Tuesday, May 31, 2011

In Memory of Doretha Albee

Doretha Albee (1935 - 2011)


On Saturday, April 16, 2011, Tat Land lost a treasured rose. I never had the pleasure of meeting Doretha Albee, but her contributions to the tatting community were generous and many. For that I am forever grateful.

Georgia Seitz was fortunate to know her and has published this memorial on BellaOnline. Shared here with permission.

Doretha Albee's "Rose Medallion" first appeared in "Tatting Online, The Official 1999 Tat Chat Pattern Book," published 1999 and edited by Georgia Seitz. Shared here by permission of the editor in memory of Doretha.


In January 2000, Carol Lawecki tatted this lovely multi-colored "Rose Medallion" by Doretha Albee and has kindly granted me permission to share her photo here. Thank you, Carol!

Did you know that Mrs. Albee designed a Pineapple Doily? Yessirree! Designed in 1997, it is called Pineapple Heaven.

CrazyMom is tatting this lovely doily. You can follow her progress here: Doily Progress

"Tatting Knots and Notes Revisited, Book 1"
Doretha's only published book to which I can find any reference is the newsletter compilation, "Tatting Knots and Notes Revisited, Book 1." A copy of it, I am told, is available through the I.O.L.I. Lending Library.

I'm not an I.O.L.I. member. However, PLG of VA tatter Anita Barry shared 4 issues of "Tatting Knots and Notes" from 1999 that she had saved in her library. Was I excited!

The tone of the newsletters was intimate and genial. I immediately felt as if I were sitting with Doretha tatting and chatting over tea. Few bloggers, including me, achieve this level of warmth in their writings. Once I had devoured them all I was left wanting more.

Doretha shared anecdotes, patterns from turn-of-the-century needlework magazines, tatting news and original designs.

She wrote of hating to cut and tie ends (Don't we all!) and often reworked antique patterns to make use of modern techniques. Clear photos of her own samples rounded out the pattern sections.

Doretha's window on the tatting world was filled with warmth and charm.
Let's all encourage "Tatting Knots and Notes Revisited, Book 1" to be reprinted.

Never having known her, I feel sure that I would have liked her immensely. Thank you, Doretha Albee, for continuing to publish this newsletter after Pat Perry died in 1991.

Thank you also for leaving a legacy of tatting companionship that will grow and flourish for generations to come.

On this last Tatting Tea Tuesday of May 2011, I raise my teacup* in tribute and bow my head in silence before picking up my shuttles.

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

* Today's tea is an infusion of decaf green/pomegranate/raspberry/mint.

4 comments:

Kathy Niklewicz said...

I appreciate this post about Doretha, and I'm sorry to learn of her passing. There are so many gaps in my knowledge of tatting history and of those who kept the tatting 'flame' burning. I'm always amazed when tatters write newsletters. I have trouble just writing my blog.

I'd love to see "Tatting Knots and Notes Revisited, Book 1" reprinted.

By the way, I'm always impressed by YOUR writing style and the research you share with us! I can't imagine how you have the time to do all that - and tat, too!

Crazy Mom! said...

I'm enjoying tatting the Pineapple Heaven doily - on round 13 now!

Elizabeth said...

She was a great lady. I roomed with her at an IOLI convention once and she was a lot of fun - she had the loveliest tatting and most of it was worked with teeny tiny thread - like size 120! Very talented designer as well. The tatting world lost a good one with her passing.

Carol Schockling Lawecki said...

Very nice post on Doretha. I subscribed to her newsletter for a year. I have two issues from 1998 and four issues from 1999. It was nice to pull them out and re-visit them.

I enjoy reading your blog and thank you for the information you posted about Doretha.