our family heirlooms are and the traditions that follow them. To my amazement, she handed me a box before the funeral and in it was the shuttle below.

It's a Boye shuttle with a patent date of April 10, 1917. I thought..., "oh, cool another metal Boye shuttle."

But wait, I pulled out the bobbin and was very surprised to find it attached.

I have never seen a shuttle like this and need to research it a bit. Additionally, the point on the shuttle is bent back on itself. I don't know if this was standard, if Great Aunt Lucy bent is intentionally, or if it's been bent over the years of storage.

If you have knowledge of these shuttles, I'd be very interested in learning more.

And one more note....the baby bonnet is finished all but hiding two ends and adding ribbon. I will post something in the next couple days.

Until then, Happy Tatting!
peace,
john