I-69 Heritage Corridor - Grant County
Ruth Neuhouser
 
  Ruth Neuhouser shows different sizes of shuttles and tatting stitches
-- Photo by Ilze Akerbergs
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Ruth Neuhouser -- Tatter

Usually, tatters specialize on edgings for curtains, placemats, and dresses, but Ruth decided that she didn't want to tat material that would get laundered. The laundering is too harsh on the delicate tatted edgings and designs. So Ruth started tatting delicate pictures of flowers and colorful designs. Ruth feels that tatting is so time-consuming, that she wanted to tat things that wouldn't need to be washed, and would thus keep the natural beauty of the stitches longer.

Ruth's tatting is intricate and colorful. She first got the inspiration for tatting from some tatting pieces that her great aunt had left before she died. Inspired by these delicate designs, Ruth taught herself to tat in 1976. She had always done a lot with her hands, such as crocheting, knitting, and quilting. Ruth stresses that tatting is not for everyone, because it is very time-consuming and detail-oriented.

Ruth says that she tatts because she feels satisfaction and joy at making something beautiful.

Hear Ruth talk about:

What is tatting? Listen to Ruths story  (transcript)

Why Ruth likes to tat Listen to Ruths story  (transcript)

How Ruth started tatting Listen to Ruths story  (transcript).